im just sitting here at home sick... sinus infection so i feel like poo...

any ways im going to buy some new tools here in the next few days and im just wondering what everyone else is using and there experience

i have had experience with high end tools like snap on cornwell and others like that...

also ive used stanley... good tools lol a set i bought 7 years ago is still good its just missing pieces..

guess thats what happens when u let someone barrow them...

i was thinking about the kobalt 227pc set... :P cheapish i know but i dont have a lot of money to spend right now

 

from my experience, kobalt has excellent tools. i have a set of pliers that are kobalt brand, and also have a set of knipex matco pliers. honestly....i favor the kobalts.. one word of advice is dont but the kobalt tool boxes. the slides are junk. other than that the tools are awesome, and very well priced.

 

My personal favorite is craftsman. They make really good tools and have a great no-questions-asked lifetime warranty.

If you do buy nice tools, don't loan them out! I have cheapy loaner tools that I really couldn't care less if they broke or were lost, and I don't let anybody borrow my nice stuff.

 

lol im not worried about the tool box it comes in i figure it will last until it breaks like all other ones... and ill eventually get another steel toolbox and organize the tools in it

thanks for the advice

 

Harbor freight all the way! I now I'll get flamed; but if you know how to use and care for your tools properly; You'll have no problem. On the power tools, the innards are the same as the name brands and they give you a parts diagram. If an innard part fails, you can buy it for dirt cheap through their 800 number. I've boughts parts through harbor freight that fit in my dewalt and hitachi tools. They're all made in China Dewalt, Hitachi, etc. Friends and family give me their broken tools regularly and I just fix them and use them.
On the hand tools; if you break them, then you might not be using them right. Just my personal opinion.

 

How do you define using hand tool right? I say that unless you use a wrench as a hammer, you're using them right. Using cheater bars and stuff is the right way...

 

the only reason i am against craftsman is they will not always warranty my tools out. if you dont believe me, go into sears wearing a work uniform. they claimed to me that the tools were not covered due to my "daily industrial use". last mistake i made to say the least.

 

no cheater bars are not the right way but sometimes its easiest...

a 36" breaker bar is expensive lol

 

Based on my experience, Sears tries to find some excuse for not honoring their warranty. They'll bounce you back and forth between the store and the service center.

 

What I mean is yes; for 1 using a wrench as a hammer. Or using a hammer on a wrench to loosen a nut or bolt. Or not using the proper size wrench or socket. Or using too much torque on a 3/8 ratchet when you should be using a 1/2. Just not simply use the right tool for the job. Not only do you break the tool, but break whatever your fixing. Don't get me wrong, I've done it many a time. I'm not casting stones. Just sayin' don't harp on Harbor Freight tools when you use them wrong, cause the other "brands" (which are probably made side by side in the same Chinese factory as Harbor Freight) fail on you.
Sorry to get defensive, but I'm always on the other end of an argument on this.

 

I use mostly Kobalts, many Craftsman too but they're quite old so may not be exactly comparable to what's out there right now. Got some AmPro ratchets too, those are nice. Harbor Freight is my source of impact sockets and big wrenches, like 24" adjustable big.

 

I will grant you that a tool used properly will last longer than one improperly used.

as for the hand tools being made in same factory you would be incorrect 99.9% of the time.

Craftsman, Kobalt, Snap-On, Cromwell are all forged in the USA and there is a very BIG difference in quality vs a cheapo China crap wrench.

now Power tools you are closer to truth...

now before going off deep end not starting fight just don't like it when US quality equated with China garbage....

 

As for tools the rule of thumb I always go with is buy the best once and you won't be disappointed... buy the cheapo you will fix/replace it often enough you could have bought the good tool instead without the frustration.

 

I prefer to get Craftsman tools, but then I worry about tearing them up. I've had good experience with harbor freight, and they're so cheap that breaking them ain't a big deal.

 

As a mechanic I HATE anything craftsman has made in the last 10 years, the ratchets are cheap-I had a set and I broke the teeth in more than one of them, after 10 exchanges I gave up. Also the numbers are no longer carved in but like painted on and rub off. Nope, I have very few crapsmen stuff as I call it. I also dont loan out my tools usually, only to a select few I trust.

Believe it or not I like stanley and husky (its pretty much the same), got many of them from wallyworld and HD and I used a toolbox with a bunch of that stuff for over 5 years being on the road doing small repairs to customer vehicles for AAA. I wore out a few 3/8 ratchets but other than that not a thing broke on me ever thatw as made by stanley/husky.

At home I have a variety of gear wrench (good stuff and not too $$$), I love SK, have matco, mac and some snap ons, very few crapsmen items. But FWIW the tools I grab the most are ones I bought off the shelf at places like lowes, HD, walmart, even harbor freight and the likes. So long as you dont abuse them everything will last for years to come. Its been 5+ years since I did any road tech and all the tools still work fine and its the box I keep in my pick up at all times, that box was used everyday for hours on end and its still kickin,