What brand of tools do you use?

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When I made good money ..I bought Snap-On® from the industrial rep that came to our plant. I have a decent set of the hand tools. Now I don't really care what brand I buy. Snap-On mainly sells service. They're great tools ..but you pay for them.
 
Mostly Craftsman. I do have Snap-On,Matco,Dewi-Dat,SK,Proto etc.... sometimes the tool is only made by one or two companys then you have to swallow hard and just pay what Snap-on etc... want for it!

What do you mean by tolerances??? Are you measureing your tools????? If you mean that they have a nicer finish and fit your hand a bit better then I can agree with that. THe problem is that you can buy 3-5 of something from Cratsman with a lifetime warranty for the price of one Snap-On tool. Now when it comes to a nut comeing off of a car it does not know the difference between Snap-On and Craftsman!

The only reason comapnys like Snap-On and Matco exsist is due to convience. They drive right out to your shop as opposed ti haveing to drive to Sears after work!
 
Since I don't use the tools everyday to make a living the Craftsman line has been more than sufficient for me. Real good quality and a lifetime warranty for hand tools. I still have all the Craftsman tools I purchased, going as far back as 1971. I hate to be "snobby" but I look for automotive hand tools made in the USA. My experience with hand tools from the Far East has not been pleasant. Though in all honesty there are times I've purchased odd size wrenches and sockets made in India and the Far East. They did the job but the overall build quality was "sloppy" and cheap, not the price though
rolleyes.gif
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Whimsey
 
Many of the tools I use are Williams from dad whichare 50+ years old. Most of the tools I have bought in the last 10 years are K-Mart variety bc they come organized in a little plastic case. I have a few Craftsman. When I worked in industry, Craftsman held up as well as Snap-Ons
 
I've been a auto mechanic for 8 years and I have some of them all. Mosty Mac brand due to a family friend who was a dealer but the rest is a mix of snap-on,husky and craftsman. Another big company with good hand tools at an (ok) price is cornwell. I paid the big prices because of the door to door service but I have broken just as many snap-on tools as I have craftsman!
 
Truth be told, mostly Stanley stuff from Walmart with some Husky and Chinese stuff thrown in.

Walmart has a habit of stocking these many-piece tool sets for Xmas/Father's Day then clearancing them afterwards.

Will someday buy a nicer socket set; that day will come when I no longer feel like fishing through my bucket o' sockets.
 
quote:
The only reason comapnys like Snap-On and Matco exsist is due to convience.
Click to expand...
Well that and they carry specialty tools that craftsman and the like, do not.

I use the wal-mart brand Stanley, but it works GREAT for my purposes. I see no need to pay 3x more for sears brand which is now made in china (same price as always though). Plus the stanley brand has a lifetime warranty too.
 
I don't have many tools, just what I need to maintain and fix my car, but the collection is growing. Buying tools has become somewhat of an obsession, and I prefer to buy better ones. Cry once, buy once.

My basic portable toolset is a Metrinch kit, which works great with metric and SAE tools. The kit is complimented by an assortment of Craftsman and Powerbuilt wrenches, extensions, and bits. I have Rahsol and Craftsman torque wrenches. Most of the special bits I need for my car are made by Gedore or Hazet. I also have a few car-specific Hazet tools.

I'd like to get some Snap-On tools, but I never see any of their trucks parked by the side of the road. Where and how do you track them down?

[ January 21, 2005, 05:36 PM: Message edited by: moribundman ]
 
Almost Craftsman exclusively. I will buy another brand if Crafsman doesn't offer a specific tool, such as flare nut style crow feet (foots??), or ball-end hex socket drivers. I like SK and Mac too. Snap-on is way too pricey for me.

I'll buy Harbor Freight tools, but I choose them wisely from now on. I bought a set of Mac strut spring compressors that were absolutley awful. These things really gouged the heck ot of my vinyl coated springs and were a bear to use. They had a tendency to wrap themselves around to one side of the spring. I went and replaced them mid-job with a similar set that had Acme threaded rods and the job was a snap from that point on.

I have a set of Crescent tools that I bought from Costco to throw in the trunk on long trips. They come in a nice blow moulded case and look like quality tools. I'll have to use them on the next repair job at home to make sure they'll do the job should I ever need them on the road.
 
I've got some good Sidchrome sockets etc (18th birthday present), that I love using (although there's a lot missing now...never lend tools to family members, and make sure that your better half doesn't know where they are).

I buy cheap junk when I need a flogging spanner or screwdriver.

My parents bought me a "Metrinch" set a few years ago...I wasn't very fussed with the idea, but have found them to be quite good tools (especially when working on second hand cars, with rounded nuts etc.)
 
Husky, craftsman for ratchets and torque wrench.
Dewalt for cordless drills.
Dewalt for biscuit Joiner.
Makita circular saws.
Dewalt Miter saws.
Dewalt routers.
Dewalt planer.
Delta drill press.
Porter cable sanders.
Festo sanders.
Accuset nailguns.
Porter cable nailguns.
Dewalt beltsanders.
Jet cabinet saw.
Grizzly planer.
Bridgewood shapers.
Delta dust collector.
Jet dust collector.
Leigh dovetail jigs.
Accuspray HVLP system spray.
Accuspray 1 gallon pressure pots.
Spray booth.
Compressors.

A ton of handtools, planes, chisels, wrenches, levels and clamps.

I have more, but who cares.
dunno.gif


I want to add some air ratchets, dynabrade air sanders and a Sata Gravity feed spray gun.
 
Bought a bunch of Craftsman back in the 60's. Wish I bought more when they still sold great tools for the price. You don't get near the value for your money now. After buying a *** truck in 1977, I started picking up some metric. Didn't like a lot of what I saw. Picked up a set of Cen-Tech box wrenches and a couple sets of Dura-Craft socket sets. They have done fairly well except the smaller set, I replaced the most used 12 point sockets with True-Craft 6 point ones. Wouldn't trade the ratchet for a Craftsman. I picked up some Pittsburgh tools from Harbor Freight. They seem to be OK. I also bought a Chicago Electric welder and recip saw. I don't thing either would hold up to much hard use, but I simply do not have enough use for either to justify buying a good one. They have saved me on a couple of small jobs. Many of my odds and ends and fill ins come from the Ace Hardware. Good price, and never had a problem with anything. The people there love my dogs.

It is dumb to buy cheap tools if you expect to be using them hard day in and day out. It is hard to justify putting too much into something to set on the shelf most of the time. I buy tools to get a job done, not brag about

Note, a good wrench will turn some nuts a cheap one will round. Fit and hardness makes a difference.
 
Started with a Snap-On chest and sockets and Proto wrenches as the Snap-On wrenches were very expensive. Also started with a bunch of wood handled 'gunsmith' screwdrivers. I've filled out mainly with Craftsman, including sockets, wrenches and screwdrivers. The Craftsman screwdrivers haven't held up as well as the older 1970s 'gunsmith' screwdrivers, which I still use here and there. For working around machine tools I bought specific Snap-On wrenches as the Craftsman didn't seem to hold as well around the high grade (hard) adjusters and fasteners, although I don't notice a problem on auto/home use. The Craftsman ignition wrenches and 1/4in sockets are great for working on appliances, and I like using some of the older good quality wire cutters, pliers, sledges, and such that I've picked up at garage sales. I'm still using a cordless drill that I picked up for $5 over 10 years ago, one of the 'egg beater' types that works well on everything but steel. But, a friend's 18 or something volt Dewalt cordless didn't work well on some steel that we were using either, so I bought him a smaller drill press that he says works well. Also still using a 1970s $20 Black and Decker 3/8in drill that has seen a lot of abuse over the years. I did shear the teeth on a newer Black an Decker 1/2in drill though, it had powder metal gearing, so I ended up with a Milwaukee that is like a piece of industrial art.
 
at home almost all of my hand tools are craftsman. I believe that craftsman's basic hand tools are still quality pieces. my power tools at home are a strange mix of milwaukee, black and decker, porter cable and harbor freight. I am going to start only buying milwaukee power tools, they are some of the best.

at work the majority of my hand tools are armstrong. my power tools are makita and milwaukee.
 
I started with Craftsman. I'm slowly weeding them out and taking them home for my home tool collection.

While Craftsman are a good tool they don't fit bolts as well as Snap-on, Matco, Mac etc does. Plus Craftsman have rough edges which are hard on my hands if used daily.

My favorite wrenches are Matco. I like the way they feel and they grip bolts great. Price is a little high IMHO but 1/2 Snap-On price.

Snap-On is good but waaaaay overpriced! I can't do $500 for a set of 3/8-7/8 end wrenches!

I like Mac sockets best. Snap-On sockets are weak and crack alot......No I'm not using them on an impact gun.

My best line wrench is made by blackhawk who is a part of Proto.

My favorite rachet is a fine tooth (72 teeth!) SK.
 
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