Anybody switching to cheaper tools?

[Parrothead]

I have not lost any until the last year or so.Now I'm dropping and losing one a month or so. A snap On wrench can be $30

The tools are already paid for, so why replace them? As mentioned, get one of those magnets on a stick for retrieving the ones you drop. You don't want to leave dropped tools in the engine bay of your car anyway, it doesn't matter if they're cheap or expensive ones.

Financially it makes little sense, unless you think you’re going to lose them all. Replace the lost tools with something that will work (I’m partial to Tekton), and keep working with that. Yes you’ll have a mismatched set, but they work and you’re not flushing a ton of money. When you retire, if you want the Snap-on replacement for home use, replace them then.

 

[bobcatdan]

I'm at a point that there is much in new tools I don't have that I need or really want. Anything I buy now is a double or a triple of something I own for one of my other tool sets. For this stuff I have been exploring Wright, Proto, William's and however eles I feel makes a good tool.

 

[jdoe213]

If I could find tools cheaper than free, I would buy those.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

You may end up kicking yourself in the *** for not having your favorite, or better tools on the jobsite.

If You enjoy using the tools You have; then nothing needs changing; except for flat tires and dirty diapers.

 

[bonneyman]

I put together a set of -G- code Craftsman sockets in metric, shallow and deep, just to backup my other sets. I now reach for them all the time.

They were had cheap at the pawn shops, are decent quality, and easily found a couple years ago. Why wear out the Bonney's when I can use the Craftsman sockets for most things?

 

[Mikeske]

I am also retired and work in aviation for 33 years and ten years prior on vehicles. When I retired I gathered up all the tools inventoried everything and then eBay for my missing broken Bonney tools. Once that was completed I then went and found all the Craftsman USA tools my father and brother had given me when I was 15 years old. I did the same thing with the craftsman stuff except got the matching items out of pawn shops.

What not made back then like ratcheting wrenches I just bought a good enough brand as my work is random and whatever needs repair around the home. If I am working in my 1966 Ford Falcon well it is sure nice to have a nice set of tools. I got very few Snap-on tools but did pick up the common sized pawn shop ratchets and a couple ratcheting screwdrivers.

 

[tarbellb]

Im in a situation where I personally own nicer tools, but my job requires me to be onsite.

Onsite = loaning, losing, and abusing tools. Once onsite, things change, im now the guy with "all the tools".

The job requires quality and efficiency, and that means doing things the right way. Often I find myself loaning out tools to complete the job that would otherwise result with inferior results or a deadstop.

So... ive been buying tools and recommending to the shop manager to buy more "economical" tools for field use. To my surprise, lots of low/mid tier tools have been proving themselves to be a good choice. But, if was just me a or team I truly trust, we would be using higher quality stuff.

Its been a learning experience for sure.

 

[giants]

Im in a situation where I personally own nicer tools, but my job requires me to be onsite.

Onsite = loaning, losing, and abusing tools. Once onsite, things change, im now the guy with "all the tools".

The job requires quality and efficiency, and that means doing things the right way. Often I find myself loaning out tools to complete the job that would otherwise result with inferior results or a deadstop.

So... ive been buying tools and recommending to the shop manager to buy more "economical" tools for field use. To my surprise, lots of low/mid tier tools have been proving themselves to be a good choice. But, if was just me a or team I truly trust, we would be using higher quality stuff.

Its been a learning experience for sure.

Thanks.

Which brands of low/mid tier tools have been proving themselves to be a good choice?

 

[tarbellb]

Im trying to hold the bar at decent HD and readily available brands.

But some nice, affordable, tools that dont raise eyebrows are Channellock, Empire, Gearwrench.

But we have been buying the occasional Amazon "top rated" China stuff, its been mostly terrible quality. Overall, its been a push towards the cheap (decent) stuff found at HD.

 

[giants]

You won't believe this!

My auto instructor told me to buy Snap-On flare nut wrenches, because he found that they have the best fit. That makes sense, because Snap-On is supposed to be top-of-the-line.

I happen to have a used Snap-On 10mm/12mm flare nut, date code 2001, in great shape that I compared to my new old stock US Craftsman Industrial #24823 on a 10mm clutch bleeder valve, which I've bled about 3 times. I just tested each three times. The Craftsman fit better, ie wobbled less! Go figure!

 

[BrandoJames]

As a DIYer, I'm actually doing the opposite--buying more expensive tools (Snap-on ratchets, Matco sockets) than I really need. For the limited DIY work I'm doing, I'm sure Tekton and Gearwrench would probably work fine.

But I'm lucky (retired DoD programmer) and have the means to buy nicer tools and enjoy using them. I try to be smart about it: shop on eBay and only buy tools that I'll actually use.

 

[BrandoJames]

My auto instructor told me to buy Snap-On flare nut wrenches, because he found that they have the best fit. That makes sense, because Snap-On is supposed to be top-of-the-line. I happen to have a used Snap-On 10mm/12mm flare nut, date code 2001, in great shape that I compared to my new old stock US Craftsman Industrial #24823 on a 10mm clutch bleeder valve, which I've bled about 3 times. I just tested each three times. The Craftsman fit better, ie wobbled less! Go figure!

The old Craftsman U.S.A. brand was terrific, but notice I'm writing in past tense. I still have some of my old man's Craftsman U.S.A. sockets and combination wrenches, still use them.

But I'm really unhappy with the Chinese-made Craftsman of today. A year ago, I bought a Craftsman 3 ton floor jack at a local Sears that was closing. That jack failed this summer (it didn't even last a year!). I ended up replacing it with the 3 ton Daytona floor jack at Harbor Freight.

 

[giants]

The old Craftsman U.S.A. brand was terrific, but notice I'm writing in past tense. I still have some of my old man's Craftsman U.S.A. sockets and combination wrenches, still use them.

But I'm really unhappy with the Chinese-made Craftsman of today. A year ago, I bought a Craftsman 3 ton floor jack at a local Sears that was closing. That jack failed this summer (it didn't even last a year!). I ended up replacing it with the 3 ton Daytona floor jack at Harbor Freight.

Thanks.

What was the nature of your jack's failure?

There's a YouTube video (Project Farm?) that I saw about 6-12 months ago comparing US vs Chinese Craftsman (hereinafter "Chinese"). He noted the lobster claw on the gripping surface of wrenches that the Chinese have. In addition, he compared the earlier Chinese with then-current and found that the finish and lobster claw were improving and almost on par with the US. There are other reports that the Chinese are improving in quality. Stanley said that they will repatriate Craftsman production in a few years.

That said, about 6 months ago, I went to Sears to check out the panel Chinese; one had a horrible finish and cut my finger, a first for a tool injury not involving its use.

 

[Robinson1]

I'd say I'm starting to appreciate cheaper tools more although I still prefer the "good stuff" everything has its application.

The poster above me who mentioned "on site" work. I call it field work. That's a good example of why using "good enough" tools makes sense.

I dont keep anything on my work truck handtool wise that I consider high end. It all works and makes me money. Recently replaced the 3/8 drive sockets I keep on my truck with a set of William's Tiawan. I was looking st SK but decided to go with Williams. Prime example of using 'good enough"

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

5 years ago, after our mill shut down, I took out of town shutdown from the union hall. Rather than possibly lose my combination wrenches, I bought a set of Mastercraft on sale at Canadian Tire. The company supplied tools, so I didn't even get a chance to use them. As usual, the company supplied tools were Westward.

Comparing those Mastercraft wrenches against my old Snap-On, Gray and Proto, they are pretty nice. If they were the first wrenches I bought for work, I likely wouldn't bother replacing them. I don't know if they are Taiwanese or Chinese, but they are certainly acceptable quality.

 

[Farmall450]

Seems more intuitive to me to just retrieve the tools. Like another said you don't want them bouncing around.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

Lose is a polite word for being stolen. Or borrowed and not returned. Canadians aren't as bad as some other nationalities, but it happens.

 

[Empty Pockets]

I have quite a number of high quality USA made tools (SK, Wright and truck brands). Over time, I have become accustomed to their performance and feel. On the odd chance that I lose or break one, I simply replace it with the same brand.

 

[MushCreek]

I bought a set of SK 1/4"-1" combination wrenches in the 1970's, and still have them. I recently bought a few matching singles on ebay to replace the ones I had lost over the years.

 

[giants]

I have quite a number of high quality USA made tools (SK, Wright and truck brands). Over time, I have become accustomed to their performance and feel. On the odd chance that I lose or break one, I simply replace it with the same brand.

What's your preferred tool brand for flare nut wrenches?

Thanks

 

[giants]

I put together a set of -G- code Craftsman sockets in metric, shallow and deep, just to backup my other sets. I now reach for them all the time.

They were had cheap at the pawn shops, are decent quality, and easily found a couple years ago. Why wear out the Bonney's when I can use the Craftsman sockets for most things?

Thanks. What are the advantages of -G- code US Craftsman sockets?

I looked at mine and can't find any -G- code. Where would they be in relation to the Craftsman logo on the sockets?

Thanks

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

There is a list showing Craftsman suppliers and time frame somewhere. As a kid, I remember my cousin telling me Craftsman were made by Snap-On, he was wrong of course. I like using my old Craftsman sockets on cars, they are short, but fully broached, and thin walled. None of those features make for a tough socket, though.

 

[BrandoJames]

What was the nature of your jack's failure?

Whenever I jacked up a load, the Craftsman jack would slowly release the load before I could even get jack stands under it. I'm sure some guys here will say I should've bled it or replaced the seals. But this jack was less than a year old--I shouldn't have to do that for a new jack with light use. Before the Craftsman floor jack, I owned an ancient 20 year old Wal-Mart floor jack that never needed maintenance of any kind. The Craftsman jack was total garbage and dangerously unreliable. Into the dumpster it went.

Sometimes we cling to brand loyalty way too long, more out of nostalgia than anything else.

 

[Empty Pockets]

What's your preferred tool brand for flare nut wrenches?

Thanks

For the longest time, I have had and use Snappy Flare Nut Wrenches. Additionally I have CM flare nut wrenches that came from my father's estate. The CM stuff is kept as spares

 

[cherrybomb]

Life is to short to dance with ugly women,drink cheap beer,or use inferior tools.Reward yourself.

 

[wkndwar]

Being retired, I often ask myself why I don't buy lower priced tools for my personal use.

Then I remember the "Buy American" pledge I took when I was initiated into the Carpenters Union.

Then I remember my grandchildren will need a job.

Then I remember how nice a quality tool feels under operation.

Then I remember all the political ******** I won't discuss in here.

I am 66 yrs. old and now live on a fixed income. I can no longer just purchase things just because I want them. I admit to buying foreign made tools from time to time. But I took my pledge to the union seriously. I live on pensions from two different unions and I just feel better personally when I think I might be contributing to the betterment of an American worker with my purchase.

This is great! I buy products made in the USA when I can, including tools that I only need as a hobbyist.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

Life is to short to dance with ugly women,drink cheap beer,or use inferior tools.Reward yourself.

When I posted on working with the difference between crude tools versus the fully polished , I compared it to our wives looks. We work 8 hours with our tools but spend our evenings with our wives. I stirred up a real hornets nest.

Everyone claimed to have married Miss America. I guess their wives read their posting ? A certain wisdom in saying that.

Few were tradesmen, a true tradesman would have laughed and understood.

 

[Ton ton]

Im trying to hold the bar at decent HD and readily available brands.

But some nice, affordable, tools that dont raise eyebrows are Channellock, Empire, Gearwrench.

But we have been buying the occasional Amazon "top rated" China stuff, its been mostly terrible quality. Overall, its been a push towards the cheap (decent) stuff found at HD.

I like Channel lock ratchets.

 

[richfinn]

I'm definitely paying less for the same quality tools with a bit of research on GJ, sometimes better quality for less money.

If you care about all matching brand names in your toolkit, your going to pay more for your "collection"

 

[Robinson1]

It pains me to say but import tools are getting better every year. Some of the stuff coming out of Taiwan today is every bit as good as USA made tools.

A prime example is Tekton. You could literally stamp their sockets with the SK logo and most people wouldnt know the difference.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

I'm on a fixed income ,now, and don't use my tools for work anymore, just puttering around. So the imported tools that I'm buying are certainly good enough for their once in lifetime use. It helps that my lifetime won't be that long. chuckle. I picked up a set of stubby combinations, GRIP brand, made in India, $6.99. I was shocked at how well finished they were. Quite an improvement over my first wrench purchase, a set of Thorsen/Action metric combinations.

 

[dodge610]

I switched over to husky from craftsman since sears quality has gone straight downhill in the recent years. The no hassle exchange and husky waranty is hard to beat. And i have yet too have any husky brand break or malfunction.

 

[sberry]

Yes, the beauty of it is the return. You don't got to do a lot of work to get 7$ back and you will still be using them 20 years from now. When we looked at some cheaper stuff to duplicate with we thought it would have a short lifespan, turns out it had got mixed in and used like another tool and shows no sign of limited service life, quite the contrary.
When we had field jobs to do would buy a few wrenches or screwdrivers to tailor, sometimes in the morning stop and buy a handful for the day etc. Broke a couple with impacts over the years, still use and like some of them. Forged combo wrench for 1.50 singles then. Retail.
They were a Godsend to chores, Could seed them out and still toss them in tractors and utilitys. I font need a truck wrench to put in a battery, like one that works, cost a dollar and don't fear carrying around or can leave on the job.

 

[RPH]

Im in a situation where I personally own nicer tools, but my job requires me to be onsite.

Onsite = loaning, losing, and abusing tools. Once onsite, things change, im now the guy with "all the tools".

The job requires quality and efficiency, and that means doing things the right way. Often I find myself loaning out tools to complete the job that would otherwise result with inferior results or a deadstop.

So... ive been buying tools and recommending to the shop manager to buy more "economical" tools for field use. To my surprise, lots of low/mid tier tools have been proving themselves to be a good choice. But, if was just me a or team I truly trust, we would be using higher quality stuff.

Its been a learning experience for sure.

Truth, I travel and that now rules what tools I go with. I’m partial to SK, as I grew up with them. Craftsmen too. Once tsa got involved with luggage inspection the good tools got left home. I have bought kobalt USA stuff for travel. Good enough to get the job done and no heart break when they go missing. I have lost fluke meters going through inspections. I do find the Tekton brand as a very functional competitor to the higher end brands. I have been buying them for use on the farm.

 

[Brownsfan]

I have exclusively switched to cheaper alternatives to truck tools. My day job and side business are both mobile. So almost all my expensive stuff is at the shop in my tool box. I know buy things like Carlyle , gearwrench, Klein lots of tekton, store brands etc. Even some HF stuff like Doyle pliers. These are fantastic for the money. I use tekton sockets and wrenches. Ratcheting wrenches are Kobalt. While i know to always grab up all your tools when mobile stuff just gets left behind. Or gets stolen etc. It hurts much less with the cheaper stuff.

 

[FSrepair&fabrication]

On MY work truck I carry a good bit of snap on and other USA brands mixed in with some cheapos for lending or abusing. The other two trucks the guys use are stocked with hf special tools and used 3/4 and 1” drive. They provide their own hand tools and I supply the big stuff. I understand things get lost or ruined, but I’m not stocking a truck with all high end stuff for someone else to lose or break. My one guy has slowly been acquiring his own special tools in his brands of choice to replace the cheap junk, the other guy will use whatever you give him and not care.

It also depends on what it’s used for, I do most of the diagnosing and critical repairs, and they do maintenance and welding/fab most days. So they carry a lot less mechanics tools than I do.

I could absolutely get by with mid grade import tools, but I prefer snap on...

 

[eaglefan1]

Being retired, I often ask myself why I don't buy lower priced tools for my personal use.

Then I remember the "Buy American" pledge I took when I was initiated into the Carpenters Union.

Then I remember my grandchildren will need a job.

Then I remember how nice a quality tool feels under operation.

Then I remember all the political ******** I won't discuss in here.

I am 66 yrs. old and now live on a fixed income. I can no longer just purchase things just because I want them. I admit to buying foreign made tools from time to time. But I took my pledge to the union seriously. I live on pensions from two different unions and I just feel better personally when I think I might be contributing to the betterment of an American worker with my purchase.

Awesome post. Totally agree with you sir.

 

[visionguru]

As a DIYer, I can definitely use cheaper tools. However, GJ "helps" finding the best tools. Just like living standards, once up, it's hard to go down.

 

[Davefr]

It pains me to say but import tools are getting better every year. Some of the stuff coming out of Taiwan today is every bit as good as USA made tools.

A prime example is Tekton. You could literally stamp their sockets with the SK logo and most people wouldnt know the difference.

Tekton sure has their act together. If I were starting out, I'd give them serious consideration.

- They have the best tool website on the planet and no-one even comes close
- They have a mix of mostly Taiwan and USA tools
- All of their stuff seems high quality
- They're innovative and seem to know what the market wants
- Prices are affordable

I'm curious how their tools hold up against the truck brands in a professional setting.

 

[sberry]

The no hassle exchange and husky waranty is hard to beat. And i have yet too have any husky brand break or malfunction.

I have a dozen of he common sizes. I made something out of a couple broken tools then I remembered,,, dammmm, I could have warranted that wrench I paid a dollar 50 for a few years ago and I busted with an impact.