What's you're favorite brand(s) of tools

[some zilch]

Don't know how much time you spent under cars but I built engines and machines for over 50 years. If you can't tell the difference between Snap on and HF you should be buying HF. Go tell that story to a top race mechanic and see the answer you get back!

i dont spend much time under cars....i have no interest in that bologna. i could care less what a top race mechanic has to say about my tools. he likes to play with brand new, top of the line, high dollar, race candy. not exactly using torches and brute force to get things apart. putting engines together is a piece of cake (there's really not a whole lot to an engine); i have rebuilt 16cyl genset engines--but who cares. doing undercarriage work; not so much a picnic--and your snap on wrench is not going to do any better than mine. if you like to overspend on tools and show them off to people and think they make you a better mechanic, thats awesome. i am more concerned with getting my job done. working on cars, and working on 100-ton machinery is two different worlds.

 

[rjkobbeman]

i dont spend much time under cars....i have no interest in that bologna. i could care less what a top race mechanic has to say about my tools. he likes to play with brand new, top of the line, high dollar, race candy. not exactly using torches and brute force to get things apart. putting engines together is a piece of cake (there's really not a whole lot to an engine); i have rebuilt 16cyl genset engines--but who cares. doing undercarriage work; not so much a picnic--and your snap on wrench is not going to do any better than mine. if you like to overspend on tools and show them off to people and think they make you a better mechanic, thats awesome. i am more concerned with getting my job done. working on cars, and working on 100-ton machinery is two different worlds.

<golf clap>

 

[Rob-D]

i don't spend much time under cars....i have no interest in that bologna. i could care less what a top race mechanic has to say about my tools. he likes to play with brand new, top of the line, high dollar, race candy. not exactly using torches and brute force to get things apart. putting engines together is a piece of cake (there's really not a whole lot to an engine); i have rebuilt 16cyl genset engines--but who cares. doing undercarriage work; not so much a picnic--and your snap on wrench is not going to do any better than mine. if you like to overspend on tools and show them off to people and think they make you a better mechanic, thats awesome. i am more concerned with getting my job done. working on cars, and working on 100-ton machinery is two different worlds.

OK, It's not spending time under cars, it's a metaphor, like grease monkey. There is no monkey involved, it's a metaphor.

The only difference between the tools for working on 100 ton machinery and 100 Pound machinery is size. A company that has poor quality control makes just as bad a wrench regardless of its size.

I have a 30 or so year old Snap on ratchet, it's beat up a bit but it still works great. The distance between the detents is 5 to 8 degrees which means it has 72 or 45 indentations on the ratchet wheel. I have a Chinese ratchet someone left here only it's not a ratchet anymore, its a crow bar because the ratchet no longer works. When it did work it turned about 15 degrees between detents. So when you're in a tight space it's one of those tools that almost makes it to the next detent but doesn't. Get enough of them together and it will probably still work as a boat anchor.

As far as name brands, I don't really care. If you ground the logo off my wrenches and stamped "made in China" on them I'd still use them. If my friends are impressed with anything, hopefully it is my work and not my tools.

As far as working on 100 ton machines, I don't. I have a friend who always brags about working on big stuff, he has hands like clubs, I don't.
I don't work on cars much anymore either although I still do most of my tractor work. I have fine hands, it's a blessing because I like to work on small machines like clocks and watches. You won't see any guys with club hands in Swiss watch factories. My friend won't be there because he just about gets his hands under his hood. When he changes his spark plugs he spends half his time fishing them out from under the car. (no metaphor intended). He does throw a wrench pretty far though, maybe those Chinese wrenches throw well and that's why he likes them.

So I'll say this again, you seem like a guy who should be buying HF tools and I'm happy for you. Rock out!

Rob

 

[Rob-D]

Some Zilch,
You'll get a kick out of this.
I needed a 3/4 socket set so I bought one on sale from Northern (21 piece for 69 bucks) and it came Friday. It's not bad, certainly better than the junk that used to come out of China. I haven't used it but it looks like it will do what I need the few times a year I'll use it. Don't know if I'd buy it for everyday but for what it is it's fine.

Rob

 

[beppington]

Stihl for pole saw, blower & string trimmer
Cobalt for boat
Nissan for truck (Titan)
Kubota for you-know-what

Ryobi for cordless drills, circular saw, sawzall, flashlights. I know people love other brands, & they may be better (never tried them) but my Ryobis do everything I need, never had a problem.

 

[Rob-D]

I think there are two things going on here. People who use it professionally everyday and those who use a tool once and awhile.

Ryobi is pretty good if your not leaning on it everyday. Milwaukee was the sawsall king. Every contractor I knew had one and beat it to death everyday. I have one I got maybe 25 years ago and beat on it hard when I built my house. It's still going strong but now i use a 36volt DeWalt with a quick change blade doodad. It's really handy but I have no idea what it will be like in ten years.

 

[J_J]

I am thinking that if the bad guys are reading this forum, they will know where to go to get all their good tools.

 

[Rob-D]

I am thinking that if the bad guys are reading this forum, they will know where to go to get all their good tools.

Good point! Let's go find the guy who started this thread, hey wait a minute! I think he's looking around in my garage!

 

[enew]

For mechanic hand tools you can't beat Snap-On but you do have to pay, then S-K, Husky and older Craftsman
pliers channelock
meters Fluke
corded Milwaukee and Porter-Cable, Delta
Cordless DeWalt
cahinsaw Echo and Husquvarna
Air tools Ingersoll-Rand
Welder Lincoln and Hobart
junk yard use anything chinese

 

[brain55]

Here is my experience with people that bash Snap-On, they don't own any Snap-On tools. I have owned many of the top brand tools and lesser brand tools. I would not trade my Snap-on tools for most of them. My toolbox is filled with Snap-On, but my Vise-Grips are Vice-Grips, my ChanneLocks are ChanneLocks, and my Sawzall is by Milwaukee. My welding equipment is not Snap-On, because they are not the best, my oxy/acet rig is Victor, and my MIG set-up is all Linclon and Tweco. If a guy can make his living with Harbor Freight tools more power to him. If two guys roll into my shop looking for a job, both with equal experience and skill, one has a bucket filled with HF tools, and the other guy has a Snap-On box filled with Snap-On tools, I will hire the guy that takes enough pride in his profession to own the best. HF tools are not the best or even close. Around the house I use Craftsman, for me they work fine for that. They just do not have the feel of my Snap-Ons. Call me a tool snob if you must, heck my Snap-On dealers do.

Brian

 

[brain55]

I am thinking that if the bad guys are reading this forum, they will know where to go to get all their good tools.

Maybe we should start a topic about what guns we own, and how proficient we are at using them.

Brian

 

[some zilch]

OK, It's not spending time under cars, it's a metaphor, like grease monkey. There is no monkey involved, it's a metaphor.

The only difference between the tools for working on 100 ton machinery and 100 Pound machinery is size. A company that has poor quality control makes just as bad a wrench regardless of its size.

I have a 30 or so year old Snap on ratchet, it's beat up a bit but it still works great. The distance between the detents is 5 to 8 degrees which means it has 72 or 45 indentations on the ratchet wheel. I have a Chinese ratchet someone left here only it's not a ratchet anymore, its a crow bar because the ratchet no longer works. When it did work it turned about 15 degrees between detents. So when you're in a tight space it's one of those tools that almost makes it to the next detent but doesn't. Get enough of them together and it will probably still work as a boat anchor.

As far as name brands, I don't really care. If you ground the logo off my wrenches and stamped "made in China" on them I'd still use them. If my friends are impressed with anything, hopefully it is my work and not my tools.

As far as working on 100 ton machines, I don't. I have a friend who always brags about working on big stuff, he has hands like clubs, I don't.
I don't work on cars much anymore either although I still do most of my tractor work. I have fine hands, it's a blessing because I like to work on small machines like clocks and watches. You won't see any guys with club hands in Swiss watch factories. My friend won't be there because he just about gets his hands under his hood. When he changes his spark plugs he spends half his time fishing them out from under the car. (no metaphor intended). He does throw a wrench pretty far though, maybe those Chinese wrenches throw well and that's why he likes them.

So I'll say this again, you seem like a guy who should be buying HF tools and I'm happy for you. Rock out!

Rob

i see we are almost neighbors; i'm an hour from you to the west.

i cant stand to work on cars, light trucks, etc; my big, fat, hands and arms just dont fit. if a crane is not involved in the repair, i dont want anything to do w/it. :laughing:

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I see a few have mentioned their favorite brand of torches... I've only had mine for a few months, but the rig came used with the Victor torch, and I bought a Harris for the cutting attachment. I like the Harris a lot better. It's bigger, and heavier. I can see how someone who uses it all day would like the Victor. The Harris seems better built, and it feels better in my hand.

 

[soarkrebel1]

Since some people want to put a monetary value on the stuff they work on....... I work on aircraft that can cost 20,000,000.00+ and my tools are Snap on and Mac. Some S&K but mainly the highest quality tool I can get.
There is a difference to the mechanic that uses tools every day....plus I deduct my tool purchases.

 

[Rob-D]

Since some people want to put a monetary value on the stuff they work on....... I work on aircraft that can cost 20,000,000.00+ and my tools are Snap on and Mac. Some S&K but mainly the highest quality tool I can get.
There is a difference to the mechanic that uses tools every day....plus I deduct my tool purchases.

Snap on has a special balance to it. I lost my 10mm extra length combo wrench and figured I replace it with another brand. I went through about 3 or 4 wrenches before I finally went to the Snap on site to replace the one I lost.

Rob

 

[FredH]

Figured it would not take long for this thread to turn into a peeing match similar to threads in the welding forum about mig versus arc , miller versus lincoln , 120 versus 240 , etc...... .

Kind of like J J , just leaving a note that I been here , read it and moving on .

Fred H.

 

[Hawghauler]

Maybe we should start a topic about what guns we own, and how proficient we are at using them.

Brian

Now you are talking. Springfield Armory all the way baby. M1A, 1911s. etc. Guns are an obcession that can't be sated. Good shot, not great, but I can draw, fire, and stay on the paper more often than not. Never shot as well as my parents who taught me, ever. BTW, Mauser, CZ, Mossberg, Remington, Marlin, MAS, Eddystone, Rockola, Gibbs, more Mausers,
Spree Werke, Glock, Colt, S&W, Rossi, Stevens, again more Mausers, Mosin Nagant, CETME, Bushmaster, few more Mausers, I just realized something, no Winchesters or Henrys. That is ate up. Ruger, Arsenal Inc, did I mention Mauser?

 

[Hawghauler]

Figured it would not take long for this thread to turn into a peeing match similar to threads in the welding forum about mig versus arc , miller versus lincoln , 120 versus 240 , etc...... .

Kind of like J J , just leaving a note that I been here , read it and moving on .

Fred H.

Tool brands incite the Ford Chevy debate every time. Your top 5 or 6 US forged tool companys truth be told all have about the same failure rate when it comes to durability and quality. Snap On ratchets feel better in my hand, and I like their screw drivers too. My SK ratchet was indestructable, but the knurled handle bit me when I reefed on it. Old Craftman IMHO were better than they are today, but that may be my imagination. I just bought my first set of Wright sockets and I am highly impressed. If you use a tool correctly it will not break, usually.

 

[soarkrebel1]

Figured it would not take long for this thread to turn into a peeing match similar to threads in the welding forum about mig versus arc , miller versus lincoln , 120 versus 240 , etc...... .

Kind of like J J , just leaving a note that I been here , read it and moving on .

Fred H.

Different opinions. Those that make a living with there tools and use them EVERYDAY and those that use them only when needed.
I wouldn't expect people that don't make a living with their tools to spend much money on them and wouldn't care about the feel and most important the tolerances in the manufacturing process.

 

[dddenden]

I too, am a toolaholic.

In Dec 99 my Tahoe was stolen and it was loaded with tools. I do maintenance in apartments and such so I had multiple tool sets - boxes and bags - for each type of job,ie; mechanical, electrical, plumbing, carpentry. Lot of duplicate tools and a lot of inherited items. When I received my insurance check I bought all Klein electrical and I had just visited the Snap On plant and learned they were making the Kobalt Sockets, Wrenches and Ratchets. I bought the full set. Sadly, they no longer make these quality tools.