Tool Thread - Post up your new tools!

[LateFan]

Sadly I'm in a rural area and the closest big box store is a HD 90 minutes away. I have a Sears and a HF, so if I want to be able to take advantage of the lifetime warranty, it's Craftsman or Pittsburgh. From what I've heard, I guess I'll find a good deal on a Craftsman set, and maybe get some specialty tools from HF as needed (gear pullers, tie rod separator, etc). Also heard the HF has pretty good quality impact tools for the amateur. I'm also always checking out the local pawn shop for gently used snapon etc.

I know how that is - you have to plan your trips ahead of time - much harder than running down to a NAPA for a replacement socket or something.

The majority of mine are (older) Craftsman and they are great. HF is OK for hammers, big pliers, screwdrivers - hard to screw up a caveman tool so they're fine.

So, like others have said, Craftsman is fine if not abused, Cobalt is fine, I have some nice heavy breaker bars from NAPA, some Carlyle tools from NAPA, and misc Snap-On. Used Snap-On seems ideal if they're in good shape - they fit in your hand nicely and are so nice to use.

[rturbo 930]

Is Stanley still good? I thought Stanley was bought out by some mega-corp that drove them into the ground, like all the other previously good tool companies.

I'd love to see Craftsman return to the quality they were at 15 years ago. There isn't really an alternative for that price point and quality.

[LateFan]

I thought I read that Stanley was sold as well - That's been the go-to tape measure forever. I have several Fat-Maxes! They laughed at me at Ace when I asked for a replacement blade. You just buy a whole new tape now.

I have a friend who owns a specialty auto shop, and I learned an interesting thing from him. The Snap-On man makes weekly stops at a minimum - he'll drop by any time if you need something. They don't buy a tool like I do and covet it until they give it to their grandchildren, they USE them! They buy three copies of something. Because that one job always breaks it, so you have a spare. Because you grind it down to half its depth so the ratchet and socket will fit in that impossible space. Because you cut a slot in it to get a different tool on it.

It changed how I looked at socket sets and those sorts of tools. I no longer give up and say, Whelp, the socket won't fit in there, I'm done.

[AndrewBird]

Stanley owns Proto, a very nice industrial tool company. Hopefully some of their quality rubs off on Craftsman.

[mrsleeve]

Stanley is the MEGA corp that has been buying up everything they can. You are likely thinking of Danher which though its Apex tool group owns/makes just the linons share of tools consumer hand and power tools. Apex was sold to bain capita a while back but Danher retained Matco

Stanley has its better lines, like Proto/Blackhawk (used to be better) MAC, and Facom but have made improvments to their basic line, and IIRC bought the Irwin brand and lines from Danaher/Apex last year along with Cman.

Late: Its good your mind set has changed on tools they are tools for getting something done, in general though I wont "mod" my good tools, like my Wrights, old SK, Old Proto, S.O. or good old Cman Pro stuff but I will if I had too get something done. Good tools are to be respected but they are to be used too. That said I have a ruthless mentality for cheep tools like H/F, older basic Cman, Stanley or other cheap store brands. I have bought up stuff just for making tools for 1 job, or a particular application...... I have a old school Ford hub nut socket, that I bought to grind the "nubs" off and then notch so it would fit the rear hub nuts on my FZj80 Vs buying the specialty socket that no one has around and is kinda costly. That tool no rides in my truck in the tool box if I need it I know where it is. I have heated and bent wrenches to fit on things, I took a cheep long handled 3/8ths drive crescent brand ratchet put the torches to it till it was nice and cherry, and put a 60* ish up sweep on it to clear something on buddies old bronco II back in the old days lol..... I do love a good custom tool / solution to fix stuff.....

[LateFan]

Yeah, you end up having half a drawer of custom tools that do one job on one specific long gone car, but I keep them forever. Somebody will ask me sometime, how in the hell do I do this?!....and I'll just give it to them.

Where can you buy Wrights and Hazets? Are Wrights for industry, or do they make metric small tools?

My wife's brother got me on a Milwaukee kick for woodworking tools years ago because he won't touch anything that isn't Milwaukee red! I hated to point out to him that a couple of tags I read on tools recently said Made in China.

So what's happening with Milwaukee lately? Did they get purchased by someone? Are they still mostly US-made?

[rturbo 930]

Stanley is the MEGA corp that has been buying up everything they can. You are likely thinking of Danher which though its Apex tool group owns/makes just the linons share of tools consumer hand and power tools. Apex was sold to bain capita a while back but Danher retained Matco

Yeah that's it. When I was looking at ratchets last year, I saw one by Armstrong that I liked, but then found out that Armstrong was being shut down (I think). Apparently the people behind Apex do this as a method of business. Buy successful companies that make quality tools, then outsource production to save money, quality goes down the toilet, but still sells product based on its prior reputation, owners get rich in the process, and when the company has been run dry, they throw away the carcass and move on to the next. IIRC, Bain Capital is one of the firms behind this, and is also the firm Mitt Romney was with.

I'd really like to return to products being made in the US, and when I go into a store, it'd be nice if the products there weren't all cheap shit. My dad's SK tools were all bought at the hardware store, it's just what they had. Hard to imagine. I could really go on about this, this trend is one that really pisses me off.

[rturbo 930]

As for custom tools, if I needed to modify a tool, I'd go get some cheap chinese piece to modify and leave my nice, USA made pieces alone. Especially since most of them are Craftsman, and a made-in-USA replacement would have to be bought used.

[mitchlikesbikes]

this is my new work box. krl1022 in near perfect shape, i got it for about 1/3 of retail used so not a bad deal. so nice to have extra space for stuff again. i haven't had extra space since i started as a mechanic like 3 years ago

[mrsleeve]

Yeah, you end up having half a drawer of custom tools that do one job on one specific long gone car, but I keep them forever. Somebody will ask me sometime, how in the hell do I do this?!....and I'll just give it to them.

Where can you buy Wrights and Hazets? Are Wrights for industry, or do they make metric small tools?

My wife's brother got me on a Milwaukee kick for woodworking tools years ago because he won't touch anything that isn't Milwaukee red! I hated to point out to him that a couple of tags I read on tools recently said Made in China.

So what's happening with Milwaukee lately? Did they get purchased by someone? Are they still mostly US-made?

Yup I have a box of modded tools, those cut down or notched sockets come in handy from time to time, as do tweaked wrenches.......

Atlas Copco sold Milwaukee electric to Techtronic industries of Hong Kong a little over a decade ago. I think around 2010ish that they opend a new plant in china and almost all production of everything with Milwaukee branding on it is made there now. As far as power tools goes, being made in china or not the Red ones are still pushing top of the heap for me....... I know I know, but I have a bunch of red tools we have used and abused and then some that have held up as well as the ones that once came from brookfield WI. I guess they are expanding thier US production in Mississippi this year and adding some 660 us based jobs

http://fox6now.com/2015/06/24/brookfield-based-milwaukee-tool-to-open-new-plant-in-mississippi-add-126-jobs/

https://www.tradeandindustrydev.com/industry/manufacturing/news/ms-milwaukee-tool-invest-334m-expand-add-660-jobs-13616

You have an American welding & gas down there??? They are the Wright tool guys up here, that and Applied Tech shows as a dealer for both our areas. Yes they have metric tools down to small sizes, and yes they are primarily know in the industrial markets. Amazon has been a good source for Wright stuff for me. Hazets your on your own I have no idea other than I think "Fasteners" used to carry some of their screwdrivers and drive tools, but Fasnters was bought up by fastenal, and I have not been into my local store in a while. I dont even know if they are still operating their rigging shop in Spokane now after they got bought out, I used to get my winch cables, blocks and other rigging from them.

[LateFan]

... it'd be nice if the products there weren't all cheap shit. I could really go on about this, this trend is one that really pisses me off.

I know - exactly - how you feel.

As for custom tools, if I needed to modify a tool, I'd go get some cheap chinese piece to modify and leave my nice, USA made pieces alone.

I was surprised to learn my buddy's mechanics buy Snap-On duplicates every week and cut them up as needed. But then they're getting paid to use them.

this is my new work box.

Nice.


That's interesting info on Milwaukee - I had no idea it's been 10 years. But it sounds from your links that some are produced at those US plants?

[flyboyx]

I have 3 and a half sets of tools. The smallest is a fairly complete set of old metric craftsman’s that I keep in a tool bag in the trunk of the mtech II. It goes up to 3/8” drive and includes lots of pliers and screw drivers, etc. The second is a very comprehensive set of mostly vintage craftsman that I keep on the floor in a metal box forward of the back seat in my f350. This one goes to 1/2” and includes sae as well as metric. My third set is in a metal roller in my garage. This one is almost exclusively metric used snap on purchased from craigslist and pawn shops. This way, I almost never have to go searching for something when I need it. If I do, I have three easy chances of finding it.

Last but not least, I have a random box in my garage that is full of random craftsman sockets and such from a life time of buying odds and ends at garage sales and flea markets. This pile is separated out in ziplock bags and serves 2 purposes. First, if I lose a tool, I go there first to see if I have a replacement instead of driving to sears to buy the new China wonderchrome. Second, if I need to modify something to get the job done, it comes from there. Oh, and when my son needs something, I usually can get it from here too.

When I do buy a random lot of tools, all of those that say made in taiwan or some other cheap company, I usually give them to my neighbor, donate them, or chuck them in the trash.

[mitchlikesbikes]

soooo does anybody actually post pictures of cool tools in here or is it just a wall of text?

[MrBurgundy]

soooo does anybody actually post pictures of cool tools in here or is it just a wall of text?

Well, you posted a pic of a tool box, sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[mitchlikesbikes]

Well, you posted a pic of a tool box, sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

it's literally the only photo on the entire page lol