Hardware store shopping list, DIY

Harbor Freight or Home Depot; What's the must have tools, manual or powered I need for intro to DIY. Currently have Makita batteries for fastener drivers. Also have a medicore/low set of Durabuilt metric and inch sized wrench and sockets. Plus a Great Neck 16" torque wrench. What cant you live without?

A full 1/4" metric socket set and a fine-tooth ratcheting wrench. Many projects will be in very tight constricted spaces, and sometimes only a 1/4" socket/wrench will fit, with a frustratingly narrow angle each turn. Also depends what you are doing. I did the suspension last winter, and constantly had to buy large sockets and wrenches for various things. 21mm, 22mm, 26mm, 32mm, etc. My regular set had up to 19mm. I've also used various metric crows-feet many times, up to 19mm. I torque everything to spec, and a crows-foot is the only way to use my torque wrench (allowing for the 1/12th increase in the lever arm) on bolts which can't be accessed with a socket (oil pressure sender, O2 sensors, and generally confined spaces) EDIT: Also of course torque wrenches. I guess opinions vary, but I use torque wrenches for final torque on everything. Some things are as low as 10Nm(7.5ftlb), so I have a tiny one that gets alot of use. Also have a mid-range (10-70ftlbs), and a large one (50-150ftlb) for suspension, wheel lugs, etc.

For entry-level projects: Magnetic pick up tool…you will drop things Telescoping mirror and a flex LED light…to find what you dropped Magnetic bowl…so you drop things in the right place Flexible hose pliers…you’ll see Mini wratchet set…for hard-to-reach places like coil packs More 3/8 and 1/4 extensions, universals, adapters and wobbles than you think you could ever need…’cuz when you need a particular one, it’s missing Plastic trim tool set…‘cuz you’ll be doing interior projects all the time 19mm wheel bolt socket and breaker bar…for getting those 96 lb/ft bolts off Torx, Torx, Torx…drivers, 1/4 sockets and bits Pick set and small flat head screwdrivers 16 oz handled paint cup…holds all the small tools where you’re working 3 ton low profile jack…so you can use your jack stands Get W Dempsey’s 100 Projects book. Real good read!

I have a lot of harbor freight stuff - it works well for me and anytime I have had an issue its been an easy swap out. I like their Icon 90 tooth ratchets quite a bit. ALL Metric 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 ratchets 1/4 sockets 6MM to 13MM 3/8 sockets 10MM 10 18MM (chrome and impact) 1/2 sockets 13MM to 24MM (chrome and impact_ Allen sockets, I like to have both 1/4 and 3/8 Torx Set, I like to have 1/4 and 3/8 (CRITICAL for German cars) Extensions, I go all the way up to like 2 FT Ratcheting wrench set, up to 20MM Adapters for each drive size (chrome and impact) Pry bars Screwdriver set Small, med and large adjustable wrench Needle nose pliers (pays to get something that is kind of nice here) Plier set multiple sizes 3/8 Milwaukee electric ratchet 3/8 Milwaukee stubby impact 1/2 impact, I have a dewalt (before my switchover to Milwaukee tools) Lug nut sockets - non marring Extendable magnet Razor blades Trim tools (plastic pry bars basically) Electric drill with various sets of bits 02 socket 3/8 Torque wrench (I use this 90% of the time so I like an electric) 1/2 Torque wrench (have a cheaper one) 1/2 breaker bar Cheater bar (a long *** metal pipe) Good lights, the HF magnetic bendable lights are awesome and I have gone through quite a few of them Loctite Anti seize Thread sealant Paint pen Sharpies Painters tape I'm forgetting stuff but the above is what I use with relative frequency.

As a suggestion I would check out Project Farm on You tube. He does very comprehensive tool reviews, in some case many of the wrenches that can be found on Amazon and the big box stores are performing just as well or better than name brands such as Snap-On S&K, Matco etc... here is a handy link to all of his reviews... Tool Reviews

When buying wrenches make sure to get 16 and 18mm. Sets don't always come with them.

I agree with the suggestion to pick up the 101 Projects For Your Porsche 996 book. Once you have it, read what tools are required for the projects you'd like to tackle first. If you just but tools without a specific use in mind, you might buy stuff you'll never (or seldom) use. It's easy to end up owning thousands(or tens of thousands) of dollars worth of tools. I REALLY like my Snap-on tools, but if you're not a professional technician, you'll likely do just fine with cheaper Harbor Freight or Home Depot(Husky) tools. I know some technicians who do well with "just" Harbor Freight tools. Heck, I own some Harbor Freight(and Husky) for some seldom used tools.

Quotes source post: 18585290

Definitely need those if you do any suspension work.

A decent OBD2 code reader is good to have . An inexpensive manometer is also useful to diagnose AOS issues . A good floor jack and jack stands can save your life .

Quotes source post: 18585290

For sets that exclude 16 and 19 mm, 5/8 and 3/4 will usually suffice. Works out to 15.875 and 19.05 mm respectively. My Husky set skimped out on the 16mm box wrench.

Professional quality wrenches like Mac, Matco, Snap-On, and some Industrial quality wrenches like Proto , Williams, S&K, ect.. machine wrenches to close tolerance, .002" for the smallest up to .006" for 1" ect... Each metric size goes up .039" per MM and don't jump sizes.....Each SAE size goes up .062" ( 1/16th) and doesn't jump sizes..... Hardware Store quality wrenche set usually jump sizes and some sizes are close tolerance and some are intentionally loose. IE ...you can use a loose tolerance 11/16 SAE wrench will fit nicely on a 18mm bolt .( but a tight tolerance high quality 11/16 SAE wrench will not fit)..and a 5/8 SAE will fit nicely on a 16mm bolt...Some are really good some not so good. So if buying Hardware Store quality wrench set , get both the SAE and Meteric sets....A Snap-on 18mm single wrench will cost $50 and you can get both SAE and Metric wrench sets from a Hardware Store for less than $50 bucks... Over 50 years I have bought more than 4 huge tool boxes full of set of tools/special tools of all brands, ( and sold some of them) , probably enough to have bought a GT3 , imposssible to count it up.. I would say that starting out if you are going to be doing much wrenching to get quanity over quality ( within your budget) and learn to use them....Snap-on , MAC ,Matco ,are great tools if you can afford them but the main reason most professionals ( like me) bought them was because they came to you every week to replace any broken/worn out tools, its much better than going to the hardware store every week...My advice is to go "middle of the road" on Quality...

If you're getting into DIY, having the right tools makes all the difference. Since you already have Makita batteries, adding a few compatible power tools, like a drill or an impact driver, would be a solid start. For hand tools, upgrading your wrenches and sockets could be a game-changer. My Kobalt tool box ( Read More )has been essential�I can't live without my Kobalt ratcheting wrench set and their multi-bit screwdriver. They�re reliable and durable, and I've found they hold up well over time. A good tape measure and a sturdy hammer are also must-haves for any project.