“Starter” Tool Set Question
- Thread starter roadracer247
- Start date
I’d buy any brand but Pittsburg. I have several tools from them and they are 100% garage. Take a 10mm craftsman socket and and a 10mm Pittsburg socket and the Pittsburg socket will be to big.
I have a ton of craftsman stuff I’ve got over the years that have served me well. Mine you, some of these tools are well over 35 years old. I also have some SK sockets and ratchets I got when I was 18, 1/4” and 3/8”. Mind you, I’m now 59 and still use them.
I bought Kobalt last year and I do not regret it one bit. I haven't used any of my old Craftsmans(USA made) since that Kobalt purchase. My experience with a Tekton torque wrench was horrible. One wheel tightening on my F350 and pieces flew out and it sat there broken.
I've always liked SK. I love the way Snap-on looks but man those wrenches hurt my hands.
80s Craftsman was the pinnacle of good, affordable tools
They are cutting way back on Kobalt in place of Craftsman.
I have never had a Craftsman tool break in the ~22 years I've owned them. I also own Husky, Kobalt, GearWrench, HF, and Snap On. If you're not abusing the tool, they last. Lowes is honoring Craftsman warranties, not that I've had to use it personally since you know, never had one break, but I did inquire the last time I was there.
Let's be honest though. How many people don't think twice about using a 3/8 ratchet to break a 1" nut loose, use the back of a ratchet to hammer out a stuck bolt, or wonder why they snapped their 1/4 to 3/8 to 1/2 drive adapters when they use them on an impact gun? Or get a 1,000,000 tooth quintuple-pawl ratchet and wonder why it couldn't handle the torque of the crusty old 18T ratchet...
You have to take tool failure with a grain of salt and really question if the tool was used properly and within its limits. Where quality really comes in is in materials and long-term fatigue/wear. That's the typical failure mode. Believe me, I deal with this BS almost daily in my line of work. No joke, I have gotten in arguments with customers over my designs that supposedly failed, only to find out they slammed it at 2m/s into a steel frame with a 210kg robot. Yep, that's my design failure alright, you literally crashed the ever-loving piss out of it, and it's my fault I didn't design it out of unobtanium with an anti-inertia coating.
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Keep in mind that quality tools are expensive for a reason. They use quality steel that doesn't flex and distort shape, they're the actual size they're supposed to be, and over time or in rough use they don't destroy the parts you're using them on. Not everyone appreciates that and for them any ol' harbor freight tool is fine.
I didn't realize this until I bought my first nice tools. I always assumed that repeated use of common head screws wore them out, allen bolts were a shitty design, hot glue guns were for middle aged crafters, and that rounded corners on bolts were an eventuality. When I bought my first high end screw driver set I realized that screws weren't wearing out and that the laser cut screw drivers were biting into worn screws and I could actually take them out. The hex/Allen bolts on my print presses and kart weren't constantly stripping out and need replacement. It's not that my cheap tools were breaking it was that their loose tolerances and weak metal were slowly killing the fasteners I was working on. Here's a good writeup about that in Allen wrenches:
Here's why you shouldn't buy the cheapest tools
And because they make awesome socket trays I'm throwing Westling Machining out there for y'all to put on your Christmas lists:
Billet Aluminum Socket Organizing Trays
I didn't realize this until I bought my first nice tools. I always assumed that repeated use of common head screws wore them out, allen bolts were a shitty design, hot glue guns were for middle aged crafters, and that rounded corners on bolts were an eventuality. When I bought my first high end screw driver set I realized that screws weren't wearing out and that the laser cut screw drivers were biting into worn screws and I could actually take them out. The hex/Allen bolts on my print presses and kart weren't constantly stripping out and need replacement. It's not that my cheap tools were breaking it was that their loose tolerances and weak metal were slowly killing the fasteners I was working on. Here's a good writeup about that in Allen wrenches:
Here's why you shouldn't buy the cheapest tools
And because they make awesome socket trays I'm throwing Westling Machining out there for y'all to put on your Christmas lists:
Billet Aluminum Socket Organizing Trays
I don't believe anyone mentioned it, but there are only a few producers of tools in the world.
Craftsmen exclusively used the "Top tier" manufacturer for years, and that's what we all came to know and love. It was then exported to China/India, but the quality stayed because Craftsmen demanded it. That's why they did alright despite not being American Made for a few years.
Problem is Sears sunk, so they squeezed margin out of the only value they had which was C. They dropped the quality/production down and the brand suffered a huge blow.
Most tool sets you buy are produced by the same manufacturers, and more often than not are the same with minor differentiation's. Harbor Freight has gone from using the same Craftsmen grade line, to something akin to Husky, low tiered Cornwell product, and Kobalt. It's a "Mid-grade" quality. You get some really solid tools, and sometimes not so much.
Naturally you have Matco, Snap on, Mac, and all the big daddies. But most tool lines are made right there on the same production floor. It's just what they demand quality wise from said manufacturer.
My suggestion is start with the 100 buck mechanics set from harbor freight. Best bang for the buck. Then pick up gearwrench ratchet wrenches, kobalt or husky screw drivers, snap on pliers, pawn shop set of adjustable pliers, and fill in from there.
There's absolutely no need to spend 800 bucks, let alone buy Craftsmen.
Craftsmen exclusively used the "Top tier" manufacturer for years, and that's what we all came to know and love. It was then exported to China/India, but the quality stayed because Craftsmen demanded it. That's why they did alright despite not being American Made for a few years.
Problem is Sears sunk, so they squeezed margin out of the only value they had which was C. They dropped the quality/production down and the brand suffered a huge blow.
Most tool sets you buy are produced by the same manufacturers, and more often than not are the same with minor differentiation's. Harbor Freight has gone from using the same Craftsmen grade line, to something akin to Husky, low tiered Cornwell product, and Kobalt. It's a "Mid-grade" quality. You get some really solid tools, and sometimes not so much.
Naturally you have Matco, Snap on, Mac, and all the big daddies. But most tool lines are made right there on the same production floor. It's just what they demand quality wise from said manufacturer.
My suggestion is start with the 100 buck mechanics set from harbor freight. Best bang for the buck. Then pick up gearwrench ratchet wrenches, kobalt or husky screw drivers, snap on pliers, pawn shop set of adjustable pliers, and fill in from there.
There's absolutely no need to spend 800 bucks, let alone buy Craftsmen.
1. Find the Coupon to get this for $150.
301 Pc Mechanic's Tool Set
It is literally the most organized and comprehensive mechanics set I've ever seen. It even has 2 different spark plug sockets.
2. I just bought this for my tool chest and it is WAY more sockets than I will ever use and am kind of regretting it. Everyone is spot on with the quality compared to years past as well. I have a 214pc mechanics tool set from like 8 years ago and the quality on those sockets is light years better than the 299 sockets I bought last week. But if you want EVERY socket this is the best set I found for a reasonable price.
Sears.com
-Pierce
301 Pc Mechanic's Tool Set
It is literally the most organized and comprehensive mechanics set I've ever seen. It even has 2 different spark plug sockets.
2. I just bought this for my tool chest and it is WAY more sockets than I will ever use and am kind of regretting it. Everyone is spot on with the quality compared to years past as well. I have a 214pc mechanics tool set from like 8 years ago and the quality on those sockets is light years better than the 299 sockets I bought last week. But if you want EVERY socket this is the best set I found for a reasonable price.
Sears.com
-Pierce
So many people don't realize this. Many tools are made from the same tools/dies in China. Often times they just change out an insert in a mold and voila, it's a different brand.
Ever wonder why HF stuff looks strikingly similar to the "compare to" they list in their catalogs? Earthquake is Ingersoll Rand construction.
That's a somewhat false myth that is widely exaggerated. While it is true that some companies like Western Forge make a ton of different brands of screwdrivers, to say that there are only a few manufacturers in the world and most are made on the same production floor simply isn't accurate. For instance, in my manufacturer list of hand tool manufacturers there are 75 some odd individual forges and manufacturers. Break those down and you'll see a whole bunch of different manufacturing locations for each. Apex Tools for instance....has 30 some odd manufacturing plants throughout the world. Wiha, Wera, Beta, Knipex, Wright, etc. all make their own tools in their own plants and many have more than one plant. My uncle owned a steel forge up until he sold it in the 80's and he said each brand had it's own dies with it's own process specifications and grades of steels and whatnot. It used to drive him nuts when people would say that there are only a few manufacturers and a lot of them are the same.
I'm just curious what your source on this is. Knock off manufacturers try and make their products look like other lines for sales purposes (Hyundai for instance) but that doesn't mean they're made in the same place. Toolguysd did an interview with the Harbor Freight VP and he insinuated that they sourced as much of their product line as they could in house for many of their power tools. There has been all sorts of speculation as to who makes the Earthquake line but I've yet to see a definitive answer. I'm not trying to be an argumentative dick as I'm genuinely curious for my own knowledge. As you can tell I enjoy researching tools.
Personal advice since Im in the buisiness. Look on ebay for used Snap On or Matco sets. Lots of guys getting out of the business that want to sell their tools. I could personally never part with my tools even if/when I change careers, but thats another topic entirely.
At the very least a Snap-On or Matco locking flex head mid to long handle 3/8 ratchet should be the primary tool for his socket sets.
Also, VERY important: DO NOT BUY 12 POINT SOCKETS. Unless you have a specific fastener type that requires a 12 point, dont buy them. They will round off 6 point nuts and bolts if you dont have a 100% fully seated socket. Ive seen plenty of new guys get themselves in a bind with their 12 point sets. I have like 3 12 point sockets and my 12 point 12mm has been used the most for my GT500 driveshaft bolts. Other than that they never really get used.
Even my 12 point box wrenches only get used on light torque fasteners. If its tight I swap to my Easy Red ratcheting wrenches. Absolute life savers IMO.
At the very least a Snap-On or Matco locking flex head mid to long handle 3/8 ratchet should be the primary tool for his socket sets.
Also, VERY important: DO NOT BUY 12 POINT SOCKETS. Unless you have a specific fastener type that requires a 12 point, dont buy them. They will round off 6 point nuts and bolts if you dont have a 100% fully seated socket. Ive seen plenty of new guys get themselves in a bind with their 12 point sets. I have like 3 12 point sockets and my 12 point 12mm has been used the most for my GT500 driveshaft bolts. Other than that they never really get used.
Even my 12 point box wrenches only get used on light torque fasteners. If its tight I swap to my Easy Red ratcheting wrenches. Absolute life savers IMO.
Keep an eye out here. Lots of good deals pop up. I have a ton of new and old Craftsman stuff and it works well for the most part. They still have lifetime warranty's (hand tools) and can be replaced at Lowes, Ace, etc. So a lot of options.
Think this would have been a great set to build off of. Buy wrenches, pliers separate or as needed.
Craftsman 299 Piece Socket Set - $253.69 + Tax . (All sockets, no bits, allen keys or other bs you don't need) 12-12-2018
Tool Deals, Discount Codes, Coupons and Offers | Slickdeals
Think this would have been a great set to build off of. Buy wrenches, pliers separate or as needed.
Craftsman 299 Piece Socket Set - $253.69 + Tax . (All sockets, no bits, allen keys or other bs you don't need) 12-12-2018
Tool Deals, Discount Codes, Coupons and Offers | Slickdeals
Perhaps it's a bit of an exaggeration, but I can assure you, there are many many products we enjoy in life that have one hand's worth of manufacturers. I was always told by engineers that the rule of thumb is 3. 3 major manufacturers produce one product in various ways/flavors/brands.
Engineer here. That's nonsense.
Maybe 50 or 60 years ago that was true. But there's way too much competition, now.
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