My Take on a Mini Tool Kit

A couple of weeks ago I linked to this thread about mini tool kits on Arfcom. I liked the idea so much I put one together for myself.

The "Y-280" steel hip roof toolbox was part of my Father's Day gift this year. It came filled with an assortment of exotic jerky. You can find it on Amazon by searching for "Y-280 toolbox."

Click on the pictures to view the full size version.

The contents are:

Tools:

• Craftsman 25 piece ratchet screwdriver set
• Craftsman 35 piece right angle bit driver set
• Craftsman 6" adjustable wrench
• Craftsman 9' measuring tape
• Telescoping magnetic retrieval tool (was included with the screwdriver set)
• 7" Irwin curved jaw Vise Grips
• Mitutuyo 6" machinist's rule, held to inside of lid with two small neodymium magnets.
• ~0.75" x 1.5" magnet (not shown). To hold screws when disassembling something.
• Milwaukee combination wire cutters, wire stripper, and pliers.
• Plastic hobbyist's forceps from Countycomm.

Misc items:

• Ten 8" cable ties, threaded onto another one with the head cut off. This keeps them organized.
• 3 oz. can of WD-40
• Tube of super glue
• Tube of blue Loctite thread locker
• Fine point Sharpie marker
• Roll of electrical tape

I still need to add:

• Long nose pliers
• Penlight or headlamp

The Craftsman sets are from Lowe's, who now owns the Craftsman brand. I bought the Milwaukee pliers thingy several years ago at Home Depot.

My first use of the kit was to reinstall the kickstand on my Trek 820 bike today. I took the opportunity to try out the ratchet set with the 12mm socket to secure the bolt after I applied some blue Loctite to it. I had planned to replace the bolt with a stainless socket head bolt but it would have needed a larger Allen key than I carry in my bike toolkit. If it ever loosens again I can secure it in place with the zip ties in my bike trunk until I get home.