12 Must-Have Eastwood Tools For Every Home Garage

Oct 19, 2024

The Eastwood Company might not find itself prominently featured on every driver's radar. But the Pottstown, PA automotive supplier is a true gem in the realm of restoration and repair. Founded in 1978, Eastwood is a key resource in specialty mechanic equipment, and crucially stands ready to provide advice to the restorer, perhaps setting out on their first voyage in this part of the automotive landscape. Eastwood's tight-knit team of specialists can be found in one of four retail stores in the northeast (From Chicago to Ohio and Maryland) or by phone and online. Experts are prepared to help advise on project specifications even before you place an order and buy parts for your repair or restoration. Eastwood isn't a retail giant, but it's a crucial resource in the corner of home mechanics and automotive restorers nationwide.

The retailer offers a smattering of its own tool options and those from larger brands. No matter the scope of your typical project, finding the right tools to round out your home's garage is quite easy with the help of Eastwood's deep catalog. There are plenty of specialty options found here, too, like impressively short wrenches and ratchets (somewhat of a rarity when seeking "stubby" gear for tight recesses). Here's a collection of crucial tools offered by Eastwood that every mechanic working at home should add to their toolbox.

Every mechanic will understand the value of a rolling tool tray that can make the journey under the car with them. Plenty of home mechanics will already own a creeper to help them easily access the underside of their vehicle (project or otherwise). Creepers serve an important purpose, but they only offer so much value to a mechanic that has to constantly "creep" their way back out from underneath the vehicle to grab a ratchet, pry bar, or screwdriver.

Eastwood's Rolling Undercar Tool Tray solves this crucial capability gap. Bringing the tools you need along with you when rolling under the car gives you more time to make repairs or diagnose issues and reduces the need to shuffle back and forth, eating up essential minutes in the shop and tiring you out. The tool tray features three compartments and a magnetized center place for organizing tools, parts, and fasteners, and it's lightweight, offering easy movement in this naturally limiting workspace. However, the tray also offers a 65-pound weight capacity, giving it great stability when you're handling heavy gear underneath a vehicle's chassis. The tool tray is squat in stature and will provide immense added value in any workshop environment where working underneath a repair operation is necessary.

Pry bars are a basic fixture in any home mechanic's toolbox. If you don't already have pulling equipment then the Sunex 4-Piece Pry Bar Set should be high on your priority list. Even if you aren't lacking prying tools, it's worth considering adding a set of specialty pry bars. The set features a 20-inch, 16-inch, 12-inch, and tiny 6-inch bar with gently curving heads for damage-free prying off of work surfaces. Mechanics routinely find themselves needing to rip out components or pull delicate features out to examine them. But many don't own a more surgical pulling tool and only have wrecking bars in their collection. A large demolition bar (or even a moderately-sized pry bar, for that matter) are great for nail pulling around the house, high leverage demolition in the yard, and even deconstruction work when performing a restoration.

But those bars lack the finesse required to gently remove a pressure fit under the hood. And they're too large to use as a reaching tool. Eastwood's offering here features slim, rounded handles with a kind of punch or awl head on the reverse side. The set is perfect for the targeted reach that mechanics often require when performing precision movements.

Speaking of pulling requirements, every home mechanic needs a puller set that can handle a wide range of removal tasks. From crank shaft pulleys to gears and beyond, a puller set is a major weapon in the corner of a home mechanic looking to make critical changes to their vehicle. The Performance Tool 46-Piece Multi-Purpose Puller Kit from Eastwood offers huge versatility. The set is built with a carbon steel construction to instill major durability and longevity in the tool's components, and the puller yoke is designed to be utilized in both two- and three-way connections to provide maximum range across any application you might find in the workshop.

The set comes with 30 bolts in multiple sizes, perfect for a versatile set that's ready to tackle a huge range of component pulling needs. The kit contains multiple tips and a floating swivel component in the center screw to help enhance its longevity and prevent damage to the shaft. Wrapped up in an easily transportable case, the kit is a great piece of gear for any mechanic seeking to improve their functional range.

Ratchets are a unique piece of equipment found in mechanics' tool chests. There's seemingly always another ratchet tool that can augment a DIYer or pro's workflow – as well as everyone in between. Home mechanics will often own more than one ratchet, perfect for achieving the desired result across a great many application requirements. For one thing, ratchets come in three standard drive sizes (1/4-inch, 3/8-inch, and 1/2-inch) that correspond roughly to varying torque output needs. The larger the drive head, the less versatile it becomes in compressed work areas, but the more power it can create to turn a nut. Mechanics routinely bring in multiple ratchets to address these differing specifications and requirements.

Length plays a role, too. The longer a ratchet, the more torque it can produce with less user muscle. A short ratchet needs more hand power, but can fit into tighter spaces. Length is important, but so too is shortness. This is where "stubby" ratchets come into play. The Eastwood 3/8-Inch Drive Stubby Flex Head Ratchet is one of the shortest options around, measuring at a strikingly condensed 5-1/2-inch length from head to toe. Making the tool even more potent in impossibly tight spaces, the head isn't anchored in place, and instead flexes to provide a pivoting factor that increases its utility. With a 72-tooth gear, the ratchet provides solid turning power and a smooth operation whenever it's called upon.

Automotive work routinely requires the removal of tricky parts that sit together through a friction fit or are otherwise very difficult to yank out of position without the correct tool on hand. Axles, bearings, and seals are just some of those components that demand a specialized tool to get the job done. Eastwood offers a great option in this area, the Powerbuilt 21-Piece Master Axle Puller Kit. The heavy duty puller tools feature a range of adapters and hooks for grabbing onto whatever component you need to release. The axle hub bracket also features a two- and three-way connection to fit a wider variety of component builds.

Brought together in a durable case and supplied with detailed instructions that feature pictures and suggestions, the kit is perfect for removing any number of axle-area parts from your project car or repair workpiece. The slide hammer is also designed to be used for dent pulling, too. This gives the tool an added utility that makes it a serious asset in any shop setting.

Oil filter wrenches are a key tool in a home mechanic's collection. Changing the oil filter isn't often a very demanding job — unless you don't have the correct wrench. Some mechanics might opt for a chain wrench, but these can be a little tricky to use and can even break if they aren't used and cared for properly. Instead, it's a good idea to get a wrench kit that features non-adjustable, static sizes. This provides the exact fit you need every time, and with a large enough set, you may ultimately have the right tool for repair works on a huge range of car makes, allowing you to perform repairs on others' vehicles with ease (potentially expanding your ability to work in this field or offer basic assistance to friends or family).

Eastwood carries the True Power 23-Piece Aluminum Oil Filter Wrench Kit that does just this. With 21 individual wrench adapters alongside a ratcheting wrench and ring spanner (complete with a durable case for solid organization and storage), the kit offers incredible versatility when it comes to tackling routine oil filter changes. Removing any particular filter is as simple as pairing up the correct size and going to work. The set features adapters ranging from 65mm to 101mm for virtually any oil filter change you might come across.

In the same way that mechanics often find themselves in a bind without a stubby ratchet or wrench on hand, an extra long reach is also commonly in demand for the auto repair enthusiast. Extra length provides the ability to tuck into recesses that might otherwise be unreachable when needing to jam your hand or a part of your arm into the space to generate torque. The Eastwood 5-Piece Extra Long Double Box End SAE wrench set features a chrome vanadium steel construction for immaculate shine and rust prevention, as well as solid durability through many years of punishing use. The box point ends (on either side) make for easy access and low profile, flat turning. The wrenches utilize 12-point turning fixtures across the range of 10 wrench sizes from 5/16 to 15/16.

One of the most important features in this wrench set isn't a part of the tool's dimensions or fabrication techniques, though. The set arrives in your workshop with a lifetime warranty, providing a massive lift to your productivity. Purchasing a tool and knowing that its manufacturer backs its durability for life is a wonderful thing to have in your corner. It's not nearly as common as this mark of confidence once was. Moreover, if you do manage to break the tool, you can rest assured that Eastwood will replace it, keeping you working no matter what.

Storage solutions and work surfaces factor heavily in any workshop's floorplan. Keeping tools and parts organized and out of the way when you aren't using them or working to fix them is crucially important. A worktop option like Eastwood's Rolling Shop Tray Tool Cart is perhaps one of the most valuable additions a home mechanic can bring into their workspace. The shop tray provides essential work surface real estate for a reasonable price. But the cart isn't just a budget option that you can simply make do with. It features sturdy, all-steel construction throughout and sits on four oversized casters to roll across the shop floor with ease, even navigating rough surfaces, messy areas, and more.

The tray is adjustable, offering both angled movement and height adjustments from 18 to 50 inches. The steel tray can hold up to 100 pounds, offering ample storage for tools and components for any sort of repair work you might have to tackle. It's a firmly valuable companion to nearly any home workshop, whether you're a woodworker, welder, or of course, an auto mechanic. With 360-degree rotational capability and a wheelbase that can roll partially under the vehicle you're working on, the shop tray offers extreme versatility while handling any number of automotive projects.

Specialist wrenches play a big part in the successes (or struggles) of a home mechanic. Those working in a professional setting often have access to a wide range of customized and specialty tools. Many mechanics who have spent years under the hood have augmented tools themselves or found additional gear that performs specifically well under unique circumstances. A T-handle hex wrench is one of those items. In fact, Eastwood suggests that the Powerbuilt 8-Piece SAE 3-Way T-Handle Spin Hex Wrench Set (or a metric option) will "quickly become your go-to hex key wrenches" for a few important reasons. First of all, the sliding T-handle design allows for dialed in hand torque production. Need more oomph, slide the handle out to create more leverage; and for speed a central position is perhaps unrivaled among any other hex wrench option out there. The wrenches' reach is impeccable, too, with the 3/8-inch key offering 11-inches of clearance for access to fasteners within deep recesses.

The hex wrench set is constructed with chrome vanadium steel for an immaculate finish and rust-resistant, durable performance for many years to come. Hex wrenches feature heavily in all manner of automotive repair work, and they're so often overlooked because of their routinely simplistic design. The T-handle wrenches from Eastwood reimage this relationship and deliver a high performance option that really shines.

Any home mechanic who has worked on repainting, rust repair, or filler replacement can attest to the value of a surface conditioner. Scraping away surface defects or coatings (like paint) by hand is a tedious and incredibly demanding task. The Eastwood Contour SCT Surface Conditioning Tool changes that calculation tremendously. It's offered by Eastwood as either the tool alone or rounded out with the addition of four accessory drums. The tool Is compatible with 20 individual drum options in Eastwood's range, making for all manner of surface removal, it even fits narrow-bodies wheels for removal in delicate and hard to reach spaces.

The Contour SCT delivers adjustable rpm figures ranging between a low speed 1,000 and more aggressive rotation that maxes out at 3,700 across six speed settings and powered by a 9 amp motor. The tool can be used to strip all manner of surface coverings off metal, wood, and other workpiece materials, allowing you to get down into the bones of your restoration or repair project and start building the automotive beauty back up from scratch. The tool features corded power, so you'll never have to worry about losing functionality midway through a job, and its all steel gearbox provides rugged durability that will last for many years.

A bench grinder is a must-have action item on any mechanic's list. This benchtop tool sits ready to resharpen screwdrivers and chisels, take off material for a perfect fit when installing new components, and much more. What's better than a grinder, though: A combination benchtop option that features a belt sander too! Eastwood's 1/2 Horsepower 8-Inch Combination Bench Grinder and Belt Sander delivers turning speeds as fast as 3,450 rpm and features a spot lamp attachment that adds additional visual detail to the work at hand. The sanding belt is adjustable between 45 and 90 degrees for a dialed-in quality to your detail work.

Mechanics routinely need to make small adjustments to metal components, deburring parts, shaving down a few millimeters in the length of a screw, or perhaps even polishing up a detail segment to create a glistening finish. A bench grinder – and particularly a combination unit like this one — is the most valuable tool in your arsenal for this kind of work. The Eastwood grinder and sander combination features predrilled holes for mounting it on a worktop and can provide plenty of power to get a bevy of precision detail jobs done in a breeze.

Milwaukee gear is of course a welcome addition to any home mechanic's workspace. Milwaukee equipment is some of the best out there when it comes to power tool performance. Eastwood carries a number of excellent Milwaukee products, including the M12 Variable Speed Polisher-Sander. It's part of the brand's M12 lineup, relying on a slimmed down 12V battery system that still produces excellent power buy does so in a far less bulky package.

This tool is a fantastic addition for any mechanic working on finer detail tasks in their garage. The trigger features a variable speed control for dialing in the precise rotational speed needed. The tool also features both sanding and polishing modes (and heads) for a dual purpose piece of equipment in a single product. This compact polisher is great for digging into tight details and buffing out the perfect shine, no matter the vehicle's dynamic contour. With a side handle to help create maximum grip in any position, this Milwaukee tool is a wonderful addition for anyone seeking to expand their home mechanic operation.