What SOCKET set and tools should I buy?

after my tools were stolen I ordered two sets from sears.com. Max Access set is great for certain situations. I have the larger deep sockets from Harbor Freight that are holding up so far.

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-230-...SellerId=Sears&prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-58pc...SellerId=Sears&prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2

 

This should carry over to third gens.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ckets-and-wrenches-for-2nd-gen-tacoma.158302/

 

I am a retired professional mechanic. Snap On my entire life. I bought this set for the truck. Standard/metric, 3/8-1/4 drive, deep and shallow. I really like it.

$91 STANLEY Mechanics Tool Set, SAE, 1/4 in. & 3/8 in Drive, 69 Piece, Black Chrome (92-824)

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-92-8...1526752463&sr=8-6&keywords=stanley+socket+set

 

Sockets sets and hand tool - harbor freight

Power tools - I have ryobi everything from Home Depot. Great entry level and good quality. Has lasted me years and no issues what so ever. I use the ONE+ 18V stuff and have everyone of thier tools including stuff like hand vac, air pump, and blower/trimmer so I’m not only limited to power tools. The other brands are good too, but they only focus on power tools, nothing else.

 

Get a Craftsman set if you can afford better quality and want a neighborhood warranty for life (of Sears I guess) if they break, bring to store for instant replacement. Im still using my Craftman sockets and wrenches I got as a high school grad from my dad in 1979. He put the gift wrapped set on the front seat of my first car he also bought and had the tow truck park it our garage (it needed major repairs!). Now that I think about it, maybe he thought I wasnt college bound or something?

Otherwise if you want the lowest price for a ok useable set that will also work with a lifetime warranty too, Harbor Freight is good, but its not quality. This coupon will work for them, too:

 

+1 for SnapOn which I don’t even use I keep then locked away so they don’t walk away. The resale value is incredible especially on the socket sets. Most of the time I use my old craftsman for everything.

 

Best deal and it is Craftsman. Promotion end today.
Do not have a second thought or do not look back
Members get better deal

 

^^^THIS^^^ forget HF, the Craftsman set will last and are reliable for frequent home garage use. The HF tool sets are good for occasional use or to keep in the car, but some of the multi-tool sets come with really cheap pliers, useable, but not precision made so they sometimes catch when closing, etc.

Thanks a lot, @Hoangde, now I will have to go to Sears to see whats available to add to my set today

 

You must be hard on your tools. The only HF tool I've broken was an impact socked bought long before they were guaranteed. They replaced it.
That being said all my metric hand wrenches are SK. Who knows about the lifetime guarantee now that the company has reorganized and there are no dealers around here.

 

Yep, @Crom is the man. You should thank him.

 

This is a good choice for emergency road repairs and light occasional use. I keep this set in our travel trailer and in my truck all the time for trips, but I keep my Craftsman set for frequent projects in the garage. The kit does not come with large enough Torx or sockets though, so I had to add a few more parts for my truck set.

 

In a earlier post I suggested Craftsman , I know that some have even suggested
Snap On which is as about as good as you can buy for quality. They are also very expensive but will last forever. Whatever brand you decide on though I would buy strictly metric. There are alot of sae /metric combos available but most of the time these days you will have little use for sae and will in my opinion be wasting your money buying them.

 

There are tons of things that still use SAE sizes. I use SAE more than I do metric and my two cars are metric! Now, if the only thing you will use a wrench for is a Tacoma, I understand, but I've got chainsaws, lawn mowers, various tools, a home..... sometimes wrenches are needed for those things too.

 

And not to mention most things you add to the truck are SAE. Like BO sliders, skids and stuff like that.

 

I am a millwright and have about $30,000 or so in tools. My best answer as to what someone starting out needs is buy the best you can’t afford. They are an investment. You try to do it on the cheap and you will keep replacing them. I own Craftsman, Canadian Tire, Princess Auto, Harbor Frieght and Snap On as well as others. You need to know when to buy the better quality stuff and know when the cheaper stuff will do. I have a pair of HF 24” adjustables for some large hydraulic fittings at work. They are not as good as Gray tools but at $30 compared to $170 they do just fine and for my application I have no issues. My o-ring picks are snap on because I have bought literally a dozen sets over the years and got sick of replacing them repeatedly. For some stuff only snap on or equivalent are worth it and anything else is a waste of money if you need to use it more than once. My 3/4 drive socket set is Princess auto (CDN version of HF) because I never use the ratchet and the sockets are strong enough for my breaker bar with an 8’ bar on the end of it. I do mean an 8’ bar. Craftsman are my choice for 3/8 and 1/2” socket sets. I just broke my 18” 1/2” drive ratchet after 10 years of daily use. In normal household use this would last your lifetime. Buy a GOOD ratchet even if you buy a single one outside of a set. Cheap ones will fail and a broken hand will happen when it fails and you put all your weight into something solid. Now all of my pliers are Knipex which is German. They are light years ahead of channel-lock. Channel lock are decent but Knipex are a better design and better quality. Screwdrivers I prefer Wera. Once again a far superior tool. I like bondhus for Allen wrenches.

Now many people will say I don’t need the “good” stuff because I am not a professional. I call bullshit. If you don’t know the difference between the good and the crap tools then you shouldn’t be using them anyway. A shit screwdriver will bugger up the screw and now how to get it out? Same for Allen wrenches.

So buy a good quality socket set in 3/8” and be ready to upgrade that ratchet if needed. As needed add 1/2” drive. Buy GOOD screwdrivers straight up and don’t screw around on that one. Same for pliers and related hand tools. Depending on your use and the quality you buy this is likely a one time buy so why buy cheap and then replace it. Don’t forget to check out online ad sites for used tools. You can buy better quality if you pay attention and get it for the same money as you would spend on cheaper tools. I got an $800 Armstrong thru ratchet set for $100 and it looked like it just was taken out of the plastic. One of my best used buys from a craigslist equivalent.

 

I used to be a Craftsman fan, now its simply just a name. All foreign made, same stuff as the other brands, IMO. I believe the only US sourced tools left are screw drivers and a few of the specialty tools.

Spend the money on some Gear wrench ratchets -- if you can afford it grab a Snap On ratchet, changed my life!!

SK tools are great if you want USA made and not as expensive as Snap On.

 

SK, Armstrong and Gearwrench are all owned by the same company. Gearwrench are the consumer brand but even then they private label for almost everyone including Craftsman.

 

https://m.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-227-P...-Polished-Chrome-Mechanic-s-Tool-Set/50200795

I have this set, I think it’s perfect since you have all your major sockets and rachets. I’ve seen it go on sale for just over $100 pretty often too. It’s a great starting point.

 

I still use my SAE tools some too, I have a Ferris zero turn and some other things that I need them for and nothing else will work other than an adjustable wrench. I suppose I should have suggested buying them seperately as the OP is just getting started, it might save him some money .

 

I agree with all of the craftsman guys on here. Just wait until Memorial Day weekend and they'll be on sale. I keep three Klein bags in my truck. One with all metric sockets and wrenches. One with all standard wrenches and sockets. The last one has all three Ratchets, a pair of Klein lineman pliers, small wire cutters, a pair of channel locks, and a Phillips and flat head screw driver. That will pretty much get you through all situations you would be comfortable with on the road. Just my opinion, but that's how I role. From my experience if you need more than that to get home, you have other issues.