Wal-Mart or Target?
Notice that this topic is filed in the "Never Ending Debate Section"!
I doubt you will get a majority of people in this forum to agree on any Vendor and frankly that is a good thing. Good for the vendors that is. It means that they are all doing a pretty good job (product quality, offerings, price and customer service).
Personnaly I've bought from many of them and prefer Avery. There are many reasons...customer service being one of them but I like their packaging. Their drill bits, countersinks and dies come in these little tubes with printed labels on them. This makes it very easy to find what you are looking for. You will end up with so many tools that it becomes very difficult to keep track of them. I have a seperate tool box just for aviation tools and it still can be overwhelming.
I wouldn't be as concerned about the vendor but more about what you buy.
Several people have eluded to the pneumatic squeezer and the DRDT-2 dimpler. I can honestly say I really don't like using the C-Frame to dimple and it's a lot easier to squeeze a trigger than a AN470 rivet. Please note that I didn't buy either one of these tools because I am a cheapskate. I've been regretting that decision ever since. I pulled an 11.5 hour building session yesterday and my hands and forearms are crying today. Partly why I'm on the forum and not working on the project.
I started with the Bare Bones kit and I just buy a few new tools every month (I usually buy 50 to 100 extra Clecos with every order to get ready for the Wings and Fuselage). I just bought a 4" Yoke and really wish I would have bought the 4" No Hole Yoke instead. When you get to the smaller pieces with tight trailing edge ribs, this little guy would come in handy. There are also a few spots where the extra 1" in length would help too.
Things I really like and couldn't live without:
- 3/32" Pop Rivet Dimpler (You can spread the skins apart on the Elevators but it really stresses the metal...I preferred just using this tool.).
- Scotch Brite Wheel (I failed cutting on the dotted line in kindergarten so I cut it close and grind down to the line...when you start building stiffeners, you'll know what I'm talking about).
- 4" No Hole Yoke (I wish would have purchased this...It's on my Christmas List).
Some Pictures of Avery's Packaging:
Drill Bits in Tubes with Labels
Dimple Dies in Tubes with Labels
3/32" Pop Rivet Dimpler for Trailing Edges and Hard to Reach Areas.
Hope this helps. Good Luck!