Best tool

[ndutton]

Reef flip flop sandals with the bottle cap opener in the soles. Pacifico Clara does't have twist caps.

Those sandals have saved me - and others - more than once.

[toddster]

Mine is ratchet box ends. I have a good Gear Wrench metric set that I used on my Honda at home, so I bought a cheaper SAE set for the boat that serve the same purpose, but if they rust and fall apart I won't cry over them since they are (relatively) cheap.

I find that I can over tighten hose clamps with a 1/4" drive, but they are handy, and I certainly use them when I need to do so...I try to have the proper sized screw driver to start with.

When I was doing an extensive project on the Beemer last winter, I found myself needing new tools in odd sizes that I had never needed before. Anyway, three or four times, I thought one of those ratchet box ends looked like just the ticket. But there is never enough clearance to get them on the work piece. I have a whole set now, and have never, ever, found an occasion to use them.

Anyway, I have to say that the most useful Atomic-4 specific tool I've found is a smartphone on the chart table with this forum queued up!

[romantic comedy]

I take my best tools every time I go sailing.
There is the Karma thing that I consider. You know the one that says that if you have the tools and parts, it wont break. if you dont, it will break.

Like when it looks like rain, you put in rain gear as a way to ward off the rain.

works with ground tackle too.

[thatch]

Agree and disagree with Toddster

Each time I head for a mechanical project, I take along the appropriate ratcheting box wrenches. If you can get them on a nut or bolt, they will certainly speed up the process. However, having been exposed to a Beemer, I understand how useless that style of wrench would be. As far as computers go, I have found that spending a little "butt time" at the keyboard can save consideral time at the actual job. I generally try to find the best "Youtube" version of what I'm working on and go from there. Most of them are useless but some are worth their weight in gold, literally.
Tom

[toddster]

Since then, I've wrestled the transmission out of the Wrangler and changed the clutch... box ratchets were useless on that job too. Access to parts doesn't get much better than a Wrangler... Except maybe in the spacious engine room of my fantasy retirement boat.

[sandiegomike]

Tool from Moyer

I like the valve spring compression tool. Man did that make life easier. I also came up with a new trick. When holding the valve keepers I spray my finder tips with hobby adhesive. Helps makes them easier to place.

I also like the sliding metric wrench, also called a cresent wrench.