craftsman tools?

[85Dirty30]

That kit is the same kit that my buddy has too BTW only thing he changes was the Ratchets. He got these http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...yword=Ratchets Worth every penny!!! i use them at home and at the shop

[mikeedler]

well im an ASE satisfied tech at my house i use all craftsmen tool except the sockets i have all snap on sockets. But other than that Craftsman ALL THE WAY!!!

and I am the exact opposite. the snap-on ratchets feel so much nicer in your hand as well as the wrenches. I have both of both, but I use the craftsman sockets and all else snap-on. at work I use a German brand called Berner-- they are really nice too.

craftsman is def. good stuff for the price!!!

[naplesE30]

For the price Craftsmen. I do not make a living off my tools so they work just fine for me!

[lgb240]

I'm just a weekend wrencher and have Craftsman and Husky mix in my tool box. I prefer the Husky.

my $0.02

lgb240

[TheB1G Lebowski]

I break my snap on just like i break my craftsman. i can always go to sears and replace it then and there.

[nrubenstein]

The snap on pieces that are really worth it are the torque wrenches. You don't have to zero them out after each use.

As for the rest? I use craftsmen because it's convenient and decent. I'd like to get snap on sockets and wrenches, but not for what they cost.

[quickervicar]

Today's Craftsman is not the same as the stuff they built their reputation on in the '60s & '70s. It's okay, but not as beefy as it once was. Still, for the money it is a good choice.

Facom & (used) Snap-On for me. Blue Point is a really nice compromise for combo wrenches

[McGyver]

Well right now i have a mix of craftsman, a Snap-on wrench, husky, "Japan", "Taiwan", Alltrade, and a few other assorted stuff. although i know from that single Snap-on wrench that it feels strong while being skinny, i think i will go with the craftsman set and just swap out peices if they break. thanks for all the input!

[Rigmaster]

Well right now i have a mix of craftsman, a Snap-on wrench, husky, "Japan", "Taiwan", Alltrade, and a few other assorted stuff. although i know from that single Snap-on wrench that it feels strong while being skinny, i think i will go with the craftsman set and just swap out peices if they break. thanks for all the input!

Sounds like a good choice. The kit you mentioned in your link is a good start, but if you have a little more $$$, you might want to get one of their larger sets- IF you find it on sale like that first set. You won't regret having a few more tools- trust me.......

Tools are kind of like cars, you'll find complete tool snobs who are dedicated to a certain brand with no room for common sense when it's obvious that other brands might be better AND cheaper, or whatever.


I always recommend starting out with one of those large Craftsmen sets- you can get them on sale for 50% off all the time, especially around Christmas. Once you have a good set like that, you'll find yourself needing certain other tools as you work on your car (or whatever) more and more. You can buy these other tools as you go.


Sure, Snap on makes some great tools, and most people who use tools for a living seem to have a bunch of snap on tools- but for the weekend mechanic, Craftsman tools are fine.

I will agree that the Craftsman screwdrivers are not that great anymore- the tips seem to be pretty soft, but you can get a ~20 piece set on sale for $20 or so, they're hard to beat!! And, the Craftsman warranty is hard to beat- just bring a broken tool back and they swap it out with no hassle. Same with the ratchets- their quality control seems to be a bit lacking- some of the ratchets work + feel great from the start, but some of them have a sloppy feel that only gets worse. Again, you can just take them back if they're not right and try another one.


I'll agree that Snap On ratchets are REALLY nice, but they are pricey. If you use them alot, the price is not an issue. You can find used Snap on stuff, but it typically brings around 1/2 of new price, which is still more than new Craftsman.



In addition to the basic tool set- you'll soon finding yourself needing/wanting some of the following:


- 1/2" breaker bar
- prybar set (Craftsman has a nice 3 piece set you can catch for $20 on sale)
- large sockets for hub nuts + tranny output nut- 30 + 36mm on an E30
- metric allen socket set- 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 17mm for an E30
- some additional socket extensions, 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2", different lengths.
- ratcheting "gearwrenches"- these things RULE!!!1
- some extra/spare combination wrenches (10, 13, 17, 19, 22 for E30's)
- torx sockets- both internal and external (E-torx are what they use to hold the engine and tranny together on E30's, and you'll find various internal torx bolts on them too)


I'm sure some people would say they couldn't do without their air/impact wrenches, but that's a larger can of worms- you need a compressor (bigger is better), air tools, and impact sockets- this adds up quickly and you probably won't use it that much.

[scabzzzz]

Why not just a paper clip and/or shoelace? Huh, McGyver?

I lol'd!

[Dave]

Can't argue with the warranty on the Craftsman stuff - it is not made like it used to be, but most of it is still decent.

One thing not mentioned here that I think most shadetree people should get is a set of GearWrenches. I absolutely love mine.

[mrsleeve]

Cman are great for the week end warrior. I will say just invest in at least the Cman Pro line of ratchets, if not snap on. As the basic comes with everything Cman brushed finish ratchets are shitty. I have skuned and smashed more knuckles and fingers because the innards of those things take a shit at random times.

Was working on swapping a water pump on my old truck (454 chevy) easy, right no problem right???? Well its my Bro inlaws truck now and had to use his tool set at his house, and thats all he has is those crappy standard ratchets. Well broke the 3/8, drove to sears to replace it, and worked another 10 mins and I broke that one. Nothing was overly tight or bound up, no cheater bars nothing. So I bought him a good Cman pro to finish the job.

FWIW: Hand tools in my box are mostly Cman Pro line, S&K, Snap, and some Matco, and Mostly OTC or KD for specialty tools. I really like S&K I am slowly swapping most of my big box to them other than ratchets still like Snap ratchets the best


You will eventually need to get into some form or dignostic tools and Air tools
AS for Air tools if you get that far into it. Ingarsol Rand and get their Titanium line and you wont be sorry. Electronic diagnostics OTC, for Scanners and testers, Fluke for multi meters, but OTC is a good option as well

[E-Thirty]

I agree entirely with Rigmaster. Bought a big set when it was on sale, then added more as I went along. Only thing I found annoying was the 1/4" drive ratchet. Not that big of a deal.

[McGyver]

how about a tool to tighten the locknuts inside the front upper shock mounts while holding the shaft still? anything for that?

[mrsleeve]

Impact on the nut and a strap wench around the shock shaft, or you can use a ratchet on the nut but that makes it bit harder. Still a good strap wrench will come in handy for other stuff too.

how about a tool to tighten the locknuts inside the front upper shock mounts while holding the shaft still? anything for that?