I finally need to buy my own set of tools. My buddy who had all the good stuff is moving away so I need to buy my own. I want to start small and build a good set over time but what do I need to begin with.
Also what brand do you guys suggest, Husky, Craftsmen etc.

I was thinking: Hammer, Chanel locks, pliers, screwdriver set, have a craftsmen socket set already. SO what do you guys thnk I should add and what brand?

I love you guys for these type of questions.(Err not like that!)

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 28-May-02 AT 05:06 AM (EST)]Good question Ranger. You will probably get as many answers as there are tools. My first tool box was S-K, filled with S-K tools my dad bought me for my 16th birthday after I got my first car. (Which was a Ford). Mostly just the basics. Socket set, open end wrenches, screwdrivers, etc. I guess it would depend on how much work you do or plan to do. I still have a lot of those S-K tools but now I mostly go for craftsman. I think they are of good quality, large selection, have a good warranty and you can buy different size of tool kits that come with the basics for just a tune up, or bigger packages for more involved stuff like teardowns. Buy what fits your budget and your needs. And Sears always has a sale of some kind on tools. Then just add on as needed. But what ever you brand you choose, choose quality as I'm sure others will also agree.

 

I work for an "industrial distributor" and for Lowes on the side. You definitely get what you pay for. I have always had good luck with S-K and Proto tools. Buy the best basic set that you can afford and add to it as money allows. Also, look at the different manufacturer's web sites for distributors in your area. Around here all of the distributors will sell to anyone with cash, at alot better price than the retail merchants.

 

I've used Craftsman over 40 years and still use some of the first ones. Buy good USA tools, take care of them and they'll last longer than you will.
Dono

 

A good set of both metric and standard 6 point socket in a 3/8" drive will cover 80% of your needs. As a 17 year old, I too, received a basic Craftsman tool set for Christmas and still use them to this day.

(Do you think anyone ever buys one of those top-of-the-line Craftsman sets that feature a bazillion tools?)

 

on sockets i tend to buy deep sets first, you usually have enough room to use a deep socket even when its not needed but you can never use a normal socket when a deep is needed and yeah, 6 point to reduce strippage.

i prefer open/box combo wrenches as opposed to the sets with different sized open ended wrenches on each end.

i love the ratcheting box end wrenches, fantastic if you've got the room to maneuver.

multimeter and a variety pack of wire connectors for electrical work.

i usually go w/craftsman if i can, reasonably priced & lifetime guarentee.

 

aerocolorado

>(Do you think anyone ever buys one of those top-of-the-line
>Craftsman sets that feature a bazillion tools?)

I don't know if anyone would actually buy all that stuff or not. But it's sure nice to look at. Maybe it's a marketing ploy to get our attention. Then we see what we need and can afford and just go with that. But if I had the money to buy a supper dupper "Mechanics Special" for the "Profesional" I would walk through the store and buy about half of that "great deal for the home mechanic". And when I get it home still only use half of what I got. Then again if I were a profesional mechanic and got ripped off of all my tools, then I would have a need to replace them real fast.

 

When I was 15 I mail oredered a set of tools with toolbox.
This was about a 252 piece set from Taiwan.I still have some of them.

If I was just starting out today,becuase we have Canadian Tire here in Canada,and they have professional tools lifetimw guaranteed sets they occaisonally sell at Half price. I would buy them there.
Great deal for you American's coming up and buying from them at the rate of exchange US to Can funds.
Their tools are made in the US so you're helping people in your country too.
checkout their web site and see what I mean.
www.canadiantire.ca
If not Canadian Tire it would be Craftsman Pro series from Sears.


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[font color=red]Calgary,Alberta,Canada[/font]

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well if you look in my tool box at work all you will see is Snap-on and craftsman,snap-on is a bit pricy but they last forever and full replacement not like craftsman where if you break a rachet they will just give you a repair kit and send you on your way(well they did that to me the first time till i raised a stink and told them i didnt buy this thing in a kit and im not taking a replacement kit!!)

if youi look in my tool box @ home all you will find is craftsman because they are resonalbly priced with a liftime gaurentee(sp?)

its better to spend a little more for a tool now that you need and can always be replaced free then buy a cheapo that may only last one use and then your out that tool...

just my $.02

 

The only tools I have had fail and injure me were Craftsman. I was not even slightly abusing the tools at the time and they were brand new. I have also found that Craftsman tools were often out of spec on size (usually large) for plain open end and sockets. This causes rounding and can also lead to injury. I have gone into the store and measured wrenches until I found one that was the right size. There was a large degree of scatter in the tool sizes. I have seen much better consistency in SK or Snap-on tools and even Husky. So far I have not had a SK/Proto/Snap-on/Husky/Wardmaster, or even "Wizard" (Western Auto) tool fail (knock on Wood). It seems that Craftsman relies on their name and their lifetime guarantee. A lifetime guarantee doesn't make up for a mashed finger or get a project finished at midnight so you can drive tomorrow.

The first tools I had were Craftsman (old stuff) 1/4" drive socket set and a Wizard 3/8" drive sockets. I still have those tools.

My $.02 worth.

 

I have to agree with Eric. The older Craftsman hand tools were much better, I have some of both for home and the older sockets are noticeably thicker. While it's great to have a lifetime guarantee, I was getting tired of driving to Sears 3 times a week. I have $15,000 in Snap-on tools in my box at work, and I can tell you first hand it's a difference of night and day. Plus I never have to say "If I only had a.......". While this might not be an option for everyone, I have found Snap-on, Mac, Cornwell, Matco and a lot of Craftsman tool at pawn shops and swap meets. If you know what you are looking for, sometimes you can get a decent deal. By the way, Snap-on makes a 18 volt cordless half inch impact, and I used it to change a tire on an F-450 today. It's 400 bucks, but MAN! does that thing rock! Absolutely worth it, that thing has saved me a ton of time. Just my $400.00 worth,

John

 

Well I went and bought a starter set of craftsman tools. I got a Homeowners set of hammer, tape, 3 sets of pliers, 8 screwdrivers 4 flat 4 phillips, and a little exacto type blade. I also picked up another pair of pliers and crecent wrench. Also got a nice craftsmen toolbox to put them in. Not bad for 72.00 bucks. I am going to get some wrenches soon enough but this will be good to get me started and good to use around my girlfriends new place fixing the odd and ends that are going to pop up.

I took all of your advice to heart. I thought man expensive for so little and they had champion brand kits for cheaper but then remembered I will probably be able to have these and give them to my son(I hope) someday.
Thanks guys and keep the ideas coming.

 

Part of that worthless lifetime guarantee is drawing you back into the store. How many times did you stop by just for that worthless socket and bought something else?

It is an old retail trick. It is why the eggs and milk are in the back of the grocery store where you have to drag the kids (and you) past the chips and sugar cereal.

The old sockets many times were not any thicker than the new stuff but they were made out of better steel. I think government regs had something to do with making sockets out of case hardened steel to avoid shattering. I don't think that whoever makes the sockets and tools for craftsman has quite the same quality control over their heat treatment that other companies that actually make tools as their primary product use. Sears buys from the lowest bidder as a commodity to fill out a product line.

 

I have always used Craftsman tools and they seem to work well for a weekend mechanic like myself. However if I were doing it for a living I would not use Craftsman and would go with Snap On, Matco, or Cornwall. Much more expensive, but definitely worth it if you are using them all day every day. My first set of tools were Craftsman along with a couple of pawn shop sanop ons tools I found here and there. They were stolen, so with the insurance money I bought the 241 piece Craftsman set and a nice roll around box.
I would avoid Husky tools from Home Depot like the plague. I broke a Husky ratchet last weekend and Home Depot would not honor the warranty with a replacement and wanted to send it off for repair and have it back to me in two weeks!!! The ratchet I broke was no longer sold individually, only in sets. I spoke with the store manager and he agreed to take one off a display set to replace my broken one. But it should not take two trips and an angry customer to get something replaced that is suppose to have a lifetime warranty. In any event I am through with Home Depot. I'll pay more, I know, but I'll shop at the small True Value down the street from now on. Also it looks like Home Depot is not going to be selling too many hand tools anymore.

 

The Craftsman sockets,ratchets,wrenches and some screwdrivers are made by Danahere Tool in Penn. They also make the Allen Hand Tool line. All of them are "lifetime guarantee" but I still don't like them. BTW Danahere also owns Armstrong Tool. I have never broken an Armstrong Tool but they're guaranteed forever also.