What are the best CHEAP tools?

[NJHandyGuy]

My brother recently got a job installing awnigns/signs/garage doors/store fronts.

Within the first week of being there his gang box has been largely depleted (he guesses by day laborers.)


Who makes good CHEAP tools. reliable enough to get the job done yet cheap enough to only maim thiefs instead of kill them

seriously though input appreciated

 

[Blk63Vette]

FLEA MARKET tools...



I like my old ratchets better then my new ones!!!

 

[Abbott]

Husky brand at Home Depot is pretty good. Stanley tools from Wal-mart also work. Or there is good ole Harbor Freight if they have stores up where your at.

 

[caper]

Yep,tell him to head to the flea market and buy all the rusty american made stuff he can find.They will get the job done and most guys won't steal them cuz they're not shiney.

 

[back2class]

Agreed, Harbor freight if needing new, Most of their hand tools do their job pretty well, but flea market is the best choice.

 

[strnjss]

Husky is far from cheap. My Husky set cost me $50.

Go for Harbor Freight

 

[pep]

Craftsman.

 

[Scout Driver]

Harbor Freight. If theft is a huge isssue, pick up the nearest box of cheap tools from a garage sale.

Scott

 

[bmxr4life87]

I'd say harbor freight. Why not tell em if they don't have the tools and can't provide em they will be terminated

 

[alvoski]

jh williams on ebay

 

[Danglerb]

HF for the misc, and then a BIG tool belt and lock box for smaller items like batteries etc.

That kind of work I am guessing a top quality cordless impact driver is a must.

Put your tools away, EXACTLY the same each night, and anything missing will be easier to see.

 

[gnx547]

Crapsman or Stanley

 

[arkangel06]

FLEA MARKET tools...



I like my old ratchets better then my new ones!!!

X2 get to the flea market!

 

[Indy_500]

HF........

 

[supertooljunkie]

HF, hate to say. Is it his gang box? If so, his tools, and lock. Keep the thieves out. Last time I did work like that, I supplied my own tools.
Problem is, everyone wants the paycheck, but none of the responsibility. **** heads!!

 

[dsaabm]

Whatever he chooses paint them all neon orange or hot pink to avoid easy theft or lack of identifing features. Reduces desireability to the theif as a side benefit.

Yep, great idea, I love neon green/orange/yellow tools, much less likely to leave um places and not spot them on clean up, and it sounds like he shouldn't let anything out of sight.

For tools I would also checkout kobalt, their usa made sockets, ratchets etc are good for the money, as are the HF ratchets. Not trying to start a HF war, as I know their stuff is a mixed bag with some good stuff, But I would hate to have a HF tool break leaving me unable to finish a job properly.

 

[dankicksass]

Harbor Freight is a pain in the *** if you're not near Brick or Woodbridge... I know I'm not. Sears has some high value options, Home Depot and Stanley too, but buying cheap tools isn't going to stop the theft. Only carrying the tools required helps, using a tool vest or belt helps, but you can only go so far.

 

[tatra]

dogbones.................

 

[cruiser808]

Here in Hawaii we don't have Harbor Freight for new cheap tools. It's either Sears or nothing. In the last 10 years, I have been focused on used Craftsman =v= series, other pro tools from ebay or truck/government tools at the Kam Drive-in swap meet. As Scott Goggard says, "they know what I'm after."

 

[caper]

Husky is far from cheap. My Husky set cost me $50.

Go for Harbor Freight

$50 is cheap for a set.One of my Snap on wrenches is more than $50.

 

[mrholeshot]

I'd say Stanley or Husky (same thing) when it comes to sets. Both have large sockets sets that are good quality. The stanley and Husky wrench sets are nice and pretty cheap. With Harbor freight there are a few good things but it can be hit or miss. If he can catch Craftsman on sale you can really come out well if you get the right sets. You have to look out for the small stuff in craftsman sets. The flea market is a good place but it's hard to find complete sets and despite some of the "flea market finds" you see here it takes a lot of hunting to find those and it may take weeks before you hit a big score as far as hand tools go.
painting the tools is a really good idea. I use to paint the tools on my service trucks yellow. Easy to find and if they happened to wind up in someones tool box they were easy to recover. At that time I couldn't find orange paint that would really stick to chrome but I'm sure they have it now. I had a guy work for me once whe painted every one of his tools ford blue. I thought he was crazy but he rarely lost a thing.

 

[NJHandyGuy]

Problem 1 he needed them after the first day.

The idiot he works for gives him a laborer usually differnet every day and he uses his tools and truck to do service calls and install @ a flat rate per call type deal.

yes he uses a ton of impacts and the drill bit set came up missing twice.

 

[GSMotorrad]

HF, hate to say. Is it his gang box? If so, his tools, and lock. Keep the thieves out. Last time I did work like that, I supplied my own tools.
Problem is, everyone wants the paycheck, but none of the responsibility. **** heads!!

An expensive lock should cost less than a set of cheap tools - probably last longer too. Sounds like the way to go.

 

[Zeroek]

For working on cars daily I have a nice set of cheap stuff. US General Cart. Red 5 drawer. A Husky 5 drawer toolbox with an old top box on it. Gearwrench Screwdrivers. Gearwrench sockets in 1/4" and 3/8". Kobalt Impact sockets 1/2" deep and shallow. Husky Metric Wrenches. Channel lock pliers. Craftsman and Gearwrench ratchets. Craftsman pro Prybars. Couple cheap hammers. HF soft deadblow. Husky cut off wheel, Sanborn air hammer and angle grinder. Milwaukee cordless ratchet. I guess most my stuff is kinda medium priced compared to cheap. I always kept an eye out for sales. Lately I've been swaping stuff out for Snap on. If I were going to go super cheap I'd buy everything from Harbor Freight. I trust a lot of their hand tools. Sockets, Ratchets, Hammers, Pliers, Screwdrivers. I've used them all and I could live with them.

 

[Brownsfan]

I'm sure he got it figured out 4 years ago when this thread was made.

 

[MarkG]

It's an old thread, but new to anyone who hasn't read it yet, so here's my thoughts:

I'm not the authority on what the 'best, cheap' tools are, but my first set of 'Master Mechanic' sockets and ratchet are still going strong after 20 years or more! I don't use them everyday, but they got me through many projects with no problems whatsoever.

Recently, I bought a more 'complete' ratchet set by Duralast at Autozone, which I'm very happy with so far-----especially for the price.

Of course, if I was a mechanic by trade, I'd probably pop for a nice set of Snap-On tools, but my cheapies work just fine for my uses.

 

[n8n]

I'd say Stanley or Husky (same thing) when it comes to sets. Both have large sockets sets that are good quality. The stanley and Husky wrench sets are nice and pretty cheap. With Harbor freight there are a few good things but it can be hit or miss. If he can catch Craftsman on sale you can really come out well if you get the right sets. You have to look out for the small stuff in craftsman sets. The flea market is a good place but it's hard to find complete sets and despite some of the "flea market finds" you see here it takes a lot of hunting to find those and it may take weeks before you hit a big score as far as hand tools go.
painting the tools is a really good idea. I use to paint the tools on my service trucks yellow. Easy to find and if they happened to wind up in someones tool box they were easy to recover. At that time I couldn't find orange paint that would really stick to chrome but I'm sure they have it now. I had a guy work for me once whe painted every one of his tools ford blue. I thought he was crazy but he rarely lost a thing.

The only socket that I bought new and has given me a WTF failure was a Husky 17mm deep socket. This was one of the old USA made ones too. I was just removing the lugs on my car and the socket split the whole way up one of the corners, almost to the drive end. Maybe I just got a bad one? In any case I haven't bought any more Husky tools since. Only reason I bought that set was at the time HD was way more convenient to me than Sears was, that's not true anymore.

 

[jeff g]

Hi
Can you brake the job down, into one set of tools for a set job, then make a tool box for that job.

Put your tools away in the same toolboxs each night, and anything missing will be easier to see. Any tool missing have to be paid for.

It helps the men to look after the tool. They only have the tools for the job to look after, & it speeds up the job, all the tool are in one box.

But still use CHEAP tools.

I worked on site with a gang of men for years, at first i lost a lot of tool but when i did it this way, my tool loss went away

 

[pauls_workshop]

The only socket that I bought new and has given me a WTF failure was a Husky 17mm deep socket. This was one of the old USA made ones too. I was just removing the lugs on my car and the socket split the whole way up one of the corners, almost to the drive end. Maybe I just got a bad one? In any case I haven't bought any more Husky tools since. Only reason I bought that set was at the time HD was way more convenient to me than Sears was, that's not true anymore.

Wow, I've used my old 80's era US made Husky sockets since then and never had any problems - very nice. Not as great as my old SK socket set from that era, but about the same as my Craftsman US sockets from that era. Probably had a bad one. I wonder who made those old US Husky sockets? Anyone know?

Also, while OLD Stanley US I generally like fine, I got a Stanley screwdriver set just 2-3 years ago China Coo and it is the worst set of tools I've ever seen. Total Junk. Philips head blades bend on the first use with 1 inch pound of torque and don't fit right in the first place. HF's $7.99 liked set is 500% better than those. People saying they like Stanley, please say when you got them and exactly what products they are please. - Paul

 

[1950mercury]

Hf pro series. Most people that knock them have never used them.

 

[KAOTIK Motorsports]

Harbor Freight wrenches.... $25 per set
Normal length SAE and Metric
Ex. Long length SAE and Metric

 

[NoahG]

Stanley, HF, Tekton.

 

[Westly]

Here in Hawaii we don't have Harbor Freight

I volunteer to open a HF store in Hawaii, Somebody call me. Please.