Decent quality electronics tool kit and/or good list to source individually?

[PrinceXizor]

I don't need much. I dabble in home electronics stuff. I build my own computers, I've opened laptops and cellphones. But, I haven't done (and don't plan on) doing much actual electrical repair work (soldering, desoldering, etc). I do plan on purchasing some decent quality soldering gun and tips at some point in the future but that is out of the scope of this request for info.

I would like to buy/put together a decent quality kit I can take to work that has basic tools for maintaining/upgrading/minor repairs to electronic equipment. Some decent quality small screwdrivers, decent quality micro tips, pliers, etc. I can spin my wheels checking out HD, Lowes, Harbor Freight, Amazon and look at the myriad of tool options and not know if I'm buying junk or not. Ideally I don't want to outlay a bunch of cash but I also understand the need for something decent.

This request is mainly due to the fact that I will be doing some of this semi-professionaly at work (I'm the defacto IT guy now) and want a nice small kit I can keep in my desk drawer to safely and competently work on electronic equipment.

I realize this is kind of a subjective, wide question. Thanks in advance for all who share their technical knowledge. I'm especially interested in those specialty tool items that can be super handy, make the job a lot less stressful. Presuming, of course, they aren't too expensive. I'm sorry that I don't have a real price range to give you. I'd say if I can fit the start of a kit under $50 I would be happy as long as that price wasn't mostly the non electronic tools like screwdrivers.

 

[mindless1]

... a nice small kit I can keep in my desk drawer

Yeah I don't think that is going to happen within the space of a pouch in a desk drawer, unless you only need a set of screwdrivers, 1/4" nutdriver, aimable flashlight, hemostats, couple pairs of pliers, and a multimeter. That will get most modular replacement type work done, and not run much over $50 if you shop wisely, but not really get into the electronics side of it at all.

I built a set of tools a piece at a time and would recommend going that route, but depending on what you need vs already have, it would quickly grow past $50. Just screwdrivers and pliers can exceed $50 by the time you have all the various fasteners covered, especially if you need nutdrivers too, although personally, I don't feel nutdrivers have to be as HQ as screwdrivers. You do want top quality screwdrivers, something like Wera or Wiha. The first time a threadlocked screw head strips out, you will realize they are worth their weight in gold.

Junk or not, if it's not a major brand then probably junk, and half the major brands are junk too. Decent quality costs quite a bit. Micro pliers, at least get box joint rather than lap joint, and don't hesitate to return them if there's too much slop. The less you spend, the more you have to inspect the particular specimen and accept or reject it. I wouldn't even bother looking at Harbor Freight or going with any generic brand on amazon for anything.

I don't know what's in the kits out there today, but it seems like you would be better served by making a list if things you know you need, then having us add to that list, things we've found helpful.

I have a small tool box, then essentially a giant pencil holder that all straight, thin tools go into, things like micro screwdrivers, dental picks, files, x-acto knives, inspection mirror, hemostats, tweezers, paint brushes (dust or cobweb removal), butane pencil torch, and more I don't recall at the moment. That pencil holder probably has $150+ worth of tools in it alone.

Toolbox, larger screwdrivers, insulated screwdrivers, nutdrivers, multimeter, meter probe tips and extensions, etc, flashlight, contact cleaner, utility knife, wire strippers, wire crimpers, flush cutters, multiple micro pliers, magnifying glass, larger mirror, small tape measure, wire labels & fine tip magic marker, wire ties, heatshrink tubing, crimps, wire nuts, emery paper, and more I can't recall at the moment.

Then there's the soldering kit with a base station iron, a stationless iron, tip kit, desoldering iron, desoldering braid, solder sucker, flux, solder, helping hands, desk vice, ceramic tile (heat proof and cut proof work area), extension cord, and more.

Then there is the consumables container with more varieties of heatshrink tubing, crimp connectors, wire ties, wire, scews/nuts/etc fasteners, resistors, and more.

Then there is the bench drawers of misc electronic components and mechanical fasteners and widgets, and tubs with various AC/DC adapters, fans, and more.

lol it is giving me a headache trying to think of everything.

This request is mainly due to the fact that I will be doing some of this semi-professionaly at work (I'm the defacto IT guy now)

I'd check to see if your employer will cover some if not all of the expense. If you already did and they told you a mere $50, they aren't being realistic.

 

[PrinceXizor]

Nice post! I would like to get to that level, but I feel that's level 2 or 3. I do want to ask you about your comment about screwdrivers vs. screw heads. Can you elaborate more? I always thought a screw head stripping out was the cheap screw, not the cheap bit?

 

[mindless1]

It is sometimes just a badly formed or excessively soft metal that makes a screw head strip, but then you still want the best purchase on the head possible, a precisely made screwdriver tip and one that stays that way because of its hardness, does not wear away in use.

You could have a theoretically perfect screw, with threadlock on it, and still fail to remove it if the screwdriver tip isn't able to generate enough torque before camming out. This makes phillips decidedly inferior to other types of fastener heads, but phillips is so ubiquitous, with customers preferring a fastener they have screwdrivers for, so you have to deal with them regularly.

I'd rather they just ceased to exist. When it comes to the more complex head types, again it is both a high precision and hard screwdriver tip that you want. A complex shape like torx is harder for a generic chinese factory to do well on the cheap, and the smaller it is, the more that matters.

There's no question that there are people out there getting work done with $1/pc generic screwdrivers, or major brand junk like Craftsman, but for precision sizes, I would rather pay once and decrease fastener damage risks than end up replacing junk after it caused problems.

If the cost is coming out of your own pocket, think of it in terms of being a lifetime tool investment. If coming out of the employer's pocket, argue similar.

Other tools I am not as picky about. Hemostats for example, I have no problem using pakistani factory seconds, cosmetically imperfect but costing ~1/3rd as much. One-off items like these, you can sometimes find dirt cheap as amazon add-on or warehouse items, but you are trading the time to find them for the lower cost.

 

[PrinceXizor]

Thanks! Good info.