Tools

[Rellik546]

Re: Tools

I found a 301 piece Pittsburg socket set with wrenches with lifetime warranty for 170. There is minimal crap and maximum useful tools. It's mostly just sockets, rackets, breaking bars, extensions. It's on harbor freight. For my college budget. And for a start this should work. It has very solid reviews. Actually nothing less than 4 stars. I will buy upgraded ratchets from a better company. However this basically gives me every single size and kind of socket I'll ever need and includes all the wierd ones that I've come across thus far. I'm definitely gonna get a good screwdriver/driver set. Also a torque wrench. This set comes with a few wrenches but I also want a good set of wrenches.

Just want to thank everyone who replied. You can easily get lost in all the marketing crap and mobo jumbo out there.

Before I guy this set I'm gonna check out a few pawn shops as this sounds like a good idea

 

[j_k_bisson]

Re: Tools

Reguardless what brand you pic. Make sure it is a company that is going to be around in the next 20 years. Don't know if sears is. Walmart is killing them in other departments.... but that is another topic.

My advise to you, about any purchase you buy young, It would be your tool box. Don't buy a small one thats an odd size. But the biggest one (most common size) you can afford. That way you will not have to upgrade and get ride of later. I'm in this position now. My box is not big enough for my needs, (are they ever) and need to upgrade to larger one. This time around I will but close to the same (small 32" wide) I had but three matching sets and put them on a common wheeled base. Never enought space in you box as you grow older. Just make sure the box you buy is a very common size. That way you can add beside it without having too mis-matched boxes besides each other....

 

[infideltarget]

Re: Tools

I found a 301 piece Pittsburg socket set with wrenches with lifetime warranty for 170. There is minimal crap and maximum useful tools. It's mostly just sockets, rackets, breaking bars, extensions. It's on harbor freight. For my college budget. And for a start this should work. It has very solid reviews. Actually nothing less than 4 stars. I will buy upgraded ratchets from a better company. However this basically gives me every single size and kind of socket I'll ever need and includes all the wierd ones that I've come across thus far. I'm definitely gonna get a good screwdriver/driver set. Also a torque wrench. This set comes with a few wrenches but I also want a good set of wrenches.

Just want to thank everyone who replied. You can easily get lost in all the marketing crap and mobo jumbo out there.

Before I guy this set I'm gonna check out a few pawn shops as this sounds like a good idea

Take some cash, and try to negotiate. Be sure to report back on your findings

 

[jacobcnc]

Re: Tools

I picked up the huskys set thats like 140 came with racheting wrenches and every thing, i was impressed. As far as craftsman goes if you do any kind of wrenching, you will find that the rachets are junk, and stupid. they put a square handle on them, that if you pull on them to much really hurts the hands. what i do now is just buy one or two tools every time i go to the pawn shop, cause to be honest they dont make tools like they use to

 

[Rellik546]

Re: Tools

Jacobcnc. Did u get the black chrome husky set? I believe those are there "impact grade" sockets. Or just the chrome ones? My bro has the 20 piece black chrome one...and we beat on them pretty hard. Never broke. I like them. But they don't seem to sell any sizes outside the ones in the sets. Maybe I'll pick up the 100 pc. Think it was 150. But that Pittsburg set has every size I'd ever need or have needed. If something breaks it's still under warranty.


Oh about sears/ kmart vs walmart. Walmart will eventually put everyone out of business. If u add up the sales of all retailers other than walmart. There total is less than walmarts. Think about that for a second...I'm a business major at SOM at Umass. We study walmart alot, good and bad. Good being operations side/ inventory. Bad mainly HR and driving suppliers to reduce costs so much so that they are no longer profitable. Anyways. Who knows how long sears/craftsman will be around.

I'm excited to go pawn shop hunting. Nothing like a good haggle. And I always carry cash. Cash talks. That's how I got my boat 500 less than the buyers bottom line. Just ripped out some freshly minted benjamins and he folded at the site of them. . Didn't help that the boat had a rotten floor either...I knew this when I bought it.

 

[Rellik546]

Re: Tools

Sigsaur. If u have kids. I bet I can tell u where Ur tools are! Whenever my dad was missing tools he just looked in my brothers room and mine or checked the yard. We both have been handy since we had bicycles. Even upgraded our Lego set to erector sets with motors and stuff. Now that I'm older I can understand why he would get so pissed off that he couldn't find his tools. ESP since whenever he needed the tool he was working on something that was important lol. He was never mean to us. But u could tell he was pissed....ooooops

 

[bigdee]

Re: Tools

Rellik....I believe you made a good choice. Sometimes you have to factor in your budget and try to get the biggest bang for the buck. You researched the reviews and found a deal,there is nothing wrong with being prudent and resourceful. Mac and snap-on may be the best,but I have seen them fail more than once. The difference is when one is lost or stolen, Mac makes me want to cry, HF...I just say Oh,well!

 

[infideltarget]

Re: Tools

Sigsaur. If u have kids. I bet I can tell u where Ur tools are! Whenever my dad was missing tools he just looked in my brothers room and mine or checked the yard. We both have been handy since we had bicycles. Even upgraded our Lego set to erector sets with motors and stuff. Now that I'm older I can understand why he would get so pissed off that he couldn't find his tools. ESP since whenever he needed the tool he was working on something that was important lol. He was never mean to us. But u could tell he was pissed....ooooops

Truth right there! I had to buy both of my kids (both girls) their own separate tool boxes with tools. I got so tired of my wife always getting into my tool box and then just putting whatever it was she used into the kitchen "junk" drawer, that I finally went out and bought her a hammer, pliers, needlenose pliers, a screwdriver with interchangeable bits, a tape measure, and vicegrips...and put them all in the "junk" drawer. Now she leaves mine alone. Last time I was at home on R&R, I accidentally carried her screwdriver downstairs, and it ended up in my roll-away...ohhhhh the pain and misery I endured after that...

 

[Rellik546]

Re: Tools

Bigdee. I was thinking a few weeks ago when I was removing the mercruiser out of the boat. Why the }%^* are there so many damn tool sizes. I could understand breaking hardware down to 1/4" or even 1/8" sizes. And 1/16 and 1/32 for anything smaller than 1/8. But why all the 1/16 and 1/32 inbetween sizes over 1/4". Why 6, 12, star, torqs and square head nuts and bolts. I mean to me it is so capitalist and a total waste of resources. Why do u need a 1 1/16 socket. Just make it 1 or 1 1/4 even 1 1/8.

I guess someone's gotta make some money. I know there are arguements for the small sizes and I know they have there places. But even still what's up with all the different style bolt heads. Lol. Oh well. Just had to vent alil.

 

[Rellik546]

Re: Tools

Infideltarget. Haha I'm all to familiar with the kitchen junk drawer. The funny thing about that drawer is it's ability to have what u need when u don't first look in it. And it's ability to not have what supposes to be in there when u look there first. I swear it operates on magic. Or when my dads tools misteriously would return to his tool boxes after he complained he had none of his tools left. At one point he stole an idea from the ski resorts. He attached a cable through an eye bolt to 2 screwdrivers and a couple other tools that we commonly used together. That way we couldn't run off with them.

 

[infideltarget]

Re: Tools

Yep! I have always been blessed to have grown up at my grandad's house. He has a nice three stall detached garage with a paint booth and paint mixing room, that is strictly for working on cars, boats, etc etc. He has more tools than any one person could ever use in a lifetime! He has tools that I still dont even know what they do! The entire building is lined along each wall with tool cabinets, work benches, parts bins, screw and bolt drawers...he recently turned the paint booth into his woodworking shop, since we dont paint cars very often anymore. But this is what I grew up in. Heaven! He still has some of his earliest tools too. Snap-on, S/K Wayne, Klein, etc. That is who I learned from as far as what to look for in a high quality long lasting tool. I am 38 now, and still learning from him. Good Times!

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Tools

This is how I built my tool box if it helps. Just a note I use my tools to feed my family for the last 27 years.

When I first started out pulling wrenches I got the best I could buy. There was no high cost brand name tools and yes I have many cuts and scrapes from them. As time went on I replaced the tools that didn't work to expectation with better ones. But even now if you look in my tool box that is 66 inches long and 5 feet tall now, I still have most of the same tools I started out with. I also have many more tools than back then and still go with the same philosophy as I started out with.

So what I am saying is if you buy a rack of sockets and only one keeps braking buy that one socket in a better brand not the complete rack. I also never throw away broken tools as I use them to make specialty tools all the time.

I will say Snap on and Mac tools are nice and if you can afford them there worth it. They make good xmass/birthday presents. If you want to drop some hints around your house hold.

 

[Rellik546]

Re: Tools

Thanks guys. That also sounds to be a good plan. Get a cheapie all in one. Then just replace the ones that break from heavy use with a better product. Still gonna drive around to several pawn shops to see if I can get some cheap high quality stuff.

 

[Cofe]

Re: Tools

As was already stated, it is about tools that you like. Feel, price, warranty, quality are all part of the picture.
I did find that Husky combination wrenches from Home Depot were a good deal, and they feel like snap on. I Like.......

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Tools

Wait for a good sale at Sears and by the Craftsman in a big set. They aren't as good as they used to be but they are still guaranteed if you break them.

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: Tools

Be careful about using a Sears credit card. It's easy to let yourself be talked into getting a bit more than you normally would by getting the credit discount - especially with tools when you are constantly adding more. Sears has sold their credit business and now it's either Citi Bank or Chase, don't remember which one. They are ruthless when it comes to changing your interest rate. My father in law has had his Sears credit card for over 30 years and they bumped his interest rate even though he had no history of late payments. It's the equivelant of raising the price on something a year after you bought it. Luckily he had a low balance and was able to get it paid off quickly. It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth to have them do that.

 

[rbh]

Re: Tools

I did not see anyone mention garage sales on the weekend.
If you know of a couple that are old and are having a moving/garage sale these are the best,
(a little morbid, but some people even go through the obits to see if that was were a sale was going to be.)

 

[bigdee]

Re: Tools

You will have a hard time convincing me that Mac or Snap-on are REALLY worth the money. Yes they are good tools but how much extra are you paying for the name and the middleman salesman driving a route. Craftsman is another example of companies cheaping out,originally their tools were made by Armstong which are excellent tools and can still be bought through WW Grainger at a lower cost than Mac or Snap. And don't completely rule out the Asian products either.....when it comes to tools the proof is in the metallurgy and some of the most sophisticated steel mills are in Asian countries. The forges in this country are aging and archaic to say the least. That is not to say that all Asian stuff is good because they will sell to whatever the market demands so you have to choose the quality that meets your requirements.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Tools

They are ruthless when it comes to changing your interest rate.

Easy solution. Never ever have a credit card balance on that card or any card for that matter.

 

[geeco1]

Re: Tools

I believe that Harbor Freight is switching all of their hand tools over to Pittsburgh. They offer a lifetime replacement on them. Lowes also has a lifetime replacement on Kobalt, and I believe that Home Depot does as well on their brand. Granted, these are not the same quality as Snap-On, but for me, they work fine. In fact, my socket set is one of those 30 piece, $10 sets that I've had for 25 years. I have just recently replaced the ratchet.