Posted: 10/19/2014 3:46:42 PM EDT
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Friends,
I've just inherited an old batch (1940's-70's) hand tools from my father. Some were from his dad, some he purchased himself. The majority are Craftsman. I've heard people say they don't make 'em like they used to. If you were going to buy a few sets of sockets, and other heavy use items to fill out the missing pieces (old fellas didn't have a lot of metric =) ), what brand would you choose? Craftsman? Cobalt? Husky? Something I'm not mentioning here? I'd like made in the USA and something I can expect a few decades of use from. Is there such a thing any more? |
| Yeah Snap on is great, I could buy several cars with the money I have spent on their tools but for a home user I would go with something that is easy and Snap on isn't easy for the home user. Plus they are far too expensive for some guy changing his oil. If you have a Sears nearby I would buy craftsman. |
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Quoted:
Yeah Snap on is great, I could buy several cars with the money I have spent on their tools but for a home user I would go with something that is easy and Snap on isn't easy for the home user. Plus they are far too expensive for some guy changing his oil. If you have a Sears nearby I would buy craftsman. This is a fair point. I do almost all the work on my motorcycle and general maintenance around the house, but I'm not using these tools daily - only when something goes wrong or I need a new exhaust system on the bike.  I'll do the pads and rotors on the cars, change a radiator or expansion tank, maybe even put in a new starter or wiper motor, but that's about the extent of my automotive expertise. I build two or three ARs per year, and like to do the routine clean/degrease/repack on the bicycle. A technician I am not.
So really, no quarrel with Craftsman's new stuff? I have a Sears 2 miles from the house. |
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20+ years in automotive/hd diesel and I have everyone's tools in my boxes.......Craftsman stuff is good to go.
Older Craftsman is better than newer. Harbor Freight for the really big stuff. Snap-Off, Matco, Mac, Cornball, whatever for specific things and tool boxes. |
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Quoted:
Yeah Snap on is great, I could buy several cars with the money I have spent on their tools but for a home user I would go with something that is easy and Snap on isn't easy for the home user. Plus they are far too expensive for some guy changing his oil. If you have a Sears nearby I would buy craftsman. Snap-On = you're either going to make money with them (shop/fieldcrew mech), only going to have one of each specific tool (vehicle toolkit), or have the money and don't care (not this guy). If those don't apply, just buy Craftsman (+elCheapo brand if you want a spare __________ just in case you break a tool). |
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GP I work in the oilfield they are a great product. Not USA made not much is.. Buy on Amazon |
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Quoted:
Yeah Snap on is great, I could buy several cars with the money I have spent on their tools but for a home user I would go with something that is easy and Snap on isn't easy for the home user. Plus they are far too expensive for some guy changing his oil. If you have a Sears nearby I would buy craftsman. Most of my tools are Craftsman with a few odds and ends. Don't mess with the Evolv 
I've traded in worn out 30 year old screw drivers with no problem. Some of them are still US made. 
ETA: I use them every day at work. |
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Quoted:
This is a fair point. I do almost all the work on my motorcycle and general maintenance around the house, but I'm not using these tools daily - only when something goes wrong or I need a new exhaust system on the bike. I'll do the pads and rotors on the cars, change a radiator or expansion tank, maybe even put in a new starter or wiper motor, but that's about the extent of my automotive expertise. I build two or three ARs per year, and like to do the routine clean/degrease/repack on the bicycle. A technician I am not.
So really, no quarrel with Craftsman's new stuff? I have a Sears 2 miles from the house. Quoted:
Quoted:
Yeah Snap on is great, I could buy several cars with the money I have spent on their tools but for a home user I would go with something that is easy and Snap on isn't easy for the home user. Plus they are far too expensive for some guy changing his oil. If you have a Sears nearby I would buy craftsman. This is a fair point. I do almost all the work on my motorcycle and general maintenance around the house, but I'm not using these tools daily - only when something goes wrong or I need a new exhaust system on the bike. I'll do the pads and rotors on the cars, change a radiator or expansion tank, maybe even put in a new starter or wiper motor, but that's about the extent of my automotive expertise. I build two or three ARs per year, and like to do the routine clean/degrease/repack on the bicycle. A technician I am not.
So really, no quarrel with Craftsman's new stuff? I have a Sears 2 miles from the house. The new Craftsman stuff is now made in China and is not nearly as nice as the older tools. Gearwrench is very nice for the money, made in Taiwan. garagejournal.com has a lot of good info. |
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My sockets, ratchets, and wrenches are Craftsman. For everything else I'm flexible between Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, Harbor Freight. You can get good stuff at all of those places, and some have great deals... For example Husky has Robo Grip pliers (which I prefer in most cases to Channel lock style), as good as Sears for less. Just shop price/quality, because there's good products and junk products on all their shelves. |
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My grandfather and I had a similar conversation a while back (Carpenter all his life and still building). When someone says "new stuff isn't as good as it use to" , it referring to the quality and quality control used before But they also cost much more . As time went on using cheaper materials and taking more human element out keeps cost down. A skilsaw in the 60s cost $125-150, cost about the same today.
When it comes todays Craftsman is good to go. Even if its working on your Daily Driver or building a dog house. I wouldn't be afraid to use them if I had to use tools for my job just because if they broke I could replace. Remember Ace Hardware also carries Craftsman but takes longer to replace through them. |
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Quoted: Make a list of what you need. Go to motorcycle or car swap meets. Theres always a tool table or two full of used USA made tools. Fill your gaps with those. And flea markets, garage sales, pawn shops, etc. If you're patient, you can build a great set of solid old tools for pretty cheap this way, but instant gratification it is not. |
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Quoted: My grandfather and I had a similar conversation a while back (Carpenter all his life and still building). When someone says "new stuff isn't as good as it use to" , it referring to the quality and quality control used before But they also cost much more . As time went on using cheaper materials and taking more human element out keeps cost down. A skilsaw in the 60s cost $125-150, cost about the same today. When it comes todays Craftsman is good to go. Even if its working on your Daily Driver or building a dog house. I wouldn't be afraid to use them if I had to use tools for my job just because if they broke I could replace. Remember Ace Hardware also carries Craftsman but takes longer to replace through them. K-mart has some Craftsman stuff too. |
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Quoted:
K-mart has some Craftsman stuff too. Quoted:
Quoted:
My grandfather and I had a similar conversation a while back (Carpenter all his life and still building). When someone says "new stuff isn't as good as it use to" , it referring to the quality and quality control used before But they also cost much more . As time went on using cheaper materials and taking more human element out keeps cost down. A skilsaw in the 60s cost $125-150, cost about the same today. When it comes todays Craftsman is good to go. Even if its working on your Daily Driver or building a dog house. I wouldn't be afraid to use them if I had to use tools for my job just because if they broke I could replace. Remember Ace Hardware also carries Craftsman but takes longer to replace through them. K-mart has some Craftsman stuff too. Kmart bought Sears some years back instead of filing for bankruptcy Ace has a contract with Craftsman which started a couple of years ago |
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Quoted: Do you make money turning a wrench? If yes then buy snap-on, if no then buy craftsman. /thread I make a lot of money turning wrenches. I have a few things Snap On that have impressed me but I can say that about Mac and MAtCO also. They all sell globally sourced products and some are still made in the USA. I have a 4 to 1 torque Multiplier made by Williams that i have maxed out at 2000 foot lbs several times damn thing wont break. The point is LOT'S OF GOOD TOOLS ARE AVAILABLE TODAY.
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Do you make money turning a wrench? If yes then buy snap-on, if no then buy craftsman. /thread I make a lot of money turning wrenches. I have a few things Snap On that have impressed me but I can say that about Mac and MAtCO also. They all sell globally sourced products and some are still made in the USA. I have a 4 to 1 torque Multiplier made by Williams that i have maxed out at 2000 foot lbs several times damn thing wont break. The point is LOT'S OF GOOD TOOLS ARE AVAILABLE TODAY. I've read enough positive reviews about the HF impact sockets on here from guys who use them on heavy equipment that I picked up a set. Just as nice as anything else I've ever used. |