HDC Staff Favorites: 6 Tools We Love

This story first appeared in the July/August 2024 issue of Hagerty Drivers Club magazine. Join the club to receive our award-winning magazine and enjoy insider access to automotive events, discounts, roadside assistance, and more.

We’re here to celebrate the simple, defiant act of working on your own car. The opportunities to wield a socket wrench or an angle grinder are endless, and the reward is the same: the satisfaction that comes from being able to do something yourself. For some, it’s a way of earning a living. To you, we bow. For the rest of us keyboard clackers, a spell of physical work and concrete problem-solving replenishes the soul.

Recently, some of our most talented writers have shared stories from their garages. You’ll find how-to advice—who knew that you shouldn’t apply more force to loosen a bolt than to tighten it?—and tales of how we often learned the hard way how to get the job done.

All those accomplishments and misadventures wouldn’t happen without the right tools. Old standbys, handy toolbox additions, or one-offs specially-modified for the job at hand—whatever the case—certain tools manage to garner our affection by getting us out of a jam or for their relentless capability. Here are just a few of our staff’s favorites.

Knipex Cutters

Watching a salesman snip a metal file with these cutters persuaded me to suspend my cheapskate ways and splurge for this tool. That was years ago, yet they haven’t dulled and remain the most effective snips in my toolbox. Today’s price hardly seems expensive —around $35—but it proves that sometimes buying the good stuff pays off. —Larry Webster

LED Headlamp

No matter how well-lit your garage is, it’s always a struggle to see into the recesses of a car. This $20 headlamp shines light right where my eyes need it and weighs almost nothing on my forehead. The wide LED strip illuminates my peripheral vision. It even has a hand-activated motion sensor, so I don’t have to put down my tools to turn it on. —Sajeev Mehta

Scraper

When I was restoring my Chevelle with my girlfriend (now wife of 27 years), we needed to get off all the undercoating. Every scraper/putty knife was too long or flexed too much. I trimmed this one to about an inch and a half, and it worked fabulously. It’s still my go-to for scraping gaskets off oil pans and whatnot. —Davin Reckow

LED Flashlight

I found this extruded aluminum flashlight lying in front of the pits while I was drag racing in St. Thomas, Ontario. It’s probably 10–15 years old, and it’s the most well-built light I’ve ever seen. I’ve tried to buy more, but they’re available only in Canada. I might have to cross the border to get another one. —Davin Reckow

Socket Ratchet

I love this tool simply because it was a gift from my teenage son. He informed me that it was promoted by a popular car-repair YouTuber named ChrisFix (page 79), and that name was on the handle. A YouTuber making tools? Good grief. I use this ratchet so often, however, that I’ve worn Fix’s name off. Sometimes we learn from our kids. —Larry Webster

Colortune 500

This British-made glass spark plug gives you a window into your combustion chambers at work. As the tool’s name implies, color is everything; richer mixtures burn red to orange, a leaner mix burns blue to white. A plugged idle circuit means darkness. This tool is indispensable for diagnosing and tuning carbureted engines, especially those with multiple carburetors. —Aaron Robinson