What tool brand do you use?

[Herr_Poopschitz]

Hobbyist w/ a few side jobs here and there...Craftsman, Snapon, KD, SK hand tools...mostly odds and ends I've picked up over the years. Have some old porter cable power tools from years ago that have proven themselves excellent. Baldor buffer. IR, Chicago, and HF pneumatics. DeVilbiss paint stuff. Cheap Craftsman 80 gal compressor that's done pretty well for what I've put it through, so far at least, w/ Parker regulator and filter. Hobart/Miller welders.

Anymore I just pay attention to reviews written by people who sound halfway intelligent. Just gotta know what advantages some brands items have over others, then weigh your intended usage to price difference.

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[Qwkynuf]

I use mostly Craftsman and Mac tools. Most of the Mac stuff was inherited from my father and is more than 30 years old - still going strong. I have found few combination wrenches which hold up as well as the Craftsman ones.

I know that I lot of people seem to like Snap On (I don't). But for a home user/hobbyist, "truck tools" (Snap On, Mac, Matco, etc) can really be a pain in the ass when you need warranty replacement - because first, you have to find a truck.

I have a couple of broken Mac combo wrenches that I haven't had any luck getting replaced. I haven't worked in a shop in years. For a while, I carried them around in my car, hoping to run across a truck. When I finally found one, the guy (who is a franchised, independent business) said that he couldn't honor the warranty because I didn't work at any of the shops on his route.

When I did work in a shop, I had an older swivel-headed 3/8" drive Snap On ratchet with the micro-fine ratcheting mechanism that had a bad tooth and would slip at the most inopportune times. When the truck came around, I took it in to be repaired/replaced under warranty and was told that the one that I had was obsolete, so he couldn't repair it, but he would give me a $10 credit toward a new replacement - which was close to $150. I told him that if that was what passes for a "lifetime warranty", I would take a pass. I stepped off of the truck and threw the wrench as far into the woods as I could. Then I went to Sears that night and bought a Craftsman. Say what you want about the durability of Craftsman ratchets, but at least the store is always where you left it, and they will repair or replace it without giving you a bunch of crap.

 

[dgc333]

They'll give you a rebuilt kit for them. I keep a couple on hand for that reason. I also have gotten into the habit of using breaker bars for getting stuff broke loose, especially on old stuff. Really saves the ratchets. Right tool for the job.

I agree the the right tool for the right job but I can't strip any of the other brands I have only the Craftsman. They used to give you the rebuild kit instead of replacing the rachet but they just give you a new rachet the last time I broke one.

 

[Free Agent]

I'm a big fan of my Craftsman hand tools. Haven't had a break yet so that makes me happy. Of course I'm not using them on a daily basis either, just a hobbyist and home fix-it type of guy.

 

[Agarc]

little of everything i have a ingersoll Rand impact gun, some stuff like scokets and impact sockets i have craftsman. torque wrech snap-on i like to have something good for tools that have to be spot on

 

[Monster_Load]

Craftsman, Makita, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Chicago and some Harbor Freight for things I'm only going to use just a few times.

 

[Keyser_Soze]

I'm looking into buying a nice tool set. I was looking into Craftsman, but started looking around after I saw all the complaints about them being made in China. I want something that will last me a long time and not destroy bolts. I'm looking into sockets, ratchets, and screwdrivers.

Get on Sears' website and sign up for ShopYourWayRewards with a dummy email address to get coupons. Monitor slickdeals.net for a large set of Craftsman tools - one of those 275 piece sets or something. Should snag one around $100 with promo codes, I did 3 years ago. Anyone bitching about where they're made either does it for a living (not you) or just acts like they do - there's no difference in function, and Cman has a lifetime warranty on handtools. Screwdrivers from HF or here, doesn't matter. Kobalt (Lowes) also makes some decent hand tools at good prices.

Harbor Freight is amazing - specifically their heavy duty US General toolchests. I have the 44" roller and it might be my favorite thing in the garage. I made a custom laminate/MDF top for it and it doubles as a work space in a pinch. Also, if you get an air compressor and it'll remain stationary, get a 2.5 HP oil-less compressor - it's the biggest you can run on a 15A garage circuit, and it puts out serious air for a number of tasks, least of which an impact wrench. Mine was <$140 after coupon and is ticking 5 years in. The HF impact gun (the red one not the other one) can't be beat, and my HF is frequently sold out. My brother went to UTI for a mech program and they'd always buy a ton and hide them when the Snap-On truck drove in, lol.

 

[Phlyguy]

Snap On hand tools and Bosche power tools

 

[Angel14]

The reason I'm asking this is I want to start gathering tools and my plan is to go to wyotech in a couple of years, and want to have some decent tools to work with when I get out. Now I know snap-on and Marco are the go to for pros but there way out there in price. So I'm looking for something that will last and can take some abuse for around 5 years till I upgrade to bigger and better things.

 

[CooterK]

I buy Snap On ratchets but get all the bits, extensions, swivels, etc from Harbor freight.

 

[Grimace427]

I'm a tech with Mercedes and I use all kinds of tools. The only brand preference I have is Matco simply because our vendor is awesome with the best customer support. He brings his truck every Monday and is the most reliable thing about my dealership. We've had one Matco guy since I started working here in 2005, yet we've had more than 10 Snap-On guys come and go and they've been worse and worse as time goes on. They show up all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ready to get your business, then they don't show up for 6 weeks which then turns into 3 months and then they are replaced with yet another Snap-on newb vendor. Pitiful.

My tool box is filled with Matco, Snap-on, Craftsman, Dewalt, Ingersol-Rand, Hazet(Mercedes-specific), GRIP, and tons of no-name stuff that guys fling out the back of their pickup trucks. If it works and the price is right, I'll use it. I have over $10,000 in tools and I could have easily wasted another $5,000 on tools from a more expensive brand but it simply isn't worth the money to have the name on the tool.

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