7 Cool Tools from SEMA 2024

Whether you buy your mechanics tools from a big box store, a local hardware store, or online, there’s no way your favorite retailer carries every brand of tools or a tool for every project. Because of that, there are probably solutions to even your most common tasks that you haven’t considered. We poked around the 2024 SEMA Show and learned about several problem-solving tools that we just discovered and thought were worth sharing. Many of these tools could have saved us some trouble, so here’s hoping you find something that also helps you.

Pinch Pliers

Lang Tools has been building mechanics tools in Racine, Wisconsin, for more than 90 years. Their booth was filled with a wide variety of interesting products, but their hose pinch pliers grabbed our attention. They use a simple cam mechanism that tightens with a squeeze and locks closed to seal fuel, vacuum, or coolant lines without fussing with any adjustment. The pliers stay closed until they’re spread open again. The three different-sized pliers are available separately, or in a set that retails for under $80.

Pin Punches

Spring Tools has a wide variety of punches that use springs to deliver repeatable impact. They offer a set to punch letters or numbers, one to give saw blades and drills a place to start cutting, and this set with two drivers and eight interchangeable pin punches. This set could save the day if you’re working in tight confines and don’t have the space to swing a hammer. It has an MSRP of $89.95.

Belt grinder conversion

There have to be plenty of DIYers with a bench grinder that doesn’t get a lot of use. There’s only so much that can be done with a grinding wheel — we tended to use the wire wheel more often anyway. To get more use out of the tools we already have, Multitool makes several belt grinder conversions that add a 2×36-inch or 2×48-inch belt grinder along with a 7-inch disc sander. The conversion has an MSRP of $239 and attaches to most 1/2 hp or larger bench grinders with a 1/2-inch or 5/8-inch shaft.

Fixture table

We mentioned Fireball Tools in our coverage of last year’s SEMA Show, and this year they have new fabrication tools aimed at an even wider audience. Their impressive fixture tables are sturdy and massive, but they might be a bit big for most home shops. Now Fireball Tool offers a DIY kit for a fixture table that measures 54×30 inches for less than $1000. The table uses a flat ground 1/2-inch steel plate with 3/4-inch holes drilled on a two-inch grid for accurate and repeatable fixtures, and it’s designed to be clamped to a base to prevent any distortion from welding.

Improved ratchets

Harbor Freight’s Icon lineup of mechanics tools has won over professionals and DIYers alike. The brand continues to improve its offerings with a revamp of its ratchet lineup that will debut in stores in 2025. The G2 line of Icon 3/8- and 1/2-inch ratchets will feature 80 teeth on the nickel chrome moly gear and pawls that engage seven of them at a time for improved strength. We played with one for just a minute and were impressed with the feel of the mechanism, which seems to offer very little back drag. Prices aren’t available yet but expect the improved ratchets to cost about the same as the pieces they’ll be replacing.

Innovative sockets

Milwaukee has some interesting power tools in its lineup, but we were most interested in its mechanics tools, particularly the socket sets. The Four Flat sockets have been available for a few years now and have four-sided ends to accept an adjustable wrench, which could get you out of a tight situation where a ratchet wouldn’t fit. They also help the sockets from rolling, which we can appreciate after watching sockets roll out of reach while lying in an awkward position under a vehicle. They are available in various sets, including Pack Out trays.

Ready-to-go toolbox

Wiha’s six-drawer toolbox comes loaded with screwdrivers, pliers, and ratcheting wrenches and sockets in SAE and metric sizes. Plus, they’re already fitted into custom-cut foam to help you find each tool quickly and spot where it goes. It’s also available without tools so you can customize it for your most common jobs, like the insulated tool set shown in the photo at the top of the page. As shown here, the toolbox and complete set has an MSRP of about $1900, but you can find it for less with a quick search.