Tool Talk

With the viability of Sears not really being a question any more I got to thinking about what tool brand or brands will be my preferred choice. So I figured I would start a one stop thread for discussion on what tool brands and why people buy and use them. As far as hand tools go I have always migrated to Craftsman for the simple reason that they are not severally overpriced, and have a truly hassle free warranty. I've never had a problem getting a broken tool replaced at Sears.

Now going foreword, it doesn't seem like that is going to be an option for me. And after doing some research on Home Depot and Lowes it seems Hassle Free is not really the case. However Harbor Freight seems to have the closest thing to the craftsman exchange policy. I have to scratch my head a little if Harbor Freight is setting the standard. Mostly because of the quality of their tools.



Just to name a few
Snapon
Husky
Kobolt
Mack
Pitsburg
Stanly


I can knock some of those off the list simply because someone is on drugs asking the prices they do for the tools.

So, What are your opinions??

First thing I check, of course, is where it's made. It's getting harder to find stuff NOT made in China.

Bought some proto impact sockets from Grainger.
Discount through work made them affordable.

I too bought the majority of hand tools from Craftsman. I have some Husky sockets that have held up pretty well over the years. Snap On is just too costly for people that don't use the tools for a living. I have an impact wrench of theirs since 1989 and had it rebuilt over 5 years ago for $100, so that would be the last Snap On I will buy.

I have mostly craftsman tools , and a three or four snapon ratchets which are far superior than any other ratchet IMO I think they are lubricated with unicorn butter they are so smooth .

I have some Craftsman, some Huskey, but when I buy new tools, its Kobalt. I just like them better. And if you hit them when they are on sale, its hard to beat.

I'll have to keep an eye out for them. Are they sold at Lowes? I hardly get to that store as Home D is about a mile from my house.

Lowes is where Kobalt is sold.

I like Kobalt and Stanley. A fair share of Craftsman wrenches though. I just bought an electric Ryobi pressure washer and I am liking it so far.

Snap On rachets are by far superior. If you're not earning a living with your sockets and wrenches no need for high end. A good portion of my sockets are snap on and craftsman wrenches. I bought a $100 harbor freight kit last summer, and it's pretty pieced together with co-workers orphan tools to keep it filled. Even though I tow it's impossible to tow multiple buses at once so I fix and follow and tow one. Or I just fix it and have the driver drive it back so I dont have to tow it.

Imo, snap-on screw drivers are worth the premium also.

I bought a set of snap-on screwdrivers in 1986, I still come across them once in a while after my son discovered them.

I must be missing something. I just looked on the Snap-on website and found and 8 piece screwdriver set for $200. I'm surely not understanding how they are so much better that they demand that kind of Premium price.

Wow, price jump.
I was thinking they were still in the 120 range.

Don't get me wrong. I have a couple Snap-on ratchets and they are nice. However I did not buy them. And for what Snap-on wants for their tools I wouldn't buy them. I sometimes wonder if they ask those prices just because of the name. Much like designer clothing there is no difference in quality however if you want to be fashionable you have to have that name. I have worked with people that are that superficial. They will look down on other tools that aren't certain brands. I'm not that person and I refuse to pay a premium for something because of the name stamped or etched on it.

We get a decent Snap-on discount as my son is in vocational school.

Love my US-made SK Tools socket sets....

Yota_fan wrote:

Love my US-made SK Tools socket sets....

Got a SK click type torque wrench- great tool. Would probably have more SK stuff but my "local" dealer (Seven Corners Hardware) went out of business a few years ago. Got some Snap On (ratchet, deep sockets, flare wrenches) but for what I do I can't justify the price. The local Farm and Home store is Ace Hardware affiliated and only a couple of miles away- they handle Craftsman.

Snap-on screw drivers are more than a name stamp.
I've had my 8 piece set for 25 years and tore up countless other brands in that time. My set is older with plain orange grips, not the newer ergo handles.

I used my new shorter Snap-On 3/8 ratchet with the plastic over handle yesterday , it was smooth as butter

No question about it, Snap-On ratchets just feel comfortable in your hands.

TheQuig wrote:

No question about it, Snap-On ratchets just feel comfortable in your hands.

+1 .... and they last too. Friend of the family had an auto body business for over fifty years and decades later the same ratchets I used as a kid hangin' around the shop still worked great. Gave my late brother a Snap On 1/4" drive set three plus decades ago when he was starting out as the owner of an auto repair business ... it's still going strong. If you make your living turning wrenches, Snap On is the way to go.

I went to my local Sears to replace the ratchet I messed up but they didn't have the same one individually. Do the employee went to a small 11 piece set with 9 sockets and a small extension. Checked to make sure it had the same ratchet I brought in, and gave me the set because the ratchet matched.

This was about 25 yrs ago at a dealership where I was a technician.  One guy had almost all craftsman tools and bragged a lot about how much less he spent on tools. Once a week he'd make a run to sears with a brown bag of broken tools.

Between runs he'd ask to borrow our big brand tools.  Sometimes we would,  sometimes not or make him wait so he lost a little flat rate time.

Today while looking at the Jobs section in our local paper, they had an opening for Mac Tools. It stated they are a division of Stanley Black & Decker. Didn't know that.