Your Tool - Purchasing and Maintaining It

No pun intended but proper tools are very important to any active or passive DIY'er. Going down memory lane, one of the first D.I.Y. superstores in Petaling Jaya opened its doors in the early 1990's. Handi-Mart was a household name to amateur as well as 'professional' DIY'ers. On display were tools from reputable makers such as FACOM, Elora etc. They also sold automotive tuning aids such as timing light, carburettor tuners etc. They had a very good range of tools, products and even had demonstrations/ workshops on the various aspects of DIY from home fixture installation to plumbing.

Needless to say, what a shoe-shop was to women, HandyMart was to me. I became quite a regular feature there, just browsing through the aisles and dreaming of the thick wad of cash I was going to finish off there - Sadly, it suffered a decline and finally closed its doors several years ago. It has now become an open car park - an idea ahead of its time. Today, ACE hardware is the household name with branches in Mid Valley, the Curve, Jaya 33 and other places. Similarly, Houz Depot in Kota Damansara, although leaning more to home improvement has a decent range of tools on display.

Now that you have decided on the toolbox of your choice, it is time to fill the bloody thing with tools. The first step is to set budget. Don't go ballistic and buy up the entire tool section only to have most of the tools collect dust in the store room later on. Be realistic about your goals and purchase some basic tools then progressively add on to the collection. Decide on what you want to 'major' in - auto repairs, home improvement, woodworking, plumbing etc.

A good basic tool set would compose of the following tools:-

1. A set of combination wrenches (American term) or spanners (British).
These used to come in metric and imperial sizes. However, unless you're restoring a classic
Jaguar, purchasing a decent metric set would suffice. Avoid the normal hardware store brands
such as Panda, Yanda or Diamond (although I must admit some Diamond tools I've had from
before were pretty hardy). Go for a mid-range set such as Sterling, TOPTUL, Mr.Mark or the
Japanese KYT/ JTC range.

A common street term for these wrenches are 'common-ling (Malaysian Chinese slang) and if
you mention this to the hardware shop owner, he'll know that you know what you're talking
about and might even give you a discount. Usually, it will be sold in a roll (refer to the picture above) and what I usually do is roll a good morning towel in it to clean the tools. It is always a good habit to give the tools a wipe down after using. Don't worry so much about it rusting as oil from your work/ hands would prevent it. DO NOT however leave it exposed to rain or water. Always use the RING side of the wrench to loosen/ tighten a nut. Only use the open end on fittings/ pipes - but you knew that didn't you hahahahaha