Game changers: WHAT tool or tactic changed the way you do things?

[Kern Dog]

I am not the first guy on the block to accept anything.
OTHER guys had cell phones before me.
OTHER people had new cars.
I just didn't see the appeal of being the first to own the new stuff.
Last year I finally converted my MIG welder to gas and wire instead of Flux core. I'll never go back to the old stuff unless I run out on a weekend.
A few months back, i used an Auto-darkening[/B welding helmet for the first time. I'll never use a traditional helmet unless the A/D fails.
I bought a NEW Dodge truck in 2002, my first new vehicle ever, at the age of 37. Previously I had an 84 Chevy that required daily tinkering to keep it going. I never want to go back to driving a high mile commuter for a daily driver.
Last year I caved in and bought an I-Phone. No, it wasn't for the enormous amount of gadgetry...I just needed a phone that I could HEAR and a display that I could SEE.
What have you done/bought/changed that forever altered the way you do things?
Caller ID?
Radar Detector?

 

[Richard Cranium]

WHAT tool or tactic changed the way you do things for me? Air tools.

 

[tallhair]

This was a long time ago but .. a small roll around floor jack and a set of car ramps .. even though i was still working on cars outside in a rock driveway at the time. Prior to that all my Dad and i had were bumper jacks and it scared the heck out of me to do stuff under the car on the bumper jack. It also took a REALLY long time to change change / rotate all 4 rims and tires. I still don't have air tools but plan too before long.

 

[Dennis H]

No road trip for me without the Valentine One Radar Detector. Best money ever spent. Peace of mind. R/T w/Tremec doesn't feel "right" until about 80 mph. I have heard this. Would not know personally.

 

[Kern Dog]

I forgot about the FLOOR JACK !
Back in my youth, the guy with a floor jack was the guy you wanted as a friend!
Air tools! Yes! Who wants to change tires with a 4 way if the impact gun is 15 feet away? The air ratchet helps a bunch with areas where you only have a few degrees of movement.
Engine hoists: I always had to rent or borrow them and get them back quick. Now I can take my time!

 

[Hemi31]

Rotisserie and a lift......I will never ever work without a lift again.

 

[Budnicks]

I will say the PC/computer, prior to 2000 the only thing I ever did on a computer was to look at CAD drawings & the occasional E-Mail, but used mostly prior to submitting final plans, designs & dimensions being put to paper/blue print, learned a few thing while running my old Golf Pro-Shop in slow/downtime, playing on different programs, self taught, more or less & still don't know chit.... Now it's the only way to do car parts searches, order clubs equipment, car parts & material or supplies from searches for ongoing jobs, estimates & all around information... I use it very little {like never} for CAD drawings anymore, mostly crap like this & shopping/ordering or parts searches.... I absolutely hate cell phones, all the rest of the electronic BS out there, that so many people use, every minute of every damn day, that can't seem to ever put them down, go thru life looking at a 4" screen on their damn cell phone & let life pass them by... I don't want or need one, for any other reason, than for road trips security/peace of mind & nothing else, it's freedom to be disconnected....

 

[Northwest]

Heated shop. Best thing I evaaaahhh did. No car work in the summer unless absolutely needed. Just drive'em.

 

[WileERobby]

Getting married.

 

[lewtot184]

48oz hammer! no not really. but, i do remember tinkering with stuff back in the early to mid '60's and watching "adults" fix stuff. back then people would try to fix everything with a cresent wrench and a 1/2"-9/16" open end wrench. for xmas of 1966 my dad bought me a craftsman 1/2" drive ratchet set, $25; and i still have it! my '58 plymouth was broke and i thought i could fix it,...lol. we take ratchets for granted today, and can't do much without them; but there was a time when the average guy didn't have and couldn't afford some of the simpliest automotive tools, like ratchets.

 

[Jonnyuma]

I'd have to say...simple diagnostic tools, ie: vacuum gauge, dial-back timing light, and a multi-meter.
Timing by ear is okay in high school when you can still impress your buddies with your magical, mystical tuning and diagnostic skills. But seriously, that'll only get ya so far...

I'm still not so great w the multi-meter.

Oh, and I got a Craftsman 2.5t floor jack and a HUGE Chilton's for my 16th birthday (40 yrs ago), both were game changers then, and I still have (and use) them. Good Lord that jack is heavy.

 

[Dennis H]

Getting married.

Yep, that will change the game.

 

[Pops1967GTX]

All gearheads, so we all need tools....Before the traveling tool Box truck was able to travel from garage to garage......Sears, Roebuck & Company was the place to acquire Craftsman Tools..... The quality & replacement policy was a game changer.......

 

[Funship32]

For me- the internet. Access to parts and items or..heck even this Forum..has made things so much easier for me.

 

[scotts74birds]

Embarrassed to say this, but Harbor Freight has been a game-changer in my life. At their prices for tools that I could never afford, I have had some great scores, and some dis-appointments. But some of these tools have ended-up being major time-savers. Some of these tools allowed me to tackle jobs I never would have tried before. I am not "pro-China", or "Pro-Crap", but some of this stuff works, and some of it allows me to save money on the job. Yet I still feel ashamed, and somewhat dirty.

 

[kiwigtx]

Internet & Credit Card

 

[Kern Dog]

Embarrassed to say this, but Harbor Freight has been a game-changer in my life. Yet I still feel ashamed, and somewhat dirty.

Kudos to you for having the guts to admit this!
I agree that there are some things at HF that are worth the $$$. Grinder discs, safety glasses, shop rags...
If I were single, I'd never buy their house brand condoms though.

 

[Meep-Meep]

My Bridgeport series 1 mill, a 10" and 15" lathe and a MIG and TIG welder. Often before I can drive to the store to buy it I already made it or fixed it.

 

[thomas93254]

High school auto shop! Taught me to stop and think about what the task at hand was. To this day I don't care what type of car/truck you have it still needs Air, Fuel, Spark, Compression and a way for it to leave the engine.
I pissed off more than one mechanic in my life when they told me I did not know what the problem was. Then they had to eat crow when what they thought was wrong did not fix the issue but I was spot on. All from high school auto shop

Thomas

 

[scotts74birds]

Thomas, you made me think of the best tool in my box. My head! And this is why. I've been in my trade for 25 years, and I'm pretty good at it ( Alot better than at fixing Mopars, thank God!) I tell my apprentices that my best trouble-shooting tool was something I learned in first grade. It was on a piece of white paper with stinky blue ink ( Remember mimeograph? It was probably toxic.) The task was "Which one of these is NOT like the others?" I cant tell you how many times this knowledge tool has helped me in troubleshooting.