Topic: Tool quality

[syth82]

Also try garage sales for old but lightly used tools. The other thing you don't really need sets, get the best individual tool you can afford and flesh the set in later.
Bill the demon.

This is good advice. Especially if buying pro tools. In my experience if you add up the cost of individual sockets or wrenches in a snap on or matco set, the cost is no different than the cost of the whole set (unless it's a sale). If you don't need every size, don't bother. Of course then some day you will need that one wrench you never bought, but if you keep the hf stuff around it'll work in a pinch. I'm pretty sure craftsman set are usually discounted from individual prices, though.

[JBMorse]

I set myself up pretty good with a crafstman set a few years back.  1/4. 3/8, and 1/2" ratchets, metric and standard wrenches, lots of sockets, allen wrenches, and a couple of other things.  No screwdrivers if I remember correctly.  Anyway the set was around $130, and I haven't needed much else besides what it came with in terms of sockets.  I have since supplemented it with a couple more extensions, screwdrivers, and more socket sizes.  I'm happy with the quality, and I'm covered for most of my projects.

[Caaveman82]

Just wait till Sears has a big sale, I got a 220 piece ratchet/wrench set for around $90.

Have had it now for almost 4 years. Never broke anything yet and it has damn near anything you might need to work on any metric vehicle.

[Inigo Montoya]

754, your sears must have a crappy selection. In my area, craftsman hand tools takes up isles!
As for the snap-on elitism, it comes from the schools these guys go to. Many of the auto and diesel mechanic schools have discounts with snap-on. You get the students using the stuff and they become accustomed to it, feed them lines about it being the best and voila!

[Caaveman82]

754, your sears must have a crappy selection. In my area, craftsman hand tools takes up isles!
As for the snap-on elitism, it comes from the schools these guys go to. Many of the auto and diesel mechanic schools have discounts with snap-on. You get the students using the stuff and they become accustomed to it, feed them lines about it being the best and voila!

I had heard but have never confirmed that craftsmen and snap on are made by the same manufacturer. Kind of like the Target brand NyQuil and the real NyQuil, NyQuil makes the stuff for target.

[Inigo Montoya]

I think it would be funny as all hell if that were true. Man would that burst some bubbles.

[754]

Caaveman , people will tell you anthing to justify their poor choices.... try finding a flankdrive  Craftsman.

 Inogo, other than a set of ratcheting wrenches I got last year, I dont think I bought any tools from Sears (for myself) in 25 years. They may have aisles and aisles of tools, but their catalog would look like a bike mag, while the Snap-on looks like a phone book.. I couldnt even buy the Craftsman ratcheting metrics as out of 6, there were only 3 , that I can use.

 I prefer to look at the full spectrum, and have for almost 4 decades.. I asked tradesmen, why they use what they use.. I have a buddy that had a bodyshop many years. I have a partner in a business venture that is co owner of an engine-rebuilder. service shop. I do work for people that work on very high end marine products..


 To give a quick overview, after you have the common stuff, you eventually have to get specialty tools if you do extensive work, and those tools are not coming from the middle of the road manufacturers.. although I will say that with Taiwan/China in the game, there is more of the HTF stuff than there ever was.

 Its like bikes and other stuff.. if you use it in an ordinary way, ordinary stuff will work.. if you have unusual uses, run of the mill stuff wont always fit the bill..
 

[Caaveman82]

After a little research this is what I came up with.

http://www.secinfo.com/d14D5a.u2ZGs.8.htm#1stPage

The business is a subsidiary of sears holding corp.

It makes all things Kenmore, Die Hard, and Craftsman.

KCD IP, LLC. = Kenmore Craftsman Die Hard, intellectual property limited liability company.

[Inigo Montoya]

I don't bother with tradesmen, I grew up on farms and go that way. No one uses their tools harder or in a more inappropriate way than a farmer does. What this means is that I learn how to make the tools I have do what I need them to do. I don't have to go get some specialty tool for no reason other than just wanting it.
 As for flank drive, yeah that is so only done by snap-on...Not. It is just a trademarked name.
All it refers to is how the box end of a wrench or socket sides supposedly grip the sides and not the points of a nut or bolt allowing you to apply more force.  Something any appropriately sized box end will do.

Also, when does the number of tools have to do with the quality of a tool?

I mean you want snap-on fine but leave tradesmen out of it as I have seen many use craftsman, matco, mac, as well as snap on and not ALL of them would say snap on is the best.
I have used snap-on too btw. I have wrenched on autos, bikes and farm implements. Snap-on has never outperformed craftsman. It was no worse but it was no better either.

[mlinder]

I got a set of polished, reversible ratcheting spanners from Crafstman. As good as any others I've used, honestly.
Some tools from craftsman are really nice. Some not so much. You just have to pick whats good and buy those, buy from another brand for things that aren't so good.

[motocyconomad]

yup I agree

[CycleRanger]

No one uses their tools harder or in a more inappropriate way than a farmer does.

 

[Insert a farm animal noise here.]   


I couldn't agree more.  The real test is to do the job properly with the wrong tools. 

[tramp]

craftsman and snap on
worked on tanks all my life
never cracked a socket or broke a wench