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GearWrench ratcheting wrenches. They're compact and fit in places that sockets never will. The ratcheting mechanism is very fine, with low backlash, which mat

GearWrench ratcheting wrenches. They're compact and fit in places that sockets never will. The ratcheting mechanism is very fine, with low backlash, which matters a lot in those tight places. They feel great, and they're a delight to use. Wirewrap tools. They're mechanically simple, easy to learn, and let you create neat, dense hobby prototypes faster and easier than soldering. Wago Lever Nuts. These let you join a wide range of wires, from 24 to 12 AWG, stranded or solid. They're quick: strip, insert and flip. They're verifiable: you can check that it's done right just by looking at it. They're reliable: the spring pressure ensures they never come loose, even with vibration and heat over many years. I'm never going back to twist-on wire nuts. Ruby. The seamless blend of OO, functional, and imperative programming is beautiful. It can be dense without being obscure. irb and pry make it easy to explore code and data. The syntax is mostly conventional and easy to learn. The standard libraries are well designed, and have consistent interfaces. The documentation is concise and easy to scan. I won't say its "The Best", but of the dynamic, interpreted languages I know, Ruby is the most fun to use, and it starts with the clean, well-considered design right at its core.

mberning 5y ago
Great list. Having specialized hand tools and using them to great effect is an intoxicating experience.
djmips 5y ago
Speaking of hand tools, how about Channel Lock pliers developed by Howard Manning. https://patents.google.com/patent/US2592927A/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US2592927A/en
- mitemte 5y ago
  Pliers wrench are also excellent and a far better alternative to adjustable wrenches. The parallel jaws and pressure added from squeezing prevents rounding of nuts. https://patents.google.com/patent/EP0421107A2/en https://patents.google.com/patent/EP0421107A2/en
ethbr0 5y ago
> GearWrench ratcheting wrenches There are also hex bit ratcheting wrenches (go by a variety of names). They key is they take a standard bit, and are only the depth of the bit + a few millimeters. Lifesavers on doorknobs. If you really needed the clearance, you could probably grind part of the hex end of a bit down too. Something like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/VIM-Tools-1-4-in-Hex-Bit-Ratchet-VIMHBR3/207151093 https://www.homedepot.com/p/VIM-Tools-1-4-in-Hex-Bit-Ratchet...
- rudedogg 5y ago
  Interesting, I didn't know they made those. For quality hex wrenches Bondhus is a good brand. Having a quality set makes working on motorcycles, putting furniture together, etc. much easier: https://intl.bondhus.com/pages/hex-end https://intl.bondhus.com/pages/hex-end
nicbou 5y ago
Wago connectors are great. I used them on my powered motorcycle panniers to make them field-repairable. They're brilliant little devices.
transfire 5y ago
Largely agree about Ruby, but I'm still disappointed by how they implemented Refinements.
rsync 5y ago
"Wago Lever Nuts ..." These are great but you need to strip a specific length of insulation of off the wire - within a certain range, that is. That's not that difficult but I wonder if there is an adjustable stripping tool that can be fixed to a certain length to get repeatable strips over and over ? It seems like this is what I am looking for: https://www.amazon.com/C-K-TOOLS-T3757ESD-Adjustable-Stripper/dp/B00XU2UXFM/ https://www.amazon.com/C-K-TOOLS-T3757ESD-Adjustable-Strippe... ... but the largest wire it strips is 20ga and I would (usually) be stripping 12 or 14ga ...
- invalidator 5y ago
  I use manual strippers because I only do small jobs. I compare the length against the template on the side of the lever nut and it's easy to keep it in tolerance. If you want to do a lot of connections, I recommend using an automatic stripper. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003B8WB5U https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003B8WB5U Knipex https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OQ21CA https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OQ21CA Irwin https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BC39YFQ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BC39YFQ Klein

mberning 5y ago

Great list. Having specialized hand tools and using them to great effect is an intoxicating experience.

djmips 5y ago

Speaking of hand tools, how about Channel Lock pliers developed by Howard Manning. https://patents.google.com/patent/US2592927A/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US2592927A/en

mitemte 5y ago
Pliers wrench are also excellent and a far better alternative to adjustable wrenches. The parallel jaws and pressure added from squeezing prevents rounding of nuts. https://patents.google.com/patent/EP0421107A2/en https://patents.google.com/patent/EP0421107A2/en

ethbr0 5y ago

> GearWrench ratcheting wrenches There are also hex bit ratcheting wrenches (go by a variety of names). They key is they take a standard bit, and are only the depth of the bit + a few millimeters. Lifesavers on doorknobs. If you really needed the clearance, you could probably grind part of the hex end of a bit down too. Something like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/VIM-Tools-1-4-in-Hex-Bit-Ratchet-VIMHBR3/207151093 https://www.homedepot.com/p/VIM-Tools-1-4-in-Hex-Bit-Ratchet...

rudedogg 5y ago
Interesting, I didn't know they made those. For quality hex wrenches Bondhus is a good brand. Having a quality set makes working on motorcycles, putting furniture together, etc. much easier: https://intl.bondhus.com/pages/hex-end https://intl.bondhus.com/pages/hex-end

nicbou 5y ago

Wago connectors are great. I used them on my powered motorcycle panniers to make them field-repairable. They're brilliant little devices.

transfire 5y ago

Largely agree about Ruby, but I'm still disappointed by how they implemented Refinements.

rsync 5y ago

"Wago Lever Nuts ..." These are great but you need to strip a specific length of insulation of off the wire - within a certain range, that is. That's not that difficult but I wonder if there is an adjustable stripping tool that can be fixed to a certain length to get repeatable strips over and over ? It seems like this is what I am looking for: https://www.amazon.com/C-K-TOOLS-T3757ESD-Adjustable-Stripper/dp/B00XU2UXFM/ https://www.amazon.com/C-K-TOOLS-T3757ESD-Adjustable-Strippe... ... but the largest wire it strips is 20ga and I would (usually) be stripping 12 or 14ga ...

invalidator 5y ago
I use manual strippers because I only do small jobs. I compare the length against the template on the side of the lever nut and it's easy to keep it in tolerance. If you want to do a lot of connections, I recommend using an automatic stripper. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003B8WB5U https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003B8WB5U Knipex https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OQ21CA https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OQ21CA Irwin https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BC39YFQ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BC39YFQ Klein