Photography by David Marvier for Petrolicious
Owning a vintage car comes with many benefits. The driving experience, memories, and uniqueness are all advantages to owning a classic. On the other end of the experiential spectrum is the realization that your car will have a problem at some point. No matter if you handle big repairs or just the smaller ones, you will need a set of tools for when the inevitable problem arises or a part breaks.
I began with a basic Craftsman set and have been slowly adding to the collection over the past ten years. As I get older and have the luxury of affording better tools I have come to appreciate a quality tool in how it feels, how it works, and its durability. Part of the reason I drive a vintage car is that it was designed to last and I want a tool that shares that very same characteristic. There is something about a tool that is well crafted, and even if it feels a little silly to admit, I get a lot of pleasure out of something so simple as rebuilding and taking care of these tools. Ordering and installing a kit to rebuild my Proto ratchet was something that was just as fun as fixing something with that ratchet itself.
Where does your tool loyalty fall? Is it a mix of whatever you have cobbled together over the years? Did you inherit an unwavering devotion to Craftsman from your father or grandfather? Or have you gone the route of Snap-on, Mac, or SK?
