Best approach to buying tools?

First off, drop the ha ha. What does that mean? Either you are serious about this or not. It makes you sound stupid and from all your other posts, I know you are way smart.

Secondly, asking other people what to buy for tools is not going to net you the best results, because not everyone uses the same tool for the same job.

Thirdly, lose the Pittsburgh total crappola. If you cannot afford the best, such as Snap On, Mac and the like, I suggest Husky from Home Depot or Kobalt from Lowes. Both great tool lines for the money.

Start with the basics. Sockets, ratchets and wrenches and go from there. Will you be working on things with metric fasteners? From there ask yourself if you will be working on things with specialty fasteners such as Torx, Tamper Proof Torx, Clutch fasteners, Allen fasteners or any other specialty fastener.

Tool storage is probably more important than the tools themselves as a poor choice here can lead to poor security. The last thing you want is an easy to break into box.

Determine your budget first. Then realize that unless you are rich, your tool collection will take years to amass. I have almost a 40 year collection and still don't have everything.