Wiha Tools

[Mossman]

Honestly man if you have a Sears within 20 minutes of your house go craftsman for almost everything. They have a great return policy. Don't waste money on sockets when craftsmans are fine, and they're fine tooth ratchets are pretty decent and they'll swap it out for you if it breaks. I've been using craftsman chrome sockets for 5 years or so, 3 of them as a mechanic beating on them every day, and I just cracked my first one that I hadn't ground down or modified in some way. Screwdrivers get a decent set, hammers harbor freight, wrenches craftsman are okay but chunky, snap ons are my personal favorite. Scope ebay and craigslist for one nice 1/4 and 3/8 flex head ratchet (snap on for 1/4" you have some options for 3/8.

Basically wtf is with all these crazy brands I've never heard of? Where do you buy them? Who do you talk to when they break?

[5Toes]

Ive got everything, (hammers, saws, etc.)... but my own set of handtools/wrenches. Basically I agree Craftsmen are nice, but they seem to be suffering lately quality wise. I want to buy some tools I can use well into my 30s.

And when they break you put them in a flat rate box and ship them to the manufacturer.

[4bangerfury]

I'm in an anti craftsman mood right now. Pretty much everything I own is from them. The basics are fine, break it and they replace it. Not torque wrenches that come apart and only have a one year warranty (had mine about a year and a half).

Also, their jack just failed. Tried to get my car off the jack stands and it just spit out jack oil. Great, they'll fix it, but it doesn't get my car off the jack stands. Had to grab one from advance.

[5Toes]

Thats the thing I want reliable tools, and I dont mind the premium that comes with them

[lennon]

People talk down on craftsman too much. Can't beat the price and warranty. They're not the best tools made, snapon wrenches are thinner, etc. But I don't think I've ever broken anything craftsman. That's counting my hundreds of tools from them as well as my dads and other friends and family with craftsman stuff.

my 2 cents

[brianpgriset]

Wiha is awesome stuff. I have a full set of the red handle soft finish screw drivers and a set of the ACO's which someone aready mentioned. They are great. They are my favorite soft finish screwdrivers. Plus they make a line with a striking cap on them.

I say go Wiha.

[Farbin Kaiber]

I'm really happy with the handtools from

http://www.wittetools.com.au/

Have a few nut drivers and screwdriver sets. Great hand feel.

[5Toes]

^ Damn how the hell did you find that stuff?

Im thinking right now Bondhus T handle hex wrenches, Wiha screwdrivers & nutdrivers. Don't know what else yet.

[Mlarsen]

Personally I'm a Snap On whore. Pretty much all my tools now are Snap on. I started on Husky, which are good if your a "hobbyist mechanic". My first "professional" tools were Cornhole and Mac. At first I rebelled against Snap On because of the price. I saw the light and I'm never going back. I use my tools all day everyday so, I tend to not go for the cheap shit thats going to brake after a month of using it. Its all due to the fact I have the best Snap On dealer in the NW that comes to my shop. Start out with with some Husky stuff and slowly start buying nice stuff. Look on C/L you can find some deals from some out of work mechanics.

[Farbin Kaiber]

Yes, the best advise yet. I have seen lots of techs parting out their rollaways on CL. You could walk out with a used tool set steal, and it'd be better than 90% of the stuff out there for 20% of the cost.

[5Toes]

Yup I check CL everyday for 1987-1991 E30's. Dont see why cant check for tools too :)

[JoeyBones]

Hex wrench set: Bondhus all the way. Great quality great price...look at Travers Tool or someone similar that sells industrial tooling in your area for discounted pricing.

Ratchets: Craftsman, I have a 3/8" that my dad put in my first tool box 26 years ago. The only one I've ever had to replace was a 1/4 drive, but that was due to me putting it on a stuck bolt in a tight spot and a pipe as a cheater....my dumb fault

Screw Drivers: I'm a huge fan of the craftsman professional line, not the polycarbonate handle cheap ones, but the cushion grip black handle ones. Though I do have a few screw drivers left from that very same "first tool box".

as far as snap-on, cornhole, mac...all of em, guess what... vast majority are rebadged sunex tools. I actually helped design some of the snap-on automotive jacks, tool boxes, drill housings... check em out www.sunextools.com It was nice when working there and you had to put together something in the shop when you first start and they tell you to go pull a full set of tools from the shelf.... it was like christmas, but had to give your presents back.

[5Toes]

Thanks bud