What brand of tools do you recommend?

[cybuch]

I have some snap-on, MAC, and craftsman tools currently (all 20 years old and all metric). I recently purchased a classic car and need to get some SAE tools, I discovered snap-on is pretty expensive these days. I heard craftsman is no longer very good and I am looking to get some tools for a decent price. What brand do you recommend?

 

[Neutron]

I have a little of everything, mostly Snap-on but also Matco, Cornwell, Mac, IR....
All of the tool truck stuff is expensive.
I have been buying Kobalt tools from Lowes here and there for home and been happy with quality and even happier with price

 

[octavio3311]

SK is also very expensive. I have some older Craftsmen tools, but have recently been buying Husky (Home Cheapo) and Kobalt (BLowes) brands. Been happy with quality so far.

 

[cybuch]

yea, I was looking at the Kolbalt stuff and the Autozone stuff as well. Might just go with Kobalt and see how it goes. thanks for the input!

 

[Scottintexas]

and.............. your not going to tell us or give us pictures of this new classic car you bought??? just ask us about the tools to work on it, hmmmpf

 

[Neutron]

Old and american......

 

[Sbrown]

I've always been partial to Mac and Matco. Snap-On is over-priced and their quality is slipping. For most homeowners and DIY'ers, the big box store brands are generally good enough.

 

[cybuch]

and.............. your not going to tell us or give us pictures of this new classic car you bought??? just ask us about the tools to work on it, hmmmpf

My bad! 1965 El Camino, original 327 and 4 on the floor....lowered and yes, those are hydraulics in the bed. Just my touch.

 

[Scottintexas]

YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! excellent choice, it looks great,

 

[Beachbummer]

Harbor freight, upgrade when it breaks. If it never breaks you saved huge money, or got to buy more tools for the same money. Specially non moving parts and ratchets. Anything electrical, would suggest makita or Milwakee.

Kobalt seems a bit overpriced but I have tested their lifetime warranty and it has been relatively pain free.

 

[AboveTheBest]

I see to buy Craftsman, but now Kobalt.
They have a no questions asked replace,ent policy just like Craftsman used to (they may still, but haven't seen a Sears in a while).

I've bought cheaper stuff before when I was in a pinch, but prefer not to.

 

[BigAbe75]

Harbor freight

Don’t use their adjustable holesaw bit when drilling holes in your boat. Buy a good one. Learn from my experience on that one. Lol

(Link in my signature regarding my cupholder mod, if anyone wants to see the pics)

 

[adrianp89]

I use a combination of Kobalt and HarborFrieght for most hand tools, with Klien for my electrical tool needs. Bosch for commonly used power tools, and back to HF for rarely used power tools.

 

[Beachbummer]

Bosch is awesome stuff!

 

[Brandon_SC]

For wrenches & the like I’ve had none better than the old Snap-on stuff. I’m still using an old blue line pneumatic impact that my mechanic father gave to me years ago. @Beachbummer @adrianp89 Totally agree on Bosch! They’re my go to cordless tools.

 

[Phreddei]

Used Snap On from e-bay. Good deals to be found.

 

[Jgorm]

Don't buy harbor freight sockets! They explode and cause pain! I like craftsman and husky. Husky replaces parts easily, but I've never broken a socket. I brought back a 10 year old torque wrench that stopped clicking and they said "go grab a new one". Knipex makes the best adjustable wrenches. I can't justify the high dollar tools when i don't have a problem with what i have. Hf has some good stuff, just beware.

 

[Beachbummer]

How did that socket blow up? I have HF impact 6 side 1/2 socket sets that I use with a breaker bar, and I have never broken one. They were extremely cheap too.

Not that it will help much, but HF will also let you swap most Pittsburgh tools, as they are also warrantied for lifetime. Have not had to use it yet, but have observed a few folks do it.

I like harbor freight for being a good value, (breaker bar and large ratchets for example. )I got an extensible 3/8 and 1/4 ratchet that i prefer over the kobalt unless there is a clearance issue. It was cheap and the extensible feature is fenomenal.

But, they are cheap, and some are pretty bad, so it's understandable that if money is no object, one would steer clear.

Some purchases are hard to justify, so I may test with HF first.

 

[Zonie]

My first job right out of school was as a GM Mechanic. I bought a Matco box and almost all my tools were Craftsman, because that's what I could afford. I had a few SnapOn tools, but those were mostly specialty tools that Sears didn't sell like long wrenches or O2 sensor sockets. This was 30 years ago and back then it was Craftsman, Tool Trucks, or cheap tools from China that were terrible.

Today you've got Kobalt, Husky, etc. and they are all really good tools. If I need specialty tools, I can usually get them from HF. They aren't the best tools but definitely getting better. Why pay $50 for a 32mm socket when I can get one from HF for $8. If I was going to use it every day that would be one thing. But most of my specialty tools see very limited use. HF was also a great way to stock my son's first tool box.

 

[Foobar]

This is going to sound crazy .... Harbor Freight

They carry Pittsburgh Steel tools and guarantee them like Craftsman or Kobalt. I bought some and they work well. Full set of deep well impacts were on sale for like $18. (10 - 34 mm) Really can't beat that. Some stuff you should not buy there such as cordless drills, etc. unless it is going to have really light use. Those don't last very long. But hand tools ... definitely Harbor Freight if you don't want to break the bank.

EDIT: For hobby and light use. Not professional use as someone pointed out.