Question for moribundman.....

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...or anyone else who has lived in Germany.

Here in the states, we have expensive tools such as Mac, Snap-On, etc. In Germany, what are the equivalent "boutique" tool brands?
 
HAZET and GEDORE are two that I know of. I have a pretty good set of HAZET tools that I acquired back in the 70's when most everything I owned or drove was made in Europe. They are very high quality tools.
 
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i'm a huge fan of knipex. excellent quality tools. you can find some craftsman pliers that are made by knipex and you get the craftsman warranty, can't be beat
 
Stahlwille are one of the uber premium brands. Others are Wiha , Elora , Heyco and Klann.
 
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Thanks all. I decided I'd like to have a few unusual, high-quality tools in my collection. I'll see what folks are offering on eBay.
 
Just finished scanning eBay. [censored], those German tools are expensive, but they look like quality. I've got my eye on a 1/4" drive ratchet, since I don't currently have a good one.
 
certainly aren't bargian basement but I doubt you'll find better , even compared to Snap-On.
 
Originally Posted By: wavinwayne
Just finished scanning eBay. [censored], those German tools are expensive, but they look like quality. I've got my eye on a 1/4" drive ratchet, since I don't currently have a good one.


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350 bucks for a small Hazet socket set with one ratchet. Probably makes your car run better if you use those.
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Almost forgot another top German company , Saltus.

Also , check out the Hazet assistant tool trolley , that thing rocks !!
 
Originally Posted By: wavinwayne
...or anyone else who has lived in Germany.

Here in the states, we have expensive tools such as Mac, Snap-On, etc. In Germany, what are the equivalent "boutique" tool brands?


I don't know I'm qualified, since I didn't give a truck about tools as a lad, and when I got back to Germany, I don't exactly live and breathe tools.

We don't have boutique tool brands. We have decent quality tools, which are inexpensive and pretty good. One common brand is Lux (Lux-Tools), which is a popular brand with everyone, including professinals. Lux products, which are made in various countries, are ubiquituos in Europe: http://www.lux-tools.com/en/about/index.html

Then we have top notch tool makers, but they aren't "boutique" at all. You can find their products in every tool shop in Germany. I see this type tool shop in the US only in industrial areas and often they don't do retail sales. In the US you have to buy from Zelenda etc.

Hazet
http://www.hazet.de/en.html

Gedore (Rahsol - Dremotec Group):
- Gedore
- Dako
- Habero
- Ochsenkopf
- Metec
- Klann
- Carolus

If you buy a German service manual for VW, Audi or Porsche, the recommended specialty tools are usually made by Hazet.

The distributor of Gedore in the USA is Klann Tools.

http://www.gedore.de/en/produkte/index.html
http://www.gedore.us

There are other top notch industrial tool makers, for example, Saltus (Weber Tools), which has been mentioned, Facom, and Scala. I have seen Facom in the US.
 
Originally Posted By: Saturn_Fan
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350 bucks for a small Hazet socket set with one ratchet. Probably makes your car run better if you use those.
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This product was not made for you. All you need is a 40 piece set from Home Despot.
 
Originally Posted By: wavinwayne
Thanks for the info, mori.


De nada.

Sorry for bungling the first sentence in my reply. I squeezed it in after making the main post, edited, but messed it up. What I meant to say was:

I don't know I'm qualified, since I didn't give a truck about tools as a lad. When I go back to Germany, I don't exactly live and breathe tools.
 
I like knipex pliers they are very well made.

FWIW I used to work with a factory trained Porsche mechanic, as in he was actually trained at the factory, and his opinion was nothing beats snap-on and that German hand tools were average.

OT: he had some awesome pictures of working on the 959 at the school.
 
Here are two of my mediocre Hazet and Gedore sockets. I like the grippy finish and the corrosion resistance. I also like that they don't snap off.
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Not super familiar with German tools, because I like to support American workers.
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Have to say that my Knipex side cutters beat the pants off the Snap-On equivalent, though. The Knipex gets used and abused and is still sharp enough to cut paper like a scissors.

BTW need to bury this once and for all. First three letters of Knipex are pronounced like knife or Nippon? Is it NYE-pex or NIP-pex? I always said NYEpex, like knife.
 
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