[Thunderhorse]

My wife has been asking me what I want for Christmas, and I think its finally about time I got a mechanics tool set as a foundation to build upon so I can stop bumming tools off my friends. Up until now I have had a hodgepodge of old Thorsens and Craftsman, most of which my dad gave to me, but some that I bought too.

I have quite a few Kobalts that I've bought recently, like my torque wrenches, and that awesome direct drive ratchet they make (IDK how strong it is because I haven't beat on it, and I'm guessing it uses some sort of clutch, but for tight areas its fantastic), so I was looking at them, Husky, and Craftsman. I have a lot of Snap-Ons, and Armtrongs at work, but for what I do I just can't justify the cost and I'm not sure they're good enough to justify the increase in cost.

I found a Kobalt 300pc on the Lowe's site for $150; they also had a 250 pc for $100. Home Depot had a Husky 307 pc for $250, so I asked the wife for the Kobalt 300pc because it seems like a pretty good deal. I also like how they have the blue or red paint rings to indicate Metric or SAE at a glance.

AFAIK Kobalt, Husky, and Craftsman (at least the sets) are all made in Asia-either China or Taiwan-so I couldn't really use that as a decision point which is a shame because my Craftsman wrenches and sockets are USA made, as are my dad's Huskies that he bought as a set back in the '90s.

Anyway, what are you guys using?

 

[spamPALA]

Just to help with your decision, Lowes does over-the-counter exchanges on faulty/broken Kobalt tools while Husky makes you call them and do a mail exchange thing; you can't just walk into Home Depot in the middle of a job, swap tools and get back to work.

I wanted to like Husky but half of every ratcheting tool I've bought from them has failed within the first couple uses and I'm not the sort of person who hits ratchets with hammers or throws tools or anything like that.

If I had to start over right now... I don't earn enough money for a full shop of commercial grade tools but I'd try to get at least my ratchet drive handles from Proto (Stanley-Proto) because they just don't die.

 

[tsc]

I use Husky tools.. It's the old made in the USA stuff, not the newer offshore made ones.

But from what I've heard, even with the lifetime warranty. Home Depot will fight you, if you don't have a receipt. Might be a Canadian thing though

I don't always agree with "Eric the car guy"; but here is an interesting video on his take of tools. (I'm just a shade tree wrench turner, so I find that the consumer grade is good enough for me--they haven't failed me yet)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYVhF-9hABo

 

[striker2237]

Okay, I normally would say buy Mac or snap on and be done with it BUT I have exploded their tools a few times (boss was just a little ticked) and it's annoying that you have to wait for them to get new ones to you. Also they are expensive as hell.

That considered my recommendation would honestly be harbor freights Pittsburgh line of tools, no I'm not high or drunk right now. They are surprisingly good tools.

 

[Desert Ram]

Craftsman & Snap-On :smileup:

Most of my Craftsman were from Dad & Grandpa, the Snap-On stuff
came from buds who got out of the Biz.

 

[namretsud]

Craftsman has always been the least troublesome place for me to get replacement tools. It has always been, walk in with broken walk out with the new for me no questions asked. The only problem I have with Craftsman is the limited number of stores that are reasonably close to me. I have had hassles with Snap-on Gray and others. Mastercraft in Canada has lifetime on their tools as well, though not as good a quality does the job and is easily replaced.

 

[huntergreen]

i have my uncles craftsman tools. all clean and all in working order. he died in 1981 at 83 so that should give you an idea of the age of these tools. that being said, craftsman, not near the quality of yesteryear, is the reasonably priced and easy to to walk in and replace broken tools.

 

[CherryRed]

I work on German cars for a living, so let's see, for hand tools...

Snap-On
Matco
Cornwell
Stahlwille
Hazet
Facom
S&K
Knipex
Channellock
PB Swiss Tools
Mounts
Precision Instruments

My favorite wrenches and sockets are Snap-On. Ratchets, Snap-On and Cornwell. Pliers and cutters, Knipex. Speciality tools, Snap-On, Stahlwille, Hazet, PB. Screw drivers, S&K, Snap-On, Kobalt. Torque wrenches/ratchets Snap-On (electronic - for angle torque), Precision Instruments, Mountz.

Matco seem like good tools but I only have a few. I have a lot of S&K sockets and wrenches and they work good. S&K ratchets suck. S&K (Chinese) torque wrenches really suck.

I also have a ~10 year old set of Husky 1/2" drive impact sockets and they have been holding up very well.

It's not so much that I am a big fan of Snap-On. It's that the Snap-On dealer is the only one that has proven to be reliable. The Cornwell dealer a close second. The others, Martco and Mac only seem to show up at our shop when it's convenient for them, or it's a slow day. If I have a broken tool and have to wait 3 months for the tool truck to come around, well I'm not likely to buy another tool from that dealer.

At home I have Craftsman, Proto, S&K and Channellock. Plus a mixture of tools that didn't make the cut at work.

 

[BobS]

For the guys that work with them on a daily basis, the Snap-ons of the world make sense. If you break one the truck pulls up and you get a new one but that costs a bit of coin.

For we folks that use them on a less frequent basis, I buy HF and Husky because they are available close to my home.

I've been working on mechanical things for most of my 73 years and have tools as far back as my grandfather. Were they good, yup and I still have some in daily use but try to buy a socket and bar to break the pinion loose on a Dana 60 from anyplace other than HF any could hire someone to do it for less.

Secondly the fate of many tools is that they disappear either permanently or until you don't need them.

I now buy HF and Husky for those reasons. The occasional breakage is only one issue and in general use the HF stuff holds up quite well.

You can buy a lot of tools that you need for the price of a few you are proud of. Bob

 

[BiggBerger]

Most of my Technicians use Snap-on Cornwell or Matco for work. I do have a 2 Techs that use Kobalt. The ones they have where made by Mac tools at the time. Not sure if Mac still makes Kobalt though. With that said I turn wrenches out of my garage for routine maint. type repairs and use only Kobalt hand tools. But I do use Snap-on and Lisle for air and specialty tools.

 

[WVdan]

Heyco

 

[gofishn]

Snap on, Mac & Mactco are simply not the tools they once were.
Snap-on demands a receipt to repair an of todays tools. Old stuff is not a problem acct they warranty was different then but its changed since.

Problem with teh pro level tools is they used to be flawless adn last forever, a tool failure was an Rarity. Today its the norm. Would rather have Craftsman or KKobalt i can ge replaced in minutes.

Got a drawer full of broke snap ons right now. Got tons of realtives that can them fixed and do not even bother. THey have failed me too often & will not even use them.

If I am bargain hunting camera lenses,a t a pawn shop or such and see snap on super cheap, I may pick it up, but only it it looks like it is a mid 70;s tool, anything newer, i have no interest.

 

[CherryRed]

We had (HAD) a Matco dealer refuse to warranty any Matco tool that he didn't sell. The owner of the place where I work told the dealer to never set foot on the premises again.

I have never had a problem getting a Snap-On tool warrantied, no questions asked, no receipt needed. Keep in mind, some of their tools only have a 1 year warranty - air tools, electric tools, Blue Point. However, items like wrenches, sockets, ratchets - basic hand tools, are lifetime warrantied. If you can't get them fixed/replaced, it's an issue with your dealer.

I've had a couple of the plastic handled Snap-On hammers disintegrate. The plastic literally just fell apart to a point that the logo was gone. My dealer replaced them with new hammers without question.

 

[spoiler]

I did not read the entire thread so this might have been said already. You want whatever brand they sell at the nearest hardware store with full replacement warranty. The name on the tool does not mean anything to me while I'm using it. It only matters when it breaks.
There's a hardware store a half mile from my house and they sell Craftsman. So it's Craftsman for me. A tool breaks- I walk in and say to the first employee I see- "I'm gonna swap this" and they always say "Okay" No receipt, no register visit except to show them an in-kind trade. Back to work.

 

[sportram1500]

Just to help with your decision, Lowes does over-the-counter exchanges on faulty/broken Kobalt tools while Husky makes you call them and do a mail exchange thing; you can't just walk into Home Depot in the middle of a job, swap tools and get back to work.

I wanted to like Husky but half of every ratcheting tool I've bought from them has failed within the first couple uses and I'm not the sort of person who hits ratchets with hammers or throws tools or anything like that.

If I had to start over right now... I don't earn enough money for a full shop of commercial grade tools but I'd try to get at least my ratchet drive handles from Proto (Stanley-Proto) because they just don't die.

You are wrong you can exchange any thing at Home Depot or get your money back for any reason. No ? asked.

 

[Harter]

Cornwells arnt that badly priced, i mean as far as big mechanic brands go. I always used craftsmen but i started using TEKTON tools, I've broke the shank on my breaker bar (after a year of really hard use) using a 3/8 on something i should've used at least a 1/2" drive on and they sent me a replacement in 3 days i think, no receipt, no questions. Besides that ive never had a problem with any of there tools, i really like them and there cheap as hell. Like i said i beat the crap out of my tools and they have worked great.

 

[Yellow Wagon]

Thunderhorse a lot of post here about wrenches, ratchets etc but do you have a decent cordless drill and impact gun kit? That and a set of drill bits and some tips is pretty much indispensable!

 

[Harter]

^those are power tools, not hand tools

 

[Thunderhorse]

Thunderhorse a lot of post here about wrenches, ratchets etc but do you have a decent cordless drill and impact gun kit? That and a set of drill bits and some tips is pretty much indispensable!

Yes, I have a Ridgid 18V drill and impact driver combo. I haven't found myself needing a corded drill yet but if I do I'll probably get a Milwaukee. Based on a lot of responses here I expect that a lot of you will recommend Hilti or something though:hah: I know those aren't hand tools, but for the sake of discussion.

Well, it looks like the Kobalt set it is then; Lowes is the closest store to me and spoiler's reasoning makes a lot of sense. I have had good luck with their tools in the past and a 300pc set for $150 is tough to beat.

 

[reefer451]

I got to agree with you, most of what I've bought recently has been Kobalt. Lowes is very close, the return policy is good and the quality/price is fair.

The quality of every brand has decreased since I started buying tools in high school. I worked in a bicycle shop then and bought some really nice Schwinn branded tools, I still have every one. They are thinner than most so they are great for fitting into tight places. You could probably break them if you are ham fisted or hammer on them but I never have. Fit & finish is first rate.

One of the best ways to find good quality tools is estate sales. It takes some looking but every once in awhile you find some beautiful old tools at a great price.