Tools

The tools you use make or break your chances in robotic competitions, as much as your choice of materials. When dealing with tools, remember that quality counts. A high quality tool will probably outlast your robots, and is well worth the investment of a few more dollars over a cheaper, lesser-quality tool. When buying tools, don't be cheap!

The following is a list of tools that I find essential for my robot building. Depending on the size of robots you make, from tiny "BEAM" robots to gigantic 500 lb combat robots, the tools you need will change. Below, I've tried to categorize which tools are required for which kind of robotics, as well as those general purpose tools.

If you have a suggestion for a tool to add, please let me know.


General

For all robot sizes:

Automonous Robots

Special electronics tools:

Combative Robots

For those robots that will be fighting others:

Expensive tools

Those that are over $500: