That $40 harbor freight jack almost killed me, but the $15 one saved my butt
I picked up a beat up 1998 civic last spring for $450, and the first job was swapping the front brakes. The cheap $40 floor jack from harbor freight tipped on me in my driveway, and I felt it coming so I scrambled out from under there fast. Took it back the next day and grabbed a $15 scissor jack instead, which sounds backwards but that little thing has held solid through three brake jobs and an oil pan swap. The real win was the $60 in jack stands I almost skipped, because now I never trust just one thing under the car. I still think about that wobble every time I crawl under there. What is the one cheap tool you guys refuse to cheap out on again?