Personal protective equipment

Disposable gloves
A shop essential.

Mechanic's gloves
Mechanix gloves fit great and come in a wide variety of styles for every working condition.

Respirator
This Comfo Classic respirator is *way* better than the paper ones most shops stock. Strongly recommended.

Eye protection
These 3M glasses have detachable side protectors that keep dust and other foreign objects out for good.
Hand tools

Knipex wrench
It's mind boggling to me that I lasted so long on channel lock pliers when these are *so* much better.

PB Swiss hex keys
Color coding = awesome.

Headlamp
Having clear *and* red *and* the diffuser is really useful. Always have one of these in your toolbox.

Benchmade Mini Griptillian
By far the best pocket knife I've ever owned.

RJ45 EZ crimpers
Making your own network cable changes your life, and using EZ crimpers is the only way to do it.

Lie-Nielsen small block plane
Probably the most beautiful tool in the shop.

Bahco hacksaw
Sturdy and comfortable enough to not even need a bandsaw.

Starrett tap handles
Clean and secure.

Klein folding utility knife
Secure and great to use.

Olfa Cutter 300
Great for Kaizen foam layout.

Wera 7000-series torque wrench
Precise and very user friendly.

Wera Kraftform Kompakt 25
A fantastic multi-bit screwdriver.

Utility knife
I've been using these Stanley utility knives for about 15 years, and I can't imagine going back to the cheap ones.

PB Swiss stubby multi-screwdriver
Little, but really well made.

Wiha electronics screwdrivers
These come in a variety of tip styles and are comfortable to use over long periods of time.

Rip hammer
Good for all around work, from hanging pictures to light framing & demolition.

Hand countersink
*So* handy.

Packing tape dispenser
Boring, but *so* much better than ripping it with your teeth.

Knipex cutters
Sharp, precise, and comfortable enough to use all day.

Wera Security Torx drivers
Color coded & very well built.

iFixit electronics repair driver
High quality and utterly complete.

Kai scissors
Really just magnificent.

Wera Tool-Check Plus
An excellent multi-tool set.
Power tools

Impact driver & drill
There's no excuse for using a drill to drive screws.

Torque limited screwdriver
If you're doing more than a few hundred, these are key.

Makita heat gun
Never try to use shrink wrap with a lighter again.

Festool. Period.
Once you buy in to Festool, it's hard to imagine using anything else.

Tormek T8 sharpening system
Fast cutting, won't damage your temper, and super consistent.
SOFTWARE

Tulip
Digital manufacturing instructions, powerful analytics

PartsBox
An excellent tool for small parts management.

Workflowy
A superior way to take notes.

Airtable
A powerful, visual, flexible data management platform.
Measurement, testing & inspection

Stabila levels
The best.

Metric tape measure
Measuring in centimeters and millimeters makes everything simpler.

Fluke multimeter
Yup.

PCB tool
Extremely handy, these have template packages & other nice features for embedded design.

Starrett 4" combination square
Small, precise, and perfect.

Phone tripod mount
Super handy for video around the shop.

Non-contact thermometer
Fast and *so* useful.

Imperial tape measure
Because you still need inches :/

Mitutoyo caliper
I'm sorry: Digital is just *so* much easier.

Torque measuring screwdriver
Perfect for specifying assembly values for consumer products.

1D/2D barcode scanner
Don't skimp - read right the first time, every time.

PLS180 laser plumb/level
SO many saved hours.
MATERIAL HANDLING, STORAGE & LOGISTICS

Gerstner tool chests
Absolute heirlooms.

Molded fiberglass trays
For all of your work-in-progress.

Pelican 1510 case
The most secure way to carry your tools.

Kaizen foam
A superior way to organize your toolbox.

Hanging/Stacking parts bins
Make all project work more organized.

Small parts cabinets
For commonly used parts & deep (ish) storage.

Shop service cart
Plastic construction is convenient & sturdy.

Attached-lid bins
So much nicer than old cardboard boxes.
Desk & office

Field Notes
Whether for note-taking, sketching, or to-do lists, having paper around still makes a *ton* of sense.

Making It
A good desk reference for manufacturing techniques.

Working Alone
Tricks for lightly staffed construction projects.

Managing the Flow of Technology
A treatise on organizational design for R&D.

A paper McMaster-Carr catalog
Good work, if you can get it ;)

The Mythical Man Month
A fantastic volume on engineering (and general product development) management.

Mistake Proofing
A methodology for designing errors out.
Note: theprepared.org is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.