Back to working in a car garage...

At work I carry a small Buck vantage . 420 HC is easy to sharpen , and I really use the hell out of it. cost me 17.49
 
If I were still working in the field today, I would likely carry My Manix 2 LW. Great knife, not expensive (~$70 - $80), very versatile. Solid usable knife with great ergos, decent steel. Pic borrowed from the net:

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something cheap for that day when you leave it in the car and the customer gets a new gift with every repair. Lost my favorite Colt cryo edge after I did an airbag module recall on a Jeep. it was the first real knife I had ever bought and had it for 8 years. Used it to cut some wire loom, I guess I left it in there but got the rest of my tools. Which would bring me to another piece of advice, get one thats a bright color so its easy to find
 
I would think something cheap, tough, easy to sharpen, and ONE HAND OPENING would be important for shop work. Lots of good suggestions that cover these bases already, I'll just echo them. Utillitac II (would be my first choice), Rat 1, Spyderco Tenacious variants. Chinese produced EL-01 would be a good very affordable choice as well.
 
Krav said:
I would get a Swiss Army knife. Not expensive, get one with 2 blades, won't scare anyone.
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SAK's actually don't jive with automotive work well. Most of the options aren't useful on a vehicle, and the ones that can be are usually too short. I can count the number of bodyshop/mechanic guys who didn't carry a modern folder on one hand too.
 
o4tg said:
SAK's actually don't jive with automotive work well. Most of the options aren't useful on a vehicle, and the ones that can be are usually too short. I can count the number of bodyshop/mechanic guys who didn't carry a modern folder on one hand too.
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Plus with a slip joint if I hit something hard and the blade closes on me that's no fun.
 
I worked in my father's garage 30 years ago, before we had our modern knives. I carried an old slip joint handed down from my father, with the tip of the main blade broken off. I ground it flat and it functioned well as a screwdriver. We had a larger front lot and had to work on a lot of cars out in the lot so I found the knife and screwdriver very useful. I didn't miss the pliers but if I was working there today I might carry a supertool or at least a skeletool, and a separate knife such as a Rat 1 or Tenacious.

I remember that I did use the screwdriver "blade" a lot, I also used my knife a lot for cutting electrical wire, stripping wire, and cutting hoses.
 
o4tg said:
Snap On sells mostly junk. Sometimes they have some Kershaws that cost more than you can find somewhere eose. In most cases, they won't warranty the knife like they do their tools anyways because it's a third party sale.

Second on the Utilitac. I can verify it cuts through radiator hose, wiring harnesses, and scrapes off grease and rust like it was made for it. Mine has seen about a hundred times the use since this picture too.

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Snap-on sells mostly junk?

They used to be top of the line tools. My daddy recommended them to me. He learned about them when he was a machinist in the Navy. They were mostly marketed to airplane mechanics.

I’ve got a set of Snap-on ratchet and sockets that is decades old. They've never given a bit of trouble. Great tools.

Has the Snap-on name been bought out and shipped to China?
 
Raymond1000 said:
Snap-on sells mostly junk?

They used to be top of the line tools. My daddy recommended them to me. He learned about them when he was a machinist in the Navy. They were mostly marketed to airplane mechanics.

I’ve got a set of Snap-on ratchet and sockets that is decades old. They've never given a bit of trouble. Great tools.

Has the Snap-on name been bought out and shipped to China?
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Not their tools, but their knives. Seems like the local guys around here have a handful of Kershaws, then the rest is truck stop quality junk.
 
Yeah snap on hand tools are good and made by snapon. Their electronics and others odds and ends are sourced from other makers. I have a DMM made by a company called TPI which directly from them was 50% cheaper than snap on, same product different color. I'm selective with which truck tools I buy, if I can find the original manufacturer I buy from them. The Keyshaws are fine, a bit overpriced but still Keyshaws. The other knives are garbage. I have an ad saved on my photobucket somewhere I'll post. It was amusing.
 
he can get pretty much any Kershaw knife you want if you ask. Which is kinda nice, you might pay retail but hey you can make payments on it. I asked mine to see if he can get ZT knives as well, still havent heard back yet. I bought out pretty much all the Kershaw knives mine had since I realized they were all 6-7 year old knives they didnt make anymore and get them cheap
 
My brother is an airplane mechanic. He buys chit from Mac and Snap-on all the time. He says Snap-on can get just about anything Kershaw and that they DO warranty the knives. He has "traded in" about 10 chives and leeks. The guy just takes the broken one and hands him a new one in the box. Can't beat that.

Those utilitacs are great and can be had cheap. I'd recommend one.
 
mine cant get ZT but all the other guys that come thru the shop can get any other Kershaw. I kinda wish they carried Spyderco or Benchmade as well
 
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