What tools you guys using?

Sorta not TECH, but I'd like to know what's HAMBERS tool company of choice.

I'm currently using Husky wrenches and mostly craftsman stuff, but I've got some SnapOn aswell.

Don't ever buy 'Powerfist' tools they're shit.

 

Its funny this should come up....
I was just about to ask what you guys thought of Cornwell.
I know they've been around forever...but we recently had a Cornwell guy showing up here at work lately.
Any major complaints?
I'd buy from the guy soley on the fact that he's not a shmuck like our Snap-on weenie.

 

Lots of Proto Professional, Snap-On, MAC, Crecent, S.K. and quite a lot of Craftsman stuff. All very good tools. My last purchase was a set of shortie open end / box wrenches and a set of open end / ratchet box end. There handy as hell, but I keep forgetting that I have them. The other night I used the box end ratchet to remove the driveshaft, it worked OK on an 8" Ford, where I would normally use a standard box wrench that takes forever. Just my two cents,

John

 

Mostly Matco. Snap-on for sockets and screwdrivers.

-Jason

 

When I worked at a shop where the tool truck stopped.........I bought Snap On.

As I am no longer employed in that line of work.........I mostly have bought Craftsman. But have some Mac and a little of whatever ( Bonney, Proto, New Britain and SK). When I worked at the salvage yard.......I got a good many tools FREE ....in the trunk of salvage vehicles. That why my stuff is so varied.

 

The Cornhole tool truck as driven by our shop for two years now and has never ever stopped.

-Jason

 

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Don't ever buy 'Powerfist' tools they're shit.

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Ahh,yes.Princess Auto.Home of Powerfist,MIT,and other offshore engineering gems.

All my mechanic stuff is Craftsman,but I prefer Snap-On,MAC,etc.

 

I only buy the finest Made In India tools.

I used to drive on tires that were Made In Yugoslavia, but that country's done gone.

Actually I have combination of various shitty Taiwanese junk and Craftsman stuff. I've had some of these crappy tools for years and they never seem to break.

 

"All my mechanic stuff is Craftsman,but I prefer Snap-On,MAC,etc."

that's me, too!

the cost difference keeps me from buying the better brands, but I occasionally splurge on a Snap-On widget.

 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Don't ever buy 'Powerfist' tools they're shit.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ahh,yes.Princess Auto.Home of Powerfist,MIT,and other offshore engineering gems.


[/ QUOTE ]

LOL our powerfist torque wrench broke in a week

 

I love it Nads................great sense of humor. I have a ton of different shit, having spent the best part of my life in the Air Force, working on Jets, I have one of every brand imaginable! I live here in Columbus, Ohio, home of MAC Tools, there beautiful and very very expensive! I guess the "Cornhole" truck didn't stop anywhere, that must be why Dean Skuza was forced to fold up his funny car operation!

John

 

You guys are kidding right? There really is a line of tools called Powerfist?
The only Powerfist I know of is an energy drink they sell at the Brutus night club.

Don't ask me how I know this.

BTW, I found a pair of Vice Grips on a bumper bracket that had been on my car for years, I was amazed.

Has anyone heard of the King Dick line of tools?

Used to be a company called Dick Power Enterprises near town but they just changed their name to DP Enterprises, damn pussies.

 

Yeah, King Dick tools were in the factory tool kits of various olde English cars. They were used for banging on Lucas fuel pumps with stuck points--oh, that last bit's a redundancy...

 

I like some Snap-On stuff, but it has to be something I really use ALOT to justfy the spendiness. I swear by their phillips-head screwdrivers.

Craftsman ain't bad, but their ratchets ain't what they used to be. I liked the first generation of Kobalt tools, (they were made by the parent company of Snap-On), but then they went all consumer-ey. I have been fairly impressed with the Husky tools at Home Depot, though. Also, my uncle runs a NAPA, and he's always pimping their tools to my dad, some of which are actually pretty nice.

 

I'm faithful to my Craftsman tools. I still use my grandfather's rachets and wrenches, 50+ years old and still work like new. The price is right too, and when I break the occasional flathead screwdriver while using it as a pry bar, they give me a new one, no questions asked.

Snap-on tools are nice too, probably better that Craftsman, but Craftsman has never let me down and buying Craftsman, I can afford more parts.

 

Here is one for you, Facom Tool, Made in France, good stuff but expensive. The Officla tool of Formula 1. But get this, They, the company pronouce it fuckum.

We built a machine for packing the tools in their distrubution Warehouse, We could not pronounce the name like they wanted it. It wasn't Politically Correct here in the States.

 

I like Craftsman's line of Professional tools--ergonimic screwdriver handles with ground blades, ergonimic ratchets, full polished wrenches.
I really, really like their ratcheting wrenches, and their new slim profile, fine-tooth Pro ratchets are nice, too.

The pro stuff is more expensive than the red/clear screwdrivers and regular wrenches, etc., but a helluva lot cheaper than Snap-On. Same warranty--though I haven't broken many of them.

I primarily use only 6-pt sockets, which keeps heads from stripping. Snap-on sockets do seem to be nicer, but again, can't justify the price.

Specialty tools from Snap-on are worth the price: long shaft gasket scraper, pistol-grip automatic wire stripper, etc.

I've never ever ever had a problem getting something replaced from Sears/Craftsman, but most of the time getting something out of the snap-on guy is a pain in the ass, probably because I don't have my house mortgaged with him. I even had one guy tell me he wouldn't warranty an open-end wrench I had that was worn (the jaws were spread just enough to round every head it was used on). When I pointed out that it had a lifetime warranty, he actually said "The lifetime of the original purchaser--you weren't even born when this was made." Then he mumbled something about guys getting them at flea markets and garage sales or something.
I told him it was my grandfather's and I was replacing it for him. What an ass. About 70 percent of all the Snap-on guy's I've dealt with have acted like I'm bothering them.
(After I got the shiney new 3/4-inch combination wrench, I was all the happier because it did actually only cost me a buck at a garage sale! But again, Craftman has never ever given me crap no matter how obviously I had mis-used the tool, and they'll even let you pay the difference to upgrade a busted regular tool to a Pro-series)
-Brad

 

My wrenches are stamped "Patent May 23, 1918"

 

I use shap on at work ,and I bet we pay a lot more than you guys for them!!We also have Facom over here, good tools. But you Always get a laugh if you have a king dick in your tool box.. The tools I use at home are the cheapest I can find , I was workin on my car last year ,got called away , forgot I left the shapon ratchet and 14mm socket still on the bolt I had just tightened . Lost it driving down the road.. That cost about $160..

 

Craftsman hand tools. Harbor freight air tools and everything else (same as the cummins and homier tool trucks that have those annual sales).

I have never heard of powerfist tools, but I think I have seen the movie. Ouch!

 

Ha ha. That's funny. I have a crescent-type wrench from my grandfather that has almost zero play in the jaw. You can't find one with that quality today.

My toolbox has 85% + Craftsman stuff. When I break one of the tools too often, I break down and get the Snap-On version. My brother gave me a 3/8 Snap -On drive, and that thing is by far the best tool in the box. I have to break down and get the small screwdriver set now that I've rounded off a few philips head Craftsman tools.

What are you guys using for power tools? Air or power? Also, what brands seem to hold up the best for air tools?

I have a Bosch 5/8 arbor cutoff that I've had for 15+ years. That thing is a mule. But I'm looking to go with air tools soon.

 

Craftsman tool are what I mainly use. I do have some cresent wrenches, pipe wrenches, pliers & such from Harbor Freight's Pittsburg line. Ain't broke any yet, & if I do they were cheap enuff to toss & not worry 'bout it.

For a home mechanic, Craftsman seems hard to beat. Decently priced & a good warranty make them my 1st choice. If I were a pro in a shop, though, I'm sure I'd step up to prolly Snap-On.

 

Bought all my tools over 15 years ago when I worked full time in the trade. MAC & Snap-On, but I get additional pieces from Craftsman now. The set of HAZET screwdrivers are still a favorite of mine with their gunsmith ground tips.

 

I have a pretty good mix of Snap-On, Mac, Cornwell, Craftsman, USAG, FACOM, and Matco. It pretty much depended on who was stopping at the shop I was working at. Right now the Cornwell guy is my favorite, it's abuddy of mine Andy and he'll come by the shop at my house. The local Snap-On guy is sucking wind I ordered some replacement thread chasers and they never showed.
I like the Craftsman ok, but the Snap-On, Cornwell, etc. just feels a little better, they're getting closer with their pro-line. But I'm kind of a tool conisseur, so I tend to buy the best I can at a given time.

 

Mostly Craftsman (got my first set for Christmas when I was 13 years old in 1957, and still have 90% of them)). You can't beat just returning them for a replacement, no questions asked. I have several specialty tools from Snap-on and others that I've bought when they were needed.

Frank

 

This one works well with US and metric hardware.

 

whatever is affordable at the time

 

I have a little of everything, Snap on, MAC, Craftsman, Mastercraft, and the real cheapie stuff as well. Most of my pnumatic tools are Snap on, but I always try to buy them used or refurbished from the Snap on dude when he has em. I have heard of people having trouble collecting warranty on Craftsman tools when using them professionally in a shop (a heavy duty mechanic told me this after being refused warranty on his). Come to think of it, I even have some Powerfist stuff too. Its ok, and its cheap like borcht, so u can buy about 10 for the same price as a name brand one!

 

I have been working in garages for about seven years... I still have problems justifying paying 10X as much for Snap-On and Matco tools. I know they're better and more comfortable to use but at $8/hr that's some expensive shit. I have mostly Craftsman, some stuff, including a 1/2 ratchet dating during WWII. I also have some Mac, Matco, Snap-On, SK and Cornwell, most I found left in cars or bought used. I also have some Klein tools, and even some Cummins and Popular Mechanics junk. It always seems like the best mechanics always have the worst tools and and crappiest tool box... I am reaching for that goal.


I think Craftsman, Husky and Kobalt can't be beat for the hobbyist. I'd even reccomend junk stuff for those tools you rarely use.

 

I started with Craftsmen but now mostly Mac and Snapon.For air tools i use IR or CP. Sears will not warrenty if they know you are a profesional so dont tell them