I work for the worlds largest Pawn chain, so you can guess where I get mine. Snap on, Craftsman, Mac, etc. If they are missing a socket of two, I just pick them up on ebay.

 

Craftsman tools in a Craftsman chest for the most part, with a few specialty items from Snap-On, Klein and others.

 

Craftsman Here Too!

I'm not going to suggest they are the very best, but their very good and at a much better price than Snap On or Matco, not to mention in most cases probably more convenient to buy and when necessary, to exchange.

I'm using some Craftsman tools that are over 50 years old and still work as good as if they were new. On the few occassions I've had to replace something it was usually because I abused it and still there has never been a problem, just give them the old tool and pick up a new one.

With a warranty like that, it seems silly to pay more for a name.

 

Been using Craftsman ever since I've been working on cars

With three stores in a five mile radius that sell thier tools, finding what I need is not a problem. Plus I like thier exchange policy

Stay away from thier power tools though

 

I'm not a professional mechanic but I've used Craftsman since I started working on cars almost 50 years ago. Of course the craftsman tools that I bought back then were all made in America; most of their stuff is now imported from China, (which raises the question, if the quality of Chinese imports is such crap why are we so concerned about their nuclear delivery capability?) but it still carries the lifetime warranty. Also, you can buy Craftsman tools at KMart, although their selection isn't as extensive as Sears.

 

Mostly Craftsman.

My favorite tool? A great impact wrench from MAC Tools. That thing rocks.

 

Craftsman too. I just picked up a new 260 piece set and the tools seem pretty good to me. The lifetime warranty is also great. My brother has the 3/8 and 1/2in. Snap on torque wrench and they are both really nice pieces.

 

Harbor Freight for one time jobs
Craftsman for the long run.

 

I've never had a problem with Craftman's life time guarantee. The few I've managed to break through my own misuse have always been replaced with no questions asked.

 

Montgomery Wards of course....Powercraft have a lifetime warranty.

Well at least they haven't broken yet. Most of mine are Craftsman, SK, and a few others.

 

craftsman for me I have alot of snap-on but it's too hard to get warrenty out of them , stick with sears! Ron, retired mechanic.

 

Precision Instruments make torque wrenches for all the tool companies (including Snap-on. The split beam wrench is identical to the one every truck sells. The digital one come from PI or KD) You can get the same quality wrench by shopping all the tool companies or a "where to buy" inquiry with Precision Instruments.

 

Just in case you'd like to know folks.
Sears is having a sale on their Craftsman tools.
See store for details.
Picked up 5 items today and saved about $30.00 total.

 

My tools are mostly Snap-On and Mac from when I worked at an auto shop and an RV center. My first job out of college was at JC Penney and their tools were excellent. I still a set of Penney wrenches, ratchets and sockets and have never had a problem with any.

Sears has a professional line of Craftsman tools and they're also excellent. I like them much better than the standard Craftsman line. When they have a big sale is the time to buy.

 

Because it's one of those tools that only has to work once.

 

I am pretty much with the others here.
As a line mechanic 40 yrs ago, I bought a fair amount of Snap-on from the guy in the truck. Lot of good tools but nowadays you can't find them when you need a replacement (lifetime warranty).
The bulk of my tools now are the better Sears/Craftsman line. You need to look closely as the "low end" Craftsman stuff is made in China AND they don't guarrantee them. Look at the fine print on the "Special Buy" stuff.
I did go there two weeks ago with a stripped out 1/4" ratchet (10yrs old). Got a free replacement but it was the cheap version. Don't know if it will last 10yrs and whether they will replace that one.

I also have added some Kobalt from Lowe's.

But I will not buy Chinese pliers of any shape.

Harbor Freight is good for supplies - bead blasting, etc. Some of their bigger pieces aren't bad for the price. Got a usable bench press (12 ton) on sale for $129.99.
Picked up a set of 1500 lb car dollies for only $49.99 for 2, regular price was $89.99.

Bottom line - check the quality and check the feel in your hand.

Bman

 

That goes for most tools. If you don't abuse them they will pretty much last.

Craftsman makes sense if you think you'll need the warranty. The nice thing is you can get a whole set and availability. I'm personally not a huge fan of their Iconic raised panel wrenches. The open end wrench part is too thick for my tastes. But now they've got the highly polished stuff that is a little thinner.

I've personally got a mish-mash of different brands. Some of the Pro-Mate tools made in Korea that I bought when I was a kid working on lawn mowers and motorcycles, was all I could afford back then. But funny thing is, they've lasted me 28 years and still look great! Import tools can hold up really well if you get the higher quality import tools. But that's hard to zero in on consistantly.

One option I haven't heard anyone talk about is SK Tools. They are made in the USA and have a wide range of tools. I have a pretty large set of SK SuperKrome wrenches and some other SK stuff. They have the look and feel of the old style Snap-on and Macs w/o the price. They will be more expensive than Craftsman, but the quality is great. Great chroming. You hold one in your hand it feels like it just 'fits'. I bet I've had my set of their wrenches for about 20 years and put them through a lot of a lot of automotive projects. I have not had to replace even one of them and the chrome still looks outstanding to this day - no chips at all. I highly recommend SK tools. You can get them online at http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/

Another brand I haven't heard anyone talk about is Stanley tools. They are another cost-effective option. Stanley owns Proto and Mac. Their pro line wrenches look to me to be almost identical to the Mac wrenches. Their older tools from a few years ago were made in Taiwan were great quality from my experience. Now that they've move production over to China it seems that the Chroming has fallen off a tad. Still a great deal and you can get them at Walmart and ebay is another option. Probably the best deal for quality tools. But if you want USA made, SK or Craftswoman would be my recommendation.

If you don't have a lot of money, I'd suggest the Harbor Freight 301 PC piece set for $179. Harbor Freight has the 'cheap' stuff, then they also have their "Professional" line of tools. Either way they are still import, but it's the better line of imports. Not all import tools are crappy. The Harbor Freight stuff I have, mostly made in Taiwan stuff, has never let me down and chroming has heald up. The H/F screwdrivers seem to work great as well. This set is something you would build off of because it seems light on wrenches. Good luck. Buying tools if fun.

Mark G

 

All Snap on for my boxes. Craftsman tools are good but not for everyday use,

 

I have the full spectrum in my tool boxes. Everything from Snap-on and MAC, S-K, Craftsman and a few Harbor Freight "beauties". Depends on the amount of use. Now for working on classic American cars you are going to need high quality wrenches in the 9/16, 1/2, 5/8, 7/16 maybe a couple more. So those are the ones that I don't cut back on. I find the Mac Knuckle Savers to be really outstanding wrenches. Snap-on's are also excellent. Torque wrench is a Snap-on, impacts are some Snap-on, Ingersoll, Craftsman, etc. Bench top drill press (used maybe twice a year) is HF, parts tumbler HF, gloves HF, you get the picture.

 

Ok this is not an advertisement for Harbor Freight, and I don't work for them in any way shape or form, but get this, between my brother, a buddy of mine and myself, we have about every HF air tool they have put out for the last 15-20 years, but mostly their "Professional" level air tools. We use them quite a lot and have done a lot of bodywork, etc. I can honestly say that I and my brother have never had one HF air tool die prematurely or act wierd. My brother had a DA bearing go out, but then he blew out my Chicago Pneumatic bearing in a day by pressing too hard on the pad, so that doesn't count to me. Neither does backing over my in-line air sander ...but it still works. I've also got an Astro bench drill press that I've had for 20 years (same as HF) that I use all the time and works great. I never bought the $19 air impact, that's just asking for trouble. So, a good mix of good quality tools and some import stuff for the 'right' projects isn't necessarily a bad idea. Harbor Freight just seems to have a higher standard IMO when it comes to import tools.

Mark G