Underrated tools

[Kjbakke2]

alright guys
i recently was in a conversation with bull and we got on the topic of underrated tools
so lets hear it guys.......what are your favorite tool companies that you tink are underrated

im in the boat for a decent amount of the husky stuff

now i pass the torch to Bull

 

[Rickster]

Old raised panel SK wrenches, they're look like chromed heavy-duty Craftsman.

Proto wrenches, the ones with the satin finish.

SK ratchets

Armstrong has some of the heftiest ratchets and sockets I've ever seen.

Williams ratchets, sockets and SuperWrenches.

 

[autoace]

GearWrench, people still pass them off as cheap imports, like I used to, but the tools are fantastic!

 

[dustin19]

lectrolite offset boxend wrenches i have a set and there my goto wrenches when i have a bolt the i cant get to with a normal wrench and ratchet. they do come in handy

 

[ultgar]

GearWrench, people still pass them off as cheap imports, like I used to, but the tools are fantastic!

Like I've told people for 30 years.........."most tools are only as GOOD as the person using them!"


A few examples.........

1. BMW owner strips his oil pan bolt in the aluminum pan with using a 1/2" breaker bar.

2. Customer blows up his shop vacuum (and almost himself) trying to remove debris from the fuel fill inlet to the gas tank.

3. Another BMW owner uses my new Facom ratchet as a hammer to try and loosen caliper bolts. I made him buy the wrench.

4. Customer sends 120psi to the brake reservoir cap adapter to pressure bleed is brakes......big mess! He neglected to dial down the pressure at the regulator.

5. Lots of stories about impact tool misuse.

etc

There pro mechanics and serious weekenders will appreciate the feel and quality of the better quality brands. But a great tool won't make you a great mechanic.

SD

 

[bry@n]

Snap On for sure. They are way better than people think. Cheap tools are for chumps.
I think they get a bad wrap cause most of their tools are made in the USA.

 

[Mike83]

Pratt read screwdrivers (the nicer ones with black rubber handle). Maybe not underrated, but sleeper tools at least. Great screwdrivers at a great value imo.

I think a lot of people underrate Craftsman hand tools. Most of my hand tools are Craftsman and are made excellently at a great price. There are really only two obviously crappy C-man tools: acetate handle screwdrivers and the raised panel ratchets.

 

[Scooterfish]

Proto is highly rated, however the old blackhawk, challenger, fleet are underrated

lectrolite offset box ends, buy them for 50 cents if you find them
old SK- SK wayne

 

[BanjoSavesTheDay]

I haven't been around for super long, but I haven't seen anybody mention Kobalt anywhere. I think I read somewhere that they used to be owned by Snap-On, but I don't know if they still are. The quality of the tools has certainly dropped from what it was a few years ago. My dad bought a metric wrench set about 7 years ago from Lowe's and they are fantastic; definitely my favorite wrenches. He's got some Kobalt ratchets and sockets too that may find their way to my garage someday.... Has anyone else had good experience with older Kobalt?

 

[Mickey O]

alright guys
i recently was in a conversation with bull and we got on the topic of underrated tools
so lets hear it guys.......what are your favorite tool companies that you tink are underrated

im in the boat for a decent amount of the husky stuff

now i pass the torch to Bull

The older Husky stuff was okay, most of the new stuff is Asian ****.

 

[Kjbakke2]

The older Husky stuff was okay, most of the new stuff is Asian ****.

yeah a bought a vint. husky from bull
(1/2 inch drive ~42 tooth) that little ****** is one hell of a wrench
teeny head
solid as hell
smooth as silk

most of their new stuff is **** but i bought that 20 dollar wrench set as a junkyard box filler....its the black chrome one with the stubbys and the regulars met and std and i gotta tell you guys....it hugs a bolt rather nicely and fits in my hands pretty well

i bought one for my best friends father and my best friend.....his dad owns an rv repair and autobody shop

and he said that they are some of his most used wrenches
(this coming from a guy that has mac snap-on and craftsman all in his box)

im not comparing husky to the likes of snap-on because i havent had the chance to compare side by side

but he did say they are some of his most comfortable wrenches of which i agree and neither of us have rounded a bolt yet with them

so i went and bought a husky pro long pattern std combo set for 30 bucks and those feel spectacular

just my thoughts

maybe im lucky and just keep getting good tool lots but i havent broken any of them yet :fingers crossed:

 

[Scooterfish]

Someone correct me if I`m wrong. I believe the early kobalt was made by Williams which was owned by Snap On in the 90s. If someone could post pics of the early Kobalt`s so we know what to look for used, that would be great.

 

[BanjoSavesTheDay]

Next time I'm at his house I will take some pictures of them. The most obvious distinction is that the open end of the wrench has the extra angles on it to grip a bolt a little bit better, as opposed to just being U-shaped. I hope that makes sense; I don't know what you call that style.

 

[Mickey O]

Someone correct me if I`m wrong. I believe the early kobalt was made by Williams which was owned by Snap On in the 90s. If someone could post pics of the early Kobalt`s so we know what to look for used, that would be great.

They were, now like everything else, they're a bunch of mostly Asian ****.:

 

[Fedwrench]

For me the most underrated tools (until someone talks about them here) are KD full polished combination wrenches. They are strong, durable, well balanced, and US made. They are the same as the Napa professional series wrenches but, can usually be found fairly cheap. You get alot of bang for little bucks with these wrenches. The early versions are't as nice as the newer ones.

 

[Fedwrench]

They were, now like everything else, they're a bunch of mostly Asian ****.QUOTE]

Not really, yes their screwdrivers, adjustable wrenches, and pliers are PRC made but, their core hard line is still US made by Danaher. Kobalt sockets and ratchets are clones of Allen, Craftsman, and Napa, etc. It's a very limited selection now. They had a much larger selection of socket sizes when they were made by Williams in Columbus, GA.

 

[Kjbakke2]

i forgot another one i am pretty impressed with channellock has some really great screwdrivers
ive had them for over a year and there is no tip damage at all
im talking about the blue handles with black rubber strips and the thru-handle
i really need to post pics of my box haha

 

[chadster1]

Maybe not under-rated but definitely not as well known is the Genius brand of tools. I just left a transportation dept for a school district that recently bought a LOT of Genius tools from me. The director said that he was impressed with the tools and he is someone that his personal tools are Snap-on.

 

[tw33k2514]

GearWrench, people still pass them off as cheap imports, like I used to, but the tools are fantastic!

I agree with this a lot. And I was one of those people who underrated them. The college I go to just got their serpentine belt set...needless to say after using it, I am going to buy the set soon.

 

[48548]

I agree on genius as I have about 300 worth of genius stuff and love it, and also I would say klein wrenches, as everyone has some of their electrical tools, but as for wrenches my dad used to hook a box end to the top of a combo wrench for more leverage and never broke them even when using a hammer (at work so he didn't care if they broke) and he happened to have a set and gave them to me. I like them. Also xcelite, and uurea along with proto.

 

[Mike83]

Someone correct me if I`m wrong. I believe the early kobalt was made by Williams which was owned by Snap On in the 90s. If someone could post pics of the early Kobalt`s so we know what to look for used, that would be great.

I bought a 1/2" deep socket set that is older Kobalt the same as you describe. There is a seller on Ebay who has TONS and at good prices.

The sockets are very shiny chrome and the "look" is similar to current Snap-on in terms of how the sockets taper down toward the base for smaller sizes. The script on the sockets is also similar to Snap-on script. A possible downside is that the hex broaching does not extend very far down into the socket so you can't place the socket over a nut very far like with some brands. Overall a great bang for the buck.

Here is the ebay seller http://cgi.ebay.com/KOBALT-3-8-METR...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item53de4652ef

 

[Kjbakke2]

i cant believe we all forgot toptul
i got my ratchet breaker-bar locking extention and wrenches the other day and they are great

 

[alex71]

Ok, I will. Early kobalt was made by snap-on in their kenosha plant.

Someone correct me if I`m wrong. I believe the early kobalt was made by Williams which was owned by Snap On in the 90s. If someone could post pics of the early Kobalt`s so we know what to look for used, that would be great.

 

[Kjbakke2]

Ok, I will. Early kobalt was made by snap-on in their kenosha plant.

aaah kenosha.....good ol' wisconsin boys

 

[Costner]

Tool Shop brand from Menards. Sure it is "cheap import ****", but I'm just a DIYer not a mechanic, so when I needed a set of extensions I bought them for something like $7. When I needed a deepwell socket for one specific job, I bought a set of them for $8 whereas the one socket was more than that from Craftsman (and I don't even want to know what it would be from Snap-On).

Honestly I've bought quite a few Tool Shop tools over the years, and they all have lifetime warranties on them so I really don't see why I would pay more for anything else. If I was a mechanic using them every day then I could justify higher end tools... but for what I need them for and as often as they get used - why pay more?

 

[rocco]

Pratt read screwdrivers (the nicer ones with black rubber handle). Maybe not underrated, but sleeper tools at least. Great screwdrivers at a great value imo.

I have a few Pratt Read screwdrivers that came from a sample case years back, thye feel quite nice. i'll agree with you on that one
any idea where to buy them in Canada?

 

[t100]

ask this seller if shipping to CA is available:

http://cgi.ebay.com/17-Pc-Pratt-Read-Screwdriver-Set-50935_W0QQitemZ150286972371

 

[thelews]

GearWrench, people still pass them off as cheap imports, like I used to, but the tools are fantastic!

My GearWrench is the first wrench I reach for, really like them. I have filled in missing sizes from Allen, identical and less expensive, from the local Big Box Hardware store (not Lowes or HD). GearWrench and Allen are both products of Danaher.

 

[Costner]

I almost forgot - Crescent sockets and ratchets. I was given a small (30-40 pc) Crescent socket set for Christmas a few years back and it has replaced my Craftsman set as my first choice. The sockets are well made but the ratchet handle is beautiful and fully polished. Never had a problem with the set - and I've seen them for sale and know they are pretty inexpensive.

 

[philw]

JCpenney! The old stuff. While not fantastic they were very good. I believe New Britain supplied most of it.

Underrated because most people today would laugh if you told them you were using a JCpenney set of tools.

Wizard, Western Auto's house brand. Supplied by different manufacturers but usually of good quality. Herbrand and Duro were some of the suppliers.

Truecraft tools from Japan. The Japanese tools I have from them are very nice. I have some wobble extensions that I like better than SK or Craftsman.

 

[Old Donn]

Klein. Used them every day on the job, spirited them out the door when I retired. For electrical/communications work, none better IMHO. Second would be Channellock, the most invisible major brand on the store shelf.

 

[tj90]

OK - Im going to get laughed out of the forum for this, but -
I bought some Barbara K tools (rebadged tiawan) from Home depot on clearance. I really like the screwdrivers, pliers and tape measure. good quality and price especially when they were blowing them out. I suspected that they partnered with a good company and the moment they put barbara K on the side of them they lost most of their value. I guess they figured that women dont need women specific tools.

http://shopping.yahoo.com/s:Tools & Hardware:4168-Brand=Barbara K


I also love some the stanley fat max line of tools you can buy at Lowes and walmart. The 2 piece screwdriver set I picked up at Lowes for $9 are excellent and made in England - if you can believe it! Full tang with striking end for demolition, but I just use them to work on cars. A real pleasure to use.

 

[philw]

OK - Im going to get laughed out of the forum for this, but -
I bought some Barbara K tools (rebadged tiawan) from Home depot on clearance. I really like the screwdrivers, pliers and tape measure. good quality and price especially when they were blowing them out. I suspected that they partnered with a good company and the moment they put barbara K on the side of them they lost most of their value. I guess they figured that women dont need women specific tools.

http://shopping.yahoo.com/s:Tools & Hardware:4168-Brand=Barbara K


I also love some the black and decker fat max line of tools you can buy at Lowes and walmart. The 2 piece screwdriver set I picked up at Lowes for $9 are excellent and made in England - if you can believe it!

OK, I had to Google Barbara K. Now that I have....Did you get the Pink or Baby Blue?
Did the kit also come with emergency nail polish and mascara?....JK

Any quality tool on clearance is a good deal!

 

[tj90]

baby blue - I draw the line at pink!!!

 

[Mickey O]

Old raised panel SK wrenches, they're look like chromed heavy-duty Craftsman.

Proto wrenches, the ones with the satin finish.

SK ratchets

Armstrong has some of the heftiest ratchets and sockets I've ever seen.

Williams ratchets, sockets and SuperWrenches.

I'm not a big fan of S-K tools but have a bit, but I always liked their raised panel wrenches, especially the large ones, rock solid.

I love Armstrong but I think most of my stuff is before Dahner. Big fan of Williams as well. Like some proto stuff but I've bent a lot of their small wrenches.

 

[Mickey O]

They were, now like everything else, they're a bunch of mostly Asian ****.

Not really, yes their screwdrivers, adjustable wrenches, and pliers are PRC made but, their core hard line is still US made by Danaher. Kobalt sockets and ratchets are clones of Allen, Craftsman, and Napa, etc. It's a very limited selection now. They had a much larger selection of socket sizes when they were made by Williams in Columbus, GA.

Maybe, but with Danaher they will be soon enough, I think I was thinking of Husky at Home Depot, everything there was China made. Although last time I was at Blowes a lot of what I saw was China made, I'm not sure that I looked at the wrenches or sockets. But if I want cheap Danaher I'd probably just go to sears. The Kobalt's were nice when Williams USA made them. But keep your eyes open, Williams is putting their name on Chinese **** now. Makes you want to puke, the best of the best tool companies putting their name of junk, absolutely disgusting.

Keep in mind cheap tools are for chumps.

 

[toolchaser]

Kowa-sekei out of Japan. I don't know if anyone imports them anymore but the ones I have are great! good value

 

[Mickey O]

I've seen a few mentions of Klein (I used to work right behind their manufacturing plant), I don't think they are underrated in the electronic/electrical community, they are thought of as the best. But in the mechanic community they're not as well known, they are top notch tools, my favorites are the nut drivers and screwdrivers.

 

[Mickey O]

JCpenney! The old stuff. While not fantastic they were very good. I believe New Britain supplied most of it.

Underrated because most people today would laugh if you told them you were using a JCpenney set of tools.

Wizard, Western Auto's house brand. Supplied by different manufacturers but usually of good quality. Herbrand and Duro were some of the suppliers.

Truecraft tools from Japan. The Japanese tools I have from them are very nice. I have some wobble extensions that I like better than SK or Craftsman.

I've got some old JC Penny ratchets, Penncraft I think, good stuff. I believe they were lifetime warranty and since JC Penny is still around they would probably have to cover them still. I've got one ratchet that has a broken part, I'll have to look into that unless someone here knows.

I have some old Japanese tools from Ace hardware that were nice and good quality don't know who made them though maybe Truecraft?

 

[Zrexxer]

I've got some old JC Penny ratchets, Penncraft I think, good stuff. I believe they were lifetime warranty and since JC Penny is still around they would probably have to cover them still.

Good luck with that... I don't think Penney's has sold tools for about 20 years.