What i like about Craftsman is that they have a lifetime waranty so if you break them just take them back.

 

Craftsman--Great tools. Right Price. Lifetime replacement guarantee.

I have a couple of Proto things and a couple of Snap-On, but Craftsman is what I buy.

I worry about the Craftsman brand now that Kmart is part of the Sears mix, though.

 

I make my living as a aircraft mechanic at a heavy maintenance base.I use Snap On nearly for everything,maybe a Craftsman tool here and there in my box.The difference to me seems to be in either the quality of steel or the heat treatment maybe? but in a tight area where a Craftsman tool will flex and not break loose a nut or bolt,the Snap On wont flex and you get the job done.With the amount of mechanics we have working you see quite a few different tools,and rarely do you see a Snap On owner having to go try and borrow a tool from someone to finish because his broke,unlike Harbor Freight.As some has already pointed out Snap On is expensive,but ebay,pawn shops,paying in cash and watching the paper for retiring mechanics selling tools is always the smart way to get them.Theres three tool box stickers in my hangar "I make my living with Snap On,please dont ask to borrow them" "I make my living with Craftsman and they ain't worth borrowing" and " I try and make a living with Harbor Freight and they ain't worth stealing"

 

Craftsman & Proto, both a good value, both easy to replace

 

I like the quotes about the different brands.

I read a couple times in this thread that Snap-On tools have a better fit to a bolt and have to question how this is true because half of the error will come from the bolt. Since it's a random and not systematic error (i.e. error from one can be compensated by the other instead of the errors compounding) how does one socket fit better than another consistently?

This is not a rhetorical question. I really am curious.

Thanks!

 

My theory is that the Snap-On wrench is exactly the right size while the Craftsman may be off a few thousandths. Maybe the quality control is better, maybe they don't use their dies as long. I have had several instances where the Snap-On took off a bolt after a Craftsman wouldn't. If I was on an extreme budget I would get Craftsman stuff but get a Snap-On 1/2, 9/16, and 5/8 combo wrenches and 6-point 3/8 sockets. Those would be your heavy users and most likely to have issues.

I might also add the the Snap-On rachets have more teeth so that in a tight spot you can get to the next tooth with less slop. I have had a time when I couldn't get a click with my Craftsman but the Snap-On could get on and finally get a bolt off. Also Snap-On line wrenches are much beefier than Craftsman. Not nearly as likely to round off the nut.

 

Craftsman is what we use here at work mainly because of the warranty.I've got guys that can f**k up an anvil with a feather. Never had a problem exchanging them as long as you do not tell them they are being used in a commercial shop.Snap-on is a bit pricey and seem to develop legs and walk away.

 

My primary tools are Craftsman and MAC. There is a definite difference in higher priced tools such as Snap-On and Mac, etc. As many have noted the tolerances seem to be better allowing the tools to grip better. I also echo the fact that the high-end tools don't spread or flex as much. For the price you really can't beat Craftsman. Until recently I was going to switch to Kobalt or Husky just because Sears stores are hard to come by in this area. Now that Sears is concentrating on expanding individual store fronts I think I'll stick with them.

 

where can you buy proto tools? What stores sell them?

 

I think Proto is the name for Stanley's mechanics tools? not sure but I heard that somewhere.Protos are okay quality,I have a 3/8 ratchet of theirs I found in the dump,thrown away possibly because in my area its nearly impossible to get a warranty replacement.I kept it for 3 years before I found a Graingers that would exchange it.The gears in it seem a little rough,it was hard to change from taking off to on,but it was worth what I had in it

 

Proto can be had at most good Industrial Supply Co's or on line through WW Grainger. WWG will most likely be higher priced than your local distributor. WWG also has stores in most major cities if you are in or near one.

If your company buys from them you can try to get the Co discount.

Proto is now owned/made by Stanley. They were originally a family owned Co. and have survived a series of consolidations and sell offs. At one time they were owned by Ingersol Rand.

Craftsman tools are made for Sears by the lowest bidder. The warrantee is a marketing play as statistically the returns are low enough and their margins high enough that they do not impact profitability. It's not necessarily that the tool is better it's tht most folks will never used them to the point of breakage, and if they do statistically they don't reurn them on warranty. I also believe that thsoe that are returned are debited to the manufacturer.

Snap-on makes great tools as well. They just are very high priced from the trucks. That is due to the truck owner having to carry the credit of the buyer, and the price that he pays from the Co.

OOOps got long winded. In short if you want good tools by Snap-On, Proto or Armstrong, Medium grade Craftsman, Stanley, Cheap not used very often, the import stuff from harbor etc.....

Just my $.02 (again)

 

Craftsman is what I use, not real expense and if it breaks just walk in and they give you a new one on the spot, no questions asked. Can't beat that.

 

The one drawback to my Snap-On socket wrench *which i have yet to break*, it's rounded handle is hard to manage when I get covered in grease and oil. But I put up with it after having broken so many Husky and Craftsman socket wrenches!

 

Well, it sounds like hand tools are pretty well covered. Power tools should be DeWalt(good), Makita(better), or Milwaukee(best). Air tools should be either Ingersoll-Rand or Chicago Pheumatics. Paasche makes good spray guns.

 

Craftsman tools were made by Danaher (makes Matco) for about 20 or 30 years - within the lsat couple yrs they switched the contract to Stanley (makes Mac, Proto). While Craftsman is just a private label 'brand' they have for decades had tools built to spec. E.g. you cannot visually tell a difference between a Danaher/Craftsman or a Stanley/Craftman socket. E.g. you cannot simply take your existing standard tools and simply restamp them Craftsman.

A counter-example would be say the old Wards PowRKraft - they were brand X tools (often very good stuff incl hot-forged) that were simply restamped "PowR-Kraft" - you could easily tell who made them because they were otherwise visually identical to the maker's own tool lines.

AFAIK the Craftsman mech hand tools are all still made in USA but some Craftsman stuff (power tools?) are starting to be made overseas.

Anybody know anything about the Duralast lifetime tools from autozone? I'm thinking they are imports - anybody know offhand?

 

If I could afford them, Snap-on, then Mac, or Matco. Why? Yes they some are thin, but stronger than Craftsman, and sometimes a thick-walled socket won't fit where ya need it to.
I used to buy Husky back in the 70's, and I still have some socket and a 3/8" ratchet that I've had a 3 ft breaker bar on, used as a hammer and dropped in a bilge full of water. But the stuff they're making now is junk. I've broken plenty of craftsman stuff, but I guess it's back to them unless Kobalt is decent.

 

Toolking

 

I have a cheap set of foreign wrenches and sockets... When a nice socket fits the bolt real sloppy, reach for the cheap junkers... pound on the socket! For half sizes, the loose cheapies work well... like emmissions control equipment that has rusted away.

Just remember, you dont care about those cheapies! They are one use items...

 

Actually a variety of brands offer a bariety of 'degrees' in ratchets. Typically they might range from about 30 to 40 clicks or teeth per rev. There is often a tradeoff however. A finer resolution makes for a shorter swing between moves when in a particularly tight conditions but a courser resolution allows for a larger tooth profile and perhaps a stronger gear.

My opinion is that a finer resolution is perhaps important w/ a so-called 'stubby' ratchet but w/ regular length run of the mill ratches probably not all that serious of a consideration. I've got a mint Thorsen USA 1/2" drive w/ a clackety course movement but I'm convinced it's darn near bulletproof too. However I dont' think it's a good choice for tight quarters. Not so much because of it's courser 10 degree movement but the length of the handle.

 

I have never broken a Snap-On rachet. I have broken several from Craftsman. Yes, you can take them back but that is small comfort in the middle of a job in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere-in the snow. I'll take the chance on Snap-On being 'weaker" with more teeth, but I think the closer tolerances and materials will more than make up for it.