joannebrooks

Hello internet! This summer I will be presence a program at a local college for doing auto repairs. I don't know what set of tools I should be look at though. Now none of this is final but I want to start getting to right mind set towards the right brands. Best warranties, longest lasting, and easiest to return. The only thing I know is Craftsman is the same thing with a different name. Anything would help! Thanks

BrutalGTA

iTrader: (2)

Check Homedepot, Lowes, Harbor freight for sales.
The thing about craftsman is alot of their tools are made in china now. Once proudly stamped made in the usa means little to nothing to them as their a$$ is on the verge of chapter12. Harbor Freights Hand tools are foreign madebut decent and have lifetime warranty.(unsure of replacement policy.)

Just remember that when buying tools, its an investment as a tool so dont skimp out on cheap quality!

Night rider327

iTrader: (13)

Craftsman is NOT what they use to be. Once a great tool, now just mostly another china made tool with a high price tag.

For budget USA tools I would say SK brand.

For good imported tools. Harbor freight is hard to beat for the money. Next would be Kobalt from lowes and Husky from home depot.

I have a mix of all brands (craftsman older and newer, SK, snap on, mac, harbor freight, kobalt, husky) and have to say for cheap tools I like the harbor freight hand tools and some air tools.

In fact just a couple mo. ago I bought a few different sets of harbor freight ratcheting wrenches and love them. They are used by me daily to strip third gens with.

Now for a full time shop auto tech, snap on would be the best but man they are high dollar and IMHO something you should work up too. You can get started with cheaper tools then after you start making good money buy the snap on stuff.

Ron U.S.M.C.

I collect hand tools and I will also say Harbor Freight.
There hand tools are very durable and have a lifetime replacement policy.
I do not think you will need it.
There's not much you cant find there.

If you have one near you go take a look.
Sign up for there flyer and get 20% off.

Link = http://www.harborfreight.com/

PurelyPMD

iTrader: (3)

My Father was not very mechanical and usually (even when I was young) deferred to me when something needed to be fixed. That being said, he did teach me the most valuable lesson you could ever learn when buying tools. "If you buy it right, you buy it once!"

For tools you will use often & regularly, buy the absolute best one you can afford. Tools become extensions of your hands and an off balanced tool or poorly made one will leave you feeling awkward and unsafe. For items used less often, you can usually get away with something less expensive.

Outside of Mac, Snap-On, Matco, SK and other professional lines, I believe the Kobalt tool line is made in the same plants as the Craftsman ones so if you like their feel, get those.

If you are looking for the best deal and the best tools, shop your local pawn shop for the professional lines - supply is hit or miss but you cannot beat the prices. If you leave your number with the owner, you will likely get the first call when something good comes in.

shayapaula

iTrader: (1)

like what everyone else says harbor freight has some great stuff, I have a set of their impact sockets and beat on them everyday. They do have some junk stuff though just go to the web sight and look at reviews people put down. When i was starting out i went to flea markets and grabed old craftsman sockets and found some other great deals on things as well. Tooll truck brands are great as well but they are pretty pricey

2012sergen11

iTrader: (1)

Another vote for Harbor Freight brand for the hand tools, some other stuff is made a little too cheap but I have had great luck with the basic tools working on my cars and at a fraction the cost of Craftsman

thtanner

iTrader: (1)

I've stripped too many Harbor Freight sockets and wrenches to suggest them. They are fine for one-off tools, but I wouldn't build a kit full of HF hand-tools personally.

I've had much better luck with both Lowe's Kobalt brand and Home Depot's Husky brand, personally. I don't think I've ever had either one of their sockets strip on me.

I'm sure YMMV

BovineZro

iTrader: (11)

Harbor Freight is my usual go-to if I need something specific quickly. I have broken one of their wrenches, but to be fair I was using a cheater bar. Not much else to say, their prices are great and the quality is average in my experience. They do have an amazing number of coupons available, so keep an eye out.

I agree with PurelyPMD about pawn shops. If you're not in a rush you can find some great deals. I have one pawn shop nearby and make it a point to visit every weekend, they know what I'm interested in and actually hold stuff for me now. Look everything over carefully before you buy it, since most pawn shops don't take returns past 24 hours or so. Probably fine for basic hand tools, but I would be careful with more expensive stuff, especially precision tools.

Something I haven't seen mentioned is Amazon. I know there are probably mixed feelings about shopping for tools online but it can be convenient. Plus, you can see actual honest reviews from the people using the tools and you can ask people questions about specific items. The one time I did have an issue with a low-quality purchase Amazon sent me a prepaid return shipping label and refunded the full purchase cost no questions asked. I know that's not really a brand recommendation, but I thought it might be helpful.

As others have mentioned, it really depends on what you're using the tools for. If it's going to be something you use every day, I would spend a little extra for a quality brand. If it's going to be something that gets used infrequently you can get away with something cheaper.

Good luck!

Amillionoh7

iTrader: (1)

I have a mismatch of all different brand tools. everything I have is matco mac and snap on and some harbor freight stuff. the nice part of buying off a tool truck is you have someone there once a week to swap out your broken stuff.

a lot of the stuff I don't use very often is HF. like crows feet, lady finger, ect

tartagliaz28

iTrader: (8)

You also have Cornwell tools, made in usa. Don't forget lisle tools also usa made.

NowhereFast

I could sit here and list my current tool box setup that hasn't failed me yet, but all you need to know is this: Buy Snap on if you're gonna use it often. I'm not a Snap-On nutswinger like some guys, but the select few purchases I've got from them I use multiple times every single day. They haven't failed, nor do I expect them too. For everything else, go with a quality budget brand. Lots of stuff you can find on Amazon.

mk1431

Another vote for Harbor Freight

jharrison5

My dad started me off with a simple set of craftsman when I was around 14 and I have always stuck with them over the years, but 99% of my craftsman is usa and not china. I also have a bunch of snap on, matco, cornwell, sk, kobalt, and husky mixed in. I also hit up auctions, pawn shops, garage sales, and Craigslist.

All of my good tools are in my garage in the big tool box and everything in my pickup truck is from harbor freight. I lost a snap on ratchet in the junk yard once and vowed never to make that mistake again so the cheap HF stuff is the only tools that leave my property. That being said HF makes some great stuff at a really affordable price. Also they stand behind their tools and I have never had an issue with replacement when I've broken them. I stood on a 1/2" drive HF cheater bar to get a bolt off once and it didn't break and I weigh in at a little over 250lbs.

Like the others have said, start off with the lower cost stuff that you can afford and build up to the more pricey over time. My neighbors and co-workers can't believe the amount of tools I have, but don't take into account that I have been building my set for 24 years. I started off with a tool box the size of a lunch box and now have two 52" wide by 60" tall chests loaded to the max with my horde lol!

Night rider327

iTrader: (13)

That is the truth right there. It takes time to build up a good tool set.

I remember working on one of my 1st cars at around 13 or so. I was putting in an autometer 200 mph speedo, into a factory gauge cluster. I needed to cut the plastic out of the cluster housing. I had NOTHING to do it with. I used a pocket knife and wire cutters.

At 15 I got one of those walmart top/bottom 7 drawer roll around tool chest and some tools for Christmas.

Now 20 years later I have a husky 44" 13 drawer bottom, HF 44" 8 drawer top, and Husky 52" 18 drawer boxes all filled with tools, plus air compressor, air tools, mig welder, cutting torch, power tools, cordless tools, etc.

It takes time. Buy basic stuff to get started and add to it as you need X tool

sheikss

Sunnex

L0tuS

iTrader: (3)

GEARWRENCH!!!! go to advance auto and buy there sets.every tool truck sells and and gear wrench actually makes a lot of tools for snap on and matco

L0tuS

iTrader: (3)

also try to stay away from snap on they have a few things others might not but there just an overpriced name there crap breaks just as fast as any one else

articwhiteZ

iTrader: (56)

diddo...

back in 1992 you could go to sears and drop $450 and get a full set of good tools.. as set. to buy from them at the same time all the tools would sell for $1000. they do sell the sets like that today but only catalog sales/online.
and the gave full cash back/credit for the tools you did not need in the kits..
go to Harbor Freight. and start your tool set.. buy only what you need.

the best deal on roll ways (big tool box ) is Home depo .check this one out!
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-52-...1QES/204825971

this set of boxes on the left is for sale all 4 $250. bottom is full roller.as I'm upgrading to the above box

89iroc89

I still stick with Craftsman because no matter how I break it, I walk into Sears and get a new one instantly no questions asked. I've tried to get a new harbor freight tool warrantied and they gave me the run around..

Truth is, I really only use Snap-On now days. If I am in the middle of a project and a wrench breaks, that's 2 hours out of my day to go get a new one and replace it. You get what you pay for.

I also have doubles of most tools for that same reason.

92RS_Ttop

iTrader: (3)

The common tools I use all the time are all Craftsman, and I've had them long enough that they were all made in the USA. I've never had a problem walking into the nearest Sears to get a replacement, even when I told them I had abused it. Only ever had to replace a 3/8 ratchet for stripped gears, and a 14mm socket I cracked using a breaker bar with a cheater pipe.

Stuff that is likely to be used only once or twice I get at Harbor Freight. I can say their snap ring pliers suck, though for $2 on sale I guess I can't really complain too much.

I bought a set of Lisle torx bit sockets once and wasn't happy with them. Most of them stripped after a few uses.

Garage sales are great places to find good tools for cheap. In fact, I bought my 110v Craftsman MIG welder at one for $125. Price included the welder, helmet, gloves, 4 spools of wire, a dozen extra tips, and a full gas bottle. Estate sales are another good place and though the tools are usually older, that isn't necessarily a bad thing with the way tools are made anymore.

jmd

iTrader: (4)

It depends on the tool.

There are some tools you want to be comfortable in your hand. Or some wrench box / open ends are just plain obviously better than others. Don't be afraid to buy the right tool. A ratchet you use all the time might as well be "the best" and not "the best deal."

On stuff that will just get the job done at a weird time or a less-common job, you should more often consider "what works, is available now, and at a good price point." And if they fail or turn out to be something you use often, get a better version next time.

I have SK sockets, Facom pliers, Snap-On ratchets and some wrenches, Lisle specialty tools, Harbor Freight various, Ko-Ken sockets & handle drivers, Proto ball-end drivers and crowsfeet, Kobalt various, OTC pullers and others. Again, it just depends on the brand. Craftsman raised panel wrenches are terrible in the hand and the newer overseas-made versions are softer, have bigger open-ends and aren't the quality of the ones from the 1990s. So sometimes, looking around online for opinions on the specific tool you need is worthwhile.