Hand-Tools

[Vincent]

What hand tools(Brands) do you use or buy.

[para-force]

Craftsman and Husky

[spoonrobot]

Of the brands you have chosen to poll on I have purchased at least one item from each of them over the last year. I don't generally stick to one brand for my tool needs, prefering to shop around based on price, general performance of the last brand name product I used from them and availability.

[tonydahose]

stick with craftsman. they could care less how you break the tool, if you doat all. plus there are a ton of sears stores. snap-on, on the other hand plays 20 questions before they replace it.

[Civilian]

Always tried to buy Craftsman for the guarantee!

[J Smith]

Husky mostly.Craftsmans quality and warranty has gone so far down hill I have just about stopped buying them.They say they have a lifetime warranty on all Craftsman handtools,so why have I been refused replacement 2 times in the last year?

[Vincent]

Husky mostly.Craftsmans quality and warranty has gone so far down hill I have just about stopped buying them.They say they have a lifetime warranty on all Craftsman handtools,so why have I been refused replacement 2 times in the last year?

explain more?

[Ed Schempp]

If you use hand tools a lot; what you save on gas and time in returning craftsman tools you can afford some Snap-on for your most used tools. I have the same set of 3/8 to 3/4 combination wrenches that I bought in 1973. None of the wrenches have required warranty or replacement, and still fit better than most craftsman. I like Wiha, Gorbet, and F.Dick. Starrett, Brown and Sharp, and Mitutoyo are good measuring tools...Take Care...Ed

[dcrutch8]

I use Klein tools most of the time at my job.

[Slick]

Klein and Snap-on are very pricey. Klein is good and Snap-on is good with the best replacement warranty (or at least they used to). Craftsman has fallen on hard times as far as my recent experience unless you are a Bob Villa (et al)
groupie.

Cheaper tools have their place unless you are a master mechanic with lifetime tool sets. Some of the newer house brands are very servicable for the casual user. Some of my old favorites are not what they used to be.

[vampyrewolf]

For my personal tools, it's Mastercraft (CanadianTire brand). The few times that I've broken parts (or something just quits on me, like my inverter a couple weeks ago) I'm usually in and out in about 5min.

My electronics stuff ranges from Xcelite pliers, to Fluke metres (and an assortment of other cheap ones that get left in garage, toolboxes, kitchen), to cheap soldering irons (have a couple radioshack 20/40 watt switchable irons, a 30watt pencil iron, and a benzomatic butane)... Figure by the time my irons wear out I'll be able to afford a Pace station.

[Slick]

Xcelite, Fluke, and Pace.

OMG...

Wish I had the bucks.

[vampyrewolf]

Xcelite and Fluke simply due to the work I do. Gotta love being an Electronics Tech and getting discounts.
Been here for just over a year now.
I work with a pair of Hakko irons (S9 and IC tips, both set at 750deg +/- 2deg) and a Pace with 5-6 tips to choose from all day at work. Surface mount components from 0.04"x0.02" to 0.12"x0.06", some parts are bigger but most of it is the 0402 size.
Comes time to do my own work and I currently have the 4 irons at home to choose from, but usually it's the 20/40 ones with conical tip, but thats only because I do through hole on my own stuff (cheaper parts).

No worse than finding a mechanic with a garage full of Snap-On tools at home as well as the set the company provides at work. You simply grow to appreciate quality tools when you use em all day. Buy quality once, might have to send it for warrenty in the next 20-30years when it wears out... rather than break a cheap tool in a few months. Kinda reminds me of another hobby :p :spyder:

[Vincent]

Fluke makes great stuff, I have one of there multimeter's, I think a 179 model.

[Simple Man]

As much as I would like to have full sets of Snap-On and higher end tools, the little weekend mechanic/handyman work I do, Craftsman has never failed me and is "good enough". I have more down time on a project related to playing with the kids, lunch, needing to get the grass mowed, etc. than tool breakage, so that does not even enter the picture.

If I were relying on my hand tools for my source of income, I would probably have a large portion of Craftsman and a small portion Snap-On or the like of the most used/most relied upon tools.

[Fred Sanford]

I have a couple of Snap-On wrenches and they are worth their money.

I have some Craftsman mechanics tools (ratchets, boxed end wrenches, sockets, etc) and they are about 20 years old and great tools. However as of late I have noticed that some of the Craftsman tools no longer have "USA" on them and I have had those particular ones strip out, or break or whatnot. Due to this I now shop around for other brands.

I've had good luck with Stanley, Matco, Mac, and Snap-On. I would love to buy an entire set from either Mac or Snap-On but I'd have to save up a while. So every now and then I buy a little something or another.

So while I used to just love Craftsman, I don't so much anymore. I would probably go with Kobalt, Klein, and a few others these days before buying Craftsman. I wish Craftsman made stuff like they did 20 years ago.....they were worth buying then.

Good thread. I'm sure we can get a lot of useful and knowledgeable opinions here.

[armyguy]

I've prefer Craftsman and Snap On. However, I do run into problems. 1) Craftsman's QC has really gone downhill the last few years and 2) I don't make enough money to purchase snap on stuff