Tech Today: 15 Treasured Tools

Years ago my good friend Bing wrote an article about uncommon tools used in car audio installation. One of the items he touched on was chopsticks. He suggested using chopsticks to run wires through rubber boots. Every now and then, when I am out working with him in California, I will joke with him about it. While I might not be sold on using chopsticks for running wires, I did use the tool concept as the idea for this month’s article.

We are going to be looking at some of the most commonly used installation tools that I work with on a routine basis. This article’s focus is installation. Next month we will look at some of my most valued fabrication tools. This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list of tools, but rather an overview of some of my go-to selections. Part numbers are included for most tools, in case anyone wants to add them to their collection.

Snap-on Seal Remover

I first learned about this tool while working with my buddy, Doug Gibson. This is one of my go-to pry tools. The edges are round, and the corners are not sharp. The flattened head has an angle to it which allows for additional prying by twisting the handle. While it isn’t appropriate for all prying, it is my favorite for most things. The set I used is sold by Snap-on and is called a seal removal set, the part number is SGSR104AR.

Fluke 77 DVM

I have a number of different digital volt meters. I have a barely used Fluke 88V that stays in its protective case, just waiting for some active duty time. I also have a Fluke 123 Oscilloscope, which stays packaged on my toolbox shelf, patiently biding its time until the next job. But the meter I use the most is an old Fluke 87 that I bought years ago from an installer leaving the industry. I didn’t pay much for it, but it was my first Fluke meter. Back then I thought I had finally made it by owning a Fluke meter!

Milwaukee FUEL 12v Impact Driver

When I moved my shop two years ago, I used the Pinnacle Autosound brand colors of red and black in the install bay, wherever possible. It happens that the popular tool company Milwaukee was also using my brand colors. My first Milwaukee purchase was five of their workbench top tool boxes to line one side of my bay area. Many Milwaukee purchases have happened since then. One of my most used Milwaukee tools is the Fuel 12v impact driver. The head and body are very compact and this driver also offers adjustable speed and torque. The trigger has a nice feel, and I have yet to run across anything it hasn’t be able to power through.

Pittsburgh Stainless Steel Scissors While I normally pick on people that use Harbor Freight tools (just ask Bing!), they do offer a few diamonds in the rough. The Pittsburgh 7-inch Stainless Steel Scissors are one such item. They are called scissors, but these aren’t your mom’s fabric scissors. I first learned about them from Jesse at Simplicity in Sound. He and Bing had a heated discussion about which tool cut grille mesh better—Bing’s aviation shears, or Jesse’s HF scissors. I thought the scissors would require too much force to cut and might end up being uncomfortable. I was surprised to find they cut through 20-gauge mesh with ease. This led me to purchase a few pairs for myself (and at less than $7 each, it won’t break the bank to have spares). I have found numerous uses for them, and the low price has me reaching for them to fulfill roles in which their demise is possible.

12v Tools Ultimate Pry Tool

If I need to pry on something that requires any bit of leverage, I reach for my 12v Tools Ultimate Pry Tool. While I don’t find myself prying on too many dash pieces with it, it does very well for things that need maximum force in concentrated area. This is what I use to separate templates that have been stuck with template tape. I like these so much that I had some laser engraved by 12v Tools for Christmas gifts last year!

Milwaukee 10 Compartment Red Deep Pro Small Parts Organizer

I live in a town called Lake City. In addition to a lot of lakes, we have numerous rivers. Naturally, we have a lot of boats. At Pinnacle Autosound we are fortunate to have a good bit of marine business. One challenging aspect of marine work is dealing with the specialized hardware. We use only stainless steel hardware on our marine (and powersports) projects. Our usual hardware is stored in vertical bins located on the wall of our install bay. To save time when we work on boats, we started using a modular, portable storage system for our marine hardware. Once again we called on the Milwaukee company to provide a solution for us. The 10 Compartment Red Deep Pro Small Parts Organizer turned out to be just what we needed. The organizers have two different sized removable bins, two larger and eight smaller. We have a total of five of these organizers. The removable bins make it easy to load or remove hardware. The bin system also allows for arranging the hardware needed for a specific job in a single container, for easy access when working. The part number for these is 225046 and they are available at Home Depot.

Red Dot Knife

Some use and Olfa knife, and some use a Red Dot. I have both, but I always look for the Red Dot first. I’ve had some Olfa knives with sliding mechanisms that have broken, but I haven’t had a single Red Dot failure. These are great knives that serve a variety of cutting purposes. And, according to Doug Dobson, they are airline friendly—although I haven’t tried to go through TSA with one, nor will I, but apparently if you forget you have one, you might be fine.

Milwaukee 12v LED Stick Light

Back to Milwaukee we go, this time for their light offerings. When I jumped into the 12v Milwaukee light game, I went with both feet and bought every light they offer for 12v batteries. My favorite is the 220 Lumen LED Stick Light, model number 2351-20. While the 1,000 Lumen Rover light has more mounting options, I like the small size and the perfect amount of light the 220 offers. It easily fits under a dash or in a tight spot, and if you accidentally shine it in your eyes, you don’t have to wait hours before you can see again.

Matco Wide Remover

We have already discussed some of my non-plastic tools that can be used for prying, but any discussion on vehicle interior prying tools should certainly include a plastic variant. I prefer the wide Matco pry tool. Anytime I can fit this tool, I use it. The wide surface helps displace the force of the pry over a wider area and helps reduce imprinting or damage to the surface of the part. The curved end can also be used for door card removal. The part number for the Matco Wide Remover is FMR5-01.

Irwin Cobalt Drill Bits

I have used a lot of bad drill bits in my life. All that changed a few years ago when I bought my first Irwin M-35 Cobalt Drill Bit set. These bits do a wonderful job of drilling through anything I have tried to put a hole in. If I am drilling in metal thicker than 1/8-inch, though, I always make a point to use some cutting fluid. The fluid helps drilling in metal in a number of ways, one of which is preserving the life of the drill bit.

Klein Crimpers

“These are my crimpers. There are many like them, but these are mine. My crimpers are my best friend. They are my life. I must master my crimpers as I master my life.” Okay, maybe that’s taking it a bit too far, but I do love my Klein crimpers! I have had this pair for about 15 years. I had to plasti-dip the handles about 10 years ago because the factory sleeves kept sliding off. They have been great over all these years. The custom tiger stripes were to differentiate mine from others when I worked in a multi-installer facility.

Cordless Soldering Irons

I grouped these cordless soldering irons together because I use both of them. My first cordless soldering iron was from Aussie Irons. It was great to have an iron that would immediately heat up and didn’t require cords or separate bases. When I started adding the Milwaukee M12 tools to my collection, I purchased one of the M12 soldering irons. It has a number of features that I prefer over the Aussie Iron. One is the self-regulating temperature. You turn the switch on and then leave it on. I didn’t care for the momentary switch of the Aussie Iron. Another thing I like is the battery indicator. No more guessing if this is the last thing you can solder before the battery dies. While the iron is great, it has a few drawbacks. Even with a fully charged, high capacity battery, the battery life isn’t great. The other drawback is that the iron is pretty big. The head of it angles so it can help with maneuvering in tight spaces, but it’s still large for our kind of work.

Matco E-Z Solder Clamp

I am sure everyone knows all too well the game of “hold the wire you just soldered long enough for it to cool, while keeping your skin from melting.” This lovely little tool helps keep your skin from melting! John Brettle recently introduced me to it. Until I owned this tool, I never knew how much I needed one! I would have saved myself years of burned fingers had I learned about this sooner. The two arms have sliding clamps to position the wires, each oriented so they overlap each other. The design of the tool also has a rotating gear designed to feed solder into the wires. I have yet to use the self-feeding aspect of the tool, though. Just holding the wires together has been a life-saver for me. The downside of this little wonder is that you’re limited to about a 10-gauge wire (or two 14-gauge) in the width of the clamp opening. If you are interested in it, the part number is EZSOLD.

Apple iPhoneX

This might have been an easy tool to overlook, because it’s such an integral part of my life, but I have to include my smartphone on this list. I am old enough to remember a time without the Internet. Having a resource as powerful as the modern smartphone is a huge benefit. I can be right in the middle of working on a car and need to see what a panel might look like removed, or double-check wiring info, or take a photo of an assembly so I can remember how it goes back together. The smartphone is the answer to on-the-spot tech resourcing. In addition to the online resources available, the phone also gives me contact with technicians far smarter than me who are only a call or text away.

AudioControl DM-RTA

I owned or used an AudioControl 3055 for what seems like forever. When I heard about the new AudioControl DM-RTA, I was pretty excited about it. I recognized how multiple functions in one tool could benefit my facility. After getting the details from Chris Bennett, I had one on the way. The timing of the DM-RTA was perfect because I had been planning a mobile monitor for my Shapeoko CNC. Since I would never be running the CNC while tuning, it made perfect sense to use the same computer for both. I have the DM-RTA mounted in a mobile tool cart with an extension pipe and a 32-inch monitor and Intel NUC attached to it. It’s nice to keep all my tuning and analysis gear in one spot. The DM-RTA cart can be rolled up to a vehicle for RTA duties, signal analysis or checking voltage/waveforms.