What tool manufacturer do you primarily use?

Williams impact socket are a division of snapon and half off at least just make sure its made usa lifetime warranty

 

Craftman for hand tools, dewalt for corded and battery.

 

No option for Klein? Mainly what I use.

 

We have Snap on at work, but after using their 44" box for a few months, I'll keep my Harbor freight 44". I have a 309 piece Craftsman socket set on Harbor freight sorters, mixed sets of wrenches and Craftsman 19.2v lithium battery tools. It was just cheaper to upgrade the batteries than start over. Huskavarna saw, weed eater, and polesaw. I buy whatever will hold up and last.

 

I have 99% Craftsman from years ago. I used to have Sear all over. Now if something breaks not sure where to bring it.

 

While I'm here, I do have a Harbor Freight not too far away. Do their tools have a lifetime warrantee?? I did a search under "Pittsburgh pro". Not much came up.
Their regular Pittsburg line has tons of stuff. Do their tools have a lifetime warrantee?? What is wrong with the regular line?

 

Husky comes with a lifetime warrantee and Home Depot is close. So getting a replacement is easy, if needed. Admittedly I don't abuse my tools and do not often need a replacement.

 

All Day Every Day

Klein
Ideal
Wera
Wiha
Milwaukee Cordless and Scewdrivers
Knipex
Dewalt Gyro Screwdriver is the shit!
Snap-On Ratchet Screwdriver
Bondhaus
Veto Pro-Annoying but tough!

And lately Husky and Kobalt Mechanic stuff which I can easily replace at every HD and Lowes which is a pretty huge feature to me!

 

I see Lowes sells Craftsman. So I can get my replacements there...I hope.

 

I am pretty sure that is the reason they sell them there now,to get you into the store to buy other stuff while they give you cheap Craftsman branded crap for free.
But then again if it breaks too it should be easy to get again!
Just like with Sears except with newer "quality" baked inside!

 

Craftsman

 

Snap On, Matco, Cornwell.

In my line of work I’ve seen too many Pittsburgh sockets fail to trust them

 

I bought a set of Craftsman hand tools about fifty years ago because of the warranty and the fact that I could simply take a broken tool to Sears and get a replacement immediately. I don't think they are great tools but they serve my purpose as a shade tree mechanic. I no longer have any brand loyalty to Craftsman but because there is no longer a Sears store to exchange a broken one.

For power tools it depends on the specific tool. My battery powered ones are all Milwaukee but my corded ones include many brands.

 

For hand tools I mostly use Craftsman with some Husky and Proto tools. I got a big mechanics set at Sears when I was 17 or 18 and have never really needed to upgrade any of it. I will say I have used some of the new Lowes Craftsman tools and they kind of suck. The sockets don't fit tight and I broke a 3/8 in racket removing an oil drain plug. I ended up taking it apart and there was no grease inside and the whole mechanism relies on what looks like a spring from a clicky pen. It popped out of its slot and bound up the gear. If I were to buy a new set I would probably go with Husky. I have used the warranty at HD and it was better and easier than Sears used to be for Craftsman.

For Power tools I have all Dewalt and Makita but have been eyeing the new Milwaukee tools. I will probably get into that ecosystem eventually. I have used and abused my Dewalt and Makita tools professionally and never had issues. I have a Dewalt jobsite table saw that has been rained on, snowed on, sat in the sun and ripped probably close to 100,000 ft of hardwood and just keeps going.

 

I have a no name ratchet wrench I bought in a set from target 30 years ago. Works like a champ looks a little worse for wear with some surface rust on handle, but never misses. I bought a set from craftsman about 3 yrs ago to keep in my truck. I hate the sets the ratchets never catch. So I'm looking to get some Snap-on (at least the 2 smaller ratchets, i can't afford a complete set and those are what I use the most.

 

Dewalt gyro screwdriver has probably gotten more use out of me than any of my other tools!

 

Just one of those tools you can not imagine living without once you get used to it!

I also know a few guys who can not get used to it sonehow?

 

Mitutoyo mostly.

 

You should be able to get a replacement if they have the same product like a 9/16 wrench.

 

Kobalt

 

Craftsman for hand tools
Milwaukee for power tools

 

Milwaukee power tools, lots of them, absolutely wonderful, 1/2in impact is a lifsaver

Harbor freight tool cart, miter saw and stand, air compressor (Mcgraw), hammers, dremel, grinder, impact sockets, engine hoist, pressure washer, etc. All have been great, used hard, never failed.

Williams socket set, Taiwan, some larger sockets made in USA. Really great set, just as good as the USA stuff from them I have. Never let me down. Used for years without issues.

Wilton machinist vice, 3.5 in circa 2000 and 4.5 in circa 1947

And much much more

 

Cordless- Milwaukee
Corded- whatever is cheapest
Hand tools- mostly craftsmen
Work tools- mitutoyo,starret or wiha
Yard stuff- mix of Milwaukee cordless leaf blower, echo weed whacker and cub cadet mower.

 

Almost all battery powered are Milwaukee. Hand tool are just a mix.

 

Former pro wrench turner and lifetime tool polisher here. Threads like this are one way I like to give back. Many excellent USA brands out there, Taiwan is usually decent. China much less desirable. These are some new-purchase options currently available that wont break the bank, but are pro level tools. You could grab something each month - spread it out. Garage Journal tool section is even money for draining the wallet as fast as Tundras.com

Sockets - Many have mentioned Williams USA, and that is a great recommend! Snap On 's industrial brand - 1/4 the price. The MSBD-12HRC 12-Piece 3/8-Inch Drive Metric Deep 6 Point (no skip - all sizes), MSB-12HRC 12-Piece 3/8-Inch Drive Metric Shallow 6 Point no skip sizes. Those model numbers are the USA made versions that roll off the Snap On USA assembly line (they also have a Taiwan line, with different model numbers). Tough to find a better socket at that price point; heirloom level stuff. The markings could be improved, but you wont beat the fit and durability. (BTW - ChrisFix on YouTube has a great way of etching tools I may try...eyeball's not what they once were)

Impacts that wont break the bank: Grey Pneumatic, Sunex. HF Pittsburgh PRO *Chrome Moly - Cr-Mo* (Black Phosphate) are very decent for even 4x the price. I think they use that same metallurgy on the ICON line now.

Ratchets - Matco 88, Snap on Dual 80, Cornwell JR 30, etc. are the standards. The HF ICON are also a great ratchet at 1/8 the price ($32 with ICON coupon!!), Gearwrench 90 tooth are excellent, XP120's are nice as well (lotsa teeth). Higher the tooth count, the better it works in tight spaces.

Extensions: SK, GearWrench. My lifetime most used: SK 45154 3/8-Inch Drive Extension ($18 Amazon); its 4 inch (not a common size, but perfect for a great many things). The ARES 70244 4Piece 3/8-Inch set is $14 on Amazon - very tough to beat (no 4 inch though...lol)

Screwdrivers: One word: Wera (German)...they outlast everything I have ever had...and they sell on Amazon. It's all about the handles and the tips. Wiha is my second favorite, SK hard green my third; but you just cant beat the Wera handle and tip combo. The older classic Craftsman clears are great, but NOT the new ones. I used to work on a lot of Japanese motorcycles, and the single most important screwdriver is the Vessel Megadora JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard)...not quite a Philips. I recommend anyone with JIS screws (dot on screw head or not) have a Vessel Megadora 900 JIS ($10 Amazon).

Wrenches: New Gearwrench sets are excellent; about the best value (Amazon)..usually have a December sale. I also hear good stuff about HF ICON wrenches...but no first hand experience there. The old USA Craftsman RP (Raised Panel) 6 points were legendary...still plentiful on eBay but you will pay for the older USA made ones. My go to is Snap On OEX SAE 12 point, and Craftsman USA RP 6 and 12 point metric full sets.

Cordless: Makita LXT 18V and Milwaukee M12. I was an early adopter on the M12 line, and the batteries the first few years were crap. They have fixed that now, and the Red Lithium 2.0 is now the standard that made that platform my favorite for all but the big jobs when I use the Makita (recip saw, brushless angle grinder, 1/2 impact).

Boxes: Snap On and Matco are the standard. Harbor Freight US General is nearly there...but at 1/8 the price, and they now come in colors. I have seen one HF ICON in a shop - jury still out on those. Some areas of the country have other brands, but Harbor Freight is moving upscale to backfill Sears. You can also 'mail order' other boxes that are very good.

So far, the Lowes version of Craftsman does not set any kind of a standard as far as I can tell. The convenience factor (hours and accessibility) is all they have...at least in my mind. With a bit of pre planning, you can do better for less money.

So...Gearwrench is a solid value, HF OK if you know what to look for, Amazon is great for tools.

My .02 anyway... Hope it helps!

 

I have a lot of Matco, mostly because that was the tool truck that stopped by our shop. Now that I'm not wrenching professionally, I have a little bit of everything. Wiha makes nice stuff and have had good luck with Tekton. I really don't trust much from Harbor Freight.

 

I have full sets of SK sockets/extensions/converters/drivers I'm willing to part with at the right price. And 2x snap-on ratchets

Edit: PM for photos, listing, pricing

 

I worked at an auto shop in high school and a couple years after graduation before getting on the fire department. We had 2 tool guys come by, Snap On and SK. I bought my tools from the SK man because of the price. 20 years later and they’re still going, however I don’t use them as much as I did back then. But I’d go to bat for SK brand all day for mechanics tools.

Screwdrivers I have are Craftsman and have been good quality. Pliers are a mix of Klein’s and Channelock. Cordless tools I’ve got Ryobi. Everything else is kind of a mixed bag of stuff.

 

This is one of my favorite youtube channels. This guy goes through and tests tools/products of various prices against each other. A lot of times it's surprising.

https://www.youtube.com/c/ProjectFarm/featured