which tool set should i get?

[kts]

Lots of good advice here. Adding way too much rambling into it all:

- Like many folks on here I started with a Craftsman combo set over the years and have made additions to my base set with everything from Snap On to Harbor Freight.

- For most home mechanics Craftsman stuff is more than enough. If you do end up going to an auto mechanic school start with Craftsman or used Snap On/Blue Point/Matco/etc and build up/replace your collection on the job when you need the stuff. Just watch out, I know many people who have almost their entire paycheck go to the Snap On sales guy. ;)

- If you have a Costco membership check the local Costcos to see if they still have any of the Powerbuilt ratchet + socket sets or some off-brand wrench set they have. Both of them were stupid cheap, I got both for $25 total (for full sets of metric and SAE in short 12 point and deep 6 point along with 12 point wrenches) and they have held up surprisingly well to a lot of abuse in a Lemons car build, junkyard trolling, and for use on my E30 when I'm too lazy to get stuff out of my toolbox. I bought them because they were cheap and I wouldn't care of they were lost/broken/etc at my friend's place for the Lemons Build or the junkyard but I have treated them like crap and they are still going strong.

- Kobalt's new line of stuff at Lowe's also seems to be priced right and looks really nice. Not sure if Lowe's has gotten better with their warranty stuff for Kobalt, a few years ago a Lowe's socket I had broke and I got the run around from 2 Lowe's stores. :(

- I really like my cross force ratcheting wrenches I picked up a year or so ago, so much easlier on your hands.

- I also will +eleventy the use 6 point sockets whenever possible.

Stanley tools are great and they stand behind their life time warranty 100% . If u ever have anything fail no ?s asked they will send u a new tool asap.

+1 to Stanley's warranty. I had a Stanley 1/2" to 3/8"s adapter bend on me. No idea how it got in my toolbox but I called them up, gave them the part number and a few days later I had a new replacement.

[devon.818]

just found some girl on craigslist who is mad at her BF...who happens to be a mechanic that owns snapon/mac tools....so ima go over there and go shopping!
she said prices starting 5$/tool.

WHAT! lucky i know. lol

[Shanes325]

Stanley tools are great and they stand behind their life time warranty 100% . If u ever have anything fail no ?s asked they will send u a new tool asap.

[Brandon12V]

Stay within a budget and build your tool stable over time. Quality should be bought in your main essentials(i.e. tools you use regularly). Ratchets, wrenches, and screwdrivers mainly. You might laugh at the screwdrivers but it's no joke. Craigslist it up for snapon/matco ratchets. If you can't find anything, kobalt came out with a NICE line including a 80 tooth 3/8" drive. Pricey for a home appliance store item though. I would suggest craftsman for sockets(hand & impact). They're easily available and American
made. Napa is a good alternative. Most of the companies nowadays come with lifetime warranties so get that and you'll be "ok". You pay the price when it comes to precision. As nice as a craftsman professional wrench line is, snapon/matco are better by micrometers and it makes a difference. Although, you might not notice if you don't wrench on a regular basis. I'm not against buying a kit but after fixing cars on a regular basis, I would have done some things different than starting out with a kit. And Stanley sucks. My $.02.

[brianao34]

+1. I took in a broke 3/8 drive ratchet and they swapped it out for one of these "teardrop" ratchets. Wow, I've been using it for 2-3 years, amazing

[e30North]

Craftsman is great for the price and if you’re starting off. If you do a lot of wrenching I would go with a wrench that has a smooth handle; I would avoid the “regular” set of wrenches from craftsman. The bump of the handle will fuck up your hand if you use it a lot.

[Ayman]

sear's has layaway options. 5 bucks max for the initiation fee, i'm with it.

[Eric]

Ive used craftsman most of my life , ive also used snapon which are a bit nicer but their rachets without pushbutton release are a pain to detach sockets with oil/grease on your hands.

Man, I thought I was the only one!


And I'm still glowing about this 1/4 ratchet my wife bought me last month. It feels great in your hand, has great ratcheting feel to it, and it doesn't break like the garbage lower end craftsman stuff

[Vince30]

Ive used craftsman most of my life , ive also used snapon which are a bit nicer but their rachets without pushbutton release are a pain to detach sockets with oil/grease on your hands.

True fuckin story. I am constantly needing a flathead to pop the sockets out when I am done using them. If you are not a professional mechanic, the basic craftsmen tools would suit almost any project you would do in your garage. If you are, there is a craftsman professional series that is almost on snapons level of quality for way cheaper. When I buy tools I stick to craftsmen or matco.

Whatever set you buy, make sure it has ONLY 6-point sockets. 12-point sockets will strip any tight/stuck bolt. Some sets mix and match so be careful of that as well.

Those craftsman kits are going to have a couple 12 points, doesn't mean you shouldn't get the kit, just means you shouldn't use them.

[Restoman]

Go with Craftsman for wrenches and sockets, their quality is very good and reasonably priced. Put some money into a nice Cornwell, Matco, Snap-On socket wrench. They are usually around $60 for the 3/8" drive styles. This is the one tool that I don't mind putting money into to get a really good tool.

[ALYKZANDYR]

Ive used craftsman most of my life , ive also used snapon which are a bit nicer but their rachets without pushbutton release are a pain to detach sockets with oil/grease on your hands.

[Mlarsen]

I like Proto tools above all others. Snap-on quality, but with lower prices. Best thing about all their tools is they are all slim, meaning they are lighter weight and fit into tighter areas.

And Craftsman's lifetime warranty is kinda irrelevant as ANY good tool company has a lifetime warranty on their tools.

My suggestion is to buy the best you can afford. I would also prefer to buy fewer, higher quality tools then many lower quality tools. Start off with a nice 3/8" drive socket set, a good set of screw drivers, a nice assortment of pliers (Channellock is among the best IMO) and then just build slowly from there as you have time. Also, if you have no need for SAE tools, then don't bother buying a set that includes both SAE and metric; your money can be spent elsewhere.

This is some solid advice right here. Honestly, if you buy Craftsman, you'll probably end up replacing it with a Snap on or something. Those big tool sets are a joke. I bet you wont use half of that set.

Start searching c/l on deals. There are lots of out work techs that are selling their tools for the dirt.

[djjerme]

Depending on your funds available, I would suggest getting what you can afford. My tools are a Hodge-podge of brands and what not. I have had some crap that has broken, and some that have lasted forever. The key pieces to spend money on are the ratchet's, cheap ratchets usually will break, and that annoying as hell.

Socket's you can pretty much get away with anything for normal day-to-day repairs. Same with wrenches (I am not above admitting, I have some Harbor Freight stuff.) For stuff that require heavier torque (larger sockets and wrenches) is where you should pay for quality. You don't want to be trying to torque a socket to 150lbs and then have it break on you!

There has been times in the past where cheap wrenches where nice to have, because I could bend and modify em to fit in weird angles and such. It would have made me cry if I had to torch one of my good wrenches.

Completely agree with checking out garage sales and keep an eye Craigslist, with the economy tanking, other peoples misfortune can be a benefit, and you can grab some awesome deals on Pro-brand stuff.

[oxymoron]

you can finance snap on

[luckysnafu]

Whatever set you buy, make sure it has ONLY 6-point sockets. 12-point sockets will strip any tight/stuck bolt. Some sets mix and match so be careful of that as well.