Tools I like.

PcTek9

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b/c i work with tiny things, i like tiny tools. I did not see an actual sub forum for "tech tools" like the best hammers, pliers, screwdrivers, that sort of thing, so I hope I don't upset anybody by posting here.
I like to carry a leatherman squirt es4, it is 2" long, (tiny tiny) and has pliers, wire strippers from 20 to 12, wire cutters, scissors, phillips, flat, great file, tweezers, knife blade, and some other accouterments, but it is TINY.
http://www.leatherman.com/21.html#start=23
I also found the smallest set of wirepliers I have ever seen. They are 3" in length, I wish they were better quality like klein, ideal, jensen, etc, but they still do the work.
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-piece-3-inch-micro-pliers-set-98876.html
 
I like this, I dont have anything to contribute. But I would also know of more "best" tools for the job. ie screw drivers, adapters etc (Preferably stuff that tend to last longer than the cheap 99cent store items)
 
Not sure if my grip is getting weaker or the metal in the screwdriver/bits. I seem to be rounding out the screws a bit more than I did a few years back. Might be time to get a new set. Brand name recommendations would be a help!
 
Not sure if my grip is getting weaker or the metal in the screwdriver/bits. I seem to be rounding out the screws a bit more than I did a few years back. Might be time to get a new set. Brand name recommendations would be a help!

Screwdrivers are getting cheaper and weaker. I have not met a philips driver below a 0 that I haven't rounded off. Torx, flathead, and allen keys too. I have used Stanley, Kobalt, Dewalt, Craftsman, and some off brands. Craftsman/Sears has a lifetime warranty on certain sets and will replace any rounded or broken drivers free. They are a bit more pricey, and those I know in auto repair swear by MAC/SnapOn/Craftsman/Sears. The big names. :)
 
One tool I carry around which comes in EXTREMELY handy pretty much every day is my Victorinox Signature Lite pocket knife. Its got a blade, a file (I use it to file and reshape corners of damaged ipads to make the replacement digitizer fit), a pen, scissors, and a LED light. I don't think its hard to imagine why it comes in so handy all the time. It just sits either on my keychain with a quick release, or on my belt clip with a quick release. I actually got the idea from Dave Jones' recommendation for a similar pocket knife, but found this one to be all the tools I need, and not a single extra one to add pointless weight.
http://www.swissarmy.com/us/app/product/Swiss-Army-Knives/Category/Everyday-Use/Signature-Lite/53186
dvPvD35l.jpg

I've also been buying some Moody precision screw drivers, as they seem to be pretty high quality and all the others I have bought chip/deform too easily with so much use. Especially their Tri-wing screw driver. The only Tri-wings I can find that can reach the screws on a wii are such garbage they're practically single use, so the second I saw that Moody made one, I ordered it.
 
One tool I carry around which comes in EXTREMELY handy pretty much every day is my Victorinox Signature Lite pocket knife.

If there's a "tool" I can say I've used the most in my ~20 years of doing SMB IT...it's that little Victorinox pocket knife.

From slicing open boxes, to cutting the jacket from patch cable, to cutting the ends of patch cable when I'm about to terminate it, the screwdriver....yup, the most used tool I've had.

For our service bench, yeah we have our various philips and torx drivers...those are just typical little craftsman ones I'm sure most of us all have....no need for special mention.
 
Screwdrivers are getting cheaper and weaker. I have not met a philips driver below a 0 that I haven't rounded off.

Get a set of Klein technical drivers - I have rouded off all the "Big Names" too, but my Klein 614-3 and 613-3 drivers are fantastic. The Philips driver stangely seems to fit ALL screws from the largest hinge screws to the small laptop fan assembly screws.
 
In the "always on me" category is my Leatherman Charge AL. I use it at least once a day. When doing on-site work, it is normally the screwdriver I reach for to open up cases and such, since it is always at hand.
 
Always found leathermans and multi-knives too big (or small) for my pocket, so I have always stuck to my standard pocket knife (2.5"-3" minimum blade please), and a keyring P38 can opener (which doubles as a makeshift box opener, a decent flat or phillips screw driver, a small prying mechanism, and the best part: IT OPENS LUNCH!). Sure wish the P38 could be used as a flashlight though.... :D

As for screwdrivers and such, I use whatever. Been a really, really long time since I have rounded a driver tip, although my current set is starting to show some wear if you look really hard at it... Jewelers pliers (like the set shown above) are very handy, but really weak. Get 2 sets, so when you bend one, you still have it!
 
As far as screwdriver sets, for laptops/phones I really like Wiha:

(sorry, can't post link yet. Google "Wiha")

We have several smaller Wiha sets. I like the "rotation cap," but one of my techs says he prefers a larger grip.

For Mac stuff I found this to be helpful:

(sorry again. Google "ifixit 54-bit-driver")

mainly because it has some hard-to-find bits
 
As far as screwdriver sets, for laptops/phones I really like Wiha:

(sorry, can't post link yet. Google "Wiha")

We have several smaller Wiha sets. I like the "rotation cap," but one of my techs says he prefers a larger grip.

For Mac stuff I found this to be helpful:

(sorry again. Google "ifixit 54-bit-driver")

mainly because it has some hard-to-find bits

Wiha tools are indeed great. We have several of their phillips drivers, and some of them have been around for years. I must say I like my Moody drivers a bit more though. The spin cap on top rotates easier, and is not circular but squared off, meaning when you put it down somewhere, its not inclined to go rolling around.

Another +1 for the ifixit set too. It's pretty much got every bit you could need. Pentalobes for macs/iphone, torx and their security versions, tri-wing, those square ones I still have yet to encounter a device to use them on, and even the socket bits which can easily unscrew stand-offs from MB trays, VGA/DVI connectors and the like. Very handy indeed.
 
Having an extra long phillips/slotted screwdriver (like 1ft or longer) is really handy to screw down motherboards in cramped cases. I learned that trick from a colleague. He got his from a local MACtools dealer.

Also despite what the urban legend says, I magnetize all my screwdrivers and have never had an issue.
 
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