btw- I have some of the old wrenches from my Grandpa b.1898. He was an Olds mechanic for 30+ years. Mom had a new 1958 Austin-Healy, so Grandpa Clark had metrics. Zenith is the name on a few. W.Germany, pretty solid, but light...wierd. I miss that guy.
What's wrong with Craftsman tools?
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Originally Posted By: Auto-Union
btw- I have some of the old wrenches from my Grandpa b.1898. He was an Olds mechanic for 30+ years. Mom had a new 1958 Austin-Healy, so Grandpa Clark had metrics. Zenith is the name on a few. W.Germany, pretty solid, but light...wierd. I miss that guy.
Healy was metric in 1958?
btw- I have some of the old wrenches from my Grandpa b.1898. He was an Olds mechanic for 30+ years. Mom had a new 1958 Austin-Healy, so Grandpa Clark had metrics. Zenith is the name on a few. W.Germany, pretty solid, but light...wierd. I miss that guy.
Healy was metric in 1958?
My Father was a mechanic for most of his 78 years. He once told me that mechanics back in the day used to laugh at guys that bought POS Snap-On tools. I think I read someplace that Snap-On made millions selling cheap tools to the government. How times have changed.
If Lee Travino was a mechanic, his roll-away would look like Dad's; a little bit of Snap-On, SK, Craftsman, Proto, Plumb (remember those?), and Mac.
Not hating on Snap-On because if I could afford them, I'd buy them. Because I'm NOT independently wealthy, my Craftsman tools do the job.
The one tool that I would love to have was a special 90-degree screwdriver that Dad kept in the oscilloscope cabinet. It looked like a regular screwdriver, but it had a small 90-degree gearbox on the blade end. You'd fit the blade onto the screw and you'd turn a knob on the end of the handle to turn the screw. Came in handy for those impossible to reach carb mixture screws.
If Lee Travino was a mechanic, his roll-away would look like Dad's; a little bit of Snap-On, SK, Craftsman, Proto, Plumb (remember those?), and Mac.
Not hating on Snap-On because if I could afford them, I'd buy them. Because I'm NOT independently wealthy, my Craftsman tools do the job.
The one tool that I would love to have was a special 90-degree screwdriver that Dad kept in the oscilloscope cabinet. It looked like a regular screwdriver, but it had a small 90-degree gearbox on the blade end. You'd fit the blade onto the screw and you'd turn a knob on the end of the handle to turn the screw. Came in handy for those impossible to reach carb mixture screws.
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Originally Posted By: paulo57509
Plumb (remember those?)
I've got a Plumb 1/2 drive breaker bar. My favorite wrenches are an older Matco SAE set. I use the 1/2 on lines all the time and it never strips em. I bought a newer Matco metric set and it's not as good.
Plumb (remember those?)
I've got a Plumb 1/2 drive breaker bar. My favorite wrenches are an older Matco SAE set. I use the 1/2 on lines all the time and it never strips em. I bought a newer Matco metric set and it's not as good.
I was at a Sears store a couple months back and I was looking at a 14mm combination wrench; I wish I had gone ahead and bought it at the time because it had a serious bend in it. If you stood it upright in front of your line of site, it was clearly bent along its entire length. I should've bought it for the purpose of posting pictures of it in a thread like this.
. . . But buying Danaher made Craftsman is still better than buying Chinafreight.
Seriously........ANY USA MADE TOOL IS BETTER THAN MADE IN CHINA. That being said, my preferred brand is Snap-On, but I would use Craftsman Made in USA over any Chinese tool. That's what I appreciate about quality tools, all the good ones are still made in USA. One of the few things still made here. Buying Craftsman, Mac, Matco, Snap-On all means supporting US workers. Gotta love that.
BTW what happened to the little USA flag emoticon?
BTW what happened to the little USA flag emoticon?
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Quote:
BTW what happened to the little USA flag emoticon?
BTW what happened to the little USA flag emoticon?
Craftsman serves me well at home and work. I have a mid-80's combo Craftsman wrench set made in Japan. I also have a circa 1960's set that are very thin, well machined, high quality steel much different than today's.
For those interested in tool background, here is a re-post of my thread from September:
Go to this forum thread and read the info posted by Mr. John Garner (2 or 3 threads) Disclaimer, I'm just the messenger:
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=023986;p=0
An excellent review of the major U.S. tool makers. For instance, I didn't realize that S.K. is once again a U.S. owned private company (not French Facom), and that Cornwell and Wright are also still private owned companies. There is also spirited discussion about which tools share the same "parentage".
An excerpt:
"In general terms, there are four tool-brand players in the business of selling to US auto mechanics through "tool truck" dealers: Snap-On, Mac, MATCO, and Cornwell. None of these companies run their own fleet of trucks, although Mac tried for a while before going back to independent dealers. Of the MAKERS of these tool brands, only Cornwell is privately held, the others are brand names owned by the Big Three of the mechanics' tool world, Snap-On, Stanley, and Danaher, respectively."
"Armstrong (primarily industrial, Danaher owned)
Cornwell (primarily automotive, private corporation)
Mac (primarily automotive, Stanley owned)
MATCO (primarily automotive, Danaher owned)
Proto (primarily industrial, Stanley owned)
SK Tools (primarily automotive, private corporation)
Snap-On (automotive and industrial, Snap-On owned)
J H Williams (primarily industrial, Snap-On owned)
Wright Tools (primarily industrial, private corporation)"
Here is a tool maker timeline dating back to the 1800's:
http://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/tool-timeline.html
Check out the links to "Alloy Artifacts" tool collectors web site if interested. Some crazy dudes there (like us).
For those interested in tool background, here is a re-post of my thread from September:
Go to this forum thread and read the info posted by Mr. John Garner (2 or 3 threads) Disclaimer, I'm just the messenger:
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=023986;p=0
An excellent review of the major U.S. tool makers. For instance, I didn't realize that S.K. is once again a U.S. owned private company (not French Facom), and that Cornwell and Wright are also still private owned companies. There is also spirited discussion about which tools share the same "parentage".
An excerpt:
"In general terms, there are four tool-brand players in the business of selling to US auto mechanics through "tool truck" dealers: Snap-On, Mac, MATCO, and Cornwell. None of these companies run their own fleet of trucks, although Mac tried for a while before going back to independent dealers. Of the MAKERS of these tool brands, only Cornwell is privately held, the others are brand names owned by the Big Three of the mechanics' tool world, Snap-On, Stanley, and Danaher, respectively."
"Armstrong (primarily industrial, Danaher owned)
Cornwell (primarily automotive, private corporation)
Mac (primarily automotive, Stanley owned)
MATCO (primarily automotive, Danaher owned)
Proto (primarily industrial, Stanley owned)
SK Tools (primarily automotive, private corporation)
Snap-On (automotive and industrial, Snap-On owned)
J H Williams (primarily industrial, Snap-On owned)
Wright Tools (primarily industrial, private corporation)"
Here is a tool maker timeline dating back to the 1800's:
http://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/tool-timeline.html
Check out the links to "Alloy Artifacts" tool collectors web site if interested. Some crazy dudes there (like us).
My first set of tools (late 60s) was a smaller Craftsman set used on motorcycles. Worked fine, never had a problem, but they were stolen. For my next larger set (early 70s) I bought Snap On and Proto as Snap On seemed to hold up better than Craftsman around daily machine tool use, but I couldn't afford Snap On wrenches so I bought Proto.
Screwdrivers were some square shank wood handled Irwin 'gunsmith' screwdrivers, which in retrospect are of good quality and were very affordable. The Proto salesman said that it was stupid to spend a lot more on fancier ones. An advantage with cheaper screwdrivers is that you can justify grinding one to fit a specific fastener that is used a lot or needs to be cosmetically perfect. This really requires a hollow ground tip of the correct width in order to avoid turning edges of a screw. As an example a properly set up rifle (at least in ye olden days) would have a set of screwdrivers ground for the commonly used screws on the rifle. In this case the most expensive Snap On screwdriver available doesn't come close to performing as well as a custom ground, less expensive but good quality screwdriver. Good flat ground tips work better than ones ground at an angle, but hollow ground be the best on slotted screws.
Phillips drivers need to be hard but not brittle, and really need replaceable tips as they're prone to wear. Impact drivers are sometimes the only solution here until the fasteners can be replaced with something else.
Back to wrenches and such, at the time I bought mine Snap On had an advantage with the 'flank drive'. Instead of sharp corners on the 12 or 6 point pattern where the corners of the bolt would tounch they removed some material so that the edge of the corner of the bolt instead of the corner would touch, making it harder to round it off. This is primarily an advantage on 12 pt sockest and wrenches as if you're rounding the corners on 6 pt fasteners something else is wrong. That being said I've not had problems rounding fasteners as long as I used box ends or sockets, flank drive or not.
Screwdrivers were some square shank wood handled Irwin 'gunsmith' screwdrivers, which in retrospect are of good quality and were very affordable. The Proto salesman said that it was stupid to spend a lot more on fancier ones. An advantage with cheaper screwdrivers is that you can justify grinding one to fit a specific fastener that is used a lot or needs to be cosmetically perfect. This really requires a hollow ground tip of the correct width in order to avoid turning edges of a screw. As an example a properly set up rifle (at least in ye olden days) would have a set of screwdrivers ground for the commonly used screws on the rifle. In this case the most expensive Snap On screwdriver available doesn't come close to performing as well as a custom ground, less expensive but good quality screwdriver. Good flat ground tips work better than ones ground at an angle, but hollow ground be the best on slotted screws.
Phillips drivers need to be hard but not brittle, and really need replaceable tips as they're prone to wear. Impact drivers are sometimes the only solution here until the fasteners can be replaced with something else.
Back to wrenches and such, at the time I bought mine Snap On had an advantage with the 'flank drive'. Instead of sharp corners on the 12 or 6 point pattern where the corners of the bolt would tounch they removed some material so that the edge of the corner of the bolt instead of the corner would touch, making it harder to round it off. This is primarily an advantage on 12 pt sockest and wrenches as if you're rounding the corners on 6 pt fasteners something else is wrong. That being said I've not had problems rounding fasteners as long as I used box ends or sockets, flank drive or not.
Originally Posted By: paulo57509
My Father was a mechanic for most of his 78 years. He once told me that mechanics back in the day used to laugh at guys that bought POS Snap-On tools. I think I read someplace that Snap-On made millions selling cheap tools to the government. How times have changed.
If Lee Travino was a mechanic, his roll-away would look like Dad's; a little bit of Snap-On, SK, Craftsman, Proto, Plumb (remember those?), and Mac.
Not hating on Snap-On because if I could afford them, I'd buy them. Because I'm NOT independently wealthy, my Craftsman tools do the job.
The one tool that I would love to have was a special 90-degree screwdriver that Dad kept in the oscilloscope cabinet. It looked like a regular screwdriver, but it had a small 90-degree gearbox on the blade end. You'd fit the blade onto the screw and you'd turn a knob on the end of the handle to turn the screw. Came in handy for those impossible to reach carb mixture screws.
I forgot to mention that as far as screwdrivers go, when I'm at Sears, I walk right past the Craftsman and go for the Klein. I like their rubber cushioned handles and they seem to be sized and fit screw slots a bit better than Craftsman. But I don't think the rubber cushion would hold up well to fuel and oil, so I only use them on interior fasteners, etc.
For under the hood and under the car, I use Craftsman.
My Father was a mechanic for most of his 78 years. He once told me that mechanics back in the day used to laugh at guys that bought POS Snap-On tools. I think I read someplace that Snap-On made millions selling cheap tools to the government. How times have changed.
If Lee Travino was a mechanic, his roll-away would look like Dad's; a little bit of Snap-On, SK, Craftsman, Proto, Plumb (remember those?), and Mac.
Not hating on Snap-On because if I could afford them, I'd buy them. Because I'm NOT independently wealthy, my Craftsman tools do the job.
The one tool that I would love to have was a special 90-degree screwdriver that Dad kept in the oscilloscope cabinet. It looked like a regular screwdriver, but it had a small 90-degree gearbox on the blade end. You'd fit the blade onto the screw and you'd turn a knob on the end of the handle to turn the screw. Came in handy for those impossible to reach carb mixture screws.
I forgot to mention that as far as screwdrivers go, when I'm at Sears, I walk right past the Craftsman and go for the Klein. I like their rubber cushioned handles and they seem to be sized and fit screw slots a bit better than Craftsman. But I don't think the rubber cushion would hold up well to fuel and oil, so I only use them on interior fasteners, etc.
For under the hood and under the car, I use Craftsman.
I like Klein as well. Good stuff.
If every tool socket, etc = 1 I have Craftsman by majority. Most are 15-20+ years old. I don't do near the wrenching I did 10 years ago, but they are serving me fine. Most will be there when I retire.
I still enjoy getting tools as gifts.
If every tool socket, etc = 1 I have Craftsman by majority. Most are 15-20+ years old. I don't do near the wrenching I did 10 years ago, but they are serving me fine. Most will be there when I retire.
I still enjoy getting tools as gifts.
All of my tools are mostly the cheapie made in china ones that you get at Pep Boys but my torque wrench is made by craftsman and was affordable and works fairly good as well. I sometimes use my dad's craftsman socket that's a lot nicer than mine. I also have an overpriced socket extension from craftsman and a 3/8"-1/2" adapter from S-K (also overpriced, I think it was $10 just for that socket alone). I bought a few tools from Ace Hardware too, a 16mm wrench and a 16mm socket and they were about $5-10 each. My favorite though are the craftsman ones my dad has, those things are built tough. They're probably 20 years old but strong as heck.
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My parents bought me a decent Sidchrome set for my 18th.
Good stuff, but half of it's missing (what's that adage about lending tools and books ??).
5 or 6 years ago, they bought me a metrinch set. I was skeptical, but have found them to be very good and handy.
Lately I've been trying to restock my kits using "quality" off brand stuff...i.e. being picky about what I get and when.
Good stuff, but half of it's missing (what's that adage about lending tools and books ??).
5 or 6 years ago, they bought me a metrinch set. I was skeptical, but have found them to be very good and handy.
Lately I've been trying to restock my kits using "quality" off brand stuff...i.e. being picky about what I get and when.
Even pre mainland China, tools from the East were pretty sub-standard to anything. I used to buy import socket sets and would routinely break the ones I used the most. I would replace them with Sears ones which, to me, appeared to be tough as nails. The only tools I would buy from Harbor Freight are hammers and vises and maybe hydraulic stuff. I've been happy with my Sears stuff but, then again, I don't turn wrenches for a living.
Well, it was time to change the belt tensioner on the Saturn, and I didn't have quite the right tool I needed so..
My wife wanted to get me some tools for Christmas anyway, so I recieved an early present this year. All the talk of Craftsman in this thread must have had me thinking about Sears.
Great set. Worked really well on the job.
My wife wanted to get me some tools for Christmas anyway, so I recieved an early present this year. All the talk of Craftsman in this thread must have had me thinking about Sears.
Great set. Worked really well on the job.
As long as we're reminiscing, I'll mention my very first socket set I bought, back when I was 16 or 17. Stanley, made in USA, and strong and beautifully engraved like fine jewelry. I still use the ratchet and most of the sockets regularly but when the time came to get some 1/2"-drive stuff most of that was from Craftsman.
Kestas
Staff member
After 10 years of serious wrenching with mickey mouse tools, and being tired of never having the right tool, I treated myself to a 300-pc Craftsman tool set. Finally I got all the standard, metric, and deepwell that I needed and this is my core set of tools. The set has been beefed up with additional tools as needed.
But automotive work can be very demading on the tools, and Craftsman sockets will break trying to loosen stuck bolts. The sockets I use the most are my impact sockets. They'll never break. The hex head or nut will twist off before anything happens to the impact sockets. I still use daily the impact sockets I bought 34 years ago.
But automotive work can be very demading on the tools, and Craftsman sockets will break trying to loosen stuck bolts. The sockets I use the most are my impact sockets. They'll never break. The hex head or nut will twist off before anything happens to the impact sockets. I still use daily the impact sockets I bought 34 years ago.
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