Alright so today on Repairs101 I’ve got yet another top 10 list. This time it’s the top ten tools I take with me out on a service call. Now I should say that I based this list wholly on my own personal experiences as a heavy duty mechanic who specializes in boats.
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First up: PPE

Now if you’ve seen enough of my videos you know that the first thing I want to talk about is Personal Protective Equipment, and in particular, protective eyewear.
Basic hand tools

Alright well number ten is my OLFA knife. I use it for just about everything from gasket making to trimming insulation on cable. I’m constantly reaching for one of these little pairs of water pump pliers – extremely handy tools.

Specialized hand tools
I carry these two pair of needle-nosed vise-grips and these two pair of round nosed vise-grips. And I use them for everything from pliers to clamps, tongs and even wire cutters. You do a surprising amount of wiring repairs as a mechanic. So I get a lot of use out of my terminal crimp tool. Now these side-cutters are very similar but you can cut through staples, pull nails and even trim sheet-metal with a good pair.
Automatic wire strippers like these are a must have for anyone who does a lot of wiring. They’re going to save you tons of time, and time is money. Now I’m going to include metric and SAE and even deep sockets as item number five for the same reason I’d take a dozen eggs to the “ten items or less” checkout line at the grocery store.

Combination wrenches are a combination of open ended wrenches and ring wrenches. And they come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Your digital multi-meter will tell you things like the state of charge of a battery. Also the resistance of a circuit and even test for electrolysis by checking your antifreeze.

You’ll see my mini Mag flashlight poking out of my coveralls any time you see me at work. I love the focusable beam Mini Mags have. They’re tough, they’re waterproof and they even come with a spare bulb. I’ve been carrying this one for over twenty years. And it still works fine in spite of the fact that I dropped it and broke the lens in it.
Top dog

I think without a doubt the most useful tool in my arsenal – believe it or not – is my Swiss Army Knife. I take it everywhere except the airport.
Alright thanks for watching and don’t forget to subscribe!
