Ever since I started in support some 20 odd years ago, I have always tried to carry a small toolkit with me, back then it was a very cheap one supplemented with Christmas presents for my dad who has always known a quality tool 1. Now it is custom built out of the very best bits and bobs that I know about.
This is my current carry. It’s a tiny bit on the heavy side for most ‘suits’ but then again I’m not a lightweight person. Let’s break it down 2:
Wera screwdrivers have long been my go to make, I’ve adored them for years. And they have reached their Pinnacle with the 8009 Zyklop ratchet screwdriver. 12 built in bits rather than the normal six. Beautiful quality all around , thoroughly recommended. I do however swap out two of the torx bits that they supply with two flat heads which are still used a lot. In addition on the photo, we have another Wera part, this is off another screwdriver and is just an extensionas you sometimes need a little more reach. Next we have a set of screwdriver adapters for Allen keys, the funny rounded heads on these are so you can use them slightly at an angle. strangely there is also a chuck adaptor for drill bits, I just seem to need it a lot and don’t like using proper drills in a number of places as a hand chuck gives a lot more control, for this I carry just one 5mm drill bit and a little bag for the various small parts. The missing items off here are sockets, the 8009 supports them but I just never seem to need them.
MegaPro 24-IN-1 Precision Driver
Bosch Professional 2608000495 Handle for Recip Saw
Next we have a precision screwdriver. There are lots of precision screwdrivers on the market but all seem to be designed to be desk bound, The Megapro one is the one that I’ve come to love. Not only does it have a good selection of bits inside which most precision screwdrivers don’t, because they’ve got a tiny useless handle, but as the bits are inside its a nice single unit. Next is a Bosch handsaw. Well it’s not really a handsaw. It’s just a handle, but it takes the standard blades meant for the big electrical reciprocating saws which are easy to get hold of and have different types of blades, I have found this a easy way of carrying around a small saw because the handle is hollow and can hold two blades. The construction feels a tiny bit flimsy but it’s held up to sawing through a variety of things so far, so I’ve got no objection.
Cooksongold Reverse Action Craft Soldering Tweezers
These are reverse tweezers, they default to closed rather than open meaning they can free up a hand and they work just as well as ordinary tweezers. Also because they’re held close by default, you don’t have to keep something on the end to protect the tip so they don’t get damaged or bent out to place.
Now you wouldn’t think you’d need a spirit level but I seem to 3, This one is a free one that comes with big Dell monitors.
Next is one of the nicest little torches I have ever met, Yes I’m aware that we all have torches in our phones, but quite frankly, battery life is a serious thing and sometimes it’s good to have a good torch that won’t overheat. This one is well constructed. It’s USB rechargeable, and you can also swap out the built-in lithium battery for 2 x AAA’s in case you run out.
Knipex Cobra® XS Water Pump Pliers
Next are a pair of Knipex Cobra® XS Water Pump Pliers, they double up as spanner and pliers for me, they are tiny but you would not believe how strong they are. If you doing electrical or electronic things in server rooms or with computers and you need more grip than this pair of pliers can give then you’re doing something wrong in my opinion. They are apparently used by all of the small toolkit people and I can understand why.
Japanese micro snips, I don’t know why Japanese but these kind of very small cutters from Japan seem universally good. I originally bought them for modelling but now use them for everything. They’re obviously smaller than a proper pair of wire cutters but they take up less space, and for the stuff I’m doing I don’t need any more. Obviously they won’t handle things like a nail or something really serious. But again, I am not doing large scale construction.
And the last tool is a folding Stanley Knife, it’s not something you tend to carry around in public, but a main stay of every tool kit, this one as normal, carries a couple of spare blades and is rock solid.
All of these go in a little bag. I know that some people like all the foldout/fancy ones, but quite frankly, who has time for that. A decent indestructible bag works for me and I’ve ever found better than the Magma three pocket set. it just fits hand tools nicely.
There you go, my odd little portable tool kit.
- being both a professional electrician and an amateur carpenter[↩]
- This kit isn’t my absolute de facto kit. my day to day tools I use at home are not so compact. My go to screwdriver at home is a gigantic Stanley ratchet one and I have for the last 10 years been using a lovely set of precision screwdrivers that my dad bought me. In fact most of my home tools are ones bought by him at some point and they are both excellent quality and hold good memories but this is the custom kit I have built for travel[↩]
- mainly for mounting electronics to other stuff[↩]