Favorite hand tool

Favorite hand tool; it has a strong pick and bright color so I find it easily where it drops.  Very useful in rocky or rooty areas, for all kinds of digging and prying.  I also use a wood-handled one with two (out of three initial, the middle one broke off) tines that also has an adze.  That one gets lost easily.  BB

A regular ol' garden hoe (properly sharpened, of course) is probably my most used tool. Behind that, a grub hoe and a scythe make the short list.

Long handled fishing net .  It catches chickens, baby pigs, and goats of all ages.  

16” all forged steel Estwing Axe.  It can be used equally well one or two handed.

Eric

I'm so boring.  I love my fencing pliers.  They hammer, pull, cut, squeeze, twist, pry, and have rubber on the handles.  Cannot live without them.  I have one in all vehicles, outbuildings and my ranch coat pocket.  During our farm store's summer sale they cost 5.99 so I usually stock up on them.  Good stocking stuffers, too.  

I'd like to try the Fokin hoe. I have a lot of Fokin weeds in my Fokin garden. Just the other day I was talking to the wife about them Fokin weeds.
She was telling me about the Fokin grass that was taking over the Fokin walk path. Then, she got onto the Fokin weeds in the fence. Fokin hell!
I'm about to pull my Fokin hair because of all these Fokin weeds. I need a Fokin tool that will take care of all these Fokin jobs! The Fokin hoe is the tool for that Fokin job!

Here in the Ozarks, you need to be able to put some power behind a tool or you'll just bounce off all the rocks in the ground. To that end, my most-used tools are probably my Meadow Creature all-steel broadfork and my Bully Tools shovel.

I know what you mean about those rocks, Matt. I have piles and fence rows of rocks that were moved there to make way for berries. There used to be huge fields of berries up here. They've all been replaced by cedars, but the rock piles are still there. They make great places for copperheads and rattlers to hunt.

I know at various times, I've threatened to paint all the tool handles hot pink, due to tool losses.  I don't think I could pick just one favorite tool, myself.  I have favorite tools for specific jobs, though, for sure!

John F Dean wrote:Long handled fishing net .  It catches chickens, baby pigs, and goats of all ages.  

Yes! I do this, too!

Jess Dee wrote:I know at various times, I've threatened to paint all the tool handles hot pink, due to tool losses.  I don't think I could pick just one favorite tool, myself.  I have favorite tools for specific jobs, though, for sure!

I have had to do this in the field (oil and gas patch) since the boys seem to like 'borrowing' the closest tools and don't use their own.  I switched to pink buckets, pink camo tools and I paint everything pink.  they got wise to me and brought a can of black spray paint to go over my pink.  Now I just lock things up.  I didn't mind them using them, but when they'd dropped my 2# sledges down the 'hole' more than 3 times, I got over having to supply that subcontractor any more tools.   It definitely was easier to find my tools in a snow storm though.  

Remelle Burton wrote:

Jess Dee wrote:I know at various times, I've threatened to paint all the tool handles hot pink, due to tool losses.  I don't think I could pick just one favorite tool, myself.  I have favorite tools for specific jobs, though, for sure!

I have had to do this in the field (oil and gas patch) since the boys seem to like 'borrowing' the closest tools and don't use their own.  I switched to pink buckets, pink camo tools and I paint everything pink.  they got wise to me and brought a can of black spray paint to go over my pink.  Now I just lock things up.  I didn't mind them using them, but when they'd dropped my 2# sledges down the 'hole' more than 3 times, I got over having to supply that subcontractor any more tools.   It definitely was easier to find my tools in a snow storm though.  

I had a particular brand of (very expensive) hammer that was really nicely balanced for me.  I "lost" several of them on various construction projects at friends' and colleagues' houses (and garages).  That's when the pink handle threat started.  At the time, tools that came with pink handles from the store were not good quality.  Things have probably gotten better since then.

Jess Dee wrote: At the time, tools that came with pink handles from the store were not good quality.  Things have probably gotten better since then.

Unfortunately, not so much.

I'd like to throw another option out there. A cheap wood burning tool is easy to use, and if you burn deeply, it's very difficult to sand off, and even under heavy paint, the changed texture is difficult to hide. A cheap engraving tool can do the same on solid metal tools

Carla Burke wrote:
Unfortunately, not so much.

I'd like to throw another option out there. A cheap wood burning tool is easy to use, and if you burn deeply, it's very difficult to sand off, and even under heavy paint, the changed texture is difficult to hide. A cheap engraving tool can do the same on solid metal tools

That's too bad.  At this point, I rarely do work at other people's places, and equally rarely have outside help here, so it's not really an issue anymore.  I would still be tempted to use hot pink paint, though.  Easier to 'see' the tools wandering off, if you know what I mean.

Absolutely! I've been SERIOUSLY considering using multiple tricks, on mine - both high-viz & the deeper methods. High-viz also has the advantage of being easier to find, when you drop it, yourself - or in my case, when it falls off the tractor, because I got careless and drove off, without putting it back in my tool bag!

Jess Dee wrote:I know at various times, I've threatened to paint all the tool handles hot pink, due to tool losses.  I don't think I could pick just one favorite tool, myself.  I have favorite tools for specific jobs, though, for sure!

I bought my last folding knife with a pink handle at least partly for this reason. It has saved me a couple times.

My Opinel pocket knife gets plenty of use, I'd pick that as my favorite hand tool!

The easy answer is my "everyday carry" tools in my electrician pouch (shall I list them? Tempting...I'll put the list at the end).

But my sentimental answer is a tool I've had for decades, an egg-beater drill my grandfather gave me. It's quiet, it works great, I can adjust the torque, and it's just so cool--plus it requires no electricity or batteries. Only downside is I need two hands to use it.


This is not mine but mine kinda looks like this.

Okay, here's my list of electrician everyday carries:

Dewalt 20V impact drill w/bit holder & Phillips bit
Klein lineman's pliers
Knipex diagonal cutters
Channellocks (I'm probably gonna switch these out for 9" Knipex equivalent once I come into a $60 windfall)
Amprobe voltage sniffer
Stanley box cutter (the brand of cutter doesn't matter, a fresh blade does)
Klein 11-in-1 screwdriver
Klein long-shaft flathead screwdriver
Magnetic torpedo level
Klein (I think?) electrician's scissors
Ideal wire strippers ("Reflex Super T 45-655" model)
Sharpie markers
Carpenter pencil
Electrical tape (the cheap kind, the fancy "33" kind, and white phase tape which is handy for making impromptu labels)
5/8" spade bit
3/16" SDS bit
5/16" Klein nut driver bit
Klein 25' magnetic tape measure

I rely on these tools constantly and they don't let me down.

One day I might get a small set of insulated screwdrivers but for now I borrow my coworker's if I need them, which is not often.