Favorite Toolmaker

THAWA · Post by **THAWA** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 3:53 am

So who's your favorite?

entirelyturbo · Post by **entirelyturbo** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 4:18 am

IMO Craftsman is only good because of the warranty. They're not the best tools made, I've broken plenty myself...

When I finally get my garage set up how I want it, I'm gonna have a nice toolbox full of Snap-On tools sitting in the corner. Most mechanics I see in dealers use Snap-On.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 4:33 am

With me it all depends...

When I need a really good reliable tool I usually buy Craftsman. That's primarily because of the lifetime warranty and the fact that I'd never be able to afford Snap-On. Sockets that I'm gonna go medieval on, punches and chisels, and box wrenches usually fall into this category.

When I need a tool that's usually expensive, I often buy Stanley or something similar, since Craftsman would cost too much. Things like ratcheting box wrenches and micrometer torque wrenches fall into this category.

But I also love cheap tools. I go to my local Big Lots all the time. A $7.99 1/2" ratchet set that goes all the way down to 10mm is awesome. You can get the most bang for the buck with cheap tools a lot of the time. I usually only take cheap tools with me to the junkyard, or for when I'm going to be working outside where the elements could damage my tools. And it's great to have little 1/4" ratchets in the pockets of all the pairs of pants I own.

LaureltheQueen · Post by **LaureltheQueen** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 6:24 am

I buy only craftsman. Know why? I work for Sears, and I see all sorts of crazy shit broken, and I'd hate to break something that wasnt craftsman. I may consider buying snap-on if i worked at a shop, but unfortunately, I dont have a snap-on or mac truck pulling into my driveway once a week.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 6:37 am

If you've got the money for Snap-On, what you can do is ask a local shop when the Snap-On truck will be coming to visit, and come on that day.

Sometimes I wonder about hijacking a Snap-On truck... what a wealth of awesome tools. A million bucks' worth, probably.

...Not that I'm condoning any kind of crime...

I know what you mean about broken tools. My brother and I once forgot about "righty tighty, lefty loosey" when changing the struts on our old Legacy GT and have a sheared 19mm socket to show for it.

legacy92ej22t · Post by **legacy92ej22t** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 4:12 pm

I personally usually get mostly Craftsman tools because of the forever garauntee and the fact I can use my Sears card. I love getting cheap tools though too. We have a place called Surplus City here that has all sorts of kick ass tools super cheap. When I was doing my front axles I needed to get a 1/2" breaker bar and Sears wanted $40 for a pretty nice Craftsman one but it wasn't very long. So I went to the Surplus City place and got a super long kickass one for $9 !

At $9 I couldn't care less if 2-3 years from now I break it.

A guy that sells tools for Snap-on lives about half a block from me. Then about 2 streets over there is a guy that sells for Mac tools too. If we plan it right vrg3 maybe we could snatch up both trucks on the same night!

Opie · Post by **Opie** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 6:14 pm

I voted Craftsman as well, my reasons pretty much echo vrg3's:

vrg3 wrote:With me it all depends...

When I need a really good reliable tool I usually buy Craftsman. That's primarily because of the lifetime warranty and the fact that I'd never be able to afford Snap-On. Sockets that I'm gonna go medieval on, punches and chisels, and box wrenches usually fall into this category.

When I need a tool that's usually expensive, I often buy Stanley or something similar, since Craftsman would cost too much. Things like ratcheting box wrenches and micrometer torque wrenches fall into this category.

But I also love cheap tools. I go to my local Big Lots all the time. A $7.99 1/2" ratchet set that goes all the way down to 10mm is awesome. You can get the most bang for the buck with cheap tools a lot of the time. I usually only take cheap tools with me to the junkyard, or for when I'm going to be working outside where the elements could damage my tools. And it's great to have little 1/4" ratchets in the pockets of all the pairs of pants I own.

With the Craftsman I know where to go should it ever have trouble...and their "Professional" line is getting pretty good. My local Harbor Freight is a great place to pick up those odds and ends and the Stanley and Duralast are both very good as well. I've got a Duralast set that goes to the junkyards with me and has just about everythin I could need.

I'll give Snap-On this, they are expensive, their truck doesn't stop by my house but man, they have the best ergonomics and "feel" than any other toolmaker. The few Snap-On tools I have are the most comfortable and less fatiguing to use. I can certainly understand why I professional mechanic would shell out the coin they cost.

I have a Snap-On Subaru screwdriver set that just blows the rest of my Craftsman Professional & Klein screwdrivers away!

JasonGrahn · Post by **JasonGrahn** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 10:11 pm

When i buy tools, i think this way:

Would you rather know that you can return your tools, or would you rather know that your tools won't break?

I only buy craftsman if i know i don't need the tool for more then 1 or 2 projects. Otherwise I like to stock Snap-On, SK, and FACOM. Not only are their tools better quality IMO, but they're leaps and bounds more comfortable and the torque related products are more precise. You get what you pay for.

boostjunkie · Post by **boostjunkie** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 10:26 pm

vrg3 wrote: Sometimes I wonder about hijacking a Snap-On truck... what a wealth of awesome tools. A million bucks' worth, probably. ...Not that I'm condoning any kind of crime....

I thought I was the only person who thought that whenever I drove past a snap-on tool truck!! lol!

I'm a cheap bastard, but when I need a tool that's most likely going to see heavy duty, I'll buy a craftsman. Although the Home Depot husky stuff isn't bad either.

mTk · Post by **mTk** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 11:22 pm

Craftsman

MK

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 5:31 am

Harbor Freight generic.

Just an example, I bought a 3/4 inch drive breaker bar (flex handle) that was about 2.5 feet long for 20 dollars. Its not going to break, trust me.

I also purchase a really cheap set of impact wrench sockets. Ive put them through hell and back.

For the price of all the fancy pants tools mentioned I could purchase TEN of the generic counterparts.

HomeSlice · Post by **HomeSlice** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 5:54 am

value is sears all the way
convenice- is snapon- they come to you.
snapon got my vote-- cause they are more comfo on the hands. best design overall
and your cant front on there rubber handle screwdrivers 5 for only a $125
i got um!

my box at home is all craftsman

at the dealer is my big snapon box with alot of my money in the draws.
crazy how much i spent on snap on, mac, matco,ir,lisle,sk,facom.......
i could of bought a nice subaru with that money

ciper- harbor freight is poorly designed. you will probly end up hurting yourself or breaking the tool example pitsburgh pry bars= garbage

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:07 am

Harbor Freight falls into the same category as Big Lots and Surplus City tools. They're not all crap. You just have to pick carefully. For example, I've bought a lot of cheap pliers over the years. You just go through the whole pile and pick the best. There are tolerances in the casting, and then tolerances in the machining, and most will be way off but a few will be good.

HomeSlice · Post by **HomeSlice** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:17 am

tru all depends on the tool at hand^

Post by **Legacy777** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 12:23 am

Honestly....it really depends.....

Snap on is prob the best out there, but for backyard mechanics, they're not really the best choice.....how many times does the snap on truck come by your house asking if you need tools......never...

With Craftsman, you always know where to get them and replace them.

Certain tools I think you can go generic....I've got the harbor freight impact sockets.....they work fine...and are just as thick....my only issue was they didn't come with all the consecutive sockets.

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 7:01 pm

I usually have always stuck with Craftsman but am starting to like Harbor Freight. I bought a $119 19.2V Cordless Impact Wrench with a two year guaranteed replacement warranty for $20 last week. 220 pounds of torque. Takes off lugs without a problem. One guy said he tested the battery life and got 75 lugs on and off with one charge. The comparable Craftsman was $299 and the 2 year replacement plan was $45. I could buy three Harbor Freight ones in that time, and not feel bad about banging them around in the back of the Colt on stages.

Yukonart · Post by **Yukonart** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 5:03 am

I've been buying Craftsman for a few reasons:

1. You can buy them wherever there's a Sears around, AND online.
2. Lifetime warranty on all hand tools, and it actually works
3. The prices are downright reasonable, considering the overall quality and the warranty
4. They "make" just about everything most people need.
5. My girlfriend works there (You all knew I HAD to plug where she works)

There are some specialty tools I'm going to buy from Snap-On via my friend who works at a stereo installation shop. Things like trim pullers, picks, clip pliers, etc. . . . the Snap-On stuff is highly-specialized, and the quality is second-to-none.

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 5:12 am

Grant got it right!
"I could buy three Harbor Freight ones in that time, and not feel bad about banging them around "
You have to be choosy but many of the tools they have are nearly equal in quality to the big brands.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 8:40 am

Yeah, it's definitely true that Craftsman quality isn't always significantly better than that of "lesser" brands. Craftsman is just the name Sears puts on tools when reselling them as "premium" tools. I got a cheap generic 1/4" deep metric ratchet set from a yard sale and later went into Sears and saw the exact same kit, down to the moldings in the plastic carrying case, there with the Craftsman name on it.

Of course, the quality and the warranty are different issues.

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Sun Dec 14, 2003 7:51 am

I used my cordless impact wrench today for the first real time. We switched a wheel from the front left to the rear right using two jacks and a spare to put on one while the other was off. Discount Tires put the wrong tires on the wrong side (directional tread) and they naturally were opposite corners switched. I couldn't figure out why the car felt so weird in the snow. It's amazing what difference having two tires tread backwards makes. I recommend this impact wrench to anybody though. No problem with any of the lugs and feels like pretty sturdy construction. Also $140 with a 2 year replacement warranty is a damn good deal.

123c · Post by **123c** » Sun Dec 14, 2003 8:08 pm

I buy Craftsman, but I should buy Kobalt, since I work at Lowe's, and that's what we sell...

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