All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

[lowkee]

Short back story: I have always bought Craftsman tools, just because there is always a Sears nearby where I live and I like the feel of most of their tools. The downside, of course, is the price of them. Over the years, I have lost a socket or a wrench here and there and, recently, I have been searching more and more for a certain size socket, since I no longer have 3 or 4 of the same size.

Well, not wanting to pay the crazy price of Craftsman anymore, I looked up Harbor Freight socket sets and ordered one which looked good (a 204 piece set). Well, I got it in today and WOWEEWOW ! These things are really good quality! I would go so far as to say, I think these are made by the same maker of Craftsman tools, as not only do they look EXACT, they are the same heft and, to my rapid estimate, quality. What a change from the (lack of) quality of tools you see when you browse many Chinese tool shelves. I am truly impressed at how much improved some Chinese goods are becoming and have become.

If you find yourself looking for a socket set, give these a look. Keep in mind, though, these are not the same as what you normally find in the store, they are heat treated alloy steel, not the "Chromium" the cheapie sets have, so carefully read the descriptions before you click "Buy".

All in all, I'm thrilled! And I finally have a 16mm and 18mm 3/8 drive socket (for some reason no small sets come with it, and 1/2 my car's bolts are 16mm or 18mm).

 

[bruceb58]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

I am a fan of Harbor Freight for some tools. When I want a socket from them that I really need to put some torque to, I stick with the impact sockets. I have broken some of the standard Harbor Freight sockets. My general rule is that if you need a breaker bar, you should probably use the impact versions. I agree, hard to find an 18mm.

On the welding forum that I hang out at, there is a Harbor Freight section and there is one thread that is titled "Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck". Interesting reading!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

My main socket set is a cheapie All-Trade or something like that. I've always been really careful about not losing anything from this set and I've had it for at least 10 years. I did have to replace the wrench itself almost immediately due to breakage. I also have a low-end Craftsman screwdriver set that I've had for just about as long without losing or damaging any of them. I am normally pretty bad about losing stuff so these things are truly an anomaly for me.

I wonder if cheap screwdrivers have gotten any better cuz man that was one item on which you may as well not even bother with cheap ones.

 

[lowkee]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

I agree on the screwdrivers. I am really picky about them. I, at one time, had pretty much one of every Craftsman hand tool, and the one thing I was happy to replace were the screwdrivers. Those things feel as though they are designed to hurt your hands. I always keep my eye out for rubber gripped screwdriver sets and buy them whenever I see them (usually $15 sets). You can never have enough philips drivers

 

[ezmobee]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

My trusty set is rubber grip!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

this is the best set of drivers i have ever owned. great handle, tips do not break or twist. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00973603000P?keyword=insulated+screw+driver+set

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

My favorite screw drivers are S&K...Had them for years and have never broke or bent one.
My tool box contains Craftsmen,S&K and Snap On...

I do have a bunch of impact sockets from Harbor Freight..so far so good on those.

 

[xxxflhrci]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

I have a good size collection of Craftsman tools. I think the quality of them has gone down over the years, especially after KMart bought Sears. The good thing is you can always find them at places other than retail stores and still get the great warranty. As far as their screwdriver's go, I'm not impressed with the ones that I have that have clear handles.

Harbor Freight? I've gotten a lot of really good tools from HF for much less than other stores. Most all of my air tools are from their. Their torque wrenchs are really good and have a lifetime warranty, unlike ones like Craftsman. Before I bought a couple of HF torque wrenchs, I spoke to someone who worked in a calibration lab. He told me the ones from HF that he had tested were as good or better than Craftsman and some of the even more expensive brands. He said the main difference was in the external finish, but not the internals.....I've also got a couple of tap and die sets from HF. One metric. One SAE. Each was on sale for 10 bucks. They have a lifetime warranty, also. I have used them alot with no troubles. I did break a handle in one set. It took the set back and got a brand new set with no questions asked.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

My heavy duty stuff is snap on. Overpriced but cost per year gets less as time passes. Does the job each time I use them. I also have many cheaper tools that do the job but I do not expect as long a term use out of them.
My best buy was a hardwood floor nailer / stapler. Got the hardwood for the entire main level of our home at auction at a great price. Renting one was $50 per day or $85 per weekend. Bought one on e-bay for $110 including shipping. It is an exact replica of a Bosch Bostitch that generally retails around the $800 mark here in Canada. Keep it well oiled and it did the job really well. I have since done many other floors for other people and it is still going strong.
Will it last as long as the Bosch version ??? probably not but it has paid for itself several times already and is still going strong. Going to use it in my basement "pub" over the holidays to put the hardwood down on the stage.
By the way it is Chinese.

 

[fat fanny]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

When it cmes to screw drivers you can't beat the quality of Snap On but the price is out of my range anymore but I do own about 20 grand in snap on tools and about 5 grand in harbor frieght, craftsman,s&k and mac but over the years ihave found craftsmans quality has dwindled and thier return policy is becoming argumentative so I don't even bother by anything from them the pittsburg line found at harbor frieght is becoming better and better and the guarantee is liftime as long as you keep the recipt I keep all my harbor frieght recipts in a zip lock bag because the ink will fade within a week when expposed to air.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

Short back story: I have always bought Craftsman tools, just because there is always a Sears nearby where I live and I like the feel of most of their tools. The downside, of course, is the price of them. Over the years, I have lost a socket or a wrench here and there and, recently, I have been searching more and more for a certain size socket, since I no longer have 3 or 4 of the same size.

Well, not wanting to pay the crazy price of Craftsman anymore, I looked up Harbor Freight socket sets and ordered one which looked good (a 204 piece set). Well, I got it in today and WOWEEWOW ! These things are really good quality! I would go so far as to say, I think these are made by the same maker of Craftsman tools, as not only do they look EXACT, they are the same heft and, to my rapid estimate, quality. What a change from the (lack of) quality of tools you see when you browse many Chinese tool shelves. I am truly impressed at how much improved some Chinese goods are becoming and have become.

If you find yourself looking for a socket set, give these a look. Keep in mind, though, these are not the same as what you normally find in the store, they are heat treated alloy steel, not the "Chromium" the cheapie sets have, so carefully read the descriptions before you click "Buy".

All in all, I'm thrilled! And I finally have a 16mm and 18mm 3/8 drive socket (for some reason no small sets come with it, and 1/2 my car's bolts are 16mm or 18mm).

Glad to see you got a set you like. Because, according to your signature, you've got a big project starting in a few weeks. If the tools last longer than the project, then it's a good deal. Good luck with the Bayliner and Merry Christmas

 

[ddrieck]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

Think about how many years you have had your Craftsman tools. Then think about how long the Chinese tools will last with repeated use. The Craftsman tools will be around a lot longer then the Chinese in my opinion.

With that being said, I do own a few tools purchased from Harbor Freight but they are mostly what I consider disposable tools. Use it one and if it breaks, no big deal cause it was cheap. So far I have not been to impressed with the Harbor Freight stuff.

Just My .02

 

[lowkee]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

Think about how many years you have had your Craftsman tools. Then think about how long the Chinese tools will last with repeated use.

That'll be the true test. I've had Craftsman all my adult life, so I never fear beating a ratchet with hammer to get that stubborn nut loose or connecting a pair of vice grips to a screwdriver for some extra torque. We'll see if these sockets can handle the same abuse. Heck, I'm just happy it came in a case.. I'm horrible at returning things the 7 feet to the tool chest :redface:

 

[redone4x4]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

Doesn't harbor freight warranty their pittsburgh tools for life also? im not sure, but i thought that was the case. I buy a bunch of stuff from there as well. I have mostly brand name stuff, but recently have bought alot from them. Sockets and really large wrenches is what got me started shopping there. Got a trailer hitch ball wrench there a few years ago that I still carry with me.

I do agree with ya, I think the quality has grown past what the ol chinese tool stereotype used to be!

 

[mscher]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

My main socket set is a cheapie All-Trade or something like that. I've always been really careful about not losing anything from this set and I've had it for at least 10 years. I did have to replace the wrench itself almost immediately due to breakage. I also have a low-end Craftsman screwdriver set that I've had for just about as long without losing or damaging any of them. I am normally pretty bad about losing stuff so these things are truly an anomaly for me.

I wonder if cheap screwdrivers have gotten any better cuz man that was one item on which you may as well not even bother with cheap ones.

I have graduated up to the "professional" Craftsman screwdrivers and they are really good quality for the price. They have the feel of Snap-on screwdrivers. The regular Craftsman screwdrivers are as chintzy as ever.

http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10...=Hand+Tools&keyword=professional+screwdrivers

 

[mscher]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

There is a very large selection of relatively high quality tools, paint guns, air compressors, etc. coming from China, at reasonable prices.

The downside is that it is coming from China. Maybe someday, we can get some of that manufacturing back.

 

[i386]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

I haven't tried any of HF's sockets. I have a good set of Craftsman SAE and metric sockets. I did get in a jam one night and needed a deep-well 17mm socket which I didn't have. Ended up buying a little Stanley set of metric deep-wells that also came with a 3/8 6" extension (like I really needed another one). Pretty sure they were not made in USA, but the looked to be of really good quality.

The Kobalt tools that Lowes sells have the same guarantee as Craftsman. They also sell individual sockets which scores points with me. I don't own any of those tools, but I might some day. They're priced about the same I think. I used to be really loyal to Craftsman but I'm running out of reasons to. Used to, when something said Craftsman on it, you knew it would last a lifetime. That's not always the case now.

IMHO there is no finer screwdriver than a Klein screwdriver. An absolute joy to use.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

the pittsburg line found at harbor frieght is becoming better and better and the guarantee is liftime as long as you keep the receipt

Yup, make sure you keep the receipt for the HF Lifetime Warranty. Right after HF started the "with a receipt warranty" on hand tools I walked in with a broken torque wrench and had to fight to get it warrantied. Long ago (maybe 5-10 years) you used to be able to walk into HF with a broken tool and get it swapped out, without a receipt, not anymore... I've never had a problem at other places (auto parts store, Sears, Lowes, HomeCheap'o) getting a broken tool replaced without a receipt, guess it's another one of those "you get what you pay for things. I mean, the only place that sells Pittsburg tools is HF, so I seriously doubt I bought it at another store.....

I bought a huge Craftsman tool set (400-500pc) almost 20 years ago and it's been a great set of tools. But, I can tell the difference between their new ratchets and the old ones, the old ones are soooo much smooooother. Sears changed their tool warranty too. I took in a couple ratchets for warranty replacement, and they rebuilt the ratchets, instead of handing me a new one. Well,,, I guess that's OK, but I would have preferred to have my trusty old ratchet rebuilt instead of getting one from a box of rebuilt ratchets... I wound up with a new style (cheap) ratchet instead of the old style . I also took in a couple screw drivers, socket and and a Ujoint, they swapped those straight across with new items.

 

[ziggy]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

The downside is that it is coming from China. Maybe someday, we can get some of that manufacturing back.

that's the way i feel about it. i just cringe when i have to buy chineeze anything... i don't care what their quality is.... i just don't want to support their economy. i want to support our economy.. fwiw, for hand tools, i got sk and craftsmen, snapon for specialty tools... i've been happy with them...

 

[Adjuster]

Re: All I can say is *WOW*! (Chinese tools)

Anybody try the Harbor Freight air tools?