Hand tools for farm use

[TxMN]

I have some heritage craftsman hand tools I collected in the 70痴, but need metric and would like to buy complete sets of sockets, over the years many extensions and ratchets seem to walk off. Am considering Tekton products, mainly socket sets, wrench sets,pliers, hammers, and pry bars.

Anyone used their products or have a comparable tool line you like?

I will be the only user, mainly tractor and lawn mower upkeep, not heavy repairs.

Thanks

 

[WranglerX]

Stanley/Black & Decker now own/produces Craftsman tools, the seem to be at every ACE hardware store..... Still A believer in them

https://www.craftsman.com/support/warranty

Dale

 

[Thomas]

Fence cutter pliers hammer combo comes in handy.

 

[Rebeldad1]

you would be quit impressed with the newer harbor freight tools.
Or top quality Mac Tools. I have both and seldom use the Mac anymore

 

[Sportsman762]

I have had good luck with Tekton, Craftsman made me a little sour after stripping out three 1/2" drive 72 tooth ratchets and one 1/4" 72 tooth. They did warranty them, however it put me dead in the water each time. I am a fan of Proto, most are made in US and the price is pretty close to Tekton on a lot of items. Some Tekton screwdrivers are US made. I like Vaughan hammers, Channellock pliers, and Wilde Prybars, all are also US made for reasonable price. Not that I have a problem with Tekton, they are a good Taiwanese tool. I am thinking of buying the 24" Tekton 1/2" drive 90 tooth ratchet, it looks nice for tight areas and stubborn bolts.

My experience is that the chrome on Harbor Freight tools does not hold up. Not a problem if you can put your tools away and keep them dry in a heated shop. However working on downed equipment in the rain or snow will lead to rust. I have a friend who is a little rough on tools, all of the Pittsburgh wrenches are rusty messes, but the Wrights, Proto's, and Easco's are just showing slight patches of rust, despite them being a few decades older and used the same way. I bought some service wrenches from Harbor Freight 93667, they are thin wrenches for tighter areas, the width of them varied by more than 1/16" of an inch, there were several that were off but the 7/8" should not be significantly thicker than the 15/16, etc. The quality control on them were terrible with rough edges and inconsistent chrome. I have a similar set from Urrea U3500A and they have a 0.008" variation in thickness, very disappointing that the harbor Freight Chinese factory could not even use the same thickness of sheet to stamp them out, when the thickness of the head is the reason you would buy a service wrench or as Harbor freight puts it "service wrench set with narrow heads for access to tight spots". My father has some Harbor freight impact sockets that are holding up well, even with a 1,200 ft lb impact on them. My opinion is to avoid Harbor Freight chromed stuff. With that being said I am going to buy a jumbo wrench set from them, But they will be used so rarely that I can tolerate their issues.

You might also want to look at Urrea, much of their stuff is made in Mexico, they were originally a Proto plant and use the same design and part numbers as Proto. I have several of their tools and am impressed with them. For the most part I try to buy American when I can, however I can appreciate a quality tool from anywhere. I am full of contradictions, however I thought I would share my experiences, and some opinions.

 

[Macinnis]

Two years ago or so, I was in the same boat you are in. My research brought me to Tekton tools as well. I bought a complete set of their wrenches as well as two different sets of sockets and a set of impact sockets as well as some other stuff.

To me, they are as advertised...good quality for a home user/d I y type of person.

 

[buck12]

I think I have tools from about every manufacturer. When I think about quality and cost, I tend to go with the following: Channel Lock for pliers, Harbor Freight for hammers (not claw hammers) pry bars, impact sockets, and extensions, Snap On for screw drivers, Capri for hex bit and torx sockets, Gear Wrench for ratcheting wrenches, older US made Craftsman for chrome sockets and wrenches. I also have had good luck with Proto and S & K sockets and wrenches.

Every so often I stop at a couple of pawn shops and dig through the boxes of mixed tools and always find a few quality pieces I need for a couple of bucks.

 

[DJ54]

Don't rule out going to thrift stores for odds & end tools, especially on 50% off days they usually run once a month to reduce inventory. 2 years ago, a group of friends made our monthly trip to a local thrift store. While the girls went to look over knick-knacks, I headed for the guy stuff. I found 2, Proto 1/2" breaker bars marked for $1.00 w 50% off. Several Craftsman screwdrivers, and nut drivers, marked .50 ea. w/50% off, and several ball pein hammers marked $1.00 ea.w/50% off, and 2, 12" adjustable wrenches. One a Craftsman, and the other a Diamond Alloy, both marked $1.00 ea., w/50% off. I made a good haul that day. This particular store is in a upscale suburb of Columbus, OH. So most items are of better quality.

The hammers, screwdrivers, and adjustable wrenches found their way into tractor tool boxes, so as to have the basic tools you need sometimes...

 

[crazyal]

When it comes to sockets look at how the size is labeled on them. My old Craftsman ones are stamped into them. A number of years ago, while still made in the US, they laser etched them. Lots of the reviews were negative because the chrome plating would flake off and you had no way of knowing what size they were. If you work with them daily you can usually just look at them and know what size they are without reading what's printed on them. I hate to say it but Craftsman is on a slow spiral down where Stanley is just using it's name to sell stuff. I looked at their tool boxes while at Lowes and compared to the ones I bought in the late 80s the new ones are made from thinner steel and lower quality sliders. Even the box I bought from Harbor Freight looked to be of higher quality. Just wish they were closer so returning a broken tool wouldn't be an issue.

 

[kf4uda]

I have been using SK Tools for years and have had great service from them. They are made in the USA. I also use Klein tools and Channellock as well which are made in the USA and are great tools.