[alfa] tool recommendations (NAC)

[Joe Elliott <jee@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I think I may be on the verge of talking my parents into making some 
major tool purchases (funny how that happens the last summer I plan 
on living with them, eh?), and the Alfa Digest is my only connection 
to a largish group of largely-credible, real-world adults, so I 
thought I'd ask for some advice.  (That, and I'll be using these 
tools to work on Alfas--in addition to my GTV-6, my brother now has a 
Milano, and my parents just got a 164LS.)  I'm potentially interested 
in the following:
Micrometer
Dial or vernier caliper (cheap enough that I won't be upset if it gets dropped)
Welder (I think I want wire-feed, but that's not really certain)
Air compressor (smallish, but usable for pneumatic tools)
Metric drill bits
Metric tap & die set
Angle grinder (better than the $10 Chinese ones I used to get at work)
Valve spring compressor (Alfa-compatible)
[And I'm probably forgetting something, so hopefully the Alfa Digest 
will still be here when I remember what else I wanted to ask about.]

I'd like the micrometer and the drill bits to be half-decent. 
Otherwise affordability is probably the biggest priority, although if 
I'm spending my parents' money it doesn't have to be the kind of 
borderline-dangerous bargain-basement Chinese crap that I'm used to. 
Off-digest replies would probably be appropriate.

Thanks,
Joe Elliott
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