Any real difference between brands in big wrenches?
- Thread starter Danglerb
- Start date
sberry
Banned
I agree with kythri here, sure the good ones sell for more, you pai9d a lot more. I had a dealer try to sell me a tractor with that logic,,, I had to look him square up and say,,, let me get this straight, you think I should pay to more today to get 5 more if I want to sell it 10 years from now? Same for these wrenches, you spend all your cash today so your sister can sell them at a loss when you are gone?
Pay 50 for wrenches today and sell them later for 25, lost 25, pay 500 today and sell them for 300 at some point,,, if that and lost 200?
To add to that I have been to auctions and seen HF wrenches beat bad bring as much as you could get them off the shelf for,,, Mechanic John used HF tools and boxes and sold them for as much as he paid,,, I think he went south after that by not being able to stay off the trucks after that again though.
I got no wish to impress truck tool guys no matter what "a deal". In this class especially for the hobby part timers and auto guys the cheap wrenches are a bargain. It would be correct to assume they are disposable and even if a guy tossed them would still be out only 50$.
Pay 50 for wrenches today and sell them later for 25, lost 25, pay 500 today and sell them for 300 at some point,,, if that and lost 200?
To add to that I have been to auctions and seen HF wrenches beat bad bring as much as you could get them off the shelf for,,, Mechanic John used HF tools and boxes and sold them for as much as he paid,,, I think he went south after that by not being able to stay off the trucks after that again though.
I got no wish to impress truck tool guys no matter what "a deal". In this class especially for the hobby part timers and auto guys the cheap wrenches are a bargain. It would be correct to assume they are disposable and even if a guy tossed them would still be out only 50$.
I was thinking more along the lines of the value of the tools to your family once you're gone. How much can they sell them for to pay the bills ?
Once I'm gone, my sister will be left with my debt, with nothing in my bank account to pay it off. However, if she sells my tools (and other things) smartly, she should have a small windfall to squirrel away for a rainy day. My (small) fortune is all ******* in rusty gold.
(OK, maybe tarnished copper, but even that has value)
That's a new one. Buying nice tools so that your sister can sell them when you kick the bucket.
jakemac
Well-known member
You guys are assuming that I'm paying retail prices for all my tools. Not even close.
Almost all my tools were bought used at pennies on the dollar at estate sales, flea markets, and garage sales. Even most of the ones purchased on eBay were at or below going prices. Sold correctly, I could easily realize a profit when all is said and done.
Considering death is a gruesome topic, but as you get older it's something that needs to be added to the equation. Are you going to leave your family with worthless junk, or are you going to leave them a legacy. Despite any desire, you can't take them with you.
Don't get me wrong, there are times when I willingly shop for cheap tools to complete a job that I know won't get used often. But it's a conscious choice knowing that I'm not adding value to what I'll be leaving behind.
I was just pointing out that there might be other factors that the OP might want to consider when making his choice. My recommendation to the OP would be to shop the used market for higher quality wrenches at affordable prices, or take a look at mid-quality brands since he isn't planning on using them on a daily basis for work.
Almost all my tools were bought used at pennies on the dollar at estate sales, flea markets, and garage sales. Even most of the ones purchased on eBay were at or below going prices. Sold correctly, I could easily realize a profit when all is said and done.
Considering death is a gruesome topic, but as you get older it's something that needs to be added to the equation. Are you going to leave your family with worthless junk, or are you going to leave them a legacy. Despite any desire, you can't take them with you.
Don't get me wrong, there are times when I willingly shop for cheap tools to complete a job that I know won't get used often. But it's a conscious choice knowing that I'm not adding value to what I'll be leaving behind.
I was just pointing out that there might be other factors that the OP might want to consider when making his choice. My recommendation to the OP would be to shop the used market for higher quality wrenches at affordable prices, or take a look at mid-quality brands since he isn't planning on using them on a daily basis for work.
If you want to 'leave a legacy' for your family, stop buying tools and invest your tool budget so that they can actually have something you left them.
Just seems a very odd chain of logic to me- to buy tools used because you think they'll be worth more to someone else who doesn't care about tools, and is unlikely to want to sped hours finding out how to extract the maximum amount of money out of your pile of trinkets while mourning your departure.
Just seems a very odd chain of logic to me- to buy tools used because you think they'll be worth more to someone else who doesn't care about tools, and is unlikely to want to sped hours finding out how to extract the maximum amount of money out of your pile of trinkets while mourning your departure.
kythri
Well-known member
sberry
Banned
We would like to leave the new and impressionable with some logic that makes sense. Something they can gain value from at the right price. Chances are the avg guy asking this question will be well served by a modest purchase and when its economical it makes it so much less painful.
Do we think the sister is tool savvy enough to recoup investment even if they were bought right, some stock in Snapon would be money well spent if he wants to leave something.
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Cope
Well-known member
So have I, and I've seen Ridgid and Snap-on sell the same way. In general the higher dollar tools will hold value better than the HF.
sberry
Banned
I went to an Amish auction. It was a welding shop, they had a genset for their own power. The equipment went for way more than it seemed to be worth, Pocons that looked like it was used for football practice brought 60% of new.
I watched the hand tools for giggles. They had some snaps, it was only fair but brought 25% and HF stuff that had been absolutely brutalized with the good ones missing, arc strikes and all on number 9 wire hangers brought top dollar and they looked like kids in the free candy store. The stuff was pitiful, really hammered by teenage kids armed with metric 4# hammers.
The cman brought about even money and it was nothing to write home about. The thing is today that the pricing is near disposable and the stuff which does work is about the same as sales tax on premium tools. But human nature being what it is the fear of loss is so hi we are willing to spend a dollar to save a dime.
I watched the hand tools for giggles. They had some snaps, it was only fair but brought 25% and HF stuff that had been absolutely brutalized with the good ones missing, arc strikes and all on number 9 wire hangers brought top dollar and they looked like kids in the free candy store. The stuff was pitiful, really hammered by teenage kids armed with metric 4# hammers.
The cman brought about even money and it was nothing to write home about. The thing is today that the pricing is near disposable and the stuff which does work is about the same as sales tax on premium tools. But human nature being what it is the fear of loss is so hi we are willing to spend a dollar to save a dime.
sberry
Banned
Thje quality of cheap tools today has risen so hi and the price so low that if I had to start over would have a hard time wedging me away from the HF store. I have had a long career, this is something I changed my mind about, when I was 20 I would have said no way.
I am not so cared of loss that I have beat a few of these wrenches to failure, never broke one from hand use but its really impressive how much it takes to actually ruin one.
We didn't start out using them, they just kind of crept in, we got some for free and some for duplication and after a while we forgot which were the good ones and which were the cheap.
They have not quite mastered the Channelock and the Vgrip yet at that cost but those 2 items are really priced right and that makes a lot of difference.
I am not so cared of loss that I have beat a few of these wrenches to failure, never broke one from hand use but its really impressive how much it takes to actually ruin one.
We didn't start out using them, they just kind of crept in, we got some for free and some for duplication and after a while we forgot which were the good ones and which were the cheap.
They have not quite mastered the Channelock and the Vgrip yet at that cost but those 2 items are really priced right and that makes a lot of difference.
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BDT/NWMN
Well-known member
Yep, and there are times there is no room for a cheater pipe.. More than once I have used a winch cable to pull on a wrench... I had a large Duro wrench on a stubborn nut under a 4WD tractor. It was hooked to the winch cable on my full size Blazer that was loaded with tools... With the brakes locked; that Blazer was skidded across a plowed field.. Using a torch under that tractor was out of the question, so I had to cut that nut by hand.. I had dug a trench under the tractor to get to that nut.. There are some of Us that have more demanding needs when it comes to certain tools.. The term "normal use" simply does not apply. Every tool has a yield point; but I believe the better tools will place Me further from that yield point.
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Cope
Well-known member
My brother-in-law and a long time friend both started buying HF Pittsburgh wrenches and sockets because the good stuff kept walking off. They had very few problems with breakage, and shrinkage went to zero. That said, I prefer better tools for my personal use, although I won't buy large size wrenches-just don't need them.