Hand Tools

[ksurfer2]

I have been using the same set of sockets and ratchets for probably the past 35 years. These tools are a menagerie of pieces that I picked up as I needed over time, all are off brand cheepy stuff, some still have markings on them from the tool boxes that I "borrowed" them from while I was in the Navy. Is a $1,000 socket set from a name brand really that much better then a $100 set from Harbor Freight. Now, I am just a weekend wrencher not some pro whose life depends on his tools. Given the longevity from the tools I have been using, I could buy 10 harbor freight sets for the cost of 1 name brand set.

 

[R413]

Is name brand better than the cheap stuff? Yes they are. But you may not notice or care unless you are A full time tool in hand person.

I was a young mechanic in the trade and couldn’t understand the cost of Snap-on tools. By far the highest, but the other name brands were following close behind, (MAC, Matco, Cornwell, etc) But as you start using these quality tools you understand how much better they are. The way the wrenches are shaped, much less hand discomfort and way more power And less fatigue in screwdriver handles. How much longer Tory bits last, Allen wrenches, etc. If you have ever turned wrenches full time then the differences are HUGE!

Then the bolts that would round off with craftsman tools and just come right out with professional tools.

Go buy a snap on #2 Phillips and start using it an tell me it isn’t worth it. You’d be a liar. I started out with craftsman and then bought professional tools as I needed and could afford.

Your 35 year old tools are probably pretty good quality and more than adequate for the job of a hobbyist.

I’ve not used any Current harbor freight wrenches to really know how they are.

 

[Darter6]

I agree with both of you. Everything has it's place.
Not saying there is anything wrong with all low cost tools.I have a combination open/box 1/4'' to 7/8'' set that I got for $5.00 almost 40 years ago.Made in India.No lie I use them everyday.My favorite ratchet was $9.00 new.
I will say I have all the name brand $$$$ from the tool truck guys also.I'm sure I helped with putting their kids thru collage.

 

[MoparLeo]

"Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten..."
Walmart denims vs Levi's


Let me ask you this, if they were all the same price, which would you buy. That says it all.

 

[Darter6]

My most disappointing name brand Snap-on and Mac tools are the line wrenches.
Bought the best they had and they still won't break a fitting without stretching and or rounding.
Put a set of Vise-Grips on the fitting and "Snap" it's loose.Maybe it's just me.

 

[R413]

It’s just you. Are you talking 3/8” brake lines? Those get rusted on, After wore brushing and soaking it helps to tighten them in the first movement to break them loose. I’ve got snap-on and craftsman line wrenches. Same as the other craftsman works just fine most of the time, snap-on is better.

We can call them flare nut wrenches so people can look them up.

 

[Budnicks]

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

 

[OKDart]

It’s just you. Are you talking 3/8” brake lines? Those get rusted on, After wore brushing and soaking it helps to tighten them in the first movement to break them loose. I’ve got snap-on and craftsman line wrenches. Same as the other craftsman works just fine most of the time, snap-on is better.

We can call them flare nut wrenches so people can look them up.

I bought a pair of vice grips (4"?) made for gripping on 3 sides of the fitting. With that tool, I have always been able to get 50 year old brake lines apart without damage. Since then I've bought all the different sizes. Great tool!

 

[khryslerkid]

Even the top brand tools aren't what the used to be. Watch for private sales selling tools

 

[moparedtn]

Echoing others....older stuff is better, older Craftsman is just fine, etc.

My dad always bought the cheapest, crappiest tools when we were kids.
Not only did he always have to worry about money, but his "reasoning" was
that he was just going to break or lose them eventually anyways, so...
Well, as the designated "kid who liked helping Dad work on ****", you can only
imagine I grew up in a world with all manner of hand injuries caused by slipping
or breaking tools...

I vowed when I started acquiring my own tools never to buy cheap junk...
and although I never caught "Snap-On Fever", I don't have any junk tools to this day.

 

[Darter6]

Here is a FYI, Thorsen, manufactured tools for Montgomery Ward stores. I worked for MW back in the 70's. I still have a set of MW box wrenches.

 

[padam]

A little off topic, but I recently bought some micrometers and calipers for work.
SPI (Swiss Precision Industries) and Fowler (Japan?) used to make very good tools.
What they sell now is chicom junk. I wouldn't use them on my lawnmower.

I think china is buying out the old companies just to get the name.

 

[Slap Stick]

"Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten..."
Walmart denims vs Levi's


Let me ask you this, if they were all the same price, which would you buy. That says it all.

Did ya know most Levi's are made overseas?
And they still cost twice as much.

Craftsman tools are made by the the same company that makes Matco, Proto, Irwin and others.
And where you buy them may affect who and where they were made.

 

[1967coronet]

At home in the shop I have a mix of all brands. Many craftsman , thorsen , matco, ect.
My box at our shop that I use everyday is pretty much all Mac and snap on.
All my stuff has been put together over years as I could pay for it. I just did not want to make payments to the tool truck man LOL.
My tools at home used to be my shop tools,

I found over the years swap meets are a great place to buy used tools.
See that cardboard box with all the loose sockets, dig through , there are deals to be had,
Open those old tin carry boxs you see and have a look.
Hunting tools at a swap meet is like arrow head hunting in a plowed field after a good rain ...........

 

[super-bee_ski]

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
View attachment 1053361

As Budnicks says:
Thorsen, Proto, J & H Williams etc....Good Stuff!
Sadly, Harbor Freight has hurt American Made
Again, the conondrum is:
By Harbor Freight for 1/3 of the cost of MAC, Snap-On, Matco, as it is all made in China.
the BIG 4, MAC/Snap-On/Matco/Cromwell are Union Auto workers , they get paid good money per hour.
I have Snap-On, MAC
(Dated the Government rep for the AF Base I was at, so I got things cheap and if Laser etched was incorrect for FOD control, I paid pennies on the dollar)
And I recently stripped the first 2 threads on my Aluminum Hemi Head...for the front header bolt!
So, it aint the tool....
Willie Mays and Mookie Betts are not good because of their Glove Brand...
But, a sense of pride can be had with any nice set of tools...

 

[5.7 hemi]

You guys should look at Icon from HF. I swear if they didn’t have names stamped into them, you couldn’t tell the difference between HF or Snap On.

 

[Slap Stick]

As Budnicks says:
Thorsen, Proto, J & H Williams etc....Good Stuff!
Sadly, Harbor Freight has hurt American Made
Again, the conondrum is:
By Harbor Freight for 1/3 of the cost of MAC, Snap-On, Matco, as it is all made in China.
the BIG 4, MAC/Snap-On/Matco/Cromwell are Union Auto workers , they get paid good money per hour.
I have Snap-On, MAC
(Dated the Government rep for the AF Base I was at, so I got things cheap and if Laser etched was incorrect for FOD control, I paid pennies on the dollar)
And I recently stripped the first 2 threads on my Aluminum Hemi Head...for the front header bolt!
So, it aint the tool....
Willie Mays and Mookie Betts are not good because of their Glove Brand...
But, a sense of pride can be had with any nice set of tools...

The Milwaukee Snap On plant workers are Teamsters.
Snap On has more plants outside the US than inside. And, they import some of those tools.

 

[HALIFAXHOPS]

New Holland is made by the same foundry as Snap On, seriously the same tool for 1/3 the price.

New Holland / Case IH: New Holland 11pc Wrench SAE Set, Part # SN60001 (messicks.com)

 

[Slap Stick]

Thats 1/3 the price of snap on? I wont be owning any of those, let alone snap on!