Basically what the title says, What are y’all opinions on tools (obviously excluding the ones from vex) that y’all think are absolutely necessary to have when building y’all competition bots, i.e. specific brands of screwdrivers, nut drivers, types and brands of wrenches, etc.
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Tin snips are extremely useful, you can cut through polycarb like paper.
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Most here will list what I probably have to say (Wera, Wiha, and Bondhus >>>>)
but my favorite tool has been my Makita portable band saw. (any brand works, I just like Makita)
Makes life so easy…
My second favorite is a Dremel – and take care of these too! Under abuse, they break quickly, but otherwise, they can last a really long time!
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Totally agree, a good dremel is super useful. Make sure to get some sanding bits for it, as sometimes the metal you cut it kinda sharp.
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I thought of another thing: All tools from VEX absolutely suck EXCEPT for the open-ended wrench.
Do not waste your money. Literally anything on robosource will serve you better…
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My kids love forceps over needlenose for placing small spacers and screws in hard to reach places. https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Autoclaveable-Hemostat-Forceps-Titanium/dp/B07QGQ26RT/
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Bolt cutters are great for cutting LS shafts. Takes only a couple of seconds do and leaves a fairly clean cut. I would also recommend a file for shaving down any sharp edges on your bot and cut shafts.
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A Ryobi Electric air compressor for pneumatics if you have them.
[
RYOBI - Inflators - Air Compressor Tools - The Home Depot
https://www.homedepot.com › … › Inflators
](https://www.homedepot.com/b/Tools-Air-Compressor-Tools-Inflators/RYOBI/N-5yc1vZc285Zm5d)
Edit: Buy it from Lowe’s, it’s cheaper I think.
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This is a great option, however one of our builders is a diver so we just fill up a dive tank to fill our pneumatics for comps lmao
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This, the teeth on the screwdrivers, especially the ones on the t8 screwdriver even more so with the low profile high strength collars, constantly get shaved off/down, and that is what most commonly causes screws to get stripped in my experience
this tool is absolutely amazing for putting nylocks on long screws, the shaft of the screwdriver is hollow so a screw can fit through it, this mixed with a drill is a life saver for screw joints.
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I actually just ordered some of these recently because of the hollow shaft lol
got any recommendations for good bolt cutter to get for this purpose
If you have some money and want to splurge, I’d really recommend this electric screwdriver. It’s a little slow at times, but it helps over longer build sessions if you need to be screwing a lot. We use one of these and it is amazing.
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it’s true!
my best experience is with Wera screwdrivers. Though, they’re my own, and I don’t abuse them. I had a cheap, ACE hardware branded T15 screwdriver last through 4 seasons of insane abuse.
Good screwdrivers make such a difference. I don’t know why teams cheap out on them. Cheap screwdrivers lead to all kinds of headaches…
However, the Wiha hex screwdrivers, as far as I know, are still kicking at my HS, good as new. The bondhus screwdrivers aren’t as durable, but they’re pretty cheap, and they last a REALLY long time too. It took a lot of abuse to wear those ones down – if they were used kindly, they would have probably lasted longer.
I am 1000000% of the mindset of buy tools nice instead of twice.
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Do you have any experience with the durability of the ball end screwdrivers, are they any good or are they just kind a gimmick, same question for the spring locking tip screwdrivers
Ball end screwdrivers are legit – buy the Bondhus ones! They work well, and they’re essential sometimes!!
I’ve never tried the locking tip ones. I personally magnetize my screwdrivers when possible.
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Ball-end screwdrivers are really handy for getting screws into places at weird angles (not huge angles, but I’d say ~20-30 deg is a rough working limit), but keep in mind that they are more fragile than a regular one so you can’t crank down on them as much. They’ll hold up just fine if you use them properly, but they do have a limit.
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Are the wiha ball ends comparable to the Bondhus ones?
I’ve been using magnetization but with magnetization the screw can be held to the screwdriver anywhere on the tip and at any orientation (i.e. sideways) and makes it more difficult sometimes, with the spring locking ones, I’m hoping that it can only hold on the screw when the teeth are in the screwhead
yeah, I kind of figured that they’d be more fragile than a normal screwdriver
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