7 Tools I Will Always Have Duplicates Of
Buying tools is an addiction to some. The seemingly endless utility of these objects designed to enhance our lives and abilities can be intoxicating. Hence why even when we don’t need them, new (and new to us) tools find their way into passenger seats, truck beds, and backpacks as the artfully organized cache in my workspace grows and grows. I could probably just name my toolbox Audrey II, though my garage is only occasionally full of horrors, and the ‘box feeds on tool steel and carbide rather than human flesh.
My toolbox is not overflowing, but that only speaks to my self-restraint and judicious control over how often the solution to a problem is using the credit card versus my brain. We all want to own one of every tool. They are just fascinating. But even with one of everything, we would likely still want more. Some jobs simply require duplicates. Or at least I have convinced myself that occasionally having two of the exact same tool is the solution to my problems. Whether the logic makes sense or not, here are seven tools that I must have two of inside my shop:
Vice grips/clamps
Despite years of trying and a few consultations with my doctor, I have yet to grow a third hand. Something about evolution taking millions of generations just really puts a damper on me getting the extra holding power I could use most days.
Luckily, not only does a solution exist, but it’s affordable and easy to store. Years ago I resigned that anything that is locking or clamping should be purchased in pairs. This realization followed a discussion with a fabricator friend who hammered into me that it is impossible to have too many clamps. He was right.
Screwdrivers
To be clear, I’m dialing in the discussion of duplicates to exact duplicates. Two of the same tool. My drawer full of screwdrivers is surprisingly full when you consider there are relatively few popular styles and a minimal number of usable lengths.
Maybe it’s my use, but I always fear damaging a screwdriver tip just as much as damaging the hardware. A damaged screwdriver stalls a project as once the head is stripped the options for removal get destructive quickly. A spare screwdriver is a security blanket I shouldn’t need, but won’t wrench without.
10mm
You thought I wouldn’t include a 10mm joke? Impossible. A lot of my projects these days were built in countries that believe in base 10 measurement systems. If you have a more American bent to your tooling needs this might be the 1/2″. Regardless, not having a 10mm socket or wrench could easily stop a few of my projects in their tracks, thus duplicates make sense.
Extensions
The easiest to justify on this list might be the extensions for a socket set. Stack them on each other to reach the depths of the engine bay that was previously reserved for engine-out services. It’s also convenient to have multiple to so I’m not constantly disassembling my tooling mid-job.
Wire brushes and cleaning supplies
Cleaning parts is one of the tasks that I do not seek out and only after some time have I figure out that any tiny roadblock in the process will flip the switch in my brain that says “not worth it. Just reinstall the part as is. It’ll be fine.”
But I want to do higher quality work than that, so having a surplus of cleaning supplies and materials has helped eliminate the feeling that cleaning things has a barrier that must be met. I keep these brushes and supplies around to not only remove the perceived barrier but ensure that it does not return unexpectedly.
Flashlights
Having worked on cars in situations ranging from ideal to downright dangerous, I’ll say one thing I have never heard is, “Wow, it’s too bright. I can see everything I need and it’s frustrating.” No, more light is often a cure for frustrations while working on cars. Small LED flashlights have gotten downright cheap, so a few in various sizes, shapes, brightness, and magnetism are just downright handy. It’s a struggle to work on something you can’t see, so light up your project.
Drill bits
They break and dull, and when you need one there is pretty much nothing else that will do the job. Drill bits are wildly affordable for the function they serve and having a duplicate set, or even just a few of the most commonly used sizes in your shop, allows a certain peace of mind that your projects will move forward even if an unfortunate happenstance breaks a bit. Good setups and usage will make drill bits last a very long time, but it’s not if things go sideways, it’s when. Preparation for that takes a lot of frustration out of your projects.
This is just the list for my shop and, of course, every shop is unique. I typically only have one major project apart or being worked on at a time and the tools go back into the box after each working session. In a larger shop or for someone with many projects running it might make sense to duplicate common tools just so things don’t get lost in the shuffle. What tools do you have to have duplicates of in your toolbox?
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Maybe it’s not exactly a tool, but a good large air compressor is a must for me! It makes so many tools work!
My barn includes a small mechanics area (for working on ranch equipment) and also my woodworking shop. The main mechanic shop is next to the garage and about 100 feet separate the two buildings. Plus, I sometimes have to have air out in the middle of a field somewhere that could be a LONG ways from the barn. So I hear ya on having to have duplicate air compressors – along with a portable air supply that doesn’t require electricity. I would definitely qualify these as “tools”!
Hands…I always need an extra set!
Eyes…See the back side of a problem is sometimes helpful.
Brains…I can’t tell you how many times a second opinion was the answer.
If these aren’t tools….
Probably the reason many of us got married. Of course, finding a woman with brains that’s willing to marry you can be a problem.
That last sentence gets my vote for Comment of the Day”! 😂😂😂
Why is everyone so hung up on the 10mm socket? 🤔
…I always lose the 13.
👍😆
I dunno, but I currently have three 13MM sockets and four wrenches that size. And NO – I repeat – NO 10MM anythings at all. Next time I’m in town, I’ve gotta remember to stop and stock up!
For those people hung up on the 1/2″ socket (as opposed to the 10mm), a 13mm socket or wrench is the same size (at least in the Craftsman tool world).
I have several different pliers such as channel locks, wire cutters, wire strippers, hose pliers etc. Pliers have their use but not for removing nuts or bolts. Ring pliers for example are a must when removing shafts and bearings.
Other specialized pliers have their use for removing or replacing spring clips which can fly off to never be found again.
Even with two or three of everything, I would still not be able to find the tool I need when I need it. They have the nasty habit of hiding out where ever they were last used.
I suffer from the same thing, need to be better at putting my tools away👍
There’s no such thing as an inanimate object. The small ones move the fastest.
In the 10th grade I was in auto shop and started purchasing tools and also received them as gifts. On the side I worked on cars, helped rebuild them and so one, was always buying the tools I needed and I didn’t have. In 45 years I now have a huge collection of tools. My son as he grew up has also become a car guy and enjoys working on them as well. As time has gone by he also has bought them in addition to the ones I have given to him. Regardless of how many tools you have, tools are an addiction, you always come across “the one” that you gotta have, or need. Even though in my will if something happens to me they all go to my son. If my wife ever decided to sell them for what I told her I paid for them, someone is really going to make out like a bandit
A second set of END WRENCHES is always a good choice, especially with the ratcheting box ends.
I have always when by the old saying” You cannot have two many tools” I have bought at garage sales ,on line and at retail stores . To me there is nothing more aggravating than not having a tool I need.
On duplicate light sources: I find an LED headlamp indispensable. It’s bright, it shines where you are looking, and it leaves both hands handy.
I have been collecting Proto, professional and craftsman tools for about five or six decades. Several eatates from friends and relatives as well. recently sold one home and combined into my current residence. I wrench on cars, motorcycles& boats. fully equipped model, airplane shop, and a woodshop also. Next big project is a bar remodel for the local Elks Lodge.The trick is keeping everything organized. Still working on that! I have two of A tool not mentioned here: a drill doctor, a handy little diamond cutter the sharpens drillbits really well, even broken ones. my worst tool addiction is wood shop tools…
Screwdrivers and drill bits for me in excess. How many similar screwdrivers do you need? I have inherited many it seems.
8mm and 10mm sockets get swallowed up by my GMs (69 Camaro, 11 C6 Z06) at a remarkable rate. I was showing off the (not yet running) LS spooned into the Camaro last night, closed the hood, and an 8mm dropped out onto the driveway. Just another day at Joe’s garage. I have several duplicates of the 8 and 10 plus all the other tools listed. Easier to have them ready than to run out every time a new one is needed.
Socket wrench U-joints in every drive size plus a set of up-down drive size adapters. You never know when you’re going to need to get into a tight spot that takes a bend at each end.
I read an article in the mid-70s that pointed out that your neighbors will always want to borrow tools once they find out you own them. The recommendation then was that you trot down to K-mart or the equivalent and buy a set of the cheapest stuff you can find. Set that box aside as your “loaner” tools.