Best Place to Buy Cheap CompressionTester, Vacuum Tester, Torx Screwdrivers ?

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bigv

ArboristSite Operative
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I gave a local kid(I should say young man) a Poulan and a John Deere(Remington) to use for his law care business.
See here: http://www.arboristsite.com/communi...nded-that-my-junk-isnt-junk-to-others.250371/

One of you opened up your big mouths and suggested maybe I could find him a Husqvarna. I was trying to convince him of the merits of a Dolmar, but he did some work in exchange for two Husqvarna's. So you guys cursed this poor kid. 16 years old and he's a chainsaw junky. I hope you're proud, you deviants(I am actually).

He found a Practica 65 and a 266XP(silver serial tag, first digit "4" so I think maybe a 1994).

I had a Practica 65 that needed a ring pack, and I've given it to him to use to make one saw out of two. He has ordered everything we need to fix his 266(crank seals, new fuel line, rebuild kit for the Tillotson)

He wants to learn and he already picked up a bunch from going through the JD saw, and he has watched Mastermind's flap wheel aluminum transfer removal and has cleaned up the cylinder on the Practica already.

The last time I placed an order from Bailey's I bought him a set of piston ring clamps. I found a couple file guides and some files with life left and he's getting the clamps and the chain filing stuff when he comes by after church tomorrow.

The last few tools he'll need are: (1) compression tester (2) vacuum tester (3) a set of Torx screwdrivers with long, thin shafts for going down the cylinder access holes on saws.

Where is the cheapest place to get a (1) (2) and (3) ?

I know I should get a used quality tool for him before buying a cheap new tool, but these kinds of tools don't show up where I live. Moreover, I don't have the money to buy him new high quality tools, but I do have enough to get some inexpensive stuff.

I'm not trying to bum tools, I will not take any offered(I can't guarantee he'll keep them, though he did turn down $350 for his John Deere Mighty Mite). I just need to know where I can get a compression tester, vacuum tester, and set of Torx head screwdrivers with the long thin shafts so he can easily do cylinder work. He removed the Practica cylinder with an Allen wrench, and I'm just not crazy about him developing that as a habit.

And no, this isn't my illegitimate kid, and no I'm not some weirdo. Kid doesn't have a father, and his mom and grandparents are like a lot of people where I live- dirt poor. This kid has never asked for anything for free- he always either wants to pay or offer work in exchange for what he needs whether it is knowledge, parts, or labor. But he is doing the right things, so I figure that's worth a few bucks in tools.

If I can get these tools into his hands and teach him, I think he will do like he did with the hand tools- last summer I gave him 1/4 and 3/8 Taiwan ratchets and sockets and wrenchs in mm and imperial. Since then, his ratchets are now used SK and most of his sockets are used Snap On and used Mac now. So if he learns what he's doing, he'll buy nicer tools for himself.
 
Love what you are doing there BigV...you can look at Harbor Freight for some decently priced things of that nature. That's where I got some of mine. I know it's cheaper stuff, but it'll get him started until he can step them up. If you don't have one in your area up there, check them out online. They always have coupons and deals on stuff like that. :)
 
I would think your best bet for everything would be ebay.
As for compression testers, (and anything for that matter) you get what you pay for. The first one i bought was a Baileys for $20ish if I remember.
It worked good for the first dozen times or so... then went goofy. So basically I threw about $30 away with shipping.
I now have a Snap-on and a Lisle. The Lisle is the best bet for the $ in my opinion.

I will not buy a China/Tiawan tool... if I can help it. You may be able to find good used USA stuff on ebay for the cost of a china tool new.
 
Be careful of the Harbor Freight torx stuff. I destroyed one right quick when trying to remove an 026 cylinder. So I bought a single Wiha torx driver that does that job for me now. And I kept the rest of the unbroken Harbor Freight set for future use if I need them someday.
 
I found a set of Stanley T-10 to T-27 for $16 locally, ching chong but it looked better than Harbor Freight, cheaper $ than KD/Gearwrench Tawain.

I did buy the HF Compression Tester seemed as nice as a KD Tools version, much cheaper $ wise.

I also found a Snap On Vacuum Pump that may need a diagphram. We'll see what happens there.
 
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