What kind of tools do you run?

I got all brand new craftsman shit cause lets think on this ////// I guess it was 2 novembers ago i got broken into and lost 10k in tools. I had all craftsman stuff before so thats what i replaced it with other than dealing with the insurance company and the company they dealt with on replacing my shit. Long story dont need repeating but I got a check for over a grand before it was all done. Anyway nuttin wrong with craftsman but the older stuff was better
Dave

 

I haven't seen this on Craftsman or some of the others, but if you say it, it must be true.

 

My old, old Craftsman sockets are fine. Newer ones, late 80's and beyond, suck. Noticed it most as chrome was chipping-off while I was deep in a motor tightening the rod bolts in my Buick.

SK still great. Husky sockets, especially impacts, very good. Williams excellent -- mine are from the 50's or so.

Lowe's distributes a Kobalt that is very very good.

Am hooked on gearwrench! excellent ratchet closed-end wrenches.

Like Northern tools. Very inexpensive. Some w/ guarantees.

Bought a 3/4 inch drive big-boy set at Northern for $49.00. With ratchet and extensions and breaker bars. HELOOOOO! nice.

Stanley is great, for torx and other stuff.


Vermont American has the best quality at a reasonable value for me in chisels and drill bits.

Got a roller drawer Kennedy toolbox at Sam's. Heavy and strong.

Have a $59 Chicago brand Harbor Freight electric 1/2" impact wrench (translation---made in china) that is awesome.

 

I use Craftsman. Best value for the buck. Years ago my Dad bought me a set of New Brittan open end/box end combos that were really very good. But they were stolen out of my truck. And you can not get them any more.

 

The only reason I say this is because I Was just talking to the Snap On representative when I was shopping and he and another customer were discussing how much of a breakthrough flank drive WAS when it first came out. Snap On actually designed the concept in conjunction with the military. It was a huge ordeal on release.... and the snap on rep was the one who actually told us that the actual concept and design of "flank drive" is now in use by damn near every tool manufacturer out there.

 

oh yea i forgot to mention that stahlwille is great also, i like the finish (not chrome), no lifetime warranty but you won't need it. their wrenches say it all right on them "stronger than any bolt".

 

MAC tools only the best

 

I would say mostly Craftsman and Cornwell with some Snap-on, Mac and Matco
in there as well. I really like the way the Cornwell screwdrivers feel in your hand.
Is that gay??

 

SK tools are near and dear to my heart!!
At the first mechanic job I had in 1972 at the gas station dad owned I was visited by a SK jobber. I bought a 3/8" deep socket set as my first tool purchase. I STILL HAVE THEM and still use them. And I have never NEEDED to return one due to breakage, unlike the Craftsman stuff I have.

I can't find SK tools here in Cincinnati or I would own more. The rest Of what have is Craftsman, Snap on, and MAC

 

You can buy SK tools for cheap at thetoolwarehouse.com. Lots of other good stuff too.

 

It's http://www.thetoolwarehouse[B].net[/B]

VERY awesome find! Thanks for posting that up!

 

on a profesional level? I use only matco and snap on tools

 

Repco tools close to Snap-on? not quite! but I use em too good mid price stuff and they generally replace broken stuff without question. You aussies would get Powerbuilt as well? I have a few KD, Gearwrench, Toptul and Sykes tools as well. My logic on what tools I buy is this:- If I'm using it alot at my job as a mechanic I buy good stuff, if you buy expensive stuff it hurts if you lose it-expensive stuff has a higher lost vs broke %age. I have some real cheap stuff at home to get by in the weekend and if I need to use a good tool I'll just bring it home for the night. My favorite tools at work are rachet spanners and extra long double ring spanners. and yep them Snap-ons are great for the 2% of bolts/nuts that are stubborn or slightly rounded.

 

The snap-on guy told me to buy the REPCO gear first, he has a truck of it and still uses REPCO. I figure if he is telling me that, I'll listen.

 

I've always used Sears Craftsman. Hope they don't go down-hill like so many other traditional American products have!

 

One thing I forgot to mention on earlier post is that you can go to Sears to the tool department and then at the cashier you can get a FREE tool catalog. Comes in handy when you are trying to daydream & when you are planning on adding more tools to your set."A man can never have enough tools" Gary 4T950 Chevy Guy

 

Bringing this back up.

Anybody else have experience using Armstrong? You used to be able to get them @ Grainger but they discontinued them. Fastenal is a dealer but don't ususally stock them (well @ least around here anyway). They are made by Danaher (USA Materials and Made, Lifetime Garuntee)(http://www.danaher.com/business/strategic_detail.asp?key=12)

Danaher also makes:
Matco, GearWrench, KD, Holo-Krome, some others and I Belive Craftsman as well.

My buddy bought an Armstrong Ratchet a few months ago @ a swap meet and I like it - it has the fine gearing "36" like the Snap-On's and the S&K's. It feels good (similar shape to the Snap-On) and seems to be better quality than Craftsman. I've used it quite a bit and put it through some mild abuse and it seems to be holding up fine. Not to mention they are 1/2 the price of Snap-On's and my Craftsman Professionals Ratchets are just as bad as the regular ones - @ hobbiest use

I see alot of people here ragging on Craftsman Ratches and Matco in General. I ordered some Armstrong ratches from Fastenal before finding out that Danaher also makes Matco & posssibly "Craftsman" so I'm wording if I made a bad decision and should cancel the order??

 

Mac Box traded mopar six-pack rod and pistons for it a couple of years ago. Mostly craftsman and a few snap-on special wrenches.

 

Use Mostly Snap On AT Shop /craftsman At Home

 

I got rid of all my later craftsman over the last few years. I've been buying and using vintage tools at swap meets and garage sales.

Absolutely the best ratchet I've got or used is my Proto ratchets. I've got some from the early '50's that will outdo any other on the planet. A;lmost no force to get them to ratchet on a semiloose bolt or nut. I leave my snap-on, mac or aqny other in the box. The best part is most of the time I can find them for $5 of less, I even got a 3/8 driver NOS for a dollar one time!


jerry

 

90% Craftsman tools. Most of 'em I've had since the 60's and they're in better shape than I am.

 

I have a set of S-K socket wrenches that have lasted me 20 years with no problems at all, and those are the ones I use the most. I have a bunch of older Craftsman wrenches that are still in good shape, but some other more recent ones that are screwed up already. The "professional" Craftsman tools are a lot nicer than their standard ones. There's a whole lot of other nice brands that used to be great, but may have gone out of business or been gobbled up by other companies, but I like all of these:

Armstrong
Bonney
Williams
Proto
Mac
Matco
BluePoint

My favorite 1/2" ratchet wrench is an old one I found at a flea market called a "Superwrench" which I think was made by Williams. It has about a hundred clicks per revolution.

My favorite open end wrenches are some Bonney professional series wrenches.

The really nice professional wrenches usually have narrow handles and small heads so you can get into tight locations. Sometimes the mid-range wrenches are more comfortable to use though because they have beefier rounded handles that are easier on your fingers when you're pulling as hard as you can to loosen up a stuck bolt.

I have a Snap-On flare wrench that one end cracked right off, so Snap-On isn't completely bulletproof.

 

Do you have any of thier ratchets??? - how have they held up if you do???

 

Most of the HAMB chop was used w/ Harbor Freight hand and Pneumatic tools/machines.

I have not had ANY problems with them, except when I broke them (dropping on floor a bunch of times). You save a bunch of money and get the lifetime warranty (hand tools at least)

Im happy.

I only spend the $$$ on specialty tools as needed. Only way to go.

 

I pretty much hate the last Craftsman ratchets I bought (10 years ago?) because the ratchet action sucks. I want to get something with "finer" ratcheting, and sockets with the BIGGER label.

Thanks,
Kurt

 

I took a look at my favorite 1/2" drive ratchet wrench this morning. It's called an "S-52 Superratchet". It's made by J.H. Williams & Co. USA. It's the best ratchet wrench I've ever had. It makes about a hundred clicks when you spin it around once. It's really easy to spin backwards. It has a really nice extra strong handle design with a knurled round grip. The ratchet has a real precision sound to it, kind of like you're winding up a fancy Swiss watch. It has almost no backlash. It must be about 20 years old but it's still one of the best tools in my toolbox.

I like my S-K ratchet, but it doesn't make as many clicks. I broke my Craftsman ratchet that was only about 10 years old, but I have a really old Craftsman that's about 35 years old that still works okay. The sockets on my S-K set hold up better than the Craftsman sockets.

 

Some other tools that I really like are an old set of XceLite nut drivers. They have color coded handles so it's easy to grab the right one. I use them a lot at home and at work. They have hollowed out shafts, so you can drive nuts onto long studs. A lot of times I'll use a nutdriver to spin a nut all the way on and then use a box wrench or a ratchet wrench to do the final tightening. It saves a lot of time using a nutdriver -- especially if you have to work on something with like a row of thirty 1/4-20 studs or something.

I also really like XceLite screwdrivers.

Klein makes really nice screwdrivers, wire cutters, wire strippers, pliers, etc.

 

Several mentions have been made of the Snap-On wrenches and air tools. Has nobody observed the differences in the sockets?

1) Try comparing a Snap-On swivel socket to a Crapsman once. The Snap-On pins remain snug so the damn thing doesn't flop all over the place.
2) Try replacing a hex-socket driver in a Harbor Freight or craftsman...oh yeah, you can't. You have to buy a whole new socket or a new set.
3) Take a look at the wall thickness of Snap-On sockets (especially the black impact sockets compared to "less-expensive" brands. I can't count the number of times where the HF socket won't fit into a tight spot because the wall thickness is too much.
4) Screw drivers? No comparison to ANY other brand. The Snap-On is a clear winner for the grip. Their ratcheting screw-driver is the one I reach for EVERY time I get a chance.

Yeah, they cost more; but so do Ferrari's and Porches and Audis. When you drive one, you'll know why they cost what they do. Until then, don't make your ignorance so obvious.

 

Audis???

 

Snap-On, Mac, Cornwell, Facom, USAG, Craftsman, I got a few of them all... I like the Cornwell ratchets the best, the handle fits my hand real nice.... I stay away from the crap, because it's crap, Harbor Freight can kiss my ass, everything I've bought from them has broken, I got tired of driving there to return it, so I stopped going all together.... I'll keep on buying Snap-On and Cornwell from the trucks when I need, Facom and USAG mailorder because some of their stuff is just the best design you can buy.... and Craftsman because it's convenient...