I'm sixty-one and started building go carts it 1956 and have been using tools regularly through today. If I wake up tomorrow I will keep on, because I am a tool freak. But none of use have owned every brand of tools. That said, I wil give you a few of my preferences in no particular order.

As a couple of guys have mentioned, Klien screwdriver for sure, but I like all Klien tools.

I like Snap-on sockets. (They were the first with flank drive.) They have the thinnest wall for a given size of socket and for a line mechanic small differences can
be critical. They use superior steel.

I use Snap-on rachets too but now I have many kinds. Rachets usually fail because they get dirt inside so that the pawl does not engage completely. Doesn't matter what brand, it happens to all of them. So after doing dirty work, take your tools to the solvent tank and wash them. Loosen the screws that hold the rachet together, run solvent through the inside and blow it out with air. Squirt a little light oil inside and tighten it back up. Do this occasionally and your rachets will last until they are abused.

I have tools at home, tools in my shop, tools in my truck and I can't tell you how many rachets I have. But I have one Craftsman which is good and doesnt fail but other Craftsman rachets that I have had I gave away. Let someone else trade them in. There are so many new brands on the market that I don't pretend to know them all. SK never impressed me. Proto professional, I like a lot. Snap-on pullers and screwdrivers for sure. Sthalwille are the best metric wrenches I have used.

I like to think that you can make a judgment about a tool by it's looks but that is not always true. I bought a set of metric end wrenches in Madrid in 1965 when my motorcycle broke down there. They are so rough and ugly and cost so little that I didn't really expect too much. But I still have some of them. I have cut them up to make special application tools, ground them thin to get in tight spots and beat on them with hammers and they are still good. The brand name is ACESA, it's made in Spain and I have never seen any other than the small set I have.

Crescent tools are great, their dikes are the best. They made the famous adjustable "Crescent Wrench" that has been copied by everone and nobody makes one as good. I will buy Crescent tools over any other when I can find them.

Channellock, same story. Everyone makes 'slip jaw pliers' and none are as good as Channellock.

I like Matco and Mack also, both have a generally high standard and they both make almost every mechanic's tool.

I never buy Craftsman power tools, ever. The Craftsman warranty does not apply. They are always second rate.

For power tools I always try to buy American. The only exception is I do buy Makita battery operated drills. I have a 12v Makita driver that is an impact driver. Best thing ever for drilling and driving screws into sheet metal. It's small and powerful.

Powermatic. The best.

Porter Cable. Superb.

Milwalkee. Excellent

Delta. Pretty good.

Chicago Pneumatic. Only. I have a CP 734 half inch impact that lasted thirty four years without being opened. Just cleaned and oiled and got twenty-five years of daily use. I have or have had many other CP tools also and they are superior to all others. (I have to stipulate here that most of mine were bought before they started getting part from outside suppliers.) Most of the other air tools being sold are very weak by comparison, even things like die grinders.

I should also mention that Snap-on screwdriver are excellent too.

 

Allright fellow tool enthusiest, how old are your Snap~On Ratchets? I am assuming from your description they are about the age of one of mine. It says clean and oil regularly. How much oil do you use on it?
The new style (most of mine) are all Sealed heads. They use Orings under that plate, and grease, you don't oil them. Craftsman has a thin pro line, that is the same way, cheaper, and from my experience with them, just as durable.
The normal style Craftsman ratchets are nothing but homeowner specials, their decent ones are catalog only, you'll either have to get them rebuilt, or go through the replacement proceedure on them (done it).
I have a fair number of tools, some of them going back to gramps first garage in the 20's, then some more from when he worked at a garage in the late 50's and early 60's. You can see that while the casting may have gotton more polished, the quality has been going down, overall, especially in the quality of the steel. Even the Snap~On's have gone down.
And while I like the sealed head ratchets, several of my friends (former mechanics) prefer the old style, if they "fail" 90% of the time, all they need is a good cleaning and reoiling. Not today's.
Some of the tools I have are
Bonney, Indestructo, Durochrome, Powerkraft, Challenger, Easco, KD, Craftsman, Husky (gramps 1/2 drive ratchet from the 20's),Snap~On, S&K Wayne, and more that I can't think of right now.

 

My Snap-on rachets, I guess the newest is 1978 or so. I just use a few drops of Marvel or ATF.

I didn't mention Blue Point. My largest end wrenches are Blue Point and they are older than I am. From before they thought of chrome plating. I broke one once (abuse,) and my Snap-on dealer happily replaced it with a new Snap-on with shiney chrome.

KD makes mostly specialized tools that will get the job done even if the don't look all that impressive. I have a few of them too.
You mention Bonney which I remember as being excellent but at this point I think I only have a couple of sockets. Got lost over the years, or maybe I gave them to someone.

Several times I have made up kits from my lesser used tools and given them to some young guy just getting started in the trade. I reccomend the idea because it helps someone out and reduces the clutter. (I don't need nine 11/16" sockets.)

 

[QUOTE=CheapRanger]Indestructo, QUOTE]
is Indestro, good tools.

 

i tell you...crasftman rachets are the best guys....my first tool and ever lasting toolset from sears...only bad thing is their plastic compartments are useless......but they are good for their warranty and they dont break :-)

 

I will go thru a craftsman ratchets about once a year, they are good to their lifetime warranty, just take them in and the company will replace them. I have had other brands and I do believe the Craftsman ratchet is a good brand.

 

Craftsman hand tools don't have a warranty, its a Guarantee. There is a big difference.

 

WRONG, Read your packaging! Craftsman tools are Warrantied (normal) against defects in materials and workmanship.
ON TOP OF THAT, and better yet, they are Guaranteed (your satisfaction, etc), and THAT is what you turn them in under.

 

The Snap-on guarantee (or warranty, whatever the difference is,) is just as good. But with Snap-on you almost never need to think about it, but on this site the guys touting Craftsman rachets are always trading them in and seem to think that's a good thing.

 

Actually, YOU are WRONG. I just looked at my metric deep well socket case and the sae impact socket case and it says Guaranteed for Ever with no mention of warranty. I'm taking digital pics.

 

I have some snap-on tools that I like a lot. Its a pain to chase done a Snapon truck from the home shop though. I have cracked snap-on sockets before. In fact, I have one that I cracked about 18 years ago and have never have it with me when I see a truck. Plus, some of the guys get pissy if you stop them just for a replacement. Same story with Mac and Matco.

I have never had to trade in any of my ratchets. I did have to get a S&K repaired once. I had it sent back for repair because they were no longer making that model or an equivalent at the time (22 years ago). It was a little longer than the comparable craftsmen at the time.

 

OK, I'm ignorant of the difference. Do you want to explain? I always thought of the terms as being fairly interchangable.

 

Warranty = A Warranty is a contract between the purchaser of a product and the company that produced the product

If I remember correctly Sears used to use the term Lifetime warranty for their hand tools.

Satisfaction Guarantee or your Money Back = within 90 days from your purchase date on your receipt you can take your tool back if you are not satisfied.

Have you used or seen the Craftsman 3 pc. Next Generation Titanium Finished Thin Profile Ratchet Set.

 

Warranties are often have hidden or prorating conditions attached to them. It could end up costing to have it shipped for repairs and return shipping for example. Plus the warranty may only apply to the original purchaser.

Craftsman hand tools, Snap-On tools etc have Guarantee for ever policies.

To a certain degree its just symantecs, but I can walk into a sears with a Guaranteed for Life craftsman ratchet that my dad bought in the 60s or grandpa in the 50s and exhange it or get it repaired as long as I didn't obviously misuse the tool.

 

Warranty (generally required by federal law, under consumer product safety) is against defected in materials and workmanship. (IE that they metal in their ratchets, doesn't contain lot's of air bubbles, and that they installed the ratcheting guts properly, that it doesn't break apart into pieces, causing you harm)

Guarantee (IE Craftsman Guarantee) involves your SATISFACTION, or they will repair/replace the item.

I once emailed Sears specifically about the Warranty (they do have an offical policy) and it specifically EXCLUDED things like Rusty tools. But if you buy one at a sale, you can trade it in under the SATISFACTION Guarantee (what Kmart seems to be trying to slowly make disappear by dropping there most exchanged items, slowly, hammers (broken handles), tape measures, etc)