OTHER than craftsman - who makes good tools?

[lokiju]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Some other good brands:
Cresent
Klein

Klein tools rock!

I :heart: my 10-in-1 from them!

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: zixxer

Originally posted by: lokiju
I've been buying Husky (Home Depot brand) tools lately and haven't regretted it at all, life time warranty like Craftsman and good build quality IMO.

Snap-On is just crazy money, but if you like to spend then go for it.

I have a husky ratchet that is decent. A tooth in it broke though - so sometimes it would 'slip'... very aggravating. Took it back and customer service had no clue about the warranty. I basically left with some "husky rotator" thing that is like 1 step above a toy.

I'm a little leary after that...

Which is where Craftsman tools shine. You could find an old rusty socket wrench in your grandfather's garage, take into your nearest Sears, and they'd give you a brand-new one no questions asked.

 

[Golgatha]

Snap-On - My best friend's dad restores old automobiles for supplemental income during his early retirement. He swears by them and every time I'm in his garage they pretty much look the same as the last time I visited. They do cost $$$ though.

That said, I have three tool boxes and most of the hand tools are Craftsman. I had a phillips head screwdriver loose it's point once and Sears replaced it no questions asked. I have all my original tools and they all still work great and have no rust, etc.

 

[radioouman]

Sales on Craftsmen tools make them very attractive. Warranty is also excellent.

I do have some old Thorsen sockets from my Grandpa's (!) tool collection, and those sockets are indestructible. I don't know if Thorsen is still around.

EDIT: Yes they are still around:
http://www.atlweldingsupply.com/view_category.asp?cat=501

 

[lokiju]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: zixxer

Originally posted by: lokiju
I've been buying Husky (Home Depot brand) tools lately and haven't regretted it at all, life time warranty like Craftsman and good build quality IMO.

Snap-On is just crazy money, but if you like to spend then go for it.

I have a husky ratchet that is decent. A tooth in it broke though - so sometimes it would 'slip'... very aggravating. Took it back and customer service had no clue about the warranty. I basically left with some "husky rotator" thing that is like 1 step above a toy.

I'm a little leary after that...

Which is where Craftsman tools shine. You could find an old rusty socket wrench in your grandfather's garage, take into your nearest Sears, and they'd give you a brand-new one no questions asked.

From my experience this has been the same with Home Depot and their Husky Brand, I've even brought broken Craftsman tools into Home Depot and exchanged them for Husky tools without issue.

 

[BoomerD]

Wright Tools also make some excellent quality industrial quality tools. We've used them for years on construction jobs, and they've held up just as well as any Snap-On or other tools. Not as cheap as Craftsman, but not near the price of Snap-On...
http://www.wrighttool.com/

 

[Glavinsolo]

Snap-on ++

 

[Rubycon]

Blackhawk, Diamond, Proto, Nicholson are some of the industrial/pro brands that were never mentioned.

Actually I believe Nicholson is a member of the Cooper Tool Group (Xcelite/Weller/Crescent/Lufkin etc.)

 

[DurocShark]

Originally posted by: nutxo

Originally posted by: zixxer
I really don't want to go into the quality of craftsman ratchets/wrenches -

who makes good stuff other than them? I have a snap-on ratchet, but it doesn't feel like it has very many 'clicks' per revolution...

what about mac? matco?

Snap on and matco are nice but at a price. I think for anyone not a professional mechanic anything higher end than craftsman is just pretentious.

The first time you bust your knuckles because a Craftsman socket cracked under torque, you'll realize there's nothing pretentious about it.

If you're buying Craftsman, might as well buy Stanley's Professional line sold at WalMart. Not bad tools, about equal to Craftsman, but cheaper.

I love my Matco sockets though. I wish I could afford a full Matco set.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Originally posted by: MS Dawn
Blackhawk, Diamond, Proto, Nicholson are some of the industrial/pro brands that were never mentioned.

Actually I believe Nicholson is a member of the Cooper Tool Group (Xcelite/Weller/Crescent/Lufkin etc.)

You never sease to amaze me with your knowledge of guy stuff:thumbsup:

You must have grown up with a bunch of brothers

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: DurocShark

Originally posted by: nutxo

Originally posted by: zixxer
I really don't want to go into the quality of craftsman ratchets/wrenches -

who makes good stuff other than them? I have a snap-on ratchet, but it doesn't feel like it has very many 'clicks' per revolution...

what about mac? matco?

Snap on and matco are nice but at a price. I think for anyone not a professional mechanic anything higher end than craftsman is just pretentious.

The first time you bust your knuckles because a Craftsman socket cracked under torque, you'll realize there's nothing pretentious about it.

If you're buying Craftsman, might as well buy Stanley's Professional line sold at WalMart. Not bad tools, about equal to Craftsman, but cheaper.

I love my Matco sockets though. I wish I could afford a full Matco set.

You realize that Stanley makes Mac Tools, right?

 

[Rubycon]

I've seen wrenches with the name EASCO on them. Not sure if they made them for Craftsman at one time but they are quite strong.

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: Specop 007
I'm going to break the mold here.

I think Snap on is a bit of a waste really. I use Stanley/Craftsmen myself. The Chinese sh1t (And for the most part, it is sh1t) works just as well under light duty applications. Get out the 6 foot breaker bar and the Chinese stuff starts to break but for light duty stuff I see nothing wrong with budget gear.

Don't even need a 6' breaker bar. I recently twisted off a 3/8" extension trying to break loose a brake caliper - only had about a 1' cheater on it. Cracked a 12mm socket taking off a skid plate - wasn't even pulling that hard. These were both from cheap chinese sets I bought when I was in college and couldn't afford the good stuff.

Went out the next day and bought a nice craftsman set - 250 or so pieces. And it was a joy to have good tools and everything right there in one box when I recently did a big axle overhaul on my land cruiser.

And even in higher stress/higher p[erformance apps, I still contend Craftsmen/Stanley will perform for all practical purposes as well as the higher end stuff.

The only time I might vary on this is measurement tools such as a torque wrench.

 

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: Armitage

Originally posted by: Specop 007
I'm going to break the mold here.

I think Snap on is a bit of a waste really. I use Stanley/Craftsmen myself. The Chinese sh1t (And for the most part, it is sh1t) works just as well under light duty applications. Get out the 6 foot breaker bar and the Chinese stuff starts to break but for light duty stuff I see nothing wrong with budget gear.

Don't even need a 6' breaker bar. I recently twisted off a 3/8" extension trying to break loose a brake caliper - only had about a 1' cheater on it. Cracked a 12mm socket taking off a skid plate - wasn't even pulling that hard. These were both from cheap chinese sets I bought when I was in college and couldn't afford the good stuff.

Went out the next day and bought a nice craftsman set - 250 or so pieces. And it was a joy to have good tools and everything right there in one box when I recently did a big axle overhaul on my land cruiser.

And even in higher stress/higher p[erformance apps, I still contend Craftsmen/Stanley will perform for all practical purposes as well as the higher end stuff.

The only time I might vary on this is measurement tools such as a torque wrench.

There's a HUGE difference between the chinese junk and craftsman. There's a 'difference' between craftsman and snap-on/*

 

[Demon-Xanth]

If you want to see some crap tools, I can show you my $5 at Autozone socket set made by Great Neck. You can actually see the teeth in the ratchet.

 

[foghorn67]

Originally posted by: zixxer

Originally posted by: Armitage

Originally posted by: Specop 007
I'm going to break the mold here.

I think Snap on is a bit of a waste really. I use Stanley/Craftsmen myself. The Chinese sh1t (And for the most part, it is sh1t) works just as well under light duty applications. Get out the 6 foot breaker bar and the Chinese stuff starts to break but for light duty stuff I see nothing wrong with budget gear.

Don't even need a 6' breaker bar. I recently twisted off a 3/8" extension trying to break loose a brake caliper - only had about a 1' cheater on it. Cracked a 12mm socket taking off a skid plate - wasn't even pulling that hard. These were both from cheap chinese sets I bought when I was in college and couldn't afford the good stuff.

Went out the next day and bought a nice craftsman set - 250 or so pieces. And it was a joy to have good tools and everything right there in one box when I recently did a big axle overhaul on my land cruiser.

And even in higher stress/higher p[erformance apps, I still contend Craftsmen/Stanley will perform for all practical purposes as well as the higher end stuff.

The only time I might vary on this is measurement tools such as a torque wrench.

There's a HUGE difference between the chinese junk and craftsman. There's a 'difference' between craftsman and snap-on/*

Some Stanley's are made in China....I think.

To be fair on torque wrenches, I have broken a 1/2" drive TW from Craftsmen, Matco, and Snap-on.
My set consists of Craftsmen wrenches and screwdrivers (Pro line black handled) and Channel Lock pliers. Klein screwdrivers and strippers when working with electronics.

 

[Pacemaker]

According to an employee of my father (who owns an auto shop), "If I buy craftsman I will replace it at least once a month. However, I have never had a snap on break on me."

Does craftsman still have the lifetime warranty or not? If not snap on does have one (at least for hand tools).

Even so for most people craftsman is the better buy.

 

[Specop 007]

Originally posted by: zixxer

Originally posted by: Armitage

Originally posted by: Specop 007
I'm going to break the mold here.

I think Snap on is a bit of a waste really. I use Stanley/Craftsmen myself. The Chinese sh1t (And for the most part, it is sh1t) works just as well under light duty applications. Get out the 6 foot breaker bar and the Chinese stuff starts to break but for light duty stuff I see nothing wrong with budget gear.

Don't even need a 6' breaker bar. I recently twisted off a 3/8" extension trying to break loose a brake caliper - only had about a 1' cheater on it. Cracked a 12mm socket taking off a skid plate - wasn't even pulling that hard. These were both from cheap chinese sets I bought when I was in college and couldn't afford the good stuff.

Went out the next day and bought a nice craftsman set - 250 or so pieces. And it was a joy to have good tools and everything right there in one box when I recently did a big axle overhaul on my land cruiser.

And even in higher stress/higher p[erformance apps, I still contend Craftsmen/Stanley will perform for all practical purposes as well as the higher end stuff.

The only time I might vary on this is measurement tools such as a torque wrench.

There's a HUGE difference between the chinese junk and craftsman. There's a 'difference' between craftsman and snap-on/*

Like I said, for light duty stuff the Chinese stuff will get the job done. I dont like it, but it does work. Lean on it though and it WILL fail.
I prefer to Craftsman if I have a choice.