What every team needs. . .

[Madison]

I'm sort of getting tired of reading about the qualification process. We'll all live with it and get used to it, whether or not we love it or hate it. Some fine suggestions have been made by people far more level headed than I, and I hope FIRST reads them and thinks about them.

Now, with that said, I'd like some help

What do you all think is absolutely necessary for a rookie team to have? I'm looking for anything here; hand tools, power tools, whatever. . .

Immediately, what jumps to mind is:

Screwdrivers
Ratchets (Metric and Standard)
Power Drill
Jigsaw
Rivet Gun
Wire Tie Gun
Hack Saw
Belt Sander
Soldering Gun
Wire Stripper
Crimping Tool
Pliers of all sorts
Vice Grips
Calipers
Tape Measure
Circular Saw
Chop Saw
Bench Grinder
Loc-Tite
Toolbox

Well, that's enough for now. Is there anything super important I'm leaving out?

Christina and I have some money from our College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and our high school has nothing to speak of. They didn't even know what FIRST was, really, until Tuesday morning.

We have access to the University's manufacturing and machining capabilities, but we're still going to need tools for small fixes and things at the competition site. If it's possible, I was thinking about using some of our money to get them started with tools and stuff.

Also, while I'm rambling. . . my high school (263 - Sachem Aftershock) had a platform donated to them a few years ago. They attached it to their cart, and it uses a hydraulic scissor lift to easily raise and lower the robot. Does anyone know where we can find one of these?