What kind of mechanics/hand tools do you use?

Aurora40 · 03-14-04, 08:50

*BEFORE VOTING* If you think there's a common one that should be in the poll, don't vote. Post the brand, hopefully a mod will add it, then vote. Otherwise, if you vote for "other" and your tool brand gets added, you can't change your vote. You can pick more than one brand on your vote, though, for those of you who have a lot of tools from more than one brand.

I have Craftsman tools for all my hand mechanics tools. I was shopping for some flare nut wrenches and was just curious what brands others here used.

andriver · 03-14-04, 08:56

I use Craftsman.

Ice9 · 03-14-04, 09:23

I have mainly Craftsman, but I also use Proto torque wrenches. You might want to include those.

Here are some more choices you might want to add:

Mac
Matco
Stanley
Pittsburgh
Proto

MartyGrant · 03-14-04, 09:36

HAZET! Great tools for German fasteners. Quality on par or above Snap-On...and slightly less expensive in most cases. Bad point, hard to find. Add Stahlwille, too.

My Tools: Hazet, Snap-On...(slowly replacing my Craftsman)

Aurora40 · 03-14-04, 10:30

Can a moderator add those? I can't edit the poll, just my post.

Nikon · 03-14-04, 10:46

I have MAC, Snap-On, Proto, and Craftsman.

The MAC and Snap-On tools are my favourite.

Accumulator · 03-14-04, 10:55

My "others" include Wright, USAG, and Wiha.

Can't let this go without ranting about how many failures I get with Craftsman stuff!

I broke a 3/8" drive breaker bar at the yoke with just hand torque (no cheater pipe or anything like that). Must've been bad heat-treating. A piece of it took a chip out of the concrete floor! Sure glad I didn't catch that in the eye. Heh heh, I'm NOT returning it for a replacement, I'd rather have it for show-and-tell.

Besides that, I currently have THREE broken Craftsman ratchets, two 3/8" drives and a 1/2" drive, they strip when any real torque is applied in the "tighten" direction. Never used with cheater pipes, etc. Just not durable, in my experience. Yeah, they'll give me new ones, but why should I trust them not to break like the others?

Same thing happened with a Facom 3/8" ratchet, maybe the third time I used it!

In marked contrast, I have *OLD* Snap-On ratchets and breaker bars that still work like new. If I were buying from scratch, I'd skip the Craftsman stuff and just go with Snap-On. Everybody seems to offer lifetime replacement warranties but that doesn't help you much when the tool breaks in the middle of the job. I'd rather have quality I can count on.

rjstaaf · 03-14-04, 01:41

I have a few Snap-on tools but, for the most part Craftsman.

Scottwax · 03-14-04, 09:44

Craftsman. In case of a problem I can find a Sears more easily than the Snap-On or Matco guys.

JimS · 03-15-04, 06:50

I've gotten some pretty good deals on Snap-On tools on eBay.

Lynn · 03-15-04, 10:32

I've PMd a Mod of this forum, Aurora40, so help should be on the way soon.

BTW, that's something any Autopia can (and should) feel free to do. When you have a problem or question about a thread, go to the home page for that forum, check and see who its Mods are, then send one or more of us a PM. I always welcome getting a "head-up" when a member needs help.

madazskunk · 03-16-04, 12:09

Quote:

Originally posted by JimS
I've gotten some pretty good deals on Snap-On tools on eBay.

Ebay is awesome for higher end tools but you gotta be there at the right time. beware of shipping and handling. They also have craftsmen and husky super cheap.