My Toolbox Build Experience

Reality set in this past year and I realized, I will lose access to all my father's tools once I move into my own house. His collection of older Snap On, SK, Proto, Craftsman, etc had been my lifeline in keeping my stuff going. From BMX bikes, to quads and dirtbikes, my first truck, Harley, landscaping equipment and everything in between, the old mans tools were always at my disposal. Now at 28, I decided it was time to build my own complete tool set. I don't wrench for a living and cannot justify buying all Snap On tools, but I still want quality tools that will perform each and every time I ask them too. I spent a lot of time on forums like this and through my experiences and trial & error, I've decided to create a thread that may assist other DIY'ers, weekend warriors, and home mechanics like myself in choosing the best bang for your buck. These are my opinions and experiences with the tools I own. Not every tool in the world.


I will first touch on 1/4" drive sockets and ratchets. My father had a Snap On set, but because I rarely use 1/4", I opted for a cheaper set. SK and Gearwrench were the recommendations on here. I went with the GW. The 120xp is excellent. Palm ratchet, swivel, and extensions and sockets look and work great and much cheaper than SK set. GW carries lifetime warranty. Comparable to Snap On quality. Below is picture of my 1/4" ratchets in order of worst to best from left to right. All have been rebuilt or lubed.


Worst ---> HF roto (+quick release, - clanky, - loud, - sloppy), Mac MR5 (- rough action, - sharp corners on head), Craftsman USA 44807 (- sloppy, + quick release), Crescent roto CRW2 (+solid, +smoother, +long), Craftsman vintage 43795 (+solid, + smooth, +long, - bulky), Bluepoint 36T (+quick release, +firm ratchet action), Snap On T72 (short, - not as smooth as GW, + has sealed head, + strong), Gearwrench 120xp (+long, +smooth, + thin head, + solid/strong, - head sealed with c clip), SK round head (smooth, strong, small, simple, lightweight, balanced)----> BEST

Next I'll touch on 3/8" drive sockets and ratchets. This is more commonly used so I made certain to buy USA. I wanted a complete set in a case that had metric and standard. Again I turned to GJ and was pointed to SK, Proto, and Williams. I went with the 47 piece set from SK and added a Snap On swivel. I will say the first set had a few items with bad chrome, but SK replaced it no questions. Unfortunately the second set had some too. They worked just the same either way. One thing to note is SK's "deep" sockets are comparable to other brands "semi deep." Below is a picture of my 3/8" ratchets with worst to best from left to right. All have been rebuilt or lubed.


Worst ----> Taiwan stubby flex head (it works), Snap On FLF936 (-Clunky, -difficult direction selector, - flex head loose and cannot be rebuilt) Craftsman 44815 USA flex head (+ notched flex head, + long, - a bit sloppy, +quick release), Craftsman USA 4378 (+quick release, +short, +thin, - still a bit sloppy), Craftsman USA 943796 (+ round head, + fine tooth, + strong), Crescent Roto CRW8 (+strong, +soft grip, +smooth), SK 3770 (+ bent handle, + flex head, + strong), SK 45170 (+strong, +smooth, +unchanged for years, +simple), Snap On F80 (+ smooth, + strong, + sealed head, + durable) Snap On FLF80 (everything F80 has, +long, +flex head) -----> BEST (I have never used a Mac or Matco 3/8 ratchet)

Now I'll move to the 1/2" drive sockets and ratchets. I found a deal online for a few sets of new Blackhawk USA 6 point sockets deep and shallow. They are top quality, have beautiful chrome and the broach is much deeper than Matco's deep sockets. After that I bought a mixture of used shallow Snap On's, Husky USA, Proto, SK and Craftsman to complete the set. Below is a picture of my 1/2" drive ratchets with worst to best from left to right. All have been rebuilt, lubed, or new.

Worst ----> older Wright 4426, (-clanky, -unbalanced), Craftsman 44816 (+ notched flex head, +long, +quick release, - Taiwan, - sloppy), Craftsman USA 44985 (+quick release, +durable, +strong), Snap On S710 (+sealed head, +solid, +durable, unbreakable ?), SK 40170 (+long, +solid, +durable, +simple, +smooth), SK 42470 (+solid, +durable, +simple, +smooth), Williams Superratchet S-52 (+revolutionary design at time, +quiet, +very smooth, +durable, +reliable) Snap On S80 (+fine tooth, +quiet, +smooth, +strong, +durable, +sealed head, +solid, +comfotable)----> BEST

Next I will show some screwdrivers. Bottom line is Craftsman, Kobalt, Husky are all big box store brands and all made in USA. Far as we know, they are all made by same company, as are the big 3's screwdrivers.

One brand I was disappointed in was Stanley USA. The tips have no reinforcing or coating and appear cheaply made. The Husky in picture is not USA made, but the plastic handled ones are. Third in from right is Snap On and I think the handle is way over designed. It does work and feel nice, but so does the SK and Blackhawk, at a fraction of the price. The Crescent handles are cheap, but the tips are magnetized. I also have Armstrong (nice) and Gearwrench (so, so) long screwdrivers as well as Matco (ok) and Mac hard handle screwdriver/pry bars (ok). Hands down best deal is Craftsman. Go to Sears and buy a 20 piece set for $10. Made in USA and no questions asked warranty.


Now I will talk about wrenches. I have a LARGE amount of wrenches. I will do my best to describe the benefits of each.
From left to right, in no particular order, we have 3 Mac wrenches. First is 1/2" Mac Knuckle Saver extra long CL16LKS - It has anti slip jaw, a squared beam and overall nice feel. 2. 1/2" Mac Knuckle Saver CB162KS - It again has anti slip jaw, but a rounded beam that can be uncomfortable when a lot of pressure is applied. 3. 9/16" Mac CW18 - older style v jaw wrench. No anti slip grooves, but has thicker beam for more comfort. 4. 1/2" Wright USA 1116 - V jaw wrench. Very well made. Feels good. Strong. 5. 15mm SK 88315 - nothing special. 6. 1/2" Snap On OEX-16 - Older style. Strong. Excellent box end grip. Narrow beam can be uncomfortable. 7. 15mm Snap On SOEXM15 - Flank Drive. Still narrow beam, but squared off for more comfort. 8. 7/16" Armstrong 1162 - Basic wrench. Well made. Nothing special. 9. 1/2" Gearwrench 9708 Flex head ratchet wrench. Nice chrome. Beam has grooves on edges for grip. 10. 7/16" Proto Challenger 6114 - Well made reliable wrench. 11. 5/8" Matco 9GRCXL202 ratchet wrench - Opti torque jaw. Spline box end. Cream of the crop. Thick beam for comfortable grip. 12. 13mm Husky USA 33513 - Solid wrench. Well made. Cannot be warrantied for USA equivalent. 13. 1/2" Craftsman USA 44695 - Well made. Raised panel beam. All around good wrench. Cannot be warrantied for USA equivalent. 14. 7/16" Thorsen USA 2014 - Well made. Thinner beam. Comparable to Craftsman, Husky USA, Proto, etc. 15. 9/16" Blackhawk USA 1163 - Thicker beam for comfort. Same quality as last 3 wrenches. 16. 9/16" Sears - forged in Japan. Thick beam. Very well made wrench. 17. 9/16" Williams Superrench 1163 - Nice wrench. Quality tool. 18. 9/16" Proto ratchet wrench JSCR18 - thin beam hurts hand, ASD Anti Slip Design jaw, Spline box end. Decent wrench overall.
In my opinion, the Mac's are my favorite wrenches. They are affordable and durable.
Mac, Mac, Snap On, modified Matco, Matco, Proto.

Next are some ratchet wrenches.
The top wrench is a 19mm double box end ratchet wrench by Expert. The ratchet end is very sloppy and loose. The fixed end is fair, though I haven't really put it to use yet. Next is a 3/4" Husky reversible ratchet wrench that I have had since I was 18. I am now 28 and it hasn't missed a beat. Though I have retired it since buying my Gearwrenches, I put it through hell in my younger days (before I cared about tools) and it has always worked perfectly. Actually, all my Husky ratchet wrenches (20+) work perfectly. Next is a 3/4" Craftsman made in Taiwan. It works good. Nothing special. Nothing bad to say either. Up next is 5/8" Gearwrench flex head. These get used the most. They work flawlessly and have great finish to them. They also have grooves along the beam edges for grip. I like them a lot. Then is an 18mm reversible Gearwrench with cap stop. Another nice wrench. The cap stop definitely comes in handy. After that is a 5/8" Gearwrench stubby wrench. It is nice for tight spaces. Oddly, every Gearwrench sounds different than the other. The 5/8" flex has different pitch than 5/8" stubby. Same size. Same make. Its weird. Then we have the 5/8" Proto Ant Slip Design which has a v shaped jaw and grooves to grip rounded fastners. Very nice wrench. It also has spline ratchet end. If it was a bit thicker, I'd say it was as good as our last wrench. The Matco 5/8" with opti torque jaw and spline box ratchet. This wrench is superb. Thick, comfortable beam. Smooth, steady ratchet mechanism. The spline end works on any style bolt head, and the jaw bites whether it is stripped or rounded off.

This just took me about 2 hours to type up. I hope it helps and someone appreciates it. I will ad on when I get the time.

No pics bud, just the dreaded black X

Of course....

What is your address?



I will send you a towel!

I was in your shoes. I don't wrench for a living either, but maintained my own stuff. My dad didn't have quality tools, regular consumer stuff, so that's what I started with. Spent a lot of money on cheap **** before i moved up to better quality. With I had put the effort into it in the beginning like you are doing here. Nice start man, these will serve you well!

mjoekingz28 said:

What is your address?



I will send you a towel!

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Perhaps I'm a bit slow this morning, but I don't get it..
Oh lol. You mean the cloth they're on? Fwiw it was already a grey chamois cloth type thing when it started.

Now I will touch on impact sockets and impact wrenches. Here's the deal. I started with the cheap Craftsman and Husky air tool sets and they worked for changing tires and stuff, but after that, they were useless. Even with my 5hp 30 gallon compressor. I found a deal on a Snap On 6100 on ebay brand new for like $150. Used it for a year or so and then by chance stumbled upon a 4 month old MG725 for $150 on Craigslist and 2 sets of Snappy shallow impacts sae/mm for another $50. I jumped on it and couldn't be happier. The MG725 is crazy strong, and has same torque as some 3/4" wrenches. Below are pics of the two impact wrenches and some pics of the impact sockets.
The MG725 and 6100 are roughly the same size, but the MG725 has between 800-1190 ft lb of break away torque where the 6100 has about 650 ft lb of torque. I use it for changing tires and stuff like that just to keep it oiled and in good shape. One thing I did to all my air tools was to use 3/8" body automotive coupler plugs and a 3/4" air line with 3/8" body quick couplers. I actually did a test with the 6100 on 3/8" body couplers and the MG725 on 1/4" couplers and the 6100 seemed more powerful, so size does matter.

Remember to buy good air tool lube. I put 3 or 4 drops of Lucas everytime I use my air tools. They don't get used every day or every week, so its good to lube each time.
You can see all my tools have the 3/8" coupler plugs. I bought the Mac air hammer used for $40 on Ebay. The Mac drills were both bought from Mac's website on closeout special. Silver Eagle mini die grinder was brand new at pawn shop for $40. All the 3/4" stuff in back was bought off Ebay and at flea markets. Mostly Craftsman USA and Mac, some Proto, Blackhawk, etc. The ratchet is a 3/4" SK and is same design as the 1/2". 3/8" and 1/4".
My SK ratchet collection. 3/4", 1/2", 3/8" bent handle, 3/8", and 1/4"

Next is a picture of all the impact sockets. The two red cases are Sunex shallow's. They are the best bang for buck. Super strong. Look good. Feel good. Laser etched and engraved markings. Same quality as Snap On. The shallow sockets in front are the Snap On's I bought for $50. They have flank drive, but appear same as Sunex. Then I have deep metric Snap On's and deep sae Craftsman USA. The small red box are 3/8" Sunex. The swivel sockets are 3/8" Taiwan, but work good so far. The large sockets in middle are Wright. And a mixture of Proto, Craftsman, Husky, and other throw away sockets on the rail. I have a Proto swivel adapter and so far have used Pittsburgh extensions with no issues or old chrome Craftsman USA. The only down side of Sunex cases is they take up more room than necessary, but have more sizes than the Snap On sets. I bought them for around $40 each from a dealer. They have lifetime warranty and have been flawless. Side by side pic of Snap On and Sunex. Sunex is the darker socket on bottom as it has had less use.

Next picture is the deep impact sockets. You can see the broach of the Snap On socket is very shallow, while the Craftsman, Wright, Sunex, Autocraft run all they way through. The Husky impact is about 1/2 way through.
left to right - Wright, Husky, Snap On, Craftsman, Autocraft, and Sunex in my hand in middle.

So in my opinion, take the time to search around to find the best deals. I tend to buy things before I need them, so I know when the time comes, I'll be ready to go. With out a doubt, the Sunex impact sockets are the best deal you can possibly find. They are sold on and warrantied by tool trucks, so you know they are good. For the impact wrench, I'd say spend the money on a good one. Bigger is better in this category. You can always turn down the power. Both my Snap On's have power settings or you can restrict the air flow if you are worried about stripping or breaking a bolt. I bought both my Snap On's for around $300. The 6100 was brand new old stock and the MG725 was 4 months old. If you can't find a deal like that, I'd go with Ingersoll Rand. They are the air tool kings.

I am also a plumber by trade and use a lot of adjustable wrenches and channel lock pliers. Here are some pictures of adjustable wrenches I have collected over the years.
So from left to right is Workforce (solid, well built, good soft grip), Craftsman USA (nice feel, wide jaw, smooth adjuster), Ridgid (awesome wrench, strong, smooth adjustment, nice handle, wide jaw, excellent grip), Proto Clik Stop (strong, accurate adjustment, won't loosen, comfortable handle), Utica (well made, thin handle, loose adjuster), Companion (good soft grip, nice sharp edges on jaw, locks good, adjusts nicely, very impressed), Durabuilt (decent grip, loose, sloppy), Stanley (sloppy, loose jaw and adjuster wheel, thin handle), Diamond USA (decent wrench, ok adjuster, thin handle), Crescent import (loose, sloppy, has v jaw, wide handle for comfort), Proto Clik Stop (overall well built, thin handle but has cover), Husky (surprisingly decent, wide handle, measurements on jaw, wide jaw), Craftsman USA (nice feel, wide jaw, wide handle, smooth adjuster, light weight, overall great), Husky (again surprisingly nice, wide jaw with measurements, wide handle for comfort, smooth adjuster, overall great), Crescent(sloppy loose adjuster, v jaw, wide jaw, wide handle for comfort), old rusty wrench in middle - Utica USA(well made, strong, durable, tight adjusting wheel), Crescent 15" (nice thick handle and jaw, adjuster can be tighter, v jaw, overall decent)
Lastly is my small 4" Proto Plumb Tools adjustable wrench. This thing is very nice. Smooth adjusting wheel. Well made. Durable.



Below are my tongue and groove or channellock pliers. All the pics are upside down and I cannot figure out how to fix them.

Left to right we have Robogrip (ok for certain things, decent quality), Husky (cheaply made, handles flex, jaws slip, not heavy duty tool), next 3 are Channel lock USA (quality pliers, strong, durable, don't slip, don't flex, sold pliers), Craftsman made in Germany (same as Knipex alligator pliers, well made, nice handles, good grip) Crecent(decent, homeowner quality), Craftsman USA (soft grip handles, good bite, well made, flush pivot bolt), SK(well made, flush pivot bolt, good bite), large Channellock waterpump pliers(strong, durable, well built, excellent bite). If you look at the SK and Craftsman pliers, they both appear to have exact same design. I also have a set of Mac channel locks that appear to be the exact same as the SK and Craftsman. I'm pretty sure one company makes them all, but I cannot remember the name. Again, Craftsman is the best bang for buck as far as the adjustable wrenches and channel locks & pliers. They are all made in USA and carry no questions warranty. Craftsman's needle nose pliers, cutters and like tools are also made in USA, as are their punch and chisels, hammers, and ratcheting box wrenches.

I like the complete collection. I completely agree with gdocktor3, that we should always buy things earlier before the need, so that at any time we are ready to go and repair anything we don't have to look for any particular tool. In fact, what I think is the one who is in the driver profession must keep this toolbox with him. The toolbox must consist of all the tools that are posted above.
Checkout the site.

If you have any hands on, mechanical ability you should own decent quality tools.

Nice tools and I like this thread to help people. I wished I wrenched for a living sometimes to help with the tool addiction.

48548 said:

I wished I wrenched for a living sometimes to help with the tool addiction.

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I hear that