What was the first tool you purchased?

[Delco32V]

Add me to the Craftsman club. Got a set of wrenches in the early 70's, then later socket sets and more wrenches and more stuff...Was very proud of the metal 3 drawer box that I kept it all in, weighing 2 tons and carrying it around.  that has morphed into 3 large roller cabinets with tops...I must have at least one of every make of tool known, inlcuding a Rajah crimp plier terminal set in the metal box. I never turn down anything, and most of it was acquired that way. My son has done the same, all of it good tools, but none new.

 

Just for good measure, a Sun timing light 6/12/24 volt with the vibrator in a metal case with the hood hook to use it. My father had one, that was lost in a flood. I had to have one, and it works well with a nice Buzzing sound.....

[c49er]

A dog bone wrench probably around 1963...

That's what got me started buying tools.

Now have hundreds and hundreds of them.

Edited May 23, 2022 by c49er (see edit history)

[rocketraider]

Anyone besides me have tools you've forgotten what they're for? I knew when I bought them...☺️

 

Or worse, have tools you forgot you had and ended up with multiples when you bought another one? That's how I ended up with 3 sets of long beam metric combination wrenches.☺️☺️

[NailheadBob]

21 minutes ago, rocketraider said:

Anyone besides me have tools you've forgotten what they're for? I knew when I bought them...☺️

 

Or worse, have tools you forgot you had and ended up with multiples when you bought another one? That's how I ended up with 3 sets of long beam metric combination wrenches.☺️☺️

I to have purchased a new cool tool, only to find out I thought it was soo cool I already had two in my garage 😰😂

[Frank DuVal]

Does the screwdriver that came with the Erector Set count?😁

[ch1929]

Not my first tool or tool box, but still a neat piece after 42 years of regular use. 

[ejboyd5]

It's interesting how many responders mention Craftsman for their first purchases.  I'm among them with a 1/2" metric socket set in the early '60s and later my first roll-around tool chest from the Sears store in Hempstead, NY.  I also remember buying Snap-On open end flare nut wrenches in inch sizes to remove some 27mm and 32mm Mercedes oil line fittings because back then it was very difficult (and expensive) to get metric tools. The Snap-On salesman even came by my house one evening to deliver them along with a large catalog of their products.  If I remember correctly, the Snap-On wrenches were about $6 each. I'm still buying tools and just this morning received some new bits for my Yankee 30A screwdrivers.

[rocketraider]

The trouble I'm in with tools now is that not only do I have beaucoup of them I bought to use (and did, often heavily), but I've gotten into well-loved older tools, say 1940s-1980s vintage. Lesser known brands, that I used to consider second-line stuff till I started researching them. Some of those "second-line" tools turned out to be among the best-made and innovative tools. Between the history and the mergers some of those tools still exist, albeit under conglomerate names.

 

So I now find meself with even more tools that are truly pleasurable to own and use. Brands like Indestro, Wizard, Fleet, Duro, Crescent Jamestown, and lord knows how many more. 

 

Don't wrench on stuff much as I did, but there's pleasure in having the tools and especially knowing the story behind them. As in PLOMB tools evolved into PROTO and eventually Stanley Black & Decker.

[28 Chrysler]

My fist tools were all worn out rejects that I used on my bicycles.

This is the first real too I made in High School metal shop.

The assignment was to make a "C Clamp"

Opened all the way mine almost makes a "C"

That was also my grade for not following instructions.

[pfloro]

I still have and use these tools...  They provided a great learning experience...

 

The 3/8" drive RAM socket set dates back to about 1970.  It was made in Japan and the quality was excellent for a low end tool set.

The ratchet still operates smoothly and engages like new.   the 3/8" sockets are six point too...  I first used this set to remove the spark plugs

and cylinder heads from our B&S lawn mower and snow blower engines.  Although I bought Craftsman tools as I got older, this inexpensive

set still gets called into service...  It's gotten some hard use over the years.

 

The Dixco Tune Up Set was probably purchased in early 1974 so I could tune up my first car (a 1973 Plymouth Duster).

I re-torqued the slant six cylinder head and did a compression test every year.  The timing light was neon which wasn't

of much value but it had a remote start switch built into the squeeze handle...!  That came in handy when doing the compression test.

The neon timing light was invaluable when I was troubleshooting a "misfire under load" in our 1966 Mustang.  I wired the

timing light "in series" with each spark plug wire.  At idle, the problem cylinder (which did fire at idle) revealed itself with a very dim

flash of the neon tube.  The trouble turned out to be a poor connection at the spark plug end of the wire.  The carbon filaments were not

well crimped under the brass clip. 

 

The Sears Engine Analyzer was bought at about the same time.  It's been invaluable over the years.  It was last used to troubleshoot my 1984

Toronado with the CCC (Computer Command Control) system.  The dwell meter allowed me to watch the action of the mixture control system

(when in closed loop) as I artificially created lean and rich conditions...  Pretty amazing...!

 

Paul

Edited May 26, 2022 by pfloro (see edit history)

[Steve Moskowitz]

That is easy for me, not sure why I bought this item, but I was working at a body shop and could not resist the Snap-On Tool truck.  I bought a 1/4 inch drive ratchet set which I still own today along with my Snap-On Tool chests from 1968.  Still have most of my body work tools as well.  Tools look better than I do after all these years!

[Twisted Shifter]

 

On 5/24/2022 at 9:18 AM, ejboyd5 said:

It's interesting how many responders mention Craftsman for their first purchases.  I'm among them with a 1/2" metric socket set in the early '60s and later my first roll-around tool chest from the Sears store in Hempstead, NY. 

Remember, back in the '50's and '60's (and before) Sears was the largest retailer in the country.

From large department stores in larger towns and cities, to smaller outlets or catalog stores in smaller places. Their seasonal mail-order catalogs reached just about everyone, urban or rural. We wore the print off the pages of "the wish book", especially the Christmas Catalog.

...long before Walmart, Home Depot, Amazon, etc.

 

Craftsman was a respected name, quality made in the USA, and exclusively available at Sears. Their full replacement "no-questions-asked" hand tool guarantee (even for old broken tools someone else discarded) made choosing Craftsman an easy choice back in the day.

 

[DAVES89]

When I was 12 or so I got a paper route and saved up and bought the Sears 100 plus socket/tool set in a gray tool box with a tray. Still have it today. My dad's comment [to my mom but not me] was that I now had more tools then he did. That was true as he only had some screwdrivers, pliers and a vise grips.

So when he needed something, he borrowed from me...

[rocketraider]

Me latest tool purchase. 56" Harbor Freight rollaround. Got an 18" end cabinet to hang on it too. With those I have almost the same capacity as the 72" chest for about $300 less. Yes, it's "ornch"😁

The original idea was to consolidate the content of three smaller Craftsman chests into this and sell the Craftsmans.

 

Only to find there's enough tools that never had a permanent home, stuffed in drawers and elsewhere, to easily fill them back up! One holds nothing but the "well-loved" used tools! And I find myself going in it quite often when I need a tool.

[rocketraider]

23 hours ago, Steve Moskowitz said:

That is easy for me, not sure why I bought this item, but I was working at a body shop and could not resist the Snap-On Tool truck.  I bought a 1/4 inch drive ratchet set which I still own today along with my Snap-On Tool chests from 1968.  Still have most of my body work tools as well.  Tools look better than I do after all these years!

My money sez after all these years you still know how to work magic with them!

[NailheadBob]

1 hour ago, rocketraider said:

Me latest tool purchase. 56" Harbor Freight rollaround. Got an 18" end cabinet to hang on it too. With those I have almost the same capacity as the 72" chest for about $300 less. Yes, it's "ornch"😁

The original idea was to consolidate the content of three smaller Craftsman chests into this and sell the Craftsmans.

 

Only to find there's enough tools that never had a permanent home, stuffed in drawers and elsewhere, to easily fill them back up! One holds nothing but the "well-loved" used tools! And I find myself going in it quite often when I need a tool.

I was working in auto repair shop and a mechanic purchased the same tool chest as you did, 2 months later he traded it in with Snap-On to upgrade it, then my manager found out about it, and was told by Snap-On guy $400.00 if cash, he counter offered and said $200.00  cash and it was sold, I later told the Snap-On guy (WT -) I would have paid $200.00 cash, you snooze and you lose. 😜

 

Edited May 26, 2022 by NailheadBob
remove F (see edit history)

[DAVES89]

On 5/24/2022 at 8:27 AM, ch1929 said:

Not my first tool or tool box, but still a neat piece after 42 years of regular use. 

I bought this same tool box, used, about 3 years ago. Just don't have the picture. I like it a lot.

Edited May 27, 2022 by DAVES89 (see edit history)

[RAH]

I have always been interested in electronics ie. radios etc. I believe my first tool was a WELLER Jr soldering gun. Dads soldering Iron took too long to come up to heat and was too cumbersome for my jobs. Shortly after was my first Radio Shack MICRONTA multimeter. Yes I still have and use it although a newer SENCORE FET meter is for regular use. How many of you recall replacing that 9 ohm resister inside the meter due to forgetting to switch from OHMS to VOLTS before checking voltage? AND the soldering gun has over time had the black bakelite case replaced due to a fall to concrete floor. Yes that was back when replacement parts were still available. I do not subscribe to the 'throw away society' or throw broken things away I fix them! 

[Frank DuVal]

59 minutes ago, RAH said:

AND the soldering gun has over time had the black bakelite case replaced due to a fall to concrete floor. Yes that was back when replacement parts were still available.

These cases are still available!👍

 

https://www.weller-tools.com/consumer/USA/us/Weller+Consumer/Soldering+Guns/Accessories+%26+Consumables/8200RH

 

Like Glenn, I bought  two Harbor Freight tool boxes, and still have the Snap On and Craftsmen boxes full! I like tools....😉