Rajun_Cajun

Where do yall get yall's tools from? The shop where I work used to have a Snap-on and a MAC truck come through once a week. Right before I started buying tools, I was screwed over by my boss and ended up leaving. Its time that I get me a set of my own tools and quit borrowing from my brother in law. I've been looking a some Craftsmen sets from Sears. I dont want any cheap crap tools, but I cant exactly afford a full Snap-on tool set either... Can anyone reccomend a good tool set online? Im looking to spend no more than $500 for a good set. I've been looking at Sears, but they all have a bunch of crap I dont need like some crappy screwdrivers and basic L shape allen wrenches. Any suggestions? would prefer something with ratchet wrenches.

mjr46

If you do it for a living, snap -on or MAC if not IMO craftsman is what I use at home but if you want a step up from that...look at the Blue-point line, I bought a big blue point kit a month ago with tns of sockets and wrenches and they threw in a 65 piece complete 1/4 drive kit for free...total cost was 350.00 for initial kit

jtmustang

all tell you what my tool boxes are mostly full of craftsman and a few snap on and in all the years i have been using them i have broke the same amount of craftsman and snapon tools..not many though probably only a dozen or so over the last ten years and im not easy on my tools...

FORD TOUGH

I have a little bit of snap on but mostly craftsman. If you are a do it yourselfer go to sears and buy a big tool set. I you are a professional get snap-on. Don't buy a craftsman box they are crappy. Lowes has some nice boxes for the price but they arent a snap-on.

cleanfitty

Of course Snap on and Mac are great, but craftsman can be OK as well. Their full polish proffessional wrenches are the only way to go (the entire set is about 100 for each of SAE and Metric) so about $200 vs. $1200 for Snap on.
Craftsman sockets are pretty good, but the ratchets blow.
And one that is often overlooked is Powerbuilt. They are great tools. Unfortuantley they are migrating from being made in Tiawan to being made in China, but you can still find the tiawan stuff readily available.


Woo Hoo!!! 1000 posts!!!

nasty90

I have mostly Mac stuff but I used to wrench for a living and my brother in-law used to own a Mac truck, I also have alot of Craftsman and my under the rader tools are Husky from home depot, they actualy make some decent stuff. I have a set of their anodized black rachet wrenches and their great.

BlessedHellride

I can't begin to tell you the many brands of tools I have. I have broken just about all name brand tools as well as cheap tools. Keep in mind, most all of the cheap tool lines have lifetime warranties on them. I have all brand names from Blue Point, Snap On, Proto, Cornwell down to popular mechanics and Great Neck. If you are doing this for a living, go get the better named tools. If you are just wanting to have a set for the house, it won't hurt if you jump down to the cheaper lines of tools.

Rajun_Cajun

Yeah I used to work at a mustng shop, but it was the kind of place that did pretty much only appearance things. The only ACTUAL performance upgrade we did was bolting on Whipple blowers. If I knew all the answers about motor work, I wouldnt be asking questions on here. LOL hell, I knew more about engine work than my boss did. This is just for me to work on my car at the house. I've been looking at Sears, but all the Craftsmen kits have cheap allen wrenches and screwdrivers that I really dont need. I forgot all about Blue Point. they are some pretty good tools. I'll have to look in them again.

Portmaster

Most everything I have is either Snap-On or Mac. I nearly have an Orgasm walking onto the Snap-On truck. I have more Snap-On than anything. I have a love affair with tools that goes farther than any normal sane person could understand. For day in, day out use I have my favorite stuff that I grab first and it's all Snap-On. That said

Dollar for dollar the best value on the market in tools is Craftsman. For what you can get away with with careful shopping at Sears as far as quality at an affordable price is unbeatable. I keep a nice little set of craftsman tools in each one of my vehicles and I can do just about any roadside repairs with a simple set of tools I have about 100 dollars in that would have cost me 2000 dollars off the Snap-On truck. The sockets are thin and strong the ugly ratchets are super strong and relialbe and if you really want to upgrade your craftsman wrenches and ratchets move into the Professional line.

I have this underlying sick obsession with tools, tool boxes and anything made by Snap-On (other than electronincs) In my assembly (heads engines etc) shop I have a pair of Snap-On Pit Boxes slammed with tools. I like them because I have so many precision tools that are in their own box. the cabs on the side are great and I keep things like lap tops on one and use the other for head assembley. They work well in my 20X20 assembly area.

In my shop beside my house I keep a Mac Masimizer bottom box and short side cab and a set of stainless steel boxes (I use one for a roll around). Yes I need help, lol

I'm not as big a fan of MAC tools since Stanley tools took it over. I see a lot of stuff going to crap with them.

My dad made a living doing this work using Craftsman tools (along with some Proto, Williams and SK) and he did fine. S-K is also a great brand that is highly underestimated and priced within reason.

I'll leave you with a shot of my Tool boxs in my little home shop where I just work on my own stuff. When the bottom fell out of my world awhile back the one thing I didn't sell were my hand tools. As long as I have those I can make a living somehow. Without my tools I'd feel like someone ripped my heart out and left me for dead (yes I know I'm sick, lol). I tell my kids to buy Craftsman hand tools. If you want the best buy in Tool boxs check out Harbor Freight tools for the 41 inch wide US General red boxes. The steel is thicker Than Snap-On boxes, has tough roller bearings and are super strong. I kept a few of these in my shop filled with Craftsman tools for some of the young guys I had working for me after school. If those guys couldn't tear it up it was tough.

Portmaster

Hve you checked out that new Kobalt Stainless box at Lowes that has the refridgarator and stereo in it? I know it's a gimmick and would be perfect for the guy with a "designer" garage but I swear I think I got some wood while was checking one out, lol I'm a Toolosexual