What is the most recent brilliant tool or model making accessory bought and most often used?

[Bugatti Fan]

I bought a multi medium kit last year mainly in wood that demands a lot of accurate cutting and drilling. I already had a bench drilling machine so accurate drilling was already taken care of.

My son and daughter asked me what I wanted for Christmas. Having seen a Micro Table Top Circular Saw being used in a forum thread I prompted me to put it on my list and suggested that they buy it between them as a combined present.

That little saw has been in constant use since I got it. Absolutely brilliant for cutting things accurately and repeatedly. One of the best tools I have to hand besides my little Unimat 4 lathe regarding usage.

 

[stitchdup]

For me its my 3d printers, or the aftermarket on my bench as i think of it. The initial cost was a bit of a shock but i've definately saved money by having it and i use it often for myself and others

[Swamp Dog]

one of my latest was a DSPIAE  Reciprocating Sander. you can find them on AliExpress or Amazon. comes with case & different grit sandpaper.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Cheap (in my case found) magnifying glasses. Brilliant indeed. And more light...

[bytownshaker]

51 minutes ago, Swamp Dog said:

one of my latest was a DSPIAE  Reciprocating Sander. you can find them on AliExpress or Amazon. comes with case & different grit sandpaper.

Me too

[dmthamade]

Paint pens...

Don

[R. Thorne]

These make my job a lot quicker and easier than painting with a brush.  

[Beans]

4 hours ago, R. Thorne said:

These make my job a lot quicker and easier than painting with a brush.  

Do they come out flat or glossy?

[R. Thorne]

Difficult to tell in these pictures, but most colors are semi gloss to flat.

[NOBLNG]

Lately I’ve been using my rotary tool a LOT! I bought some good quality burrs for it. The quality burrs make a huge difference in what it can do. I also bought a press stand for it and use it for drilling holes.

Edited yesterday at 12:00 AM by NOBLNG

[DJMar]

About a year ago, I got one of those clamp on, adjustable, lighted, 12x magnifiers for the bench. I'm surprised at how much I use it. 

[meechum68]

On 7/30/2025 at 4:38 PM, stitchdup said:

For me its my 3d printers, or the aftermarket on my bench as i think of it. The initial cost was a bit of a shock but i've definately saved money by having it and i use it often for myself and others

My wife said she will get me a resin printer sometime this year. So that is one I am excited for. 

But for me it's just a good variety of xacto knifes with a lot of replacement blades. I use both #2 and #11. I also use my portable magnifying glass ... but will look into a semi permanent one to clamp on like DJMar has. 

 

[Cool Hand]

Same as the some of the other guys. Paint markers.

Been using these 2 from AK a lot.

 

 

[Bugatti Fan]

Some interesting items being featured in this thread following on to my original post.

Keep 'em coming guys.        Great to hear about things that work really well for each of us.

[Ulf]

Crack magnifier, sometimes better than a caliper. Not cheap as measuring instruments are a real material sport but I really felt I wanted one when I saw one. It is millimeters. It's certainly not motivated by my ability to build model cars but the urge was great and I've actually gotten a lot of use out of it.

Edited 10 hours ago by Ulf

[johnyrotten]

1 hour ago, Ulf said:

Crack magnifier, sometimes better than a caliper. Not cheap as measuring instruments are a real material sport but I really felt I wanted one when I saw one. It is millimeters. It's certainly not motivated by my ability to build model cars but the urge was great and I've actually gotten a lot of use out of it.

I have a great interest in metrology and machining, I find many of those types of tools helpful. These adjustable parallels work well as a small square, and setting frame rails parallel, ride height ect

[meechum68]

Some fantastic tips here! 

[Bainford]

Recently, while making a sizable order from HLJ, I spotted a curious tool called a decal squeegee. It wasn't expensive, so on a whim I put it in the cart. I actually expected to find it useless, and it sat neglected in the tool box for over a year, but one day during a technical decal application, with which I was struggling, I pulled out the squeegee and it saved the day. It has proven useful ever since and is now part of my standard decal routine. I find it particularly helpful when applying long, thin decals.