Brand That Dominates Your Tool Collection

[EDixon]

Most of mine is SK/KD(from when they were one in the same), my most heavily used being my armstrong ratchet wrenches though.

 

[dirtmister16]

work is probally 85% craftsman if were talking numbers. rest is made up of snap on,bonney,williams and other older tools.

home is 90% craftsman and maybe 2% truck tools(snap on,matco ect)

 

[Mastermind]

i voted mac, had a great dealer back when i was making stupid money, but now that i'm thinking about it i may have more snap-on since then, pretty close.still some craftsman, mostly c-man at home and in the travel bag.

 

[SKAutomotive]

Snap-On. 90% of my stuff is Snap-On and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[DaleK]

Used.

 

[71goldss]

85% Craftsman USA
15% Gearwrench.

 

[Paulkenosha]

Probably a 50/50 split between craftman and gearwrench here

 

[In2Trux]

My tools are primarily MASTERCRAFT and now some Dewalt hand tools

 

[William Payne]

A bit of mix and match really. I have mostly stahlwille wrentches, some snap-on ones a lone hazet which I plan to get more of, a couple of craftsmans and a lone britool. I have a snap-on ratchet and extensions and sockets as well as an assortment of stahlwille sockets. I have a sidchrome 3/8 metric imperial socket set. Oh and a snap-on speeder. Also have a bunch of mitutoyo measuring equipment.

As far as share numbers go there is more stahlwille then anything.

 

[alexigtivr6]

at work, 70% snapon
10% Gearwrench
10% toptul
10% Knipex

at home 60% Canadian Tire Mastercraft (mostly Asian)
20% Sears Canada (so mostly asian)
15% Mainly other asian made tools (princess auto, stanley etc)
5% Us made tools, Craftsman Lisle, Cannellock , etc)

 

[2oolhound]

I had to say CM dominates because when I got back into wrenching a few years back I picked up a 235piece CM set. However I've since added 175 SO pieces in my most commonly used areas. SO will dominate next year.
40% CM
30% SO
20% euro
10% SK, Proto, Gray, Herbrand etc.

 

[geologist]

70% US Craftsman.
10% Channellock
10% SK
10% Proto

99% American Made

 

[Outlawmws]

Proto/Plvmb/Challenger edges out Craftsman, followed closely by SO and SK, but with over 100 different brands of tools, I could not really say one dominants the others since the first two are so close, the next two are substantial and the "Other" category probably out counts them all, if all tools are counted. For straight Automotive, the top 4 dominate.

 

[D.J.]

Craftsman, Channellock, Gearwrench, S-K, Chicago Harbor Freight, Wright, Ryobi, Snap On - 2 pieces, etc.

 

[KPSquared]

Mastercraft by a wide margin.

 

[Kaervak]

I'm not a mechanic by trade, just maintain my own cars/yard gear.

Overwhelmingly Craftsman for me with some Snap-On, MAC, Proto, SK, Armstrong, Heyco, Gedore, DeWitt/Irwin, Kobalt, Hornet, Thorsen, and a couple other brands that I can't remember.

 

[KCarGuy]

Mostly Older Craftsman, Then Snap-On, Then S-K.
I do Have alot of different other brands...Dunlap, Sears, Williams, Mac, Crescent, Barcalo, Gedore, PowrKraft, Proto, Vlchek, Indestro, Billings.

I Love all my Older Vintage tools.

 

[cgv69]

None of the above.

I have tools from 6 of the 8 US manufacturers you listed (plus some other brands you didn't list such as Williams, ChannelLock, Estwing, Vaughn, Wilde and others. I also have some European made tools and even a few Asian made as well. I have more of some and less of others but I honestly can't say that there is one brand in my tool box that dominates all others.

I am not a "brand loyal" type of guy. I believe sticking with one brand is a mistake in most cases. No one brand, not even Snap-On makes the best of everything and not every tool in your box needs to be the very best available.

There are some brands I do prefer over others but when I need a tool, I consider my needs against all of the available options and make my decision based on design, function, quality and overall value. Brand name only comes into play if I find 2 models from different companies that are basically identical or equivalent and priced the same. Then I may choose one over the other based solely on the brand name.

 

[december45]

I was in the none of the above camp as well, Williams tools dominate my tool box, next would be Snap-on then Proto and then SK

When i first started out i picked up tools of every brand, even chinese, but many years ago i purged my tool boxes of all, except American brands the next purge will be of Craftsman tools

 

[Alchymist]

Not a fair poll - no choice for "Heinz" - you know, 57 varieties. As in:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=102485

 

[Holyroller125]

Mostly Snap-On

Wrenches - Snap-On
Specialty Wrenches (Chain Wrench, Strap Wrency, Pipe Wrench) - Rigid
Sockets, Ratchets, Accesories - Mostly Snap-On, few Matco
Screwdrivers - Klein, Snap-On
Pliers - Klein, Channellock
Hammers - Snap On
Chisels/Punches - Snap On
Torgue Wrenches - Oldy but a Goody Snap On Click Style
Cordless Powertools/Impact Wrenches - Milwaukee M18
Power Tools - Makita, Milwaukee
Impact Tools - Matco, Snap On, Ingersoll Rand
Carpentry/Cutting Tools - Stanley, Johnson
Electrical/Auto Diagnostic Tools - Fluke
Shop Diagnostics - Snap On

How About This Tool Collection,

 

[ndoran]

a wide mix. Snap On, Britool, Mac, Proto, Craftsman, Mastercraft Professional, Gedore, Stahlwhile, Metabo, MAC, Elora, Husky, NAPA, Gearwrench, Kobalt, Williams, Taskmaster, Kamasa, King ****, CK, Hilka, Klein, Channelock, Weiss, Eclipse, Bahco, stanley, Gray, armsrong, Industro, KD, Allen, etc. etc.

 

[archirelic]

I wouldn't say any one particular brand "dominates" my tool collection. I've got such a broad assortment of different manufacturers in my bags and boxes.

Wrenches: Craftsman raised panel, Gearwrench, Armstrong, Stanley, and Husky.

Ratchets: Stanley, Duralast, and Snap-On.

Sockets: Stanley chrome, Grey Pneumatic duo sockets 3/8", Sunex 1/2" impacts, ATD torx master set, ATD hex master set.

Pliers: Channellock, Knipex, Wiha, Proto long reach needle nose, Crescent double-x long reach needle nose, and NWS.

Hex Drivers: Bondhus T-handle & L-keys.

Screwdrivers/Nutdrivers: Wera, Wiha.

Punches/Chisels: Dasco Pro, Stanley.

Files: Nicholson.

Locking Pliers: Grip-On.

Hammers: Harbor Freight ball peen, Husky framing hammer, Stanley rubber mallet & Stanley deadblow.

Levels: Stanley

Power Tools: Porter Cable pancake compressor w/brad nailer & finish nailer & stapler, Bostitch framing gun, Hitachi miter saw, Ridgid table saw, Ryobi drill press, Dewalt planer, Dewalt reciprocating saw, Black & Decker circular saw, sander, jig saw, and drill, Makita impact driver and drill driver, Bosch impact driver and drill driver, Ridgid shop vacs.

Tool Storage: Harbor Freight 5 drawer cart, Harbor Freight 42" roll cab, Veto Pro Pac XL, Veto Pro Pac XLT, Veto Pro Pac TP-3, Hazet 190 cantilever box, Stack-On tool box, and several Husky totes. The wife has a 26" 3 drawer Husky intermediate chest that she has set-up to keep all of her nail polish & stuff in...looks pretty good how she did it!

Hmmm...so that's somewhat of a break-down off the top of my head that I can remember at the moment. At some point, I seriously need to take some up-to-date pictures for the toolbox and tool cart threads.

 

[cide1]

Craftsman is my close second (yes, I use their raised panel wrenches professionally, the haters can hate).

I work on old cars / bikes for pleasure out of my home garage, so nothing professional for me. I was mostly Craftsman for a long time, much of it from the late 90's. As I got out of school and started making money, I started filling in the holes I had, eventually purchasing an entire set of RP wrenches. I just looked, you can buy the same set, from 1/4 to 1-5/16 and 6mm to 32mm, for $179.99. I paid way more than that buying piecemeal over the years. Growing up these are the same as what my dad and my grandad had, and I have abused them horribly, never having an issue. I also bought every socket size that Craftsman makes, again paying way more going piecemeal on ebay than if I had just bought a huge set.

I decided to buy every ball-peen hammer size available from Vaughn or Craftsman (made by Vaughn). I find having the right size minimizes the chance of me doing something stupid with a hammer that is too big for the job.

Starting two years ago, I began adding a fair amount of Snap On. I started with Snap On hard handle screwdrivers, then some older ratchets, then some 80 tooth hard handle ratchets, then a pry bar, then some mid-depth sockets. Then I found a deal on 1/2" metric sockets. Suddenly I'm bidding on a KRA65 on Ebay that I won. I have continued picking up two of the fantastic ratcheting screwdrivers, the 44 piece 1/4" service set (144tmpb), and both 22 piece 3/8" service sets (222AFSP and 222AFSMP). I can't afford for everything to be Snap On, but it sure is nice to have the most commonly used stuff be top of the line.

Along the way, I also picked up a taste for Knipex. I've added 4 sizes of cobras (5", 7", 10", and 12" compound), as well as linesmans and two sizes of dykes.

This stuff is a sickness, and the prices are retarded, but it is quality stuff. Moving up to better tools (Snap On, Knipex, and some Craftsman) means that I spend a lot more time thinking about what I want to do, and a lot less time worrying about stripped fasteners or how to get at something.

 

[Alx]

 

[ihateminimumwage]

Williams USA is the majority of my stuff. Then Old Craftsman, Snap-On, Proto, and others.

 

[DRhodes]

SK Tools of course

 

[FiendFX]

I got from the made in usa snap on all the way to the made in china harbor freight tools.

 

[Snapped-off]

Order of quantity -

Snap-on
Wright
Craftsman
MAC

 

[TwoInch]

im suprised at the craftsman holding such a highest percentage.... i wonder if sears would take that with any value...

 

[EvilWelder]

I am pretty spread out with equal parts SK, Proto Snap-On and MAC. There is some Matco, Williams, Armstrong and Crapsman thrown in for good measure also.

 

[bimmerZ5]

im suprised at the craftsman holding such a highest percentage.... i wonder if sears would take that with any value...

yup... "we've got a bunch of loyal customers! time to cash in on the brand and offshore all our manufacturing!!"

 

[magnusk750]

75% good quality european: Bacho, Kamasa, Wera, and a few odd Bost, Facom or Gedore. A few Biltema, local swedish bigbox store with decent hobby tools, rest is crappy imports, @"grab something in the local hardware store when a job must be done and no time or guts to drive to town".

 

[bobemmerich]

Most of mine are Allen or KD. I also have some others, but these are the majority.

 

[Jason280]

I haven't actually counted, but I would guess I have more Kobalt and Craftsman tools than anything else.

 

[rshadd]

I think 95% of my box is Craftsman. I started collecting tools in late early 80's when I was in high school and started driving. When I needed a tool I'd buy it. I'm not making money with my tools; otherwise, it'd be full of Snap on.

 

[mopar01]

Mac then snap on then craftsman then matco. Channellock for pliers, irwin for vise grips. I id say 75 % mac.

 

[Dustin Echoes]

95% Mastercraft (their new sockets are great! Deep engraving!) 3% snap on, good stuff! 1% Stanley, black chrome set. 1% random pawn shop finds, fuller and armstrong. Love to find a plomb ratchet, though!

 

[cecgm389]

Craftsman, Family was railroad and my Dad loved Craftsman and almost all his tools were CM. Don’t believe he knew how much CM had fallen recently. His tools are being held by my brother and sister in his memory. So I’ve been building me a USA made craftsman collection slowly in his honor.

 

[air]

Home DIY guy and Wrencher on my old Vette. I have just about everything from Snap On, Blue Point, Mac, Craftsman, Proto, Duralast etc. I'm not picky.