1st Gen Lunchtable Thread - General Discussion

That's why I don't buy their regular sockets, those are trash like their wrenches. But the impact sockets (which i use for more than impact work) are solid, never broken on yet and I've tried. I have Snappy ratchets and matco box wrenches, but I think for someone like you who is keeping up on his own vehicles that those would be overkill Kobalt and Husky are a better value for your level of use, and of course HF impact sockets haha

 

Then just buy stuff made in japan.
My nice socket sets are like 30 years old and were made in japan lol

 

You're probably right. I'm just thinking of good middle-of-the-road brands, not as cheaply made as Harbor Freight or modern Craftsmen, but not as expensive as SnapOn or Matco. I'm thinking of Kobalt and Husky - maaaayyybeee Silver Eagle or Bluepoint.

 

@BartMaster1234 I'd wager I wrench more than you, maybe not, but I'm pretty sure I do and I've had one of my HF impact sets for 5 years now with no breakages. Also Astro Pneumatic is good shit for sockets too (just a heads up the branding changes but the sockets are identical to the HF ones haha)

 

My rule for tools is buy all the hand tool i need for cheap, but power tools or special tools i go with the more expensive stuff.

 

Oh you most definitely wrench more than me, I've had no issue with HF impact sockets. Hell I have their 1/2 Earthquake Pneumatic gun and it hasn't given me any issues.

 

Admittedly, we needed a variety of screwdrivers for the house so when I was at Harbor Freight last time I saw a set of 16 of them for 5 bucks....so I bought it, lol. Don't expect them to last long but then again, they'll just be used for simple things.

 

I'm Makita all the way haha, sometime Ryobi for woodworking stuff since I don't like woodworking much. But I did buy a Makita router haha

 

It's just annoying when you go to turn them and the handle turns but the tip doesn't

 

My family has lots of dewalt stuff but we don’t really care, got tons of other brands too

 

I still have my dad's old Makita 18v drill from the early 90's. It lasted until about 2015 when the battery wouldn't hold a charge anymore. I got a DeWalt 20v set after that, can't complain. Surprisingly, Makita still sells the same 20 year old battery brand new at my local Home Depot.

I live right next to a DeWalt factory service center, and they have a huge storefront next to the repair counter. Might check em out later.

 

My point is don't evaluate the tools by the brand, do it on an individual basis. Lots of HF stuff is the same stuff you'll be pulling out of another brand's packaging. Sockets don't need to be fancy to work well, they need to be strong and fit the fastener snugly, which the HF impact sets do.

 

I believe that anything you have with either break or you will lose it so i dont like to spend alot on tools. Because their is no difference if you lose 1 socket from a 200$ set or a 20$ set. You still lost one. But for the price of 1 for a 200$ set i can just get another 20$ set

 

Clean up more often and you'll lose less. I plan to keep tools for more than 10yrs when I buy them (with the exception of one time use things)

 

Right. I'm happy with my HF tools, don't get me wrong. I haven't had any issues with them.

I do want to splurge a little on the normal everyday sockets though. I'm trying to upgrade from my Kirkland sockets, basically. Lol.

 

The old Kirkland chrome stuff is made by Stanley (which is Bostitch and Black & Decker and Husky) and pretty decent. The new Kirkland stuff is actually marked Stanley now too. I'm a tool connoisseur haha, I just don't like to waste money where it won't improve my quality of work. You should join Garage Journal, they have great tips on tool buying without wasting on things that don't make a difference.

 

I mean I haven’t lost a tool yet. Other then a crescent wrench. But I think someone stoll that out my tool bag...

 

Haha no shit, that's just re-branded Stanley?

Aw hell. I might just go buy another Kirkland set.

 

Yeah it's a good deal for the money, I used to buy those kits to fill in dead spots in my everyday use tools.

GJ also has all the brand cross reference stuff, so you know who is actually making all the stuff. Sometimes you can buy Snap-On stuff as Williams for almost 65% off. I usually buy used Snap-On and get warranty repair when/if it breaks, most of the time they just send you a whole new tool no questions asked.

 

I just looked at Costco's website, looks like they don't sell it anymore. Replaced it with some small DeWalt set with half the tools.

I'll go take a look.