RepRap: time saving tools

These are some tools that saved me a lot of time and frustration building my RepRap. I should have bought some of these tools sooner though!

Click image to enlarge.

On the left is a 2.5 mm allen key (inbussleutel in Dutch). You can buy it at a hardware store for about 1.50 euros. A more expensive varant, but probably good, is this: VDE-INBUSSCHROEVENDRAAIER 2,5 (Conrad Electronic). Of course you can 3D print the plastic part and embed an ordinary Allen key in it… it would then cost about 6.00 euro less

On the right is a good wire stripper (striptang). This will save you time if you used a knife’s blade to strip wires and for some it may save you your teeth :D. STRIPTANG KNIPEX 1262 (Conrad Electronic). There are much cheaper (5 euros) and much more expensive (> 65 euros) wire cutters. This one is a good in-betweener that won’t fail on me quickly.

The rounded heads.

A set of Allen keys with rounded hexagonal heads.

The above tools are an absolute must-have. There are places where it is almost impossible to get with an ordinary allen key (inbussleutel in Dutch), but under a slight angle, it is no problem. I bought these at the HORNBACH in the Netherlands, a big hardware store.