I don't buy anything from Harbor Freight
I do have a conglomeration of different brands of tools
mostly the bigger names Mac Matco Snap-on
you don't have to be a "pro" wrench/mechanic full time
to know a quality tool in your hand either
I was mostly a racer
my trade was carpentry
my hobby & other vocation was drag-racing
personally, I don't like the Snap-on wrenches
too skinny for my big ol' meat hooks
I have some really old tools too
some are Thorsen tools, forged American made tools
I had gotten from my paternal grandfather
& my stepfather (he was a lifer Union Pipefitter/Welder)
some are 65+ years old, forged before I was even born
I don't think I've ever broken any of them Thorsen Tools
ever
they look like a cheap tool, not as pretty as the Big 3 tool suppliers
but have lasted the torture
I don't have anything from the Big 3 that are 65+ y/o in my toolbox
some is/are 35-40 y/o probably
I had a shitload of Craftsman early on
as a kid when I was 1st starting out
my 1st toolbox was a 3 drawer Craftsman,
on a 2 drawer Craftsman base, with an open cabinet
I was proud of that ol' thing
(it's still going strong in my Nephews garage today too)
Org. way back when working on minibikes gocarts motorcycles
or my early cars, they served the purpose just fine...
They were still sold at
Sears exclusively & exclusively made in the USA
the newer Crafstman can
NOT stand up-to-the same torture
or the old lifetime replacement warranty
no prorating BS, no questions asked
I still have most all of them too, what I didn't give to my kids or nephew
some of them are 50+ years old now too
I even heated up a Craftsman wrench to bend it like 80*-85*'s
so it'd work on something I was working on
nobody had a tool like that, that I could find
I went to Sears with the wrench in hand & wanted to get another one
not to replace it or get one free, I'm not that kind of person
I wanted to
buy another just like it was, to complete my set again
the tools guy/salesman I showed it too, told him what I did...
He just walked over grabbed another 1-1/8" Craftsman combo wrench
handed it to me, gave me a bag & a receipt, I was off
(I think I bought an inch-pound torque wrench too)
I didn't even have to give them the wrench I purposely had bent
now that was support/backing the product from the Manufacturer/end sellers
Also if you wrench every day, mechanic/maintenance stuff for a living
you can write off the expensive name brand stuff,
makes the purchase a bit easier to swallow
But you can feel the difference too
not just because they are 10-times the price of the Harbor freight junk
(they also can serve their purpose sometimes too)
but the quality & warrantee/backing of the big 3 brands are far superior
I only wrench for a living for a couple of years
most all of my experience wrenching was
in construction or my personal cars/**** & racecar related
I did do a stint at P.U.E.C. Pacific Utility Equipment Co. Sacramento
Designing building & welding fabrication, hydraulics,
mostly areal equipment shop
Terex Telelect was our major equipment brand supplier...
I was the P.U.E.C. shop's new construction/new-build manager
we supplied mostly PG&E & Calif. municipalities with their equipment
contracted, spec'd out, I bid & built to spec. not for the faint at heart
building digger derricks, sizer lifts, areal's, crane's, Bombardier snowcats
utility box trucks & fire trucks, CHP, LEO's squad cars etc.,
you name it we would build it, if you had the $$$ to pay for it
& my whole toolbox was in use, including all the cheap or old ****
& Big 3 expensive stuff
I still have some cheap **** that works just fine, for what I need it too
since I don't have a Snap-on Mac or Matco tool truck
dropping by daily anymore
it's a tad bit less convenient to buy the Big 3 brands
sorry
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