Recent content by Ike4160

I have purchased a lot tools on eBay with no real nightmares to report. Only one time there were owners initials on a tool and I complained and the seller offered to take it back. They said look at pictures closer, which it was very difficult to see the owners initials. I decided to just keep...

I have a set of the solid red PR craftsman screw drivers and I think they are a softer handle and a bit more comfortable than the typical wf screwdrivers.

Finding experienced journeymen is difficult. Most who are good are not looking for work. Where I work, about 65% of tradespeople are retirement eligible and have one foot out the door.

Craftsman premium 84t ratchets.

I have been running Mobile 1 synthetic 10w 30 for the last ten years in my speedaire compressor without any issues. Compressor lives in an unheated garage and is always on.

There are over 400 working where I work at a pharmaceutical plant. Refrigeration / HVAC, electricians, millwrights, pipe-fitters, and instrument techs. Most are using Proto, Snapon, and Craftsman tools.

A friend of mine bought the same exact speedaire 30 gal compressor as me the same week. I wired mine for 240 and he wired his for 120. Not sure why, but his motor burned up after the first year. Mine is still original from 2003. Mine is also always on in an unconditioned garage.

I like the USA craftsman but QC can be a mixed bag. I have never seen rust in them or any junk under their chrome (like the horrible SK stuff I gave away), I have seen messed up detent though. I also sprayed the inside of all my sockets (the ones I store in an unheated garage) with fluid film...

I got the full set of standard and metric in one of the last USA made craftsman 540 piece sets a few years ago at a Sears in Baltimore on clearance.

Love my Honda 928 track drive. It has cut through multiple feet of snow and starts every time. I don't even bother getting it out of the garage unless there is atleast a foot of snow. Tractor with plow does the small stuff. I installed an hour meter on it and logged 10 hours during first...

I asked an employee at a local sears hardware if they had a rebuild kit in stock for a premium 1/4' ratchet. They had one and gave it to me for free.

There were something like 8 different revs of the pawl in that ratchet set. I like them but have never used them. I find myself going to my tried and true RP -V- series ratchets. The RP's are the only ratchets I don't care about scratching on my cement floor in my garage.

Here is the round casting older version and the Wilton 1745. As you can see, they are not exactly the same. The craftsman has a square lower casting where the Wilton is round. Both are great vises.

Just got off the phone with Snapon customer service. They were great to deal with. It took all of 5 minutes for them to tell me a new dead blow hammer and a small phillips head will be at my house in approx three days. Neither of these were purchased through a dealer. Neither have to go...

I replaced my garbage Craftsman ratchets with the 899-2345 ratchet set. I actually bought three sets of them. One set for the house, one set for the garage, and one set for when Napa loses interest in the Carlyle stuff.