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hand tools

We used 2 brands of tools in my dad's sole proprietor machine shop for 30 years: Craftsman and Snap On. Back in the early 90s he tried some Mac tools because of the convenience, but didn't like the quality vs price on them. We he sold the business and retired 9 years ago, he kept most all the hand tools - his small shop at his home is enviable. Virtually no tool he doesn't have.

We found Craftsman to be a solid tool and a reasonable price, but the Cadillac is Snap On. We always had some Snap On sets for items that were prone to fail if they were Craftsman - not necessarily the tool itself, but fail for the job. For instance, Snap On wrenches contact the "flat" on the nut, not the corner like virtually every tool on the market. What this means is when the nut is stubborn/rusted badly, applying the torque to remove it may cause the corners of the nut to round BEFORE the nut moves. The Snap On tool is relieved at the corners of the box/socket wrench and much more torque can be applied before damaging the nut. Same for the Phillips head and flat blade screwdrivers.

You get what you pay for, but Craftsman is a great compromise.
 
I've busted a couple of craftsman sockets, but nothing out of the ordinary.... but in my opinion their rachets absolutely suck... very loose and coarse rachet mechanisms. I feel like I'm going to bust a knuckle everytime I use the 3/8 craftsman rachet. I ended up getting a <$20 husky pearhead rachet that has a much more comfortable handle and a fine solid rachet mechanism.
 
Pete always laughs at my socket and ratchet set that I bought at Montgomery Wards (remember them?) circa 1975; it was my first set of tools. 1/2" drive, sockets 7/16 - 15/16". Never busted a one of 'em!
 
&quot;Midlife&quot; said:
Pete always laughs at my socket and ratchet set that I bought at Montgomery Wards (remember them?) circa 1975; it was my first set of tools. 1/2" drive, sockets 7/16 - 15/16". Never busted a one of 'em!
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we still have a Monkey Ward arc welder, circa 1970s...
 
I have recently bought a set of wrenches & a couple of larger, deep well sockets from Northern tool. They have limited lifetime warranty. So far I am happy with them.
 
Lately I've gotten in the habit of stopping in the local pawn shop on the way home from work. The other day I scored a small craftsman tool box filled with wrenches and sockets for $40. Everything was dumped into the box and covered in dirt and oil.

Once I cleaned up, and sorted everything, I ened up with two full sets of sockets and wrenches in 3/8 and 1/2 metric and Sae. There was even a set of those socket sorters.

Point is - check your local pawn shop. I been using Craftsman for years, and I also have some older Snap-on sockets from Ebay.
 
Craftsman socket sets are made in NC - I was in the factory late last year and saw lots of them.
 
&quot;70_Fastback&quot; said:
I have recently bought a set of wrenches & a couple of larger, deep well sockets from Northern tool. They have limited lifetime warranty. So far I am happy with them.
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Yup...limited to the lifetime of the tool.
 
I have mostly snap-on stuff, really enjoy using them and it seems to make me more meticulous when using them on a car. Not sure why, but they do. I bought quite a bit of the tools used, which usually average around 35% of new list price. If you can find a local snap-on dealer that is an independent, they can usually offer a little discount after you patronize them a little while. You'll need them for tool replacement now and then, so it works both ways. Try to avoid the franchise snap-on dealers as they have no room to discount from list price. Or, at least that's what I have been told...
 
I have a need for very small sized wrenches (~1/8 - 7/16"), so I looked at the Snap-On catalog. Each are about $25 or so...not so bad. A 11 piece set goes for $550. WTF is up with that? $500 for a few wrenches is a bit beyond my comfort range.
 
&quot;Midlife&quot; said:
I have a need for very small sized wrenches (~1/8 - 7/16"), so I looked at the Snap-On catalog. Each are about $25 or so...not so bad. A 11 piece set goes for $550. WTF is up with that? $500 for a few wrenches is a bit beyond my comfort range.
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Get the p/n from the snap-on website and plug it into the search box on ebay. Probably buy the set for $150 there.
 
I used to work for Sears about 15 years ago. So almost all my tools are craftsman. Including power tools. I don't buy as much from them lately. I do think they are going downhill.
 
I've been buying alot of tools from Harbor Freight latley. Quality seems to be there and thier rachets don't seem to be as sloppy as the craftsmen.
 
&quot;KTJMcG&quot; said:
I've been buying alot of tools from Harbor Freight latley. Quality seems to be there and thier rachets don't seem to be as sloppy as the craftsmen.
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A friend of mine showed me the difference between Taiwan made tools and Chinese made tools. Very quickly could see that the Taiwan tools are much better quality over Chinese. If you're good with buying tools from HF or Northern tool, try not to buy the Chinese stuff. I call these throw-away tools. Use once, they break or something happens to them and toss them in the trash.
 
&quot;caspian65&quot; said:
A friend of mine showed me the difference between Taiwan made tools and Chinese made tools. Very quickly could see that the Taiwan tools are much better quality over Chinese. If you're good with buying tools from HF or Northern tool, try not to buy the Chinese stuff. I call these throw-away tools. Use once, they break or something happens to them and toss them in the trash.
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i keep a handful of the harbor freight wrenches picked up out of their sale bins for "special" purposes. if i need more offset than one of my good wrenches provides, i pull one out, cut, bend & reweld to suit. i've got some real unique creations!

if i can ever remember to take my camera, theres a "charles turner blvd" near me with a big sign. i'll get you a pic, maybe you can have some fun with it.
 
now that the sockets are here. whats the best way to organize them? hate to spend a fortune on those magnetic holders. was thinking about the hansen organizers.

also, i'm not on the hunt for a decent torque wrench. my old craftsman bit the dust in the fire. i don't use one often, so looking for a decent one thats affordable. my 1/4" in/lb survived, so looking for an all around ft/lb model.
 
the hanson trays are great. i use them. Harbor freight has a similar tray but the numbers are not quite as easy to read. Be prepared if you use the hanson trays, sears (craftsman) doesn't make every socket to fit them, so you will have some empty spots, especially if you try to seperate 6 point and 12 point etc. for left over slack sockets i use the standard metal socket holders.

i've been trying for a while to get organized. i could get a few pics if you need.
 
&quot;lethal289&quot; said:
the hanson trays are great. i use them. Harbor freight has a similar tray but the numbers are not quite as easy to read. Be prepared if you use the hanson trays, sears (craftsman) doesn't make every socket to fit them, so you will have some empty spots, especially if you try to seperate 6 point and 12 point etc. for left over slack sockets i use the standard metal socket holders.

i've been trying for a while to get organized. i could get a few pics if you need.
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post the pics....I could use a few ideas in the organization arena!
 
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