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.