What Are The Best Tools On The Market?

[CatManDoes]

Lets just say you had $20,000 towards a new, full set of "top of the line" tools (like any of us has $20K set aside for a set of tools, lol), what kind would you buy and why?? All of your feedback is appreciated.

[amunderdog]

44552
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One good Reason: http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/tools.html

[dozerdave]

Snap-on

Just pick up a Snap-on wrench and you don't have to ask why.

[hvy 1ton]

Snap-on, if you only have say 10K i'm also a big fan of SK and PROTO.

[hi-ball]

Snap on tools are made to last. As long as there is a traveling dealer close by most of my tools I buy are snap on, I broke a ratchet Mr snap on shows
up & 15 minutes later he had it rebuilt No charge. Some tools like open ended wrenches I buy Jet far cheaper & good Quality . I just bought Snap on's 1190 ft pounds half inch drive air ratchet :D good investment.
Good Luck, Shane.

[Essayons]

I buy Snap-On for most all my tools. Wrenches up to 1", no question Snap-On. Anything over 1" and you really don't need their precision for most jobs. However there are some other great wrenches such as Wright and even the Stanly long series. Snap-On pliers are great and they have one of the largest selections. But, where Snap-On is unmatched IMO is their screwdrivers and impact swivel sockets. There really IS a difference in Snap-On tools.

[John C.]

Last time inventoried the boxes there was about $25,000 worth of hand tools and only three items were SnapOn. I don't like the big money output for items I might use three times a year. I also don't like waiting for the tool man to show up and then give me crap about how I miss used "his" tools.

Most of my stuff is Mac, Matco and Craftsman. I have some big Proto wrenches and a lot of specialty stuff from the Napa store. There is also plenty of SK stuff in there. If they are generic brands like Vise Grip I'll buy them at the cheapest place I can find.

My philosophy is to buy the best that I can afford that will fill the need I have. I'm not going to pay $50 for a half inch ratchet that I can buy at Sears for $23. I can get the Craftsman rebuilt or replaced any day of the week. I can find a Sears store in about every town I go through.

[ATCOEQUIP]

Last time inventoried the boxes there was about $25,000 worth of hand tools and only three items were SnapOn. I don't like the big money output for items I might use three times a year. I also don't like waiting for the tool man to show up and then give me crap about how I miss used "his" tools.

Most of my stuff is Mac, Matco and Craftsman. I have some big Proto wrenches and a lot of specialty stuff from the Napa store. There is also plenty of SK stuff in there. If they are generic brands like Vise Grip I'll buy them at the cheapest place I can find.

My philosophy is to buy the best that I can afford that will fill the need I have. I'm not going to pay $50 for a half inch ratchet that I can buy at Sears for $23. I can get the Craftsman rebuilt or replaced any day of the week. I can find a Sears store in about every town I go through.


Your boxes sound like mine, John C, a mix of a number of brands. Bar none...my favorite wrench is my set of S-K Superchrome, 7/16 to 1 1/4. I have had this set for years, use them practically every day. I have used a "cheater wrench" in the open end of one on many occasions, and have beat on the big ones with a hammer many many times to get a tough bolt loose. With all this abuse...I have yet to break or bend one.

But I will offer this piece of advice to all:

If you are going to purchase "angle wrenches", Snap On only!

Only Snap On has a 60 degree offset on one end and a 30 degree offset on the other end. All other brands are 60 degree and 15 degree. A standard open end wrench is a 15 degree offset, so with all other brands of angle wrench, your really only getting a "half a wrench" because you already have a 15 degree wrench in your box! I have got hyd lines loose in really tight spots using a 15 deg wrench, then the 30 deg of the Snap On angle, then the 60 deg, then back to the 15 deg wrench. :)

[PSDF350]

Last time inventoried the boxes there was about $25,000 worth of hand tools and only three items were SnapOn. I don't like the big money output for items I might use three times a year. I also don't like waiting for the tool man to show up and then give me crap about how I miss used "his" tools.

Most of my stuff is Mac, Matco and Craftsman. I have some big Proto wrenches and a lot of specialty stuff from the Napa store. There is also plenty of SK stuff in there. If they are generic brands like Vise Grip I'll buy them at the cheapest place I can find.

My philosophy is to buy the best that I can afford that will fill the need I have. I'm not going to pay $50 for a half inch ratchet that I can buy at Sears for $23. I can get the Craftsman rebuilt or replaced any day of the week. I can find a Sears store in about every town I go through.It's funny growing up my father was a mechanic and never saw a snap on till I was an adult. Can say I never even seen or even heard of them till I was about 16, saw one of thier trucks. All the mechanics around had mac. Considered a hack with sears but yet just about all tool boxes had some.

[stumpjumper83]

Alot of the tools in my box say craftsman as well as the box, and they have been getting the job done for the past 10 years. That being said, craftsman isn't what it used to be. Price is up, quality is down, and gimicks abound.

Here is my beef with snapon, while i cannot deny that they make a quality tool, is a standard flat head screwdriver worth what I can buy a whole set of screwdrivers from craftsman for? You know I've never broke a craftsman while using it for a screwdriver. I've broke them using them as a puinch, or chisel, or pry bar, but I should know better and sears gave me a new one. I think I've lost more than i've broke. And at snapon prices... I'd be broke.

[OCR]

Ingersoll Rand for air tools.


OCR

[landrvrnut22]

I will only buy Wright tools. They are made right here in Akron Ohio. They sell everything from nut drivers to 3 1/2" drive impact sockets. They have a lifetime warranty, and always replace no questions asked. I have only broken one tool, a 1/2" drive 18" breaker bar, and I had a 6' piece of pipe on it. You pay for the quality, but they are worth it.

[td25c]

CatManDose,I have always had good luck with craftsman tools.If I were giving advice to a young mechanic on how to spend 20,000 dollars on tools ,I would check out www.craftsman.com .They have a great looking 1,468 piece tool set for 8,699.90 on page 7 under tool sets.Then I would spend the rest of the money on a good used 3/4 or 1 ton truck with a service bed on it to store the new tools in.That way you can work at the shop with the truck and when the phone rings you can also do in field service calls.Add a welder,torch,air comressor,crane to it later and you will be almost unstopable.Most of my repairs are done in the field.I learned early on that that I needed to be mobile with the tools as equipment dose not break down at the shop and many times it can be fixed quicker and easyer in the field.

[Cal Blacksmith]

In over 35 years of buying and using tools, I have a bit of each brand in the boxes, even some of the cheep China import stuff from Harbor freight (for the I only need this tool for one job tools) Most of it is Craftsman as it is easy to exchange for new if it breaks, some Proto, Snap On, Channel Lock, Vice Grip (invented by a blacksmith by the way) Souix, IR Rand, Rockwell and the like. Whatever is a reasonable price and works with a reasonable quality finds it's way into one of my boxes. I would hate to add up the $$ in those boxes!:eek:

[tonka]

Craftsman, you can get them at any local Sears or OSH:notworthy

Snap-on, you got to wait for your salesman to come around, and then he don't want to warranty a tool:Banghead

[flametamer]

Alot of the tools in my box say craftsman as well as the box, and they have been getting the job done for the past 10 years. That being said, craftsman isn't what it used to be. Price is up, quality is down, and gimicks abound.
Ditto.

Here is my beef with snapon, is a standard flat head screwdriver worth what I can buy a whole set of screwdrivers from craftsman for? I don't know what it sells for now, but about 10 years ago their ratcheting screwdriver was like $40. For 1 screwdriver? Stupid.

Yes Snap-on makes a good tool, and you pay for it. Mac Matco and Cornwell are as good but you don't pay for the name most of the time. Snap-on does make excelent pliers and specialty tools. I am a fan of Craftsman, Cornwell, SK, Grey, Wright, Cresent, Channel Lock, and AMERICAN MADE Vise-Grip. Vise-Grips are now made in China.

[Squizzy246B]

For the Down under crew:

Is the "Mogy" brand of tools still around?. Years ago my mechanic brother buggered up his knees and needed 6 months off after the operations....which would have sent him broke..or close to it. I went to help out with the mobile service work and grabbed a Mogy socket set...bloody good tools to this day. Got them from the local toolman on the Gold Coast. From the same guy I got some "BlackHawk" ratchets which have been even better...haven't seen those tools around for years.

[dozerdave]

Hi Squizzy246B,

Blackhawk was very popular in the U.S. and especially in my dad's tool boxes. I have never seen any Mogy tools.

One time a ranch hand told my dad he had to quit and go back home, dad said ok I will get your pay. When the hand was ready to leave he told my dad he needed more money and wanted to sell his tools. He got them out of the trunk of his car, they were in a feed sack. Dad opened the sack and looked in and said ok and paid him. Several days later dad remembered the tools and dumped them on the shop floor and he had bought some of his own tools back. Dad laughed and said I guess thats better than losing them completely.

[RocksnRoses]

I have never heard of Mogy tools, Squizzy. We started out with Sidchrome, then Kingchrome, Bahco shifters, but these days we buy cheaper tools. A few years ago we bought a big set of Chinese, AF/Metric combination (open one end, ring the other) spanners that go up to 30mm, from a bloke that comes around flogging off tools and they have been really good. We don't really need precision tools for working on crushers and with different people using them all the time, they tend to get left on machines and then get lost. The Chinese shifters do all that we want to do and once again, if they get lost, it doesn't break the bank. I had a look at Snap On once, but they were way over priced for what we do with them, but if I was a mechanic using them everyday, well that would be different. Mind you, out here I tend to think perhaps the the Snap On price could be rather over inflated by some of the franchisees driving around in their flash trucks.

Rn'R.

[Squizzy246B]

I have a set of Snap-On Boltcutters I paid $300 for after busting up about three sets of chinese $100 ones:Pointhead

But for spanners I reckon Repco or Kinchrome are pretty good value. I've had a repco R/O.E spanner set for about 15 years now and they are all good but for being a bit dinged up from being beaten about by hammers. I have a 20 year old 1/2" drive Sidchrome socket thats going Ok but I don't use it much anymore since the 3/8" drive mogy does at least half my work. The old man has a sidchrome socket set that is nearly as old as me...(so its like 21:D) and the box is all rusted out but they are bloody good sockets....what I call "Real Dinkum SidChrome".

[Taylortractornu]

Im still a bit pissed at Wright. They have one dealer about 60 miles away in a machin shop supply house. I bought a wright ratchet from them and the head stripped in the ratchet mech. They were gonna charge 5 dollars plus instalation and shipping. I think its in a pile i nthe shop some where. I was at the scrap yard last year and a man was there dumping out a few tin buckets of scrap from a shed. I found several iron wood busting wedges that were good quality, a 1/4 inch Wright breaker bar, and a few SK sockets. I have several Craftsman tools.
I had a SNapon man dropping by work when we had a mechanic there, we were a 1/4 mile off the main road and we had tocall him and some times he had a different route. I bought a Blue Point 90 degree ratchet screw driver 25 bucks. It worked good but when the bits wore out I was informedthat they also costed another 25 bucks. I bought some others.
The landfill I work at is near a an import store and surplus store. At times I ll buy a Taiwan tool or China made cheap I may have in a have to have instant otr on that needs a special bend in it. Years ago dad Carquest got some tools called Provalue that were Taiwan but had a lifetime warranty. They are good. I like Kobalt at Lowes but I only buy the US made stuff.
My brother gave me a new Proto ratchet and breaker bar set one year for some work I did him. I love them. I have to have a Case to organize my toos in that way Ill know when one is missing and can find it right then.

Heres my list.
Craftsman, Snap on, Mac, Bahmco, Allen, Proto, Williams, Blackhawk, VG ,Crescent,Williams, Kobalt, Husky and a few more I cant remember.
I also like Whitsworth, Provalue and some Ever craft.
I have been buying some Snapon/williams tools from a machinist supply well below the cost of the snap on man. I also go to swapmeets yardsales and trade sales to. I bought a 5/15 to 3/4 Husky set of end wrenches last month for 10 bucks.
I have an elderly neighbor that used to be in the ewuipment business and they have an old service truck loaded with tool of every size fromtiny to 3 inch williams wrenches and 4to 1 multipilers and such. Ive bought several from him but he wont sell anymore His son is crackhead i figure when the old man dies Ill be able to buy them for scrap.

[equipmentguy]

What ever tool truck comes to you I like mac. If no tool truck. craftsman or Kobalt are the best bet.own side is they do not have speciality tools

QUOTE=CatManDoes;171489]Lets just say you had $20,000 towards a new, full set of "top of the line" tools (like any of us has $20K set aside for a set of tools, lol), what kind would you buy and why?? All of your feedback is appreciated.[/QUOTE]

[-3Doc]

My logo says it all!:)

[heavylift]

We have (had) a snap-on guy here .... but he's a real butt head...
I have a little bit of every thing from the itc tools that where sold out of semis, mac , craftsman.
Heck wally mart has the same warranty, but limited selection.

The best place to buy tools ,Yard Sales... some people just don't know tools from toothpicks.. I pick up a 1/4 mac rachet for 4 bucks... they are about 30 -40 ..I think..
pawn shops used to be a good place, but they price their stuff new..

[XxTrasHxX]

Snap-on are very nice but way over priced unless you but them on ebay,
Caterpillar tools are made buy snap-on and are about 20-30 % less.
Mac tools are a little cheaper then snap same quality.
Grey tools great quality for the money.
Being from Canada as well have very little experience from Matco tools but my uncle down in the states uses them and he swears by them, think there a little cheaper then Snap-on, just remember its not the tool that makes the mechanic
its how the mechanic uses his tools that makes a good mechanic. Me personal I use a mix box of tools , Grey tool box with Snap-on, Signet, Grey, jet, Ingersoll Rand and little of the most used brand in Canada ,Crapy Tire. There wrenches are just as good as any ones ,and the guaranteed for life, no wait for a truck to show up at your yard once a meek just walk into the store and get a new one there old professional series stuff was made buy snap-on at a fraction of the cost you can still find in some stores, The new maximum line is not made from snap-on but is pretty good as well. But If you do have the cash for the ultimate set of Snap-on tools buy a full set at once ask the truck rep for a catalog you will see the box + tool sets in there at a package price the more you buy at once the cheaper it is . One last thing when dealing with snap-on call the local info number and try to get more then one reps info in your area , and try get the package price from more then one rep, tell them you can get it cheaper from a rep in a different area.
They will drop there price, they make there living on a commission on what they sell and cash talks. Also look on ebay you can buy full set of lightly used snap-on equipment for a fraction of the cost.

Hope this Helps

[QuickTrax]

In the track shop all of our electric impact sockets are Snap on. We use 3/4" and 1" drive sockets from 9/16 to around 2". We only use Snap on because they come to the shop every week on time rain or shine and every week they warranty whatever we need with no questions asked. We usually have three to five sockets a week that they warranty. We have tried other brands of sockets and we have had the best luck with Snap on.
My personal box is full of craftsman because my wife would kick me out of the house if I spent that much money on tools.

[Phil]

I have a complete Craftsman set, as a result of a theft years ago. They have been good. Also have some Husky, Proto, Grey, tools also, all are high quality. I have some 1"drive Westward sockets, good bang for the buck.

I only go to Snap-on for a specialty tool. They are way to expensive.

In Canada we have Mastercraft tools at Canadian Tire, no problem with them either. I've even got a set of Walmart wrenches, I forget the name they use.

I don't think one could point to the best; every brand has something going for it, and most tool boxes turn out to be a blend of the best. Phil:)

[diggerdave1958]

Craftsman, you can get them at any local Sears or OSH:notworthy

Snap-on, you got to wait for your salesman to come around, and then he don't want to warranty a tool:Banghead

I agree with U about Craftman i have some Snap-on and Mac but now a days when i need a new tool i go Craftmen its easy to get replacements and i don't have to hunt down the Snap-on guy :Banghead

[Chris5500]

For me it HAS to be Snap-On or Knipex for pliers, crimpers etc. Fluke for electronic tools such as IR thermometer, DMM, thermal imager etc CAT for mag base non-contact tacho and deutsch plug wedge removal tool (havn't seen anyone else make it, probably alot more just havn't looked)

[sandnsnow]

I have alot of snap-on ect, but I also own a set of Kline wrenches. I see alot of there pliers and electrical stuff but I never saw another set of wrenches until about a year ago. I think they are as good as snapon and almost identical in the way they feel. Everyone that uses them really likes them.

Another reason I buy snap on is I always check to see if the whole set is there before I put it back in the box. I never loose a quality tool. ( I have lots of misc craftsman sets) It makes me sick if i cant find that socket i dropped. I bought a set of Cornwell long handle wrenches and what a pile they were. Chrome flaked off the first week. They have plenty of nicks in the jaws from wrenching on them because they are soft metal I guess. My box is a MAC and no complaints there. Chris5500 was on track with those Knipex pliers, those are awesome. Just some quick thoughts.

[Chris5500]

Who other than Snap-On manufactures 3/8 drive impact (swivel or not) sockets that do not disintegrate from 425 ft. lbs. bolt breakaway torque (yes, from a 3/8 drive impact wrench)? No one?

[Essayons]

Who other than Snap-On manufactures 3/8 drive impact (swivel or not) sockets that do not disintegrate from 425 ft. lbs. bolt breakaway torque (yes, from a 3/8 drive impact wrench)? No one?

None that I've tried. I can understand where some people feel they are overpriced. They are expensive, but with tools, you really do get what you pay for. I have literally rounded a bolt with a craftsman wrench and removed the bolt with a snap on wrench. I think craftsman makes great middle of the road tools, i have a lot of them, but if i really need something to happen the first time......snap on. I can understand how some people have bad experiences with the snap on dealers because they're all different. Mine is cool, he warrants everything and if i need something after hours i just go to his house.