[Cochese]

I received a nice 4' tall Craftsman rolling tool chest for Christmas. I have a few tools, all Craftsman. I have heard that Snap-On, MAC, Matco, etc. are more expensive. What do you Bullittheads have and recommend?

Actually, I think Craftsman tools are too good for me, but the lifetime guarantee on most of their tools is hard to beat for the price.

 

[Maddawg]

Virtually all my tools are Craftsman also. Sears always has such a great selection of good quality tools and accessories and when you buy one of their tool packages the price is hard to beat unless you buy junk. My philosophy on buying anything is that you can pay too much for quality but you can never pay too little for junk.

 

[donwil]

Congrats on the great tool box.

Craftsman, Craftsman, Craftsman, Craftsman, ever since I got my first set from my dad in 1975 while in auto-mechanics in High School. I still have the exact same tools with a whole lot more added through the years. Now whenever I go to swap meets, garage sales, etc... I pick up all the broken Craftsman tools and take them to Sears for replacement. Been doing this ever since I saw my dad doing this.

This is just MHO, there are some darn good tools out there. Snap On, MatCo, etc.... You can't go wrong with any set of GOOD tools. To me it is just easier to go down to Sears anytime they are open and I need tools.

 

[BullittGT433]

Craftsman tools are excellent in most instances in my opinion. Once you break a Snap On or such it may be more difficult to locate a sales rep which to replace the item. Sears makes it simple, open 7 days per week and lots of hours in this area. Buffalo and a few other super cheap brands are what I would recommend you avoid, they ruin more things than they help to repair.

 

[Cochese]

I really appreciate the posts...looks like Craftsman is the way to go! I am not a mechanical type but I trust the experience level here at BullittClub! :smile:

Can't wait to fill the Craftsman tool chest!

Collin

 

[01GTB]

I have a lot of Craftsman stuff, but recently some of there stuff seems...well, cheap. I have broken quite a few ratchets and some sockets. In fact the two most recent sets I bought had 1) a defective ratchet and 2) a ratchet that was in a sealed bag that was in pieces

There are Sears everywhere, and that good when it comes to replacing them I guess. But sometimes the older guys try to pawn off rebuilds on you. The younger guys at Sears will usually give you new and sometimes better replacements. It still sucks to break one while you're working on something.

I have quite a few SK tools too. I am gonna be different and recommend for you to check them out too. The downside, SK dealers are not plentiful. The upside, I have never broke one. I bought a nice 3/8 small set a couple years off ebay. It was around $90. http://www.skhandtool.com/

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: 01GTB on 2002-02-23 16:56 ]</font>

 

[JayP]

If I had a million bucks- I'd buy a SnapOn truck. I have some SnapOn tools that were gifts from SnapOn themselves- I'd never afford them.

Since we all work for a living- It's Craftsman.

Watch out though- Sear has a 'Sears' brand that's made in China. It's cheap, but not covered under the Craftsman Warranty.

 

[BLT5103]

When I need a socket that I do not have rather than going to Sears to buy a new Crafstman, I simply go to my local pawn shop and buy a good used Craftsman socket for about 1/2 the price of a new one. I bought a brand new $80.00 Craftsman torque wrench from a pawn shop for $60.00 that works great and is accurate. The upside is that if you break a Craftsman tool that you bought from a pawn shop, you can still take it to Sears and they will give you a new one no questions asked!

 

[Bullitt3577]

You can't go wrong with Craftsman tools, but some things like their ratcheting srewdriver leaves something to be desired. I use Craftsman, Snap-on, SK and Facom tools.

 

[Cochese]

This is great info! Thanks! I have never seen
SK tools or heard of them but I will be on
the lookout. Griot's Garage carries Facom and
have heard great things about them. No one
mentioned MAC tools.........I see those tool
trucks all the time.......more than Snap-on!
Going to a pawn shop is a great idea too.
I appreciate the inputs Bullittheads!

Thanks once again! :smile:

Collin (tool hungry for good tools)

_________________

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: PY on 2002-02-26 00:30 ]</font>

 

[retromuscle]

I used to use Craftsman stuff (mainly b/c that's all I could afford). But since my father-in-law owns his own shop (can you say $0 labor for anything I EVER need to do??? :grin: :grin: :grin: ), I use the MAC tools he has. Hands down they are the best tools I've ever used. Snap-On is good, but for the money they charge, it's just not worth it. BTW, Stanley makes MAC tools and I hear that they are coming out with (or have come out with, I'm not sure) a set of "Professional" Stanley tools that are basically MAC tools with the Stanley name on them. A little more expensive than Craftsman, but not as expensive as their MAC counterparts.

 

[merc50]

Snapon . Matco

 

[rancorkeeper]

I've used Craftsman for years & only broken one ratchet & one tape measure in all that time. A buddy back home uses Snap-On exclusively, but since he buys so many tools, the truck comes directly to his house whenever he calls, even on weekends. I guess that's worth the extra dough, but it takes a lot of money to become that important a customer.

 

[CA_Bullitt]

My basic philosophy is that unless you are wrenching everyday, then Craftsman tools are great. If you want something a bit tougher, then you can buy the Craftsman Professional series stuff, but for weekend warrior work, it tough to beat. That said, I have purchased key Snap-On tools (Ratchets, 1/2 & 9/16 sockets and combos, pliers, etc) and they are REALLY nice. For example, the sockets fit SOO SWEET. All of the Snap On tools I have, I also have in Craftsman, so if it breaks, still no big deal. But I can see why some mechanics will spend $40K on tools.

 

[Trigger]

Craftsman works for me.

 

[BLACKBULLITT]

I've been using Craftsman tools since I started working on Ford flathead engines in the 50's. I've only broken a few sockets and worn out one ratchet. These were replaced no charge.

 

[Cochese]

Well folks it looks like Craftsman is the way
to go. I learned alot from all the posts here
on this topic. Thanks alot Bullittheads! Now
can someone find me a job so I can go buy
these Craftsman tools? :lol: