Dang, you beat me to it. :p

I have more tools than i know what to do with. I collect tools. lol. Hell, i even have a set of strut spring compressors..........somewhere.

I just watch the sale papers and pick stuff up from Sears when they have a tool sale, which is like ALWAYS. If you're not going to do this stuff professionally every day, there is zero use in spending god-awful amounts of money on this stuff. Just steer clear of the tool aisle at Big Lots and you'll be fine.

:gay:

-Trent

Oh, and yeah, i know what UTI is. :p i watch the Power Block on SpikeTV, too. lol.

For me being a mechanic it isn't hard to spend 20-30 k on tools a year....

"hello....my name is nick and I'm addicted to buying tools :("

One benefit might be access to plenty of tools in the time you aren't in class/training. And a heated shop with a lift.

That said, $1000 of Snapon tools is like 3 Harbor Freight stores. I'm addicted to Harbor Freight. Having one local is nice too.

Frank

I've never been to harbor freight......how is the tool quality?

crappy, but when it breaks you just get a new one.

it's like lifetime warranty alternators at Autozone.

Way back when...We used to get 55% off Snap on tools @ tech school, IIRC we each ponied up $1200.00, THIS also included the 9 drawer Snap on tool box.
Pretty much the original tools we got, were all we needed, unless of course it had GM stamped on it (lucky for me I was Volvo/Porsche/Honda guy back then).

Cheap tools have there place, I never feel guilty welding/grinding/bending a cheap tool to make it into a 'special tool.' But sometimes the china-on stuff is to pourous to even get a good weld...

whoa - 55% off! Fortunately a lot of cheap chinese tools give the average Joe an opportunity to own some stuff he couldn't normally get. Even if it does break after five uses, it may never see that day. I had one of those $20 HF impact guns last me 7 years... when it died I bought another for $20.

No RICAN --
He's saying that UTI is Like VD and AIDS mixed together. You'll be sorry that you ever signed any paper with them. Check out UTI on the internet. They have "SHAFTED" many people over the years. Don't listen to just what UTI wants you to hear......:nono:

I have to agree with a number of people here. If you really (honestly) want to get ahead of the game you need to go get a real no-shit engineering degree from a respected 4 year college. There is plenty of sociological data to back me up on this, a 4 year degree is expensive but it is also the best investment you can make in yourself (trust someone who knows better and did well without a 4 year degree but will do much better with one.)

Get student loans if you must, apply for every scholarship that exists, and accept nothing less than an A in any class you take. Finally, join the Formula SAE team at a college (make sure the college you go to has one!!!) and learn how to really approach this correctly.

Mark

Move to SLO, California, get into Cal Poly, do the FSAE there and it'll help you chill out. they don't call it SLO for nothing.