Beginner's Car Maintenance Tools: Brand Comparison & Starter Kit Guide.
A 15-year-old is diving into car maintenance and looking for advice on which tool brands to invest in, especially balancing cost and quality as a beginner. A dedicated resource, like a website, YouTube channel, or a comprehensive e-guide, would be incredibly helpful. This resource should cover:
- Comparing tool brands: Detail the pros and cons of professional-grade brands (e.g., Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita), mid-tier options (e.g., Ryobi), and budget-friendly choices (e.g., Harbor Freight's Hercules, Pittsburgh, Bauer), with a focus on their suitability for beginner automotive tasks.
- Explaining battery platforms: Clarify the concept and importance of "buying into" a battery ecosystem for cordless power tools, and compare popular platforms.
- Suggesting starter tool kits: Recommend essential hand tools (like socket sets, wrenches, quality pliers, wobble extensions) as a foundational investment, before moving to specific power tools (e.g., electric ratchets, impact wrenches) that are appropriate for a novice, with options across various price points.
- Offering strategies for affordable tool acquisition: Provide actionable advice on building a tool collection cost-effectively, such as buying used tools (via platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist), taking advantage of sales, prioritizing tools based on immediate needs, and starting with budget-friendly brands for less critical items or for learning purposes.
This resource would help aspiring young DIY mechanics by demystifying the complex world of tool selection, enabling them to make informed, cost-effective purchasing decisions, and guiding them in progressively building a practical and suitable tool collection for car maintenance.
Origin Reddit Post
r/tools
15 y/o getting into to car maintenance with my grandpa and brother, need advice on which tool brand I should buy in to
Posted by u/Parking-Treat3915•06/01/2025
For the past couple years I’ve been working with my grandpa fixing up cars, I’ve been using his tools for the most part (he’s one of those guys that has a garage full of any kind of car tool
Top Comments
u/ajkimmins
You can start with Harbor Freight. The Bauer seem decent. As you make money and can afford to upgrade them maybe look into a more professional tool as the cheaper stuff breaks!
u/mthode
For batteries you are generally buying into a platform. I generally don't like having a bunch of different battery brands to manage, so pick a color and try and stick to it, I picked red, ot
u/mthode
Oh ya, hercules is their better battery brand? Ya, that's fine. I'm trying not to say that you have to get the most expensive thing, but with battery tools I try and stick with buy once cry
u/According-Hat-5393
If the tools are black oxide (as in extensions, adapters, & sockets-- especially 6 point), from my 45-ish years of experience, it doesn't seem to make a rat's-ass-god-damn WHO made it! I
u/mx5plus2cones
Imho unless you plan on doing car maintenance professionally, you can do a good portion of it with hand tools at home.
If you are starting out, I would first invest in a high quality jack an
u/SpecificMoment5242
You're 15. Go to Harbor Freight. Unless you have a trust fund.
u/Tha_Proffessor
Honestly I've worked in shops for years and I've seen master techs that buy everything they can from harbor freight. I personally have a few Hercules brand tools that I wanted to try out beca
u/Ambitious_Ad_9637
Pawn shop for metal and DeWalt tools. They are after all the most commonly stolen tools. What year yota?
u/damnvan13
Get what you can when you need it. You might have a Frankenstein tool set, but you'll get the job done. After a few years you can start making a coherent set. Personally I like my mix and mat
u/Motor-Oil-2196
Honestly man, just go on FB marketplace and Craigslist and look for deals where someone is selling a box with tools or sets of tools. Thats the least costly way to get in the game.
u/Parking-Treat3915
I was thinking about Hercules a lot, I have Pittsburgh hand tools and that’s what my grandpa has been having me use for a long time and I’ve been pretty satisfied with them, for power tools I
u/WhereDidAllTheSnowGo
For **new cordless powertools in USA** (actually, yer line of batteries), overly simplified:
- Milwaukee, Dewalt, Makita, are for pros (blue Bosch, Metabo HPT, Festool, Hilti too but less pre
u/FearFactory2904
Ryobi would be a little bit of an upgrade over Bauer, without going all the way to Milwaukee/DeWalt price. Also the sheer number of tools they make means you can stick with the same batteries
u/youshantsteakpee
Icon and Milwaukee
u/WhereDidAllTheSnowGo
A Lexus mechanic friend, and I a home hobbyist, both recommend buying all Harbor Freight’s Pittsburgh (or similar) hand tools (not power tools) when on sale (say 20-30% off, use https://hfpri
u/Impressive-Reply-203
The few things I would recommend would be a good electric ratchet, a set of wobble extensions, a badass pair of pliers (slip joint needle nose from snap on or icon are top notch), and heavy d
u/Parking-Treat3915
Yeah Id be using the tools on occasion so I’m thinking Hercules or similar would be best idea for me, thank you
u/Impressive-Reply-203
It depends on how much time and effort you want to put in. Milwaukee are great, they're reliable, powerful, but pricey. If you want to do things occasionally then there's no shame in ryobi or
u/Ok-Photograph2954
The best you can afford, that's easy for me to say, but there is an element of underlying truth
The best cordless power tools b far are Hilti, but they're seriously expensive, Bosch Professi
u/TwoTequilaTuesday
You're young and inexperienced, so making power tools your first purchase isn't advised. Buy good hand tools first and learn to use them. Then slowly grow your collection based on what you'll