I have a very old pair of rusty (more like patina)adjustable pliers that I got from my grandfather when I went to uni. I have used them for so may things (best nutcrackers eva!) one handle end in screwdrivery bit which is great for…well screws I spose and opening paint tins lots of other things. I love this thing
I love my Fubar. It’s made to break things, and once you have one you find a reason to break things that you might not have broken if you didn’t have one. A delight for the part of you that admires good design and the part that just likes to smash stuff.
Since my beloved and revered pocket knife is, for some reason, not allowed, I’d have to say my Dremel multitool. It can do anything from cuttting off the head of a stripped bolt to carving a rose. What’s not to love?
My uncle.
Mine is a very similar screwdriver, but with a dull green handle. It’s my “magic” computer screwdriver and has taken apart and put together every computer I’ve owned.
my Gerber multitool. it is on me almost every day, and is used every day. damn thing is a lifesaver.
My 4-in-1 screwdriver; large & small phillips, large & small flat blade. The handle is sort of translucent green, no markings or etchings of any kind, so I have no idea of the maker. The shaft and bit heads are strong as hell. I bought it new (forget where) about 28 years ago and it has been the most reliable, versatile tool I’ve ever owned. If something ever happens to it I’m going to be… just… I don’t even know. Don’t want to contemplate it. A couple times I misplaced it and I was sort of a wreck.
How about X-Acto knives?
I can’t say it never goes into my tool box, but I almost can’t live without my Craftmsan 18" breaker bar. When you’re working on cars, there’s no subtitute for a shitload of torque. And everytime I retrieve it from the tool box, I smile a little.
I have a hard time narrowing this down to one tool.
I like my Leatherman Waves so much I have 3 of them.
I find my Dremel to be incredibly useful.
I love my rechargeable 3W SSC LED flashlights.
My Snap-On Plasma Cutter is probably the tool I enjoy using the most.
I have a Yankee push drill, too, and it’s pretty darned handy for drilling pilot holes for wood screws. And I have a favorite screwdriver, a Stanley Phillips type that just feels right in your hand and has a very rugged point.
But my favorite tool is one I use for my hobby: a scalpel. Perfect for carving plastic, holds an edge a lot longer than the usual hobby knife, the Xacto #11, and has easily replaced and cheap blades. It’s also good for digging out splinters.
Or may be it’s my bandsaw. I also have a really nice prybar that I enjoy using…
Sorry if this is a hijack - don’t get me wrong, I love tools and have favorite screwdrivers and channel-lock pliers that I have in a special place in a kitchen drawer - not my toolbox - because I use them constantly.
But I would say my favorite tool is my Telecaster guitar. It’s basically a plank of wood with a microphone (i.e., the guitar pickup) stuck in it. You can use it to pound nails and play it at a gig if you ever wanted to - and there is no style of music it can’t be used for and no amount of wear and tear that it can’t handle vs. pretty much any other guitar. Everyday, working guitarists have to treat their guitars like tools and Tele’s are the ultimate no-nonsense, useful-in-every-situation example…
I have one of those too, neat, they are.
my fave-o-rite tool is my Klein 11-in-1 screw/nut/torx driver. I have three of them strategically placed in all my strategic places.
A close second favorite is a Halligan Bar.
My Panasonic 15.6v 1/2 inch screw gun.
Also, my Gerber multitool.
Another vote for the Stanley FUBAR, we had some particle board promotional displays that had to be destroyed, and the FUBAR performed the job admirably, it was actually too efficient, three strikes and the display was rubble, thankfully there were 2 displays to destroy…
<grunt> Fubar GOOOOOD!</grunt>
Seconded. It’s the only tool that will get out stripped screw heads. Also, why bother with a set of wrenches that might or not fit your bolts or screws? Just clamp a vice grip down on there and it works on anything!
You said “Favorite”.
A little square with a wooden handle, a brass edge and a steel rule. It’s a thing of simple beauty…and I can imagine my Grandpa…who was a carpenter…using it all the time. Unfortunately it’s not square anymore…so I had to go with a new one for real work. The new one had no heart, no soul.
I’m a cook, not a handy person, so my all time favorite tool has to be my 8 inch Henckel’s chef’s knife. I use it every single day, hand wash and dry it and touch up the edge with a steel before putting it back in the block.
I have a spare 8" and a 10" as backup or for when I want a knife of heavier weight, but if I could only have one knife in my kitchen, it would be my Henckel’s 8".
There’s also the 10" cast iron skillet I inherited from my mom. That thing’s got to be 60 years old, and it is the ONLY pan for corn bread or french fries.
One “tool” tool I have is my dad’s old wooden handled Stanley Phillips head screwdriver. Like I said, I don’t do a lot of work around the house, but when I do need to adjust a Phillips, that’s the one I reach for. It’s a nice connection to the old man.