Buying all new hand tools & need recommendations.

[Pawpaw]

Almost all of my tools were stolen out of the back of my truck, so it's time to start over.



This is a good news bad new$ situation. It'll be expensive, but I get all new tools.



Part of what was stolen was this Husky tool set from Home Depot:



http://huskytools.com/husky/Category95752/Category95753/Category100805/Product1.html



I really liked this set, other than the black finish. It didn't seem to be as durable as a chrome finish. It scratched pretty easily.



I used to be sold on Craftsman, but I'm not sure if the quality is there since Sears sold out to Target.



Any suggestions?



Thanks,

Bob

 

[rweis]

Exact same thing happened to me.



I restarted with a good wrench set (S&M), a good socket set (S&M) and have been filling in as I need things. I now carry about 1/3 as much as I use to carry and have not found anything I can not do yet.



Get the basics, then add as necessary.



Bob Weis



Quality level is a very personal preference. I shop EBay for things I need before I pay retail for them, but watch the shipping $$.

 

[smartineau]

Craftman is not as good as they use to be but that is mostly what is in my tool box.



I have some SK torque wrenchs and have been happy with them, but as Bob said just buy what you need and keep adding to it. Don't be affraid to mix brands, the tools box will never be opened by the wife and say the tools do not match.



steve

 

[WDixon27]

craftsman wrenches and sockets work pretty good, their tear drop ratchets suck, i have a round head 1/2 drive that's actually pretty good but i got tired of swapping the regular ratchets out, been a couple years since i tried their screwdrivers but the steel in them was awful for holding a point, gearwrench brand wrenches are a much have imho, klein screwdrivers and plier type stuff are pretty good and can be gotten at sears and home depot at a decent deal. and snap on is hard to beat in quality for stuff you use all of the time and depend on like ratchets and some speciality tools

 

[Hemiless]

lots to choose from

There are a lot of good tool brands out there I recommend you get what ever you can get replaced easily when you brake it. The sears in my town is privately owned and they don't care but a handful of the tools and they don't to exchanges. So now I have to drive to the next town 3 hours away when I want to replace them. Needless to say I just throw the busted ones in a box and take them with me whenever I head to the next town. That being said I haven't bought craftsman tool in 12 years.

I personally have been swapping slowly to Snap-on, which I purchase on E-bay and off the local truck. You can find a lot of good deals on e-bay but you can find a lot of snap-on tools selling for higher then new prices are so be careful. If you want a nice cheap priced tote along tool set that has some pretty nice quality, look into the 69-89$ crescent kit. I personally like the Crescent brand gear wrenches but whichever brand you get they sure are nice to have. One tool that I wouldn’t skimp on is spending the 80 some dollars on the snap-on screwdrivers. When I was working as a mechanic I had all sears tools and I was replacing at least two screwdrivers a week so my Boss finally talked me into spending the money and buying the snap-on screwdrivers and I just swapped my first tip in 12 years. They are awesome and worth the money in my opinion.

S&K has some quality wrenches, and sockets with a lifetime warranty, Mac, Matco, cornwell all have good hand tools. It's definitely worth picking and choosing between the brands because no one brand has the best of everything.

Start by making a list of the tools you use every day, then add the ones you use her and there, then the ones that would be hand for some applications but rarely used. Now take that list and buy the tools in the order you wrote them down because I can tell you from experience I have a lot of tools in my boxes that I have NEVER used.



Best of luck in your search for the perfect tools and have fun trying them all out.

 

[Hoefler]

Ditto on the Snap-On!!! I have a tool box full of them. I started out with Craftsman, when the store started to give me a hard time about warranty on them, ( they accused me of miss using them ) I stated with Snap-On, and never went back. Eventually I replaced them all with Snap-On and took the Craftsman home for my box there, for lighter duty.

 

[McLaughlin]

Take a close look at the gearwrench ratching wrenches. I've got several of the flex head ones and they have been great; however, I don't/wouldn't use them on stuck bolts. You might also look at the Kobalt series at Lowe's it there is one near you. They seem pretty good but I haven't used many of them.

 

[acook]

Snap-On

I used Snap-On tools for 11 years at a Cummins distributorship. They withstood the daily abuse of heavy duty work with no problem. They are expensive, but worth it.

 

[Pawpaw]

I guess I should clarify something here.



I know Snap-on tools are about, if not THE, best tools you can buy. I'm an old guy and not a professional mechanic. I do not question that Snap-on tools are worth every penny for someone who will use them on a daily basis.



What I need is a step or two down from that. I won't be rebuilding engines and such with these tools. I do, however, want tools I can count on to do whatever occasional task comes along.



I truly appreciate all of the great input you guys have given me. Unfortunately for me, Snap-on tools are reserved for that "if money were no object" wish list. Since we are raising 4 of our grandchildren, money is always a concern.



Thanks again and keep the ideas coming!



Bob

 

[RacinDuallie]

My tool selection is a mix of older Craftsman sets, and non-chromed (black) Snap-on sets... . I must say look into those Gearwrenches... I love em, have the reg. length ones and the stubbies, they work great, I didn't get the ones with the lever to switch direction, as I feel these type are suseptible to stripping out the gears..... But do check em out..... They are great have sets in standard and metric.

 

[Nate]

Most of my stuff is Craftsman, with some Snap-On/Blue Point and Matco in the mix.

 

[Dl5treez]

Watch the pawn shops and flea markets for these brands:



Klein--very high quality screwdrivers and pliers. Used by every electrician I've ever seen, and nobody outside the industry really knows about them. I picked up a 6 piece Klein screwdriver set at a pawn shop for 10 bucks.



Matco--another very high quality professional grade tool that comes off a tool truck, ala Snap-on. Not really a well known brand to many outside the industry.



Cornwell--see Matco.



Proto--the older stuff before being bought out by Stanley Works is unbeatable. Look for "Los Angeles, CA" on the tool and you know you have a good one. Their new stuff is still nice, though.



Armstrong--a divsison of Danaher Group, who owns Matco. They're actually the same tools as Matco, only cheaper. I picked up a set of industrial finish (non-chrome) Armstrong wrenches last week at a pawn shop, 3/8 - 1 1/2, for 30 bucks.



Just some thoughts

Dan

 

[BILLUA]

Snap On - E-Bay

Craftsman: Fine if you are not making your living with tools. .



Snap ON: Essential if you are earning your living using your tools...



That said, I have both... You can often find great deals on Snap On tools on E-bay if you are patient and can wait until 30 seconds left in the auction to bid... What I do is go to the online Snap On catalog, look up the price of the tool that I want on E-bay. . Then of the E_bay item is new only bid about 80 percent of the Snap On catalog price.

 

[MotleyCrueCab]

I used to work at sears in the hardware department. I have also worked at a couple shops, there we used mostly Snap on and Matco. FOr the money its hard to beat the craftsman professional series. Here is what I have does, and is my suggestion for the best tool set for the money: Most of my basic tools (sockets, hammers, utility knifes, tape measurers) are craftsman. They are cheap and take a pretty good beating, and very easily (in most circumstances) exchanged if they break. FOr the tools that my hands touch (plyers, screw drivers, ect) I use the craftsman profession series. THey really are a pretty good tool, well designed and durable. About 80% of a snapon at a fraction of the price. FOr my rachets and speciality tools I use snapon and craftsman professional. While the craftsman pro rachets are pretty good, nothing compares to a snapon in this department, and in my oppinion they are worth the extra $$$ for their rachets.



Hope this helps, just my 2cents... .



Mike

 

[Jff24Gordn]

3 years ago I was trying to take a head off of an 8. 3. After I broke every craftsman socket I could get my hands on with a 1/2" china breaker bar, I stopped buying tools at sears. I went to school with my snapon man, and my tool box is quickly becomming worth more than all of my trucks combined. And its only a $700 stainless sams club box.

 

[nickleinonen]

Take a close look at the gearwrench ratching wrenches. I've got several of the flex head ones and they have been great; however, I don't/wouldn't use them on stuck bolts.

even on a slightly torqued bolt, can result in busted knuckles from when it lets go... i usually break a 3/4" ratchet wrench [gear wrench] every few months. . either the gear looses a few teeth or the pawl snaps. .

 

[rbattelle]

As a home shop wannabe machinist I use 95% Craftsman stuff. When I want higher quality I usually go to SK.



Depending on who you ask, SK is either complete garbage or equal to Snapon. I lean toward the latter opinion.



Ryan