Mechanics tool recommendation wanted

Quite a few years ago, I would work on my cars regularly.  I decided to stock up on quality tools, after some miserable experiences with cheaper tools.  Here's what I ended up with:
  • Stahlwille combination wrenches:  These are German made, and they are fantastic.  They feel good in the hand, have a nice satin finish.  Expensive, thus I never built a full set
  • Beta tools sockets, ratchets:  I believe these are Italian made, nice finish on the sockets and ratchet.  The ratchet is one of my favorites.  It has a slide selector for direction, which keeps the head a fairly low profile.  I believe the one I have is a 60 or 72 tooth, so the ratchet swing angle is fairly small.  On the pricier end, but I managed to find someone emptying out old inventory.
  • Facom ratchets, screwdrivers:  French made, great finish quality (other than one with a knurled handle which is frankly, disgustingly low quality), but one of my 3/8" ratchets doesn't ratchet anymore.  I believe there's a rebuild kit for it, and one day I'll get to it, but I'm using my Beta ratchet instead.  I have a set of insulated screwdrivers.  They're nicely made, but the handles aren't terribly comfortable.  On the pricier side, tough to find good deals
  • Proto combination wrenches and ratchets:  Rougher finish than the European brands, but as tough as you can imagine.  Made in the USA.  Pricier, but can often find decent deals on sets and individual pieces.
  • Wright combination wrenches:  The finish is rough, the size stamping is crude, but the wrenches are solid.  These are my primary combination wrenches, and I really like them.  Made in the USA.  Not sure of pricing, I got them from some obscure site that had bought out Farm & Fleet surplus.
  • SK wrenches, torque wrenches, sockets, and ratchets:  SK bought Facom quite a few years ago, so some of the SK stuff I have is actually badged as Facom.  The wrenches are nicely finished chrome, US made, I've never had any issues with comfort or failure.  The sockets are the same, chrome, US made, good quality.  My 1/4" SK torque wrench just liberated a bunch of oil after sitting in my tool chest for a few years.  Not sure why that happened.  It's about 15 years old, so maybe it's time to send it off for calibration.  On the pricier side, deals can be had occasionally.
  • Wiha and Wera screwdrivers:  I have some smaller screwdrivers by Wiha.  The smaller slotted ones (sub 2 mm tips) are all torn up from light use.  I think maybe it was a case of wrong tool for the wrong job.  The larger ones have held up great.  I bought the basic Wera set years ago, and I loved it.  The grips were the best I'd had, and left me craving for more.  Recently, Amazon has had some stellar sales on Wera so I ended up picking up a few different Wera Plus (green and black) sets, insulated removable blade driver, and I just got some individual stainless (grey and black) drivers.  The lasertip heads on the Wera Plus drivers really work.  I was pretty astounded on how much less time I spend worrying about camming out of a philips head with the lasertip heads.  The quality of the stainless drivers is pretty awesome.  Oh, the Wiha drivers were made in Germany, and the Wera drivers were made in the Czech Republic.  Decent deals on both through multiple online retailers.
  • Toptul sockets, ratchets, screwdrivers, wrenches:  I haven't found much on Toptul lately, but I picked up a bunch 10 years ago.  They're Taiwanese made, and I feel as though they are excellent quality.  Finish is top notch, and I would put them against any of the European and American brands.  I think their distribution in the US has dropped off since I purchased them though.
  • Gedore and Hazet wrenches:  On a whim, I picked up a few loose wrenches to fill in some gaps and pick up some offset wrenches and just some open end wrenches.  Of course, these are all German made.  By a tiny margin, I would pick Stahlwille as the top German brand, just based on finish and comfort.  I'd think they're more than serviceable for the hobbyist.
I built up my tool chest slowly, looking for good deals along the way.  I never worried much about having a warranty since these don't have too many moving parts (other than the torque wrenches).  Hope that helps!
 
I'm a huge fan of Snap-on screwdrivers. Mine are over 30 years old and for many years they were used on a daily basis. Guaranteed for life, they keep extra blades in the Snap-on truck and Snap-on will remove and replace the damaged blade on the spot...no questions asked.

The screwdriver blade tips are hardened and vapor-honed to provide a surface with a little bit of tooth to hold/grab the screw recess more securely. If mine were lost or stolen today, I'd purchase another set of Snap-on screwdrivers tomorrow...they're worth the money.
 
Has anyone tried the Dewalt sockets/ratchets and wrenches?  They actually seem pretty good from playing with them in the store. 
 
Williams tool was purchased by snap on years ago,many Identical items for less.blue point is the place you probly want to be,owned by Snapon, warranty is there,made in Asia,so its cheap.you can buy a (500 piece!) set for about what craftsman costs . Problem is the warranty is long-time,my truck only had sets ,would not break them for a $2 socket (got a few common items to use(lose) for stagework),I had to order the things I got,felt like I paid at harbor freight and royal mail delivery and royal mail for the broke one(my fault,used a cheater bar)
 
I'm surprised how many people are into the Harbor Freight junk over at the other forum.  I can't stand walking into that store, it literally stinks of cheap plastic. 

I think I'll be investigating the Gear Wrench lineup.  I have some of their stuff and like the fit and finish of it.  I'll also investigate some of the brands listed here that I've not considered in the past, see how they perform.

Thanks for all the insight.

Ken
 
TOOLTOWN said:
I'm surprised how many people are into the Harbor Freight junk over at the other forum.  I can't stand walking into that store, it literally stinks of cheap plastic. 

I think I'll be investigating the Gear Wrench lineup.  I have some of their stuff and like the fit and finish of it.  I'll also investigate some of the brands listed here that I've not considered in the past, see how they perform.

Thanks for all the insight.

Ken
Click to expand...
. WHATtttt.... That's the smell of Victory...... [wink]
Okay, more like a smell of light oil that permeates every Harbor Freight on the Planet.... [embarassed]
I never dismiss old HF, there are strange, almost indestructible deals lurking in there. You just have to be daring at times and buy it , to try it....
I would actually really miss it if they went under.... [sad]
 
leakyroof said:
TOOLTOWN said:
I'm surprised how many people are into the Harbor Freight junk over at the other forum.  I can't stand walking into that store, it literally stinks of cheap plastic. 

I think I'll be investigating the Gear Wrench lineup.  I have some of their stuff and like the fit and finish of it.  I'll also investigate some of the brands listed here that I've not considered in the past, see how they perform.

Thanks for all the insight.

Ken
Click to expand...
. WHATtttt.... That's the smell of Victory...... [wink]
Okay, more like a smell of light oil that permeates every Harbor Freight on the Planet.... [embarassed]
I never dismiss old HF, there are strange, almost indestructible deals lurking in there. You just have to be daring at times and buy it , to try it....
I would actually really miss it if they went under.... [sad]
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong, when I needed a hand truck to change my water heaters, or moving dollies I went straight there.  I got a hand truck with 12 inch pneumatic tires for about $35 with a coupon, sure the tires leak, but at that price I'm cool filling them up each time i need to use it. 

But for a hand tool I do take fit and finish into the equation.  Case in point, when I got the hand truck I had to file down some sharp edges (I cut myself loading it into the car).  I don't want that aggravation on hand tools. 

But all of us here definitely know the difference between price and value... We do all buy Festool after all [thumbs up]

Ken
 
TOOLTOWN said:
leakyroof said:
TOOLTOWN said:
I'm surprised how many people are into the Harbor Freight junk over at the other forum.  I can't stand walking into that store, it literally stinks of cheap plastic. 

I think I'll be investigating the Gear Wrench lineup.  I have some of their stuff and like the fit and finish of it.  I'll also investigate some of the brands listed here that I've not considered in the past, see how they perform.

Thanks for all the insight.

Ken
Click to expand...
. WHATtttt.... That's the smell of Victory...... [wink]
Okay, more like a smell of light oil that permeates every Harbor Freight on the Planet.... [embarassed]
I never dismiss old HF, there are strange, almost indestructible deals lurking in there. You just have to be daring at times and buy it , to try it....
I would actually really miss it if they went under.... [sad]
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong, when I needed a hand truck to change my water heaters, or moving dollies I went straight there.  I got a hand truck with 12 inch pneumatic tires for about $35 with a coupon, sure the tires leak, but at that price I'm cool filling them up each time i need to use it. 

But for a hand tool I do take fit and finish into the equation.  Case in point, when I got the hand truck I had to file down some sharp edges (I cut myself loading it into the car).  I don't want that aggravation on hand tools. 

But all of us here definitely know the difference between price and value... We do all buy Festool after all [thumbs up]

Ken
Click to expand...
  Oh the tires... Not only do they leak, but THAT SMELL......It never stops coming out of them. I think I bought some different ones from Mc-Master Carr because I got tired of the smell in the area where my Hand Truck was stored... [eek]
 
RobBob said:
I also bought one of the HF hand trucks with the leaky tires.  Finally got tired of it not being ready to use because of the flat tires and replaced them with flat-free tires.  Now it is never flat and always ready to go.

Marathon Tires Flat-Free Hand Truck Tire
Click to expand...
Hmmf...guess I got lucky. I bought HF's biggest tyred hand cart years ago and put air in the tyres maybe once a year. It gets used fairly often and has been an excellent ROI.

As someone who was a professional technician for decades, I have a disdain for crappy hand tools and bits. Snap-on is most often the best. Craftsman is good for when you need to cut up a wrench, grind a socket, weld onto a socket, or need a screwdriver to hammer on. SK I found out their flare nut wrenches spread more than the open side of a Snap-on box wrench. Gave them away, and bought Snap-on flare wrenches. So does quality matter as much to a non professional? Maybe more! If a nut doesn't want to come off who do you think is going to be more adept at removing a stuck nut? A professional with years in the field or a person who has never come across something like this?

Warranty is very important to me. I can break just about anything. I have a spot in my tool box for broken tools.

Wrenches should be very good quality. Impact sockets, who cares buy HF. Chrome sockets use 6 point of reasonable quality (12 points are only for 12 point bolts which are rare). Screwdrivers use good quality as extraction is a pain. Get an impact driver for removing stuck screws, as in the type you hit with a hammer, and use top quality bits with it. The Bluepoint kits from Snap-on are decent and come as a full set. They do carry a warranty, but the stores are mobile aka Snap-on tools trucks. Bluepoint is far superior to Craftsman (Other than maybe their ratchets which often are the same as Matco). As stated above there are a lot of good tool companies Wera, Wiha, Stahlwille, Proto, Knipex, Hazet, and many others. Look for replacement or warranty availability.
 
leakyroof said:
TOOLTOWN said:
I'm surprised how many people are into the Harbor Freight junk over at the other forum.  I can't stand walking into that store, it literally stinks of cheap plastic. 

I think I'll be investigating the Gear Wrench lineup.  I have some of their stuff and like the fit and finish of it.  I'll also investigate some of the brands listed here that I've not considered in the past, see how they perform.

Thanks for all the insight.

Ken
Click to expand...
. WHATtttt.... That's the smell of Victory...... [wink]
Okay, more like a smell of light oil that permeates every Harbor Freight on the Planet.... [embarassed]
I never dismiss old HF, there are strange, almost indestructible deals lurking in there. You just have to be daring at times and buy it , to try it....
I would actually really miss it if they went under.... [sad]
Click to expand...

Yup. I wear dark glasses 8) every time I go there, but when I can buy a 4.5" angle grinder for $18 they are basically disposable. Why bother changing out the grinding disk when you can replace the whole grinder... Same goes for brad nailers.

Seriously though I did grab a second grinder so I could leave it set up with a cutoff disk and use my DW for flap sanding belts.

AND - they have Morse Portaband blades (3) for $20, same air fittings you get elsewhere, and locally available parts tumblers and abrasive media. HF Definitely has it place in the ecosystem.

RMW

 
Buyer beware....Big headline today says that Sears and K-Mart are near bankruptcy and may not have funds available to restock shelves.
 
In my opinion if it has moving parts spend the money on something that works well.

I have owned everything from lowes brand to snap on on both socket wrenches and sockets
A cheap ratchet isnt worth buying. Get yourself something name brand when it comes to that I really like the snap on ratchets. And get some craftsman level sockets.
 
RobBob said:
Buyer beware....Big headline today says that Sears and K-Mart are near bankruptcy and may not have funds available to restock shelves.
Click to expand...

True for Sears/K-mart,  but the craftsman name has been sold to Stanley.  So even if those two stores shut down Crftsman will live on in some way. 

I am a bit dubious about the future quality of the brand.  And even at it's peak there were better options.

Ken
 
I carry a tool roll filled with tools from HF in my BMW and I am happy with them, at least most of them.  I do not like the screwdriver much but it works.  The combination wrenches are good quality.  The sockets, 6 point, are also very useful.  I use the plastic ratchets in both 3/8 and 1/4.  I also carry an extendable 3/8 I use for wheel nuts.  If they are torqued correctly it works fine.  I also have 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 inch torque wrenches from HF, jack stands, and jack.  For heavy iron type things, I think HF if fine.  I am not surprised a Festool dealer would not be attracted to the place, their stuff cannot be considered in the same league as Festool, but the prices aren't either. 

I have other tools, including some old Craftsman which are definitely nicer than newer Craftsman, but nothing I like significantly better than the HF.  For something reasonable in cost, I think they are a good deal.
 
"... Harbor Freight actually has cheap all metal clicker style torque wrenches and they are accurate and consistent!  At $10-12 they are a bargain and a fraction of the cost of the others.  Usually this isn't a place you want to economize, but I know several people that have bought these and I checked every one. ..."

I am curious how you checked these, do you have a calibrated torque tester or just doing a comparison torque check on a bolt which has been torqued with a calibrated torque wrench?
 
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