Which tool brand do you prefer?

ur exactly right. i have that torque wrench lol. but all my ratchets are 88 tooth matcos. i hated my snap on ratchet. but all sockets are snapon

 

My personal tools are mostly Craftsman because of the price, I do break their ratchets occasionally but the warranty convenience is great. My favorite tools are my grandpa's old Snap-Ons that have been handed down to me though!

When I worked as a mechanic, my favorite shop tools were the Matco's though. They were the slimest and easiest to use in tight places. Kobalt and Husky are just too bulky

 

What do u guys think the best brand is for home use torque wrench? I wrench on my truck often..

 

Snap-On is pretty much the best shit money can buy. But you pay for what you get, obviously.

One thing a lot of people don't realize (but they should) is that Lowe's Kobalt line of tools are manufactured by Danaher Corp, who also owns Matco.

In my experience, Kobalt's quality is definitely a few notches above Husky and Craftsman every since Craftsman went Chinese. Knowing that Danaher makes them makes it a lot easier to understand why.

For the forseeable future, I'll be buying mostly Kobalt stuff.

 

Good to know! Thanks

 

I have a Craftsman tool set in my 4runner, and only have one complaint, the smallest ratchet doesn't work, it snaps around, I can't do anything with it.

Here's something about Craftsman, I don't think I'd buy another one of their tools after this. Channellock for me.
http://www.secretsofthefed.com/sears-chinese-rip-off-of-the-us-made-bionic-wrench/

 

I bought a big kobalt set for like half price at lowes?maybe less. Someone returned it. After what looks like it sat in rain for a day. Some nice steel wool cleaned the sockets up.

 

In my opinion if you havnt broken a socket, you don't need to spend 100's of dollars on snap on brand, oh well!

 

+1

I've chipped the chrome on some Craftsman sockets, but it's been from using them as a bearing press or in my electric impact.
The only sockets that I've chipped or cracked from "normal" use have been the cheap "dollar store" brands or no-name stuff from Autozone and places like that.

Ratchets? Oh ya... the lever-type ratchets, I've popped a few Craftsman. I now try to get the old style where the reverse mechanism is the large dial if it's for any kind of heavy use. For 1/4", the lever type doesn't bother me, but I should not be able to pop a 3/8" 14" head with my wimpy arms and no cheater bar.

 

Honestly I think HF composite ratchets are nicer than any of the craftsman ones. Unless you can get the old school ones.

 

Can you use a composite as a hammer?

 

Haha yes... They're composite skinned. But regardless, I like them better. All the craftsman ratchets I've used are sloppy and skip. Replaced with S80, F80, and a T72 snap-on. And an FL80 and SHL80A.

 

I'm only a weekend wrencher, most of my tools are Craftsman, I also have a lot of Armstrong, Williams and Proto.

 

I prefer snapon mostly because my snapon guy is great..at home and for the trail its a big mix between gear wrench, craftsman, and snapon and other random goodies

 

I am a craftsman club member and I just got emailed about a bunch of 50% off deals. I am thinking of picking up the flat black limited edition top and bottom chest. They are each like 57% off right now. I know one guy on here just got himself that for christmas.

 

Normally I would say snap-on.......but since I recently got back into working on trucks P/T and needed tools I went w/ craftsman and kobalt due to the extreme high cost of snap-on.
My home box is full of snap-on that I bought years ago when i was a full time mechanic.
I cant justify 140+ buck for a long handle 3/8's rachet thats just insane.
kobalt/craftsman warrenty is for life aswell.IMO

 

Last two times I went to have some craftsman stuff warrantied I got the run around. One of the cashiers even tried to tell she didn't think the ratchet I was trying to exchange was not part of the warranty..whatever.

 

Anything American! Snap-on, craftsman(before china), s&k, if it says USA it good in my book.

 

Snap-on, Mac, Craftsman, kobalt and Matco. I have cheap shit, ratchets ESP. And to the post above not all non American tools are shit. There's quality stuff made everywhere , it's just you have just as much or more cheap shit.

 

I like Matco wrenches but not their impact sockets...I think the metal they use for them is too hard, I had a few crack on me including one this morning. Sucks because our Matco Rep only comes every other week when he feels like it and is usually a dick when trying to get something exchanged