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Guidelines and "stickies" read before the post. Nice place. Looking forward to learning a lot. Now where's that search button.......

 

I have a mixed assortment of tools ranging from craftsman, snap-on, mac, matco, sk, etc. I prefer craftsman because of the ease of replacement without any hassles.

But if I need any specialty tools usually I will check sears first and if they do not have it I will look on ebay for snap-on or mac if I really need it. I have gotten some great deals on ebay on tools. Just make sure that you read the descriptions carefully and ask any questions before bidding to make sure the tool is what you are looking for.

If I were using my tools everyday as a professional mechanic does to make a living I am sure that most of my tools would be snap-on or mac even though I have never had many problems with craftsman.

 

I gotta go with Chraftsman too.. I have a toolbox full of them, both older and newer tools. I have had a few failures, but if I think about the miles i've put on them, compared to the price and warrenty, I can"t beat em.

 

Another thing you can do is to check Estate Sales, they are listed in your newspaper. Just study some tool catalogs before you go. Its surprising what you can get,some of it never or rarely used. PS Its considered to be tacky to carry around the catalog at the sale, and you maybe bugged till you leave, a shopping list is fine.

 

This is from memory when I researched mechanics tools.

Stanley tools makes MAC Tools and Husky (now offshore - Taiwan). I believe they have a complaint lodged against them by the US government for claiming "Made in USA" on the Husky Brand which used to be forged in the states (Texas I think).

Stanley USED to make Craftsman. About five years ago Sears switched suppliers and are now with Danahar (AllenTM, Matco). People seem to think the quality has declined with Danahar.

Can anyone confirm or refute these claims? Like I said, from memory.

Check out their websites (Stanley and Danahar).

 

[QUOTE=Aftrmidnite]Another thing you can do is to check Estate Sales, they are listed in your newspaper. [QUOTE]

I've bought a few tools at estate sales as well... and have gotten some pretty good deals: like a box full of files for $2. The trick with these auctions is to decide how much you are willing to pay and stick to it. I make a list of what I want and put my price next to the tool. At one sale there was a Craftsman floor-standing drill press I wanted. It was in pretty good condition but still used, so I decided it was worth $200-$250. In the end it sold to anotehr guy for $275. Too much, IMO, when a new one can be had for a little more.

 

Stanley tools makes MAC Tools and Husky (now offshore - Taiwan). I believe they have a complaint lodged against them by the US government for claiming "Made in USA" on the Husky Brand which used to be forged in the states (Texas I think).
Stanley USED to make Craftsman. About five years ago Sears switched suppliers and are now with Danahar (AllenTM, Matco). People seem to think the quality has declined with Danahar.
Can anyone confirm or refute these claims? Like I said, from memory.

 

oops! dang hi-tech computer gizmos... give me a pc with points and condenser!!!! anyway, here's the skinny on our favorite tools:
Snap-on has several subsidiary companies, and several companies that they buy tools from and re-label under their part numbers. Williams is a S-O subsidiary, and so is a torque wrench company called (i think) QPI. I have a 3/4 drive Williams branded torque wrench IDENTICAL to the one that is in the S-O catalog. Made by QPI. Has all three names on the calibration certificate. Many of the "Blue point" tools are outsourced. All of the BP channellocks are actually made by Channellock out of Meadville, PA (part #s even jive if you look at them side by side.) A lot of the "YA" prefix BP tools are made by Lisle out of Clarinda, Iowa. Also several diagnostic testing doodads are made by Thexton (a Minnesota based company). Snap-on supplies Caterpillar with many service tools, sold under the CAT numbering system. A lot of their pullers are made by a company called Hydramec out of Scio, NY, which is just down the road from where I grew up. Kobalt tools, sold by Lowe's home improvement stores, is a division of Williams, so technically, made by Snap-on (but let's be honest, they aren't to the same specs as S-O!!!)
Mac is a division of the Stanley Works, New Britain, CT. I know nothing about the Husky brand from the orange circus being a Stanley tool, but it could be true..... MAC sells a number of re-numbered Lisle tools as well, and a big portion of their specialty stuff can be cross-referenced to OTC (Owatonna Tool Corp of Minnesota, which is part of SPX, the company that supplies GM and Ford with Kent Moore and Rotunda OEM service tools.). By the way the fancy "STAR tester" that Ford dealerships have is made by a company called Hickok, and is available to the average guy like you and me for a small fortune!
Danaher makes Craftsman, KD, NAPA Hand Tool, Easco, and Matco hand tools. KD and NAPA hand tool are the same darn thing, right down to the part numbers. the only difference is the label on the package! Matco's boxes (which IMHO are probably some of the best built boxes of any out there....) are made at their plant in Jamestown, NY. In fact, Matco has an account with my parts store in J'town, and we supply them with DA pads to prep the boxes! Interestingly, though, even though Danaher has a Matco plant for their premier boxes (including the Craftsman Pro series), their homeowner boxes are made by an Iowa based company calleed Waterloo.
I am more or less the "tool buyer" (ok, face it, tool "junkie") for our parts store, so I see a lot of catalogs, and with the exception of the wrenches, ratchets, and BASIC hand tools, NONE of these tool truck outfits are making their own specialty tools. They all buy them from a few select companies, and mark them up accordingly. The major players are Thexton, Lisle, OTC, Schley, Ingersoll Rand, and few other oddballs. I love the tool trucks, I have a MAC truck stop at my parts store weekly. I bought a lift from MAC, because they had a great financing deal. It was an Accu Industries lift with a MAC decal on it. Could I have gotten it a little cheaper? Sure, but I'd have had to pay for it up front. Half the time the MAC guy drops in, I buy something from him. The other half of the time, I help him out with a Lisle, KD, or OTC branded tool that I can sell him cheaper than he buys it from MAC. The tool trucks are convenient for those of us blessed (cursed) enough to have them stop at our businesses, and that's where the extra value is. You pay more for being able to pay over time, and for not having to "go shopping". They bring the store to you. Buy whatever you feel is best for your present situation, try to buy the best quality you can afford (it DOES save you money in the long run), and be able to look yourself in the mirror in the mornings. Not everyone needs a $10,000 toolbox, but not everybody wants to buy a 100 piece set of sockets for $9.99, either. We're both right. Sorry this was so dern long-winded, but as they taught me to say at the Henry Ford Clinic "Hi, my name is Tom, and I'm a tool-aholic".

 

I am the mechanic on a large farm and use my tools hard 365 days a year. I work on anything from small engines to 500 HP tractors and D-9 cats.

I have never been disappointed with my craftsman tools. My only gripe is that the largest wrench I can get is 1 5/16 but most people wouldn't be bothered by that. Sure I have broken tools, mostly by improper use but Sears has always replaced it without even a question as to how it happened. If you want a good hardworking set at a decent price I would recommend Craftsman.

 

I have a mixture of brands, for different things. Some Snap on, some
craftsman etc ... for example I would not buy a volt ohm meter from
either I have a older Simpson meter and 3 Flukes so .... RZ

 

Made a living as a deisel mechanic for 35 years. Used a lot of different brand tools over the years and found that the most important thing is which works best for the task. Snap On, in my opinion is the best all around, a little on the high side price wise but worth it when you use them everyday. MAC is pretty close, dependable and a little cheaper. For both No problem with replacement, if you have a GOOD dealer he will be there every week. Craftsman are ok but I found them to be a little on the LARGE side and a lot of times they just will not fit into some of the places you need to get to. Another down side is you have to go to Sears to get them/replace them and depending on the store it can be a hassle.A few others: Armstrong, good but bulky. Bonney, ok not too bulky, have some I have used for years and years. Wizard,CRAP. Thorsen, good.
What it all boils down to is what you use them for. Every day all day go with the highest QUALITY you can get. For home use most costly is not always better. Doug. P.S. anything market TIWAN will only cause you pain, in more ways than one.

 

some of you have mentioned that non snap on sockets wont fit a nut perfectly...i think that is pretty ignorant b/c do you actually think these nut and bolt manufactuers are making their products to perfect specs?

 

About the sizing off Craftsman wrenches. I bought a set (the last set I will buy from Sears) of Craftsman metric comb. wrenches. 3 of the open ends would not fit the size bolt they were suppost to.
Sure I took them back to Sears but thats a 50 mile trip one way. I will wait on one of the tool trucks or go to the parts store and buy SK when I need something.

 

Stupidjet (and others), the issue of socket fitment isn't an issue of "perfectly spec'd" fasteners, or even a "loose" or "tight" fit. The biggest problem most of us have with a particular wrench or socket is slippage, usually due to rounding of the corners on a fastener. Snap-on's "Flank Drive" technology places the majority of the tool's force against the flat parts of the bolt's head, rather than the corners of it. By spreading out the force along the larger surface of the flats, rather than concentrating the force on the small area of the points, the force is applied more evenly, and less slippage and rounding of corners occurs. Think of it in one of two ways. A wide racing slick gives you way more traction than a skinny old bicycle tire would. More surface area contacting the asphalt. Or snowshoes.... a 200 pound man can walk over snow in snowshoes without sinking in, but a 125 pound man in workboots sinks in a heartbeat. The force applied is spread out better because the force is more evenly distributed. Snap-on spent a buttload of $$$ engineering their sockets this way for a reason. It works. Most of the other tool truck companies have some version of this technology that they use on their wrenches and sockets, too.