Tools You Need to Get Started 101: Part 1

General Purpose Ratchet and Socket Set

Unless you're just planning on rotating tires, these are what you're going to need first. They are going to be the bread and butter of your mechanical mayhem. Quite obviously, the higher the number of different sockets, ratchets, extensions, adapters, etc., the better prepared you'll be for uncommon situations.

As a bare minimum, your shopping list should be:

• All three of the primary drive size ratchets (1/4”, 3/8”, and 1/2”)

• Four extensions (a three inch 1/4” drive, a three and a six inch 3/8” drives, and a three inch 1/2” drive) 

• Two drive adapters for ratchets (3/8” down to 1/4”, and 1/2” down to 3/8”)

• Two spark plug sockets (5/8” and 13/16”)

• Standard and deep well sockets for each drive size (deep wells are not usually available in 1/2” drive for these kits)

• Metric and standard (SAE) sockets

The 56 bare minimum socket sizes:

• 1/4” drive, metric (7mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 13mm)

• 1/4” drive, deep well metric (7mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 13mm)

• 1/4” drive, SAE (1/4”, 5/16”, 3/8”, 7/16”, 1/2”)

• 1/4” drive, deep well SAE (1/4”, 5/16”, 3/8”, 7/16”, 1/2”)

• 3/8” drive, metric (10mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, 15mm, 17mm)

• 3/8” drive, deep well metric (10mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, 15mm, 17mm)

• 3/8” drive, SAE (3/8”, 7/16”, 1/2”, 9/16”, 5/8”, 11/16”)

• 3/8” drive, deep well SAE (7/16”, 1/2”, 9/16”, 5/8”, 11/16”, 3/4”)

• 1/2” drive, metric (14mm, 15mm, 17mm, 18mm, 19mm, 21mm)

• 1/2” drive, SAE (1/2”, 9/16”, 5/8”, 3/4”, 7/8”, 1”)

If you're working on farm equipment, big rigs, industrial equipment, 1-ton trucks, you're probably going to need 3/4” and/or 1” drive ratchets as well as bigger sockets than what's listed here.

Building Your Tool Kit

To get to that bare minimum, for the most part you have three options. You can buy one piece at a time (like the song), smaller packs/kits, or mostly one big kit. Buying one piece at a time starting from zero, in my opinion, is the most mentally handicapped decision here. If you are scrapping by or are planning to only do one simple thing, like change your battery and never turn a wrench again, then this is a valid and proper option. If not, then I suggest saving this option for supplemental/specialty adds (like a flex head ratchet or oxygen sensor socket).

Buying smaller kits as needed is a balancing act of getting what you need, being prepared for the unexpected, and saving money short term. A strong piece of advice here: get six-sided (6 points/6pt) sockets since they will take more torque to round a nut/bolt. It is very easy to spend more money here than buying a decent starter kit, but if you understand what you need/want/are looking for, there is real value to be had here and not just money value. Headache and stalled project prevention value depending.

Starter Kit Basics

Finally, we get to the “starter” kits/sets. More specifically the kits from companies sold in a brick and mortar store like Kobalt, Craftsman, Dewalt, Icon, etc. Not Snap-On, Matco, Mac, etc. Almost all of these companies have a lifetime warranty on their hand tools (even Harbor Freight's Pittsburgh line). If possible, this is where I suggest to start if you have zero or basically zero tools. Unless you get into something no fledgling novice should, the right one of these kits will only have you thinking of what you want to add and not what you need. At least for sockets.

The right ones of these kits tend to have by far the highest value in most ways because the more they lump together, the cheaper the manufacturing costs are overall and more guaranteed sales. When looking, remember that the main value for these kits is mostly in everything socket related. Kit content numbers are normally inflated the most with driver bits. Who needs ten of the same size phillips-head or torx?

After sockets and everything that goes with them, would be your other friends. Wrenches, allen/hex keys, torx bits/keys, and allen/torx sockets. For the socket related portions of these kits, take the list we started with as gospel. The only thing I'd say could easily and readily be ignored if missing are the two socket drive adapters.

Wrenches

Potentially the next most important pieces are wrenches. If they are ratcheting wrenches, you will definitely have to buy a separate set of normal wrenches. This is because the most common place you will need a wrench on a vehicle is in extremely tight spaces where a ratchet won't fit. Ratcheting wrenches are FAT. However, if you plan to get a larger/more complete separate set of wrenches soon anyway, this is usually the cheapest way to get a set of ratcheting wrenches (which can be a god send if they fit).

Whether normal or ratcheting, your prospective choice has to have four metric and standard (SAE) each to be worth padding the set number count. The set also needs to include 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 13mm, 1/4”, 3/8”, 7/16”, and 9/16”. If you noticed I skipped 1/2”, then I'd be a little surprised if you didn't already know that 13mm = 1/2inch (12.7mm to be precise). The lesser known here is 7/16” is very close to 14mm. Eight total wrenches they can act like eight and a half to ten wrenches depending on how tight the nut/bolt is and personal preference.

Something that isn't well known when getting your first set is that most companies offer six-point and twelve-point closed end wrenches in both traditional and ratcheting styles. You'll just about exclusively see twelve-points in starter kits. Similarly less known, the open end of a wrench has a right and wrong direction to apply maximum force.

Mini Wrenches

Some bundle kits will also have a set of “mini” wrenches. I've always known them as distributor wrenches. These are something you almost never need (I think I've used mine four times over the course of ten years), but like the ratcheting wrenches, are a god send when you need them. If one kit has these and another has multiples of the same screwdriver insert bits, the mini wrenches are likely to be more useful, and they're less common to come by separately in a local store.

Allen Heads and Torx Keys

For both allen head/hex and torx keys/sockets, more is quite often better. In all likelihood you will only use one to three of them (both allen/hex and torx), but you need to have those specific sizes first. Some confusion on this subject comes from metric vs standard (SAE) sizing. Allen/hex has both metric sizes and standard (SAE) sizes. Torx, on the other hand, has one universal size set: T-# (T-20, T-25, T-27, etc.). No matter where you are or where the vehicle was made, a T-25 is a T-25, but good lord do I usually hate dealing with them. They always seem to be made out of butter.

My personal experience has been the socket version of these are most commonly useful for brake caliper slider pins and certain wheel bearing bolts. In more recent decades, these have been changing over to large Allen and Torx bolts. We're talking 8-10mm Allen heads, and T-35 through T-50 Torx, big. In this case, sockets make this much nicer since you can use a breaker bar to get them off because they're so tight. This also allows you to use a torque wrench to tighten everything back to factory spec.

Screwdriver Bits

Almost all the kits with all three ratchet sizes will have a screwdriver with a magnetic end that you can put different types of screwdriver tips in (like flat-head, Phillips, or torx). These are usually called bit drivers, and the replaceable inserts are creatively/confusingly called ... driver bits or just bits. These will not replace a simple set of screwdrivers, but they will likely be okay-ish.

For instance, if a screw isn't a flush mounted interior panel screw / isn't mounted at the panels surface level, you'll need a real screwdriver. 95% of the time if the screw is in a hole, the bit driver will be too wide to fit deep enough to reach the screw. Only a screwdriver will be narrow enough. However, say you're trying to change the air filter on a stock 1986-1991 Mazda Rx7. The Philips bits would work fine (yes, bolts not snap clips).

Some kits with three-hundred-plus piece counts might include individual screwdrivers. Be careful though because sometimes they're Torx / something other than Phillips or flat heads.

Total Piece Count is Deceptive

So how many pieces/tools should you get in a kit? If it meets the ratchet and socket requirements set here, most have a rough minimum number of two-hundred with some kits boasting over three-hundred. Three-hundred piece count sets are where you'll start to see 1/2” drive deep well sockets.

Again, I have to stress that more is not always better. Use the basic criteria, do's, dont's set here, and your brain. Most of these kits are on sale for roughly 50% off during certain holidays like Father's day or Black Friday. That $500 dream kit might be $225-$280, or that $200 kit you feel would make a great minimum with no sacrifices might be $99-$125 on a fairly regular basis.

Boxes and Organizing Your New Tools

Kits with boxes vs. without – Just something to keep in mind when comparing/looking. Having a box that has a place for everything, and the pieces snap into it nicely, can keep things moving. If it's held too tight, it can be a P.I.T.A.. Getting a separate box IS an extra cost, but provides an opportunity to pick something that fits your life and kit add-ons better. You can also buy, make, or even 3D print organizers for these boxes which is yet another added cost to remember. But it can wait till your finances recover, if you don't mind digging through your box in the mean time.

There are things like foam inserts for drawers, with cutouts for all your sockets. Or you can make your own out of foam or printed plastic. Magnetic strips, sheets, and mats are available. There are also rails for organizing sockets that hold them via magnets, snap in place, or twist lock in place. Some of these solutions can be expensive. Some are more reasonable. Making them yourself tends to be the cheapest, but can take time, patience, creativity, and a method of organization.

Side Notes and Considerations

Ratchet and ratchet tooth counts – Most common will be between 70 and 90. So much more than just tooth count makes a ratchet usable or not. Project Farm has several ratchet testing videos that might give a better idea of some of these factors.

8-point, 10-point, and external star sockets – Anything requiring these is probably not a project for a novice getting their first set of tools. Like connecting rod cap nuts, main bearing cap nuts, or differential carrier bearing cap nuts. Though external stars can be commonly found on the ends of studs, like your exhaust manifold. These are usually more of a three-hundred-plus piece set find.

1/2” drive deep well sockets – These are usually the last socket type added to a starter kit before a company will include 10-point and external star sockets. If the company ever adds 10-points or external stars to their kits at all. If you're reaching for one of these, you'll likely need something along the lines of an axle socket set instead.

Wrenches – Having doubles of sizes can be very useful, so I wouldn't suggest fixating on a kit without wrenches simply because you're planning to get a wrench set separately. This goes more so if you plan on using different brands since they all grip nuts/bolts differently and cut into your hands under heavy torque differently.

Allen/hex keys – Sometimes you get more sizes even though the total number listed is less. This is because like sockets, allen/hex keys come in short and long versions. More sizes is more important here than having both short and long versions since you can usually put something on it to “make it longer”.

Universal joints for ratchets/sockets – Can be very useful, but can also be infuriating to use. Though stretching an O-ring around the joint itself can really help the rage factor. These can be found cheaply and easily in a store separately. Not a huge plus having them in a kit.

Extensions – Besides universal joints, drive size adapters, and driver bits, extensions are cheap and easy to get a hold of outside of a large set. If you get a kit without the minimum listed extensions, buy a set of extensions that has them and add it to your kit on the double. More likely than not, you will thank yourself fairly quickly.

Wobble shafts – These are extensions that have a rounded end for the sockets. They can get you 10-20 degrees of angle around small nuisances, but not around corners like a u-joint. Granted, they do serve the dual purpose of being both an extension and shallow angle u-joint. With enough space, you can stack wobble shafts for more angle.

Magnets – Lots of stores have small wafer magnets these days. I have seen some people glue one to the end of extensions that goes inside the socket. Sometimes this can be an absolute god send, sometimes the spawn of Satan. Depends on what you're trying to accomplish. If you do this, having both a set with and a set without magnets would be smartest. It also gives you something to temporarily magnetize a screwdriver if needed.

Things You Won't Find in Starter Kits

There are actually many different kinds of ratchets, sockets, and wrenches that will not be found in these kits. For example, flex/swivel head ratchets, offset handle ratchets or wrenches, line wrenches (like brake and fuel lines), short well sockets, thin wall sockets, or non-marring composite material sockets for rims. These are not “basic” items, so they are not in these “basic”/starter targeted kits.

Oil Filter Sockets – The tool you will always under-rate the most, until you are use to it and don't have it. Add the one for your vehicle to your kit. Can be purchased cheap. As long as King Kong, The Hulk, or Godzilla wasn't the last one to put your oil filter on, 3D printed ones usually work fine as well.