I was just thinking about it, and I've had a bad addiction to Snap On lately.
Don't get me wrong, I've got probably every brand name imaginable, not just drawers full of SO (I wish!) but I find my self when I need a tool that counts, like an impact, or torque wrench I buy the good stuff.
Like today, I found a need for an inch pound torque wrench, and instead of buying a $10 Harbor Freight one, I bought a Snap On, cause well, I just don't trust it. I'm not drilling out a bolt cause I wanted to save money on a tool that will make me money. It doesn't help having a line of credit from Snap On either.....
But for socket or something, I've got nothin against the cheap stuff.
My rule of thumb, is I will spend the money if it will save me money and especially aggrivation down the line.
wrenches, sockets, screwdrivers i like craftsman. i do have an sae and metric set of reversible ratcheting wrenches by gearwrench, they're solid, bought 'em b/c they were on sale for 50%.
for electric grinders i use harbor freight, cause they're $30 and i don't care if i burn them up.
i really haven't felt compelled to buy nicer tools
When I was still a mechanic, everything I bought was either Snap-on or Mac Tool. When it's your lively hood, you don't dick around with anything else. I saw plenty of guys shatter SK, Craftsman, etc sockets and break ratchet heads in the shop in the middle of a job and I was damned if that shit was gonna happen to me lol.
Now that I've been outa that game for a while and the tools are used just for my own personal projects I pretty much stopped buying tools. When I do though, it's for the odd socket I either lost or really need right at that moment in which case craftsman will suffice.
The one place you really can't get away with skimping out on is airtools though. HF and Craftsman shit just doesn't cut the mustard sometimes. My Mac gun is rated around 1200lb/ft of max removal torque. I've lent it out to friends more times than I can count lol. Same goes for my Snap-on air hammer and air drill, and my 3/8 and 1/4 air ratchets.
Just lent my flex-head mac cut off wheel to a friend who needed to hack off some exhaust brackets in a tight space a week ago. Got a free lunch outa that deal
I learned a while back that it was better to be the guy with the better tools lending to a friend, than be the guy with the shittier tools borrowing from a friend.
I've been using a lot of kobalt stuff lately. Rock solid. My impact gun from there seems to get quoted around quite a bit, but she's still kicking. Kobalt is a helluva tool for the dollar spent.
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I'd say 99% of my daily used tools are Mac and snap on. but I do have a giant lot of craftsman and crappy HF stuff that Ive bought when I need a tool quick and cheap.
Most of my stuff is hand me down craftsman from my dad or friends when I do need to buy something I buy craftsman or kobalt cuz HF is an hour away and autozone/lowes/homedepot/advanced auto are right around the corner other wise I'd have alot more shitty tools lol
My stuff is pretty varied. I have a lot of Craftsman, but I've been moving away from them. They make their ratchets with plastic gears now. I've got a handful of Snap-On tools in the boxes, would like more but can't afford them. I've been picking up a lot of Kobalt from Lowes lately.
I started my collection with Stanley screw drivers and craftsman wrenches when i was younger. I got a few snap-on ratchets from my dad's work when one of his mechanics left one day and left all his tools there for months. My parents got me metric and sae ratcheting wrenches for Christmas a couple years ago which i love. I then got a kobalt wrench set the next year. and since i live in Baltimore and so many people steal out of our tool sets that I've acquired a ton of random sockets and sets that my managers were just gonna throw away.
harbor freight all the way, i use my stuff really really hard.
all hand tool have a life time take it back in no receipt nothing and they will replace it. the color coding on the pittsburg socket set i have memories, its a lot easier for me to say "hand me a blue and a red" instead of the sizes.
some little hottie at my local HF calls me "gorilla arms" because i twisted 3 extensions up, (The last one i snapped in half and she was making a joke as she grasped my forearms until i saw the huge fucking rock on her finger ) over a 4 hour period trying to bust some bolts loose on my ironhead that were like that for damn near 40 years.
the serious shit like compression testers, tap and die sets and torque wrenches and multimeters are craftsmen kobalt or something trustworthy and reliable.
They're not stolen if the guy that drives the truck sells them off the truck for 70% off. Then I buy them for 60% off. That's more of an inside job. :fu:
I don't know how it works but I like it.
I used to buy a lot of snap on, Mac, matco, tools but they always dicked me around on warranty stuff. Now if I buy anything it's SK. I've had the same ratcheting wrench and socket set for 8 years and not broke a single tool except for my 3/4" ratcheting wrench and they warrantied it no questions asked. I used to buy their screwdrivers too but moved in to Klein. Still have a lot of craftsmen tools but I HATE the ratchets. As far as air tools I have snap on die grinders and impact wrenches and air ratchets but also have Chicago pneumatics that I like and haven't had a problem with. Power tools are all dewalt except for a cordless snap on drill that's a torque monster. Have to be careful not to break drill bits and drivers with that thing
I've got pretty much all Craftsman hand tools because of the no questions warranty. Power tools I like Bosch an Dewalt. When I get some cash together I'll be going with Ingersoll Rand pneumatics.
THE best air impact I have ever owner is IR. I litterally picked one out of a scrap pile, took it apart and oiled it and it blows the pants off every other one I have. Worst one I have is a Kobalt, I can wheeze harder than that thing. My friend bought a HF one and said it sucked big balls.
I have mostly Craftsman, but Dean's post prompted an internet search. I've now learned that Craftsman has transferred some production to China. May be looking for another brand.
Have bought the occasional tool from Autozone/NAPA/Advance because they're much closer than Sears.
The more I deal with craftsman the more I hate them and their products.
I bought the 309 piece mechanics set a few months ago and have already broke 3 of the ratcheting wrenches, 2 sockets, a 3/8 extension, and a few of the allen wrenches have rounded. I also had a ~25' craftsman tape measure that the hook on the end broke off of and when I brought it in to Sears to get a new one all they would give me is a 12' stanley.
Ive been working on eliminating the crapsman and going with all the high end stuff I can find as my budget allows.
Guys. This is professional advice. If you want a set of Allen wrenches that will last you for years of serious use....there is but 1 word.....
Wiha
Get yourself a set of wiha prostars. They're german, magnetic ring on the big end. Ive literally had 4 sets in the past 10 years (cause I lose them) and I've only broken 1.
Just throw the stupid sliding holder away as soon as you get them. So annoying. Toss em in a reg holder.
I like snap on when I feel like paying an arm for something. Just got the 24 piece mm impact set almost $400. Big thing I want is an ingersoll rand ti gun. Those things got balls. I use a composite mac gun and a snap on 3/8 electric impact.I guess snap on makes the best electric imacts guns
I like ATD myself,...KD, Lisle, Otc,....depending on what it is. I pretty much get whatever we have in stock when I need it. I work for a warehouse tool distributor and deal mostly with the mobile jobbers.
SK has always been good to me. Grey Pneumatic impact sockets are great with lifetime warranty. Makita for cordless,...everything.
anything made of metal and no electricity : Harbor Freight. EDIT: including air compressors.
Electrical stuff I prefer dewalt or the new ryobi LI stuff.
Craftsman, Kobalt, Stanley and Snap-On are all in garage... 18v Black & Decker power tools, because there was an outlet store by my old house and I can't kill these things and no air tools, as of yet.
Im soon to be owning more snap on thanks to being approved today for a $7000 credit. I have no idea how i qualified. I only applied for the free t shirt, but im fucking stoked. Im gonna have an over priced mig pretty soon.
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