I sold a Willaims 50666 set a few days ago and it really got me to thinking. That set rode on my work truck for years and only got pulled off because it had gotten to the point where I really wasn't using it. Impact sockets had pretty much taken its role and truck space is limited and precious.
You see this socket set was an upgrade to a mix matched assortment of Craftsman and Pittsburgh that previously was on my truck. I looked for weeks online trying to decide what I was going to replace it with. My criteria were complete set of good quality preferably in a compact case. The 50666 set checked all those marks.
Then I got to thinking back over the past year or so. I've sold off several tools including a nice Proto set that I just simply never used.
The fact of the matter is I've moved backwards.
In the past six months:
I bought Vevor impact sockets.
Random Amazon brand wrenches to fill in gaps or for spares of commonly used sizes.
A rail of Jobsmart sockets (Tractor Supply) for $20 because I wanted some metric sockets to keep in one of my tractors.
A set of Performance Tool wrenches to go with the JobSmart sockets.
I set up a cantilever box to make repairs easier away from the shop. I filled this mostly with spare tools I already had, but I bought the basic Pittsburgh SAE set of combination wrenches for $9.99. I was also planning to buy the metric set then realized they skipped. Instead, I got a set of Duratech 8-19 mm wrenches. I also bought a basic Hart (Wal-Mart) 1/4" drive socket set.
The fact of the matter is the cheap tools have been fine. I haven't broken anything. I haven't felt they have impaired my ability to fix anything. The Performance Tool wrenches are definitely low end. Which is precisely why I opted for a different brand instead for the cantilever box tools. Let's be honest if Harbor Freights basic offering is an upgrade to another brand of tool that says something. on the flip side i didn't feel like they were low quality enough to return and Amazon returns are easy.
At the end of the day there's a place for cheap tools and a place for good tools and not all good tools are expensive. I just thought it was comical when i realized I had sold the best socket set I owned and bought a whole lot of what most would consider junk the past year.
Needless to say, there's no Snap-On at my shop.
You see this socket set was an upgrade to a mix matched assortment of Craftsman and Pittsburgh that previously was on my truck. I looked for weeks online trying to decide what I was going to replace it with. My criteria were complete set of good quality preferably in a compact case. The 50666 set checked all those marks.
Then I got to thinking back over the past year or so. I've sold off several tools including a nice Proto set that I just simply never used.
The fact of the matter is I've moved backwards.
In the past six months:
I bought Vevor impact sockets.
Random Amazon brand wrenches to fill in gaps or for spares of commonly used sizes.
A rail of Jobsmart sockets (Tractor Supply) for $20 because I wanted some metric sockets to keep in one of my tractors.
A set of Performance Tool wrenches to go with the JobSmart sockets.
I set up a cantilever box to make repairs easier away from the shop. I filled this mostly with spare tools I already had, but I bought the basic Pittsburgh SAE set of combination wrenches for $9.99. I was also planning to buy the metric set then realized they skipped. Instead, I got a set of Duratech 8-19 mm wrenches. I also bought a basic Hart (Wal-Mart) 1/4" drive socket set.
The fact of the matter is the cheap tools have been fine. I haven't broken anything. I haven't felt they have impaired my ability to fix anything. The Performance Tool wrenches are definitely low end. Which is precisely why I opted for a different brand instead for the cantilever box tools. Let's be honest if Harbor Freights basic offering is an upgrade to another brand of tool that says something. on the flip side i didn't feel like they were low quality enough to return and Amazon returns are easy.
At the end of the day there's a place for cheap tools and a place for good tools and not all good tools are expensive. I just thought it was comical when i realized I had sold the best socket set I owned and bought a whole lot of what most would consider junk the past year.
Needless to say, there's no Snap-On at my shop.
