If you are an avid Honda fan and love working on your own cars then check out this list of the top toolsets in 2019for working on Honda’s yourself. Honda’s are known for their reliability, ease of repairs, and are perfect for the beginner or DIYer mechanic. It is also great that there are literally tons of DIY Honda repair videos about pretty much every Honda that exists on the market.
So to help you get the best toolset for working on your Honda, here are the top 3 best toolsets on the market in 2019 (best, better, starter):
- DEWALT DWMT81534 205Pc Mechanics Tool Set
- Crescent CTK170CMP2 Mechanics Tool Set, 170-Piece
- DEWALT DWMT81531 84Pc Mechanics Tool Set
Table of Contents
1. DEWALT DWMT81534 205Pc Mechanics Tool Set
- 205 Total Pieces
- Includes 1/2″, 3/8″, and a 1/4″ Ratchet (hard to find)
- Ratchets are heavy but fine toothed and durable
- Lifetime warranty
- Durable Case (Sockets don’t go flying everywhere)
- Mix of Deep and Shallow Sockets
- Spark Plug Sockets
- Specialty Bits & Allen Head Sets (Hex sets)
- Overall pretty much everything you need for a starter Honda toolset
Cons
1. Most expensive of the three (Around $130)
You can’t go wrong with this set if you are just starting out working on your Honda. I find that with any set of tools you are inevitably going to want to pick up some other tools to fill in any gaps as you need.
With this set, you will have plenty to do your own oil changes, swap brakes, and change spark plugs on most any Honda car or Honda small engine.
The biggest things that are going to be missing from toolsets are hammers, pry bars, torque wrenches, and breaker bars. Those are quite simply the tools that weigh the most and are the hardest to fit into an economical toolset. If you happen to have a harbor freight near you or a princess auto (Canada) these are the kind of tools you can buy for very cheap.
To pick this Dewalt set up on Amazon, which is PERFECT for working on Honda’s as a beginner check the price by clicking here
. I think I found a pretty amazing deal on it, and it pretty much beats out all the competition for the sheer amount of tools you get with it (wrenches, sockets, ratchets, specialty bits, screwdriver set, pliers).
2. Crescent CTK170CMP2 Mechanics Tool Set, 170-Piece
- 170 Total Pieces
- Quick Release ratchets – 1/4″, 3/8″, & 1/2″ Drives
- Metric and SAE sockets (Shallow and Deep) up to 21mm
- Lifetime warranty
- Durable Case (Sockets don’t go flying everywhere)
- Has Pliers & Adjustable Wrench
- Specialty Bits & Allen Head Sets (Hex sets)
- Overall pretty much everything you need for a starter Honda toolset
Cons
1. No Spark Plug Sockets
The Crescent CTK170CMP2 is made by Apex Tools which also owns Gearwrench. Gearwrench makes some of my favorite chrome sockets on the market for the budget home DIYer. Some of their chrome sockets I have had for years and used professionally with no problems.
Combine that with the very reasonable price tag of around $100-120 and you will be very surprised with what you can get done with this toolset. Once again, with any premade toolset you will be buying tools as needed to fill in pieces or parts missing. For example, on pretty much every toolset you will not find any impact rated sockets– these sockets are only for use with the hand tools provided!
Do not go putting these sockets on your 1/2″ Milwaukee 1400ft-lb Cordless Impact Wrench and not expect them to blow apart!
3. DEWALT DWMT81531 84Pc Mechanics Tool Set
This is the cheapest set I found that I liked. Coming it at around $60-70 it is a decent starter set. For the price tag, you should have enough sockets to do an oil change and other basic car stuff. It is a good starter kit to keep in the trunk of your car for emergency roadside repairs and battery changes.
It also makes a great gift to give to someone that is just getting started working on their Honda.
Why is it so much cheaper than the Dewalt 205 piece set?
They basically eliminated both the 1/4″ and 1/2″ drive from the box. You will get a 3/8″ ratchet and socket sets as well as a 1/4″ screwdriver style socket driver. With 3/8″ drive sockets and ratchets being the most common, it isn’t a huge deal, but you will definitely need to fill in more tools later as you progress past oil changes.
I found an awesome deal on this set on Amazon here
, you should pick it up before the price goes up or this set stops being sold. If you want the most inexpensive and still high-quality mechanic toolset for Honda’s then grab it before it’s gone.
Conclusions:
1. Working on Honda’s you will need mostly metric sockets and wrenches
2. Pliers, Hammers, Pry Bars, Torque Wrenches and Breaker Bars are all items you will need to buy separately.
3. Never use chrome sockets on impact guns with high-torque. The general rule of thumb for beginners: if it is a shiny socket don’t put it on any gun.
4. Remember to pump the brakes after replacing pads before trying to drive off and ramming into your garage or a parked car behind you. Just trust me, it happens all the time!
5. Don’t overtighten oil plug pan bolts and don’t overtighten oil filters (two most common beginner mistakes). Use a torque wrench!
6. Find a shop or a mechanic who will teach you for your first oil change/brake job/etc. You will learn tons more from hands-on experience than you will from a YouTube Video.
7. Treat good mechanics like gods, stay away from bad mechanics. Remember this– yelp reviews for mechanics are the blind leading the blind– they are rating the customer service not the quality of work done or the amount of money saved. Just because a mechanic may not be the most patient or have the freshest waiting room coffee does not mean they are not 10x better than the corporate chain mechanic down the street. If you know nothing about cars then you are probably a bad judge of who is a good mechanic and who isn’t– just remember that!
8. Buying tools online will save you tons of money! Buying tools from a tool truck or from a retail hardware store will cost you more money and you will end up with lower quality tools.
Read here for a complete list of all the tools you will need as a DIYer mechanic looking to tackle every type of job from an engine teardown to oil changes.
