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Post by 92rocdoc on Apr 22, 2007 20:52:55 GMT -5
How about a tool reviews section in the... well... the reviews section duh.
Scott
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Post by mississippimud on Apr 23, 2007 23:05:17 GMT -5
OK BUY SNAP-ON...lol...NOT... most of my tools are pro-value...the cheap lne from Carquest, But I have never broken one, lost a few But never broken one..not even on a 1/2 to 3/8 adapter on an impact, they are inexpensive and a damn good tool. Also I do alot of moving around, I may be at one place working on a Truck or car then 2 hours later be 15 miles away, the kits(tool kits) most come n handy lil blue boxes with a slot for everything, you can make sure you havent left one job without leaving something.I have spent tons of money on tools in my life and Pro Value(made by s&k) good tool..sanp on truck dont run at my house so THESE TOOLS ARE TOP NOTCH AND I CAN GO ABOUT 2 BLOCKS AND GET A NEW ONE IF ILOSE IR DAMAHE ONE,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I ahree tool sectuib...later
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Post by my98yota on Jun 5, 2007 1:41:49 GMT -5
I like snap-on but you do make a good point. I have tech- tools 100$ case of 96 Pisces. Thats about 1.00$ a piece never have I broke one. so all and all I would say if you got the money go for it but if you are on a budget save the cash!!
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Post by fourwd1 on Jun 5, 2007 10:28:01 GMT -5
Craftsman  and since this thread has become a tool review thread, I'll move it to the Review section and Sticky it. |
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Post by DeadlyPeace on Jun 5, 2007 12:09:43 GMT -5
If it ain't a Craftsman, Mac, Snap-On it don't go near any of my tool boxes
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Post by rockcrawlintoy on Jun 5, 2007 16:41:40 GMT -5
i have some stanley wrenches they are nice and some from harbor freight and craftsman. truthfully I cant tell much of a difference between cheap wrenches and $$$ wrenches. the ratchets i can thats for sure.
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Post by Sean on Jun 5, 2007 23:29:09 GMT -5
i have some stanley wrenches they are nice and some from harbor freight and craftsman. truthfully I cant tell much of a difference between cheap wrenches and $$$ wrenches. the ratchets i can thats for sure. The difference is the open end of a cheap wrench will spread much easier then a snap on. If you dont use your tools professionally its probably not going to be an issue. As far as brand goes it really depends on the tool. For torque wrenches i went with snap on. Buying snap-on or mac air tools on the other hand is a waste of money. CP or IR is the way to go for air tools and thats what you will find in a large number of journeymans boxes. For screw drivers and pliers Klien cant be beat. Channel lock makes some decent stuff. Fluke for multi meters. For wrenches over 1 1/4 most guys just buy whatever bargain brand they can get. If its that big you will never be able to put sufficent torque on it with a wrench anyway(3/4 or 1" impact time or a 4' torque wrench and a mulitplier) but they are handy for hydraulic lines that dont take a lot of torque and snap on wants more for one wrench then a 1 5/16-2" set costs from discount store . There are several reasons mechanics tend to be heavy on snap on/blue point and mac for almost everything i didnt already mentioned. Quality of course. Ergonomics, tools tend to be slimer and better made. Image,you see this more so with younger apprentices who buy 5000 dollar boxes and have three tools per drawer but will eventually fill it with all snap on or mac tools because "they are the best!" and they somehow believe that will make them the best. And probably the number one reason, convienence. They come to the shop every week. Break a tool and you dont have to go take it back to sears or wherever, the guy will come by. They do payments. They have specials. Flyers every month. |
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Post by DeadlyPeace on Jun 6, 2007 12:29:06 GMT -5
I wasn't even thinking of air tools. IR (Ingersoll Rand) is the best as far as I'm concerned. Most of the air tools that I have are IR and still working strong after about 20 years of abuse. Some of the other bands were lucky if they made it past 5-7 years. Although I do have a Snap-on impact that I got for and secondary that's working it's 10th year and still doing good.
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Post by Sean on Jun 9, 2007 14:58:16 GMT -5
Longevity will depend on what you are using it for. Guys working heavy equipment get around a year out of a half inch drive impact. Im sure in automotive where the working loads are much lighter you get more time out of them. For a weekender a good quality gun should last almost a liftime.
You can rebuild them but they dont come back all the way.
Snap on and Mac sell good impacts but they just arent worth the money unless someone else is footing the bill. Thats just my opinion though.
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Post by 92rocdoc on Jun 10, 2007 10:18:04 GMT -5
I am a loyal Duralast Autozone Fan, everytime I have problems with my tools I take it back to Autozone and they replace it no questions asked. Plus the only thing that I have broken is a 14mm open end, oh and a die grinder. But I will never buy anything else mostly because of their service. They have good air tools also, I have a huge toolbox in my shop, prolly 1500+ different kinds of tools in there and they are most all from sears and Autozone, but lately I have been buying from Autozone because I have been hearing bad things about Sears' No questions asked guarantee. I will always buy Duralast,
Scott
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Post by 82yota on Jun 10, 2007 21:10:09 GMT -5
Well if I am to buy my own tools I would go with Westward. I have a 1/4 drive and 3/8 drive set and they work great. And I also have Westward wrenches and they haven't failed me yet. I do have Snap On and Mac stuff as well but I never had to buy that stuff and I never would. It just came with the used Snap On box that I got. For power tools I would have to say that Milwakee is about the best we have had. I have seen a few DeWalt batteries go and our 1/2'' Makita T handle drill died doing what our regular duty Milwakee did and continues doing. My dad has all Snap On tools and his have worked well for nearly 30 years. My Snap On box is around the 30 year mark as well and works perfectly but I would not fork out the money for those tools now as Westward and the like are now making good tools. Also I have a set of Mastercraft Maximum series 1/2'' drive sockets that haven't died yet. Oh and we don't own impact sockets, we use the regular chrome 1/2 sockets for impact duties so they go through a pounding.
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Post by Sean on Jul 20, 2007 18:54:49 GMT -5
Longevity will depend on what you are using it for. Guys working heavy equipment get around a year out of a half inch drive impact. Im sure in automotive where the working loads are much lighter you get more time out of them. For a weekender a good quality gun should last almost a liftime. You can rebuild them but they dont come back all the way. Snap on and Mac sell good impacts but they just arent worth the money unless someone else is footing the bill. Thats just my opinion though. Being a complete hypocrite i bought a mac 3800 3/8 drive impact today. After spending an hour to drive across town and back for warranty on a phillips #2 screwdriver to find out they were out of stock on the soft grips I decided to go with the convience of a mobile tool vendor that comes by the shop every week. 3/8 impacts are for speed not power though and so im hoping its the last one i have to buy. Also i dig the directional changer being on the same dial as the speed setting. The front to back trigger can be annoying when pushed into a tight space and suddenly you are in reverse instead of forward. The truth is it was actually cheaper then a similar IR gun and CP doesnt sell a similar gun, so i dont feel too quilty. I still say the CP749 is the best bang for your buck in 1/2" drive guns. But when mine craps out i will likely pony up the bucks for the 7750 and its more user friendly dial style speed/directional changer. As far as general tool loyalty, i dont have any. My impact sockets are all signet. Chrome sockets all craftsman. Impact swivel sockets are Genuis. Open end wrenches all mastercraft maximum/professional seriers. Mixture of cresents, extensions and adapters by Proto. An assortment of pliers, klien, channel lock, vice grip, craftsman, mastercraft. I have IR, CP, craftsmen and now mac air tools. Signet and stanely screw drivers. Some powerfist(Princess Auto brand-low end chinese made junk) stuff, like hammers, pry bars, crows feet ect. Also have OTC heel bars and hub sockets. Some SK stuff i cant think of. As mentioned snap on torque wrenches, which are the best. Some stuff you can go cheap on and it will still last you forever. Some stuff if you go cheap on will bite you in the ass. |
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Post by 92rocdoc on Aug 1, 2007 15:55:20 GMT -5
Alright I gotta stand up for Dewalt here, I own 3 Dewalt drills, 2 sawzalls, 2 9 inch grinders, 1 jig saw, 1 chop saw, 1 portaband, 1 drill press, and a few that I probably own I just can't remember them at the moment. None of them have failed me yet. Plus my dad just passed away so I will get all of his old DeWalt equipment and tools. There is no force on Earth or Heaven that could get me to buy other kinds of tools.
Scott
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Post by seth999 on Oct 26, 2007 13:55:38 GMT -5
I have tried all the major brands and I still have not come across a ratchet that has held up over a few month...however craftsman will replace them for free.
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Post by rockcrawlintoy on Oct 27, 2007 1:44:27 GMT -5
i have an old school Plumb ratchet that works great. i just grease the gears once in a while. the ratchet is prolly 40-50 years old.
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Post by 92rocdoc on Oct 27, 2007 10:37:32 GMT -5
Man, I just went out and bought a whole line of Dewalt power tools last month. I got 2 new drills, 2 sawzalls, sheet metal shears, 2 impact wrenches, 1 angle drill, 2 circular saws, 4 grinders, 2 porta bands, 1 jig saw, 1 porta punch, 3 chop saws. They all work wonderfully all the power I could ever ask for and they get used daily.
Scott
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Post by larry073 on Jan 20, 2008 20:28:20 GMT -5
I use all Craftsman and Cornwell. Cornwell is nice because their tools are cheaper than Snap-on and better than Craftsman. They also come by the shop every week. Craftsman is nice because of availability. I also use Ingersol-Rand and Chicago Pnumatic air tools , with no problems. When it comes to tools that are cheap and work extreamly well you cant beat Stanley.
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Post by 86taco on Feb 1, 2008 19:15:17 GMT -5
In the ratcheting wrenches. Only get teh actual Gearwrench brand. I have looked at the craftsman and mac and kobalt and a few others but only the gearwrench brand had the highest # of teeth wich means less movement required. In tight places this is all that matters.
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Post by bigblue on Apr 15, 2010 15:57:14 GMT -5
My 1st air tool set was a colbolt from lowes after returning it 3times I went to sears and have been happy! I should of just got it from there in the 1st place just like all my other tools!
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Post by gflow74 on Aug 25, 2010 12:20:45 GMT -5
Working as a tech on and off over the years, I have owned many different brands of tools. I prefer only Snap on wrenches because of the flank drive plus feature. I will only buy Mac, Matco, or Snap-on line wrenches. I have been very happy with my Matco 1/2" impact. I have used various other 3/8" ratchets and impacts and I love the Matco 1/4" air ratchet. Screw drivers I prefer mac or snap on for auto. Klien for electrical as I am an electrician also. Pliers I am kinda open on though I prefer a pair that I bought many years ago off the Mac tools truck. I prefer Matco boxes based on design options and colors. Plus they hold up to years of use and abuse. I had a Mac roll cart that was plastic with a metal draw that I loved but sold when I went to construction. Still kickin myself for that one. I use rigid or first gen ryobi battery tools. I have had great luck with them. Tool trucks carry more specialty tools than other places so that is my choice. I have used and still own some cornwell stuff but those were specific items I needed right then. They have held up well. Oh and estwing hammers are the best for construction and use the tool trucks for automotive. I had a 32oz ballpeen from craftsman that lasted like 12 years. Just my 2cents
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