This is why we buy good tools :)

[n8n]

Got some of my tools back from a friend today... had loaned him some stuff so he could do a front end rebuild on his old Miata autocross car. As he's dumping stuff into the trunk of my car he says "I'll have to buy you a new 14."

"14 what?" I say.

"The 14mm deep socket." (it was a 1/2" drive, 6 point SK that I'd lent him.)

"What's wrong with it?"

"I beat the living hell out of it. I cracked every single one of my deep sockets trying to get the bolts out of the struts. Yours were lifesavers."

"Does it still work?"

"Yeah, it just looks like **** now."

yup yup yup... sometimes the good stuff gets it done when the cheap stuff won't. I don't have the sockets back from him yet because he's still putting it back together, so I don't know exactly how "beat" it is... but if spending $15 for a good socket gets the job done when anything less will just break and still not do the do, it's worth it...

 

[bobcatdan]

You don't always need a quality tool, but it is nice to have when you do.

 

[panknuckshovel]

At least he volunteered the info. It will more than likely be an eye opener for him, sounds like your one socket is going to cost more than his whole set.

 

[LordPsychon]

I find it best to have three tiers of tools - expendable, dependable, and inheritable. Your expendables are your typical HF offerings (although some of them could fall into the dependable category), your dependables are your Craftsman and equivalents (Channellocks, some Dewalt/Milwaukee hand tool offerings), and your inheritables are your Snap-On and equivalents. Your friend definitely meant well by offering to replace what sounds like an inheritable level of tool.

 

[n8n]

well, I was actually going to offer to sell him the whole set anyway when he brought it back. Was a gift from the GF and to be fair it was exactly what I'd asked for, but things are real tight right now and I can always buy another SK set down the road, they're still making them.

The friend is a good guy and I think might have bought some cheap tools in the past just not knowing any better. He also probably makes more money than I do (not that I begrudge him that; he's worked hard to get where he is whereas I've made some bad choices that seemed like good ones at the time.)

 

[SantaAna12]

Brute mechanical force. I use it less and less, but when I lend out my tools it is pretty common.

You have a cool.response to it n8n.
Next time that comes up I might use your approach.

 

[rsanter]

I like the quality tools because they don't break as easily.,when they break you can get hurt. If you get hurt you may not be able to work or it slows you down. Also stitches get expensive

Bob

 

[xracer4844]

I have an 18" snap on breaker bar. It's about 15 years old. Its been so beaten. Abused. I have a 3 ft piece of pipe I put on the end of it to horse on it when I need to. It's never let me down. Best tool I've ever owned

 

[IFMJohn]

We bent a 12" snap-on breaker bar trying to torque the headbolts on a paccar MX13... No cheater pipe or anything. Maybe we just got bad steel?

 

[bobcatdan]

We bent a 12" snap-on breaker bar trying to torque the headbolts on a paccar MX13... No cheater pipe or anything. Maybe we just got bad steel?

12"? What was it 3/8"? There is a difference between using a quality tool and the right quality tool. Only guessing but I'm thinking you are in 300 + ft lbs territory, 3/4" drive would be more suitable.

 

[xracer4844]

We bent a 12" snap-on breaker bar trying to torque the headbolts on a paccar MX13... No cheater pipe or anything. Maybe we just got bad steel?

I'd be curious to hear what snap on tells you!

 

[Jarhead0408]

Sounds like you've got a good friend AND good tools. Many guys wouldn't have even told you about it.

 

[Ridwaan Gallow]

I dont borrow my tools out anymore.. i got enough tools back in my life, which were messed up, with "promises" of being replaced, to firmly say no to people who ask to borrow it..

i had a Stahlwille ratchet, (which is sh*t expensive in this country), that was messed up completely by an idiot with a 4 pound hammer.. he still promises to replace it sometimes but never does.. cos he doesnt even know where to buy one..

Stahlwille sockets, rounded! And that chap tells me"it was stripped when you gave it to me"..

I refuse to borrow any tools out.. i would gladly borrow any of my tools to my dad, any time any day.. cos he is the one who taught me to look after my tools.. but pestly neighbours and dodgy friends better stay away from my "cardboard" toolbox..

And further more, i am forced to buy second hand tools for now so i stick to Gedore.. but as soon as i can i will get myself a complete Snap on or Stahlwille set again..

 

[Jarhead0408]

Sounds like a wise policy there Ridwaan Gallow.

 

[CJM8515]

I only loan tools out if I can do the work with you or I loan them out to people I trust with the implicit and expressed info about them: If it comes back in any other shape than what it left in you will replace it. Some people i make hand me items of value or money as a deposit so they will bring it back.

 

[cheechi]

I don't want to take anything away from your message n8n but I would have viewed this a little differently.

I lend people my tools in the sense that we are in my garage or driveway and they say 'hand me a 14mm' I look at every job like this as an opportunity. Some to learn (or teach), some to stay sharp or get the blood flowing, some just for the sake of getting something done. Plus you both have more options, instead of just what you lent there's more you might have that could be useful.

When the tools don't get used for a while they get angry and hide from you. When you use them more often on your stuff or your friend's or both, they are eager they want to be found.

 

[n8n]

I only loan tools out if I can do the work with you or I loan them out to people I trust with the implicit and expressed info about them: If it comes back in any other shape than what it left in you will replace it. Some people i make hand me items of value or money as a deposit so they will bring it back.

Probably a good policy.

In this case, I've been invited to drive the car at any/all autocrosses this year in the area, so I ain't gonna ***** about one socket. This is the whole reason I *have* tools, so I can do stuff like this

 

[jonjon1]

We bent a 12" snap-on breaker bar trying to torque the headbolts on a paccar MX13... No cheater pipe or anything. Maybe we just got bad steel?

I had a brand new 11mm snap on long wrench, bent it like a rounded wrench no bar, no double wrench trick, just bent!!!! I gav it back to snappy and he replaced it, he said its not impossible and happens... I was shocked, I never bent a craftsman, sk, etc, and told him that, he said that craftsman are strong because of the lines they put in them not the steel, I was a bit confused, but took my replacement wrench and that one never bent.. he did tell me they normally snap and that was the first bent one he seen personally...

 

[jmm]

12"? What was it 3/8"? There is a difference between using a quality tool and the right quality tool. Only guessing but I'm thinking you are in 300 + ft lbs territory, 3/4" drive would be more suitable.

Yeah, I don't work on Paccars, but on Macks/Volvos head bolts are well over 300 after the angle torques are made. I do the first round of torquing with a 1/2" torque wrench then switch to a 3 foot 3/4" breaker bar. Unless you're huge and have energy to burn I can't imagine doing it with a foot long breaker bar.

 

[IFMJohn]

12"? What was it 3/8"? There is a difference between using a quality tool and the right quality tool. Only guessing but I'm thinking you are in 300 + ft lbs territory, 3/4" drive would be more suitable.

Sorry, that should've said 24". 1/2" drive. It was the largest breaker bar we had in my training program (we were the first class and they were still picking up tools). lets just say that it was not an easy thing to do, however, I've seen many people stand on a breaker bar like that and it doesnt bend. I tend to be rough on my tools, I've got a 4ft cheater pipe in my box at work. I still havent broken or damaged a tool since that incident in training.

 

[IFMJohn]

I'd be curious to hear what snap on tells you!

Snap-on swapped it out on the spot for free. My instructor also had a tool budget that exceeded $2500/month though... He mightve just eaten the warranty claim.

 

[CJM8515]

Probably a good policy.



In this case, I've been invited to drive the car at any/all autocrosses this year in the area, so I ain't gonna ***** about one socket. This is the whole reason I *have* tools, so I can do stuff like this

Not a bad deal at all