The Right Tools

Back in the old forum, we had a section that listed all the tools worth mentioning for performance, durability and/or price. Like most people, I have a shed full of tools, some brand new. This is not a list of those. The tools that make it into this list are only the ones that you cannot simply do the same job without!

I would like to start the list with a little gem from Bosch…

The Bosch GSR ProDrive

This little but powerful tool has been used probably the most since the first coach conversion started…

It came in a nice pouch with Instructions, charger, a set of screwdriver bits and two 3.6 Volts batteries. I honestly didn’t expect much out of such small unit and being power at 3.6V, I thought it was going to be a waste of money. How wrong I was… Not just he keeps going for hours but it also has such small footprint that just fit anywhere and I can honestly say, that it has been a great pleasure to use it on both occasions…

It has forward/reverse switch and a handy LED light that points at the screw you are working on, and it will fit in places as mall as 70 mm or 160 mm front to back. It has a very comfortable grip and it has enough power to twist your wrist if not careful…

I don’t have the picture of the first conversion screws bucket but you can see on the background of the tool the bucket that came out from this coach conversion and I would probably say the combined bucket must have contained around the 1000 between screws and little bolts. That’s right I also used this little tool to remove all the 4 and 6 mm bolts that are used all over the coaches. I can only imagine what would have been like to having to use a normal screw driver… :cry:

I honestly don’t remember what I paid for it, as I did buy it nearly three years ago, but a quick search online show an average price of around the $100 dollars. So it seems a bit expensive for the tool size you get but, if you need to work with lots of screws (even big screws) and in very tight places, you can’t beat this great little fella.

To me this tool has been a 10 out of 10! Once it will stop working or performing, for what ever reason, age or abuse, I will definitely buy another one, as I wouldn’t be able to work any more without one in my tool box. Simple as that…

On second place, without a doubt, it has to go to the Stanley 55-515 Wonder Pry Bar

Stanley Great little Wonder Pry Bar

I had this bar for several years now (I don’t think you can break them, unless you try something really stupid), and the most enjoyable feature is that is not too big or heavy like most of the others and still have plenty of power to rip, pull, separate a variety of material. It is 30 cm long and it weights a merely 600 grams.

Builders use this tools a lot, on nails and studs, but it also has a great purpose when for example you need to separate two sheet of material bonded together with Sikaflex. Because of the large surface on both end of the bar, it normally tends not to ruin the surfaces it is used against.

Possibly one of the best tools for the removal of the A/C ducts in a coach without the fear of damaging frames or windows!

Another 10 out of 10 as far as value for money, design and usefulness…

Next is my trusted Retractable cutting knife

The Olfa L2 Heavy Duty Cutting Knife

I probably have at least 10 different brand and size cutting knifes in my toolbox, but in the end I always end up grabbing the Olfa L2 and for few very good reasons:

It is strong, slim, simple to use and most importantly the blade won’t move because of the wheel lock. This is one of those area where simplicity really pays off.

Like many others I tried the multi-blades retractable knife, but for one reason or another, they just didn’t feel right… The stopping blade mechanism is complicated and not very effective and the size is sometime a problem in tight places. So in the end I stick with the “plain Jane” pictured above. I also have the smaller blade version of this knife, but again, I haven’t used it…

Olfa L2 Cutting Knife definitely gets a 10 out of 10!

Another very useful and important tool or possibly I should say kit, is the Lenox General Hole Saw Kit. I used to buy these saw as required, but that make the exercise quite expensive. A better way to go about it is to purchase one of the available kits..

Several size kits are available and the main difference between them is the number and size of saw included..

In my case I opted for the 15 pieces saw kit and then I did purchase the few extra size that I need it along the way.. You can see from the second picture my blue older Sutton saw blades.  I’m sure I don’t need to mention the amount of times this kit has been used in the build of the motorhome, but I can safely say that it has already paid for itself..

Lenox saw kit also gets a 10 out of 10 for value and performance

As the time goes by, I got to appreciate another tool from Bosch that has performed extremely well for the past two years..

The Bosch GSR 18-2-LI pictured above, it is a small drill (only 185 mm back to front), and it weights only 1.35 kg including the battery. It has 20 torque setting, a speed controlled trigger and it comes with a 2 Ah battery. The plastic chuck has two speed (450-1400)and it takes up to 10 mm max and frankly this drill is not really geared to take much bigger bits.

The grip and ergonomics of this drill, are possibly one of the most comfortable out of all my tools. It just fit perfectly in your hand and it is also balanced to perfection. I mainly used for screws (where the other little fellow mentioned above, simply couldn’t do it), and since day one, it has performed flawless. The battery also last for ages between charges and that, did surprise me considering the small size of it.

It is one of those tools that always gives you a smile when it is his turn to be used. I really like, and even if there is a new model out, I’m too happy with it to even consider the upgrade. This is a compact very light drill that didn’t need an upgrade…

This old model is also brushed compare to the new one that I believe to be brushless, metal chuck, 18 torque setting and a 4 Ah battery that did push the weight up to 2.2 kg. So if weight and size are an issue for you, look for the old one.

Another 10 out of 10 for weight, comfort and long last battery

Last year I got myself into trouble when I glued two pieces of PVC pipe of which, one was a fraction too short for the job and been under the floor in the RV, there were no room for a normal cutting axe or what I normally use the Jigsaw.

Back at the tool shop I was looking to get the Milwaukee Multitool M18BMT0, but after a bit of looking around I decided to go for the much better designed Bosch GOP 18 Volts Multitool, that for an extra $30 dollars compare to the Milwaukee, is also brushless.

Since then, this tool has already saved the day at least 4 times and practically, already paid for itself. There are several attachments available and so far I can’t fault any of them. I didn’t think that I was going to enjoy this tool so much, but now he’s my N. 4 in the list of “must have” tools. And frankly, I’m not so worried any more about doing a little mistake in a job as “Gop” will easily get me out of trouble.

This is a very good video about this great tool. You will not believe how easy will work on some jobs that do look complicated if not impossible with all the other power tools! The only thing that I found to be a possible issue is the location of the speed adjustment that sometimes get touched inadvertently while operating the tools. Perhaps using a notch turning wheel instead of a simple pot would have helped this issue and because of this I give it a 9 out of 10.. it is still a “Must Have” tools IMO…

I was going through my tools the other day and after a bit of cleaning, i would like to recommend another excellent tool, that so far (40 batteries time) it has been just great to use and flawless..

The Milwaukee M18 Fuel 125 mm Rapid Stop Angle Grinder with Dead Man Paddle Switch

The two things that I like the most of this tool are:

• You can easily use it with one hand all day (grinding). The balance is perfect.
• The Rapid Stop feature. It is just a great function that allows to put the tool down straight away without having to wait for the disk to stop spinning.

That may it doesn’t seem more than a safety feature but if you think about it, in an 8 hours job that could easily mean 30-45 minutes of working time, especially if you are constantly starting and stopping grinding to handle the piece of metal you are working on. It goes from 9000rpm to 0 in three second..

Because of the 18 Volts and brushless motor, it is also very powerful, and yet not too heavy.. The important part are all made of metal and it has a cleanable motor filter (like most of the Milwaukee tools).

It is simply a great enjoyable tool to use!