What are some tools, excluding ones from Vex, y'all think are necessary?

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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They’re not bad. I usually use a ball end for most things just out of convenience unless I need a longer driver shaft or I want to make absolutely sure that the screw doesn’t move.

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Got this thing last season.

Not as cheap and reliable as that classic Ryobi but has a few bonuses:

  • mad small
  • charges via microUSB so don’t need to carry extra chargers
  • the 6000 mAh battery (not a lie) can also be used as a phone (controller) charger
  • flashlight (silly bonus I guess)
    Quality/origin are questionable but it lasted us an entire season. Forgetting to use it before a match, that’s topic for another time.
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I just got this yesterday, and (with one day of experience) this electric screwdriver is a steal for $15, and has USB-C charging. It is significantly thicker than yours though.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/637051606

A square and 4 baking scales. Never underestimate the difference a properly balanced and squared robot makes

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9 posts were split to a new topic: Cantilevered Wheels

This one is a life saver too, definitely not as thin, but has enough torque and battery life to put together an entire field wall and game elements and then some.

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Scissors. Scissors for zipties.

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For hard to reach places I prefer to use these https://www.grainger.com/product/52JT38?gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7bucBhCeARIsAIOwr–fRoSGvacw6Gr_UB-FZefmlQob-UjRUczRM0mlV9Kc5IR0v6hSre0aAsTVEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

and for places that you can use them a cable tie gun like this is the way to go https://www.amazon.com/Electriduct-Cutting-Fastening-Adjustable-Tension/dp/B00B52NYNM?th=1``

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