Re: Tool List
 

Very Helpful! Looking it over now.

Re: Tool List
 

Your screwdriver set is pretty expensive. While I do like that they're bolstered, I'm not particularly a fan of the soft handles. Consider going for Craftsman instead. They are much cheaper and you can swap them out at Sears when you wear them out.

I've owned a lot of Husky screwdrivers from Home Depot for over a decade, and they're decent. But the new Phillips ones have square shafts which is not great for accessing screws inside recesses. They also have a lifetime warranty and can be swapped out at Home Depot when you wreck them. So, these are my go-to screwdrivers for abuse (hammering, prying, etc).

For small precision screwdrivers I go with Wiha.

I try to stick with quality non-china brands for certain things. Channel Lock is decent quality US made on many of their things, and you might be able to get a decent discount here. Be aware of Channel Lock branded licensed china-made stuff though. It's not the same. Knipex is kind of top of the line for pliers, but can be somewhat pricey. They're pretty nice though.

You need some hex keys. I've found Allen brand to be the hardest, and Eklind to be the softest of the US-made brands. Bondhus is very good too. Any three of those brands will serve you well. Wiha ball drivers are nice. For hex, I would not go with anything outside of those brands.

You might want some step drills for bigger holes in thin metal. Pretty much any chinese brand is fine for these. No need to pay the $50 for an Irwin one.

You might want some safety glasses side shields and/or safety glasses that fit over glasses. Maybe even one or two full face shields too.

You also need some measuring tools. I'm slowly transitioning to all dial calipers in the shop. Cheap Harbor Freight ones are okay but the depth gauge and smoothness of sliding is not fantastic. The way I figure it is we can wreck a good caliper just as easily as we can wreck a cheap one, so I might as well deploy cheap ones in the lab, so long as they're accurate enough.

Your toolbox seems a bit expensive for what it is. There are better boxes for less money (Like the Harbor Freight 44"), but if it has to be black, this actually is probably about the best you'll find at that price point. I really like the HF 44" boxes with the little narrow one(s) hanging off the side(s). I do have a this Husky boxthat I paid only $200 for on sale. and at that price it couldn't be beat. The sheet metal is a good bit thinner than the HF boxes, but to it's credit, I do have one drawer full of about 100 lbs of bar stock and it seems to handle it okay.

Here's a list of tools and things I got on Amazon just the other day. I probably overdid it on the Knipex pliers, but the Channel Lock set is nice. Note, this list is not all-inclusive. It is an addition to some things we already had. Some of this stuff is pretty pricey, but taken care of, you only have to buy it once, and it will last a lifetime.

Re: Tool List
 

Thanks for the great suggestions everyone! I've read every single one. I'm not overly concerned with price at the time, just trying to get a dollar figure together. I'm thinking about approaching the local Home Depot for a tool sponsorship to help with costs. I've updated the list, let me know if I'm missing anything.

Re: Tool List
 

Transfer punch set!

Re: Tool List
 

All of this. Cut zip tie "tails" are surprisingly sharp. Also get a first aid kit or two and fire extinguishers, enough to cover your build space as well as a small one for your pit. And some respirator dust masks.

Also add:
Label maker(get one with a QWERTY keyboard, not an alphabetical order keyboard)
Reciprocating saw(Sawzall) - There is a 20V DeWalt model that uses the same batteries as the drill you have, but make sure you can get by with its amount of power vs. a corded one. If possible, one of each wouldn't be a bad idea, so you can have two people cutting different things at the same time. Cordless will be easier in the pits. Also get some decent blades(Milwaukee has a nice set with a great case; I haven't used them yet, but they look good. Though there is a 12 piece set for the same price.)
Hex keys(Allen wrenches) - Get a lot of duplicates, and I mean A LOT. They'll get lost.
More than one drill - You can buy just the drill without batteries. It will be used more than any other tool in the shop. If there's building going on, a drill will always be running.
Jig saw - for more precise cuts on smaller materials.
Shop Vac

Re: Tool List
 

Good list.

I'll echo the above suggestion of dial calipers...at least in addition to the digital ones. Unless you spend big bucks, the digital ones may not make it through build season. I've bought the ones on your list before and they were short lived. The same amount on dial calipers will last years. Just a thought.

If you have room in the budget, up your drill bit quality as high as you can spend. Consumer grade drills have a very limited number of holes in tougher materials, and that includes aluminum. HSS or cobalt steel drills are way harder....your students may find that drilling holes is actually fun with good drills. At least mine did!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FXGOMIW?psc=1

or any of the HSS indexes on Amazon...some pretty good prices out there. Word of warning with small diameter HSS drills....very easy to break. For that reason I'd still have the Dewalt index for general work. We have both levels of drills in our shop.

Also agree with others on a corded drill along with a cordless.

Re: Tool List
 

A few I forgot:
Rotary tool(Dremel) - Can do a lot of things; great for working in tight spaces and cutting rivet mandrels if the rivet gun doesn't pull them out all the way.
Bench vises - if possible, get two movable workbenches and put one vise on each, and orient them so the vises are in a line. This way, longer items such as pipes can be clamped twice. You'll want it for cutting with a recip saw, or anything that vibrates.
Flashlights

Re: Tool List
 

Couple of other suggestions:
-Vice grips (for holding stuff while drilling etc)
-C-clamp
-Metal punch
-Rivet Gun
-Vice
-Assorted pliers(different sizes and types)
-Soldering iron and holder
-Scribe
-Good metalworking square

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Drill wise if you can't go too high in cost I recommend the Masterforce brand that is sold at Menards in the midwest. Their products have always worked well for me in machining.

Re: Tool List
 

Few things to add that I didn't see mentioned yet:

• Pneumatic tubing cutter - will save you hours of fixing leaky pneumatics from crooked cuts (one may be included in the KOP IIRC)
• A good ratcheting socket and driver set with an extender
• Quick-grip clamps
• Heat gun - for heat shrink tubing and bending lexan

Also try to get as many of the popular sizes of wrenches, allen keys, drill bits, etc that your team will be using. Not a day went by on my old team where someone wouldn't ask "Who has a 7/16" wrench" or "What did you do with the 1/4" drill bit". Things will get misplaced or simply two people will need to use a given tool at the same time. The less time you spend looking for tools, the more time you spend building robots.

Re: Tool List
 

GOFIRST has had very good luck with Tekton's L-key sets, specifically these guys. Haven't had a single one strip and we've really abused the ones for small (8-32 and 6-32) button heads). Also the folding case they are pictured with is the nicest one I've ever used for hex wrenches-- they never fall out, but they're also easy to pull out. I don't know how that black magic works but we have five sets of the imperial and three sets of the metric.

I don't see on there a staple gun-- I would highly recommend one. They make bumpers SO much easier. GOFIRST has one of these guys, but there are a lot that would work and ours needs crowned staples which can be a bit of a pain to find sometimes (another thing that makes bumpers easier for rookies is starting on them BEFORE your first tournament).