Good tool brands and tools for a new auto technician?

[Bruins63]

Good tool brands and suggestions for a auto technician starting out? Something not terribly expensive but good quality also
Thanks,
Nick

 

[WhiffySpark]

Gear wrench

 

[dbabicky]

As far as your impact sockets go, get them from Harbor Freight. Seriously!! I have broken every other kind of impact socket but have never broken a HF impact socket. Best bang for the buck. They are lifetime warrantied if you do break one. I use them at home, at the auto garage where I work, and I used them in the foundry where I used to work as a maint. guy.


Let the Flaming Begin !!!

 

[T45]

Remember that every upgrade is either a research investment or a total loss. Likewises, if you bail on the career, you will lose money on even the better tools you cannot resale.

If you need tools in a hurry, gearwrench and carlyle from NAPA are worth looking at. Toptul is good and cheap but you may benefit from local brick and mortar warranty.

For a ~~small~~ selection of things, even truck brands are worth paying some extra for.

Alot of money is ******* in variety and special purpose applications. Make decisions about the absolute number and types of tools as well as the price point for each tool.

Cheap (as in too cheap) tools you have too upgrade in say under a yaer or two are basically an expensive interest rate on a loan. Maybe wiser to skip them and just get a better tool upfront.

Good luck.

 

[vintage nut]

Craigslist. The number of time I've bought Mac, snap on, gray, and proto for less than new Chinese tools would cost is too many to count.
Like a set of 1/2" drive proto impact sockets for $35. Or a 1/2" snap on ratchet for $20. Or the numerous snap on and Klein pliers I've bought for a buck a piece

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[stevenhs]

Buy harbor freight tools. When you use them often, upgrade better

 

[Empty Pockets]

Welcome to GJ.

Wiffy is right, gearwrench is good bang for the buck, Surprisingly, the HF impact sockets are also good. I picked up a Pittsburgh Pro ratchet from HF, while rather inexpensive, so far it seems to work as advertised.

While a little more expensive, Wright and SK are both good, they can be ordered from www.HarryEpstein.com. HJE has never disappointed me.

Whatever you do, DON'T get so far in debt with the tool truck companies or drivers that you don't have a paycheck left after paying the tool bill.

Good luck, and enjoy.

 

[Corndoggeh]

Your core set (sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, the basics) should be the best you can afford without going into any debt or draining your wallet. I've never been able to damage or break the HF impact sockets but the pro ones they now have have no missing sizes like the basic set does.

Anything that you need to use for reading pressures, heat, voltage etc should be in the lower industrial/high consumer side (my personal opinion). Brands like Ideal, Yellow Jacket, Robinair are a few companies that fit in that category. You never want to be doubting whether its the tool giving you a false reading.

Rarely used tools or tools that are hard to mess up like a tie rod puller or brake tools I would just go with HF since I've never heard of those ever getting damaged. There is also a thread I saw a while back of a mechanic having nothing but HF tools for his work.

 

[FergusonTO35]

If I was starting out today I would go with Wright and S-K for new tools, Ebay for used truck brand tools. If you have a tool guy that stops by it is a good idea to carry a small balance with him to ensure that he shows up every week!

 

[PSYKO_Inc]

I've been really happy with the stuff I've bought from Sunex and Tekton (both sold on Amazon.) Also if you're still in training, most of the truck brands and even Sears have pretty good student discounts.

 

[mfrantz90]

Buy the best tools you can afford... Don't bury yourself in debt and don't think you need to go buy a big double or triple bank roll cab...


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[unslow1]

Gear wrench

If I was starting out this what I would go with.

 

[jt777]

As a first year mechanic id say gearwrench is a very good basis. Get good prybars and good ratchets. It depends on ur situation though. I am still at home since i just graduated high school so i can afford lots of my tools to be snap on, proto etc. If you have bills and a family to feed then you could get by with cheaper tools.

 

[Know Wosad]

I have pieces of ALL of the brands. US, Italy, Germany, Japan.
If it all disappeared, and I started over, I'd go straight to a Gearwrench distributor and load the truck.No questions asked.
If I had a red white and blue stuck up my *** I'd head to Proto in a heartbeat. If the call was heavy equipment work I'd go straight to Wright and Williams.
If you cant repair or service it reliably with these brands, find another line of work.
WOW. I guess I'm a Gearwrench "fanboy"

 

[ssdave]

What I did, and I'm not sure it's the right answer, is buy what you can used, and don't worry about what brand as long as it's cheap and high quality. I had a mix of Indestro, Craftsman, Williams, Wright, Proto, Thorsen, SK and miscellaneous other stuff for a long time. It worked. As I got the chance, I bought SK stuff that matched, it looked nicer but didn't work better. Later on, I bought only Proto, and accumulated a nice matched set; it works better than the mismatched old stuff did, but they got the job done and the price was right when it mattered. I've now accumulated a lot of snap-on, and it is noticeably better than all the other stuff. Worth it? For some things, for sure, like 1/4" drive stuff, for Torx and hex sockets and for screwdrivers. For the prestige? Definitely, if that's important to you and you can afford it. For just plain nice, well designed, and well made? Definitely, if you appreciate nice things and can afford it. But, it comes at a premium price, and I wouldn't go in debt for it.

As mentioned before, Wright and SK are good values. Proto and Williams are every bit as good as Snap-on for durability and strength, at a slightly lower price, and a lower level of finish. There are good asian brands out there (mostly avoid chinese) but in general, in the US, asian stuff is hit and miss for quality, and harder to find good stuff that you can depend on. The general reluctance of US mechanics to buy asian stuff has resulted in a mix of availability and no real good brand recognition here. If you happen to live where high quality asian stuff is readily available, it may be worth comparing in price/quality to the US stuff. A lot of the asian better stuff is online mail order only.

The Carlyle at NAPA I have seen look good. I've bought a couple pieces and used them when I broke the only thing of a size I had and couldn't wait for warranty from Proto or Snap-on. Nice thing is NAPA is open on the weekend. They worked okay. I've given up on Craftsman. Don't want to start a bashing thread, but their quality isn't up to what it was in our fathers times. Gearwrench I've had have been good and bad, I've had several that failed, although those were early ratcheting wrenches, and I haven't bought any since, and upgraded what I had to better stuff. Some of them I see look pretty good now, but I'm not in the market to buy anything new anymore, (have everything I could ever use now) so I haven't bought them and tried. I guess I lied, I bought a gearwrench ratcheting screwdriver last week, to use the extensions in my snap on one. Too bad they aren't all the same diameter, they vary so much that one is too big and won't work at all in the driver, and one is loose. But, for 1/4 the price of Snap-on, I guess there's some quality drop to be expected. They look okay, and would work.

 

[ptschram]

Which tool trucks service your shop?

If you're lucky, you'll have at least two.

Apply for credit on the truck. I have seen guys with horrible credit rebuild their credit in one year. I also helped a young couple establish credit through Snap-On and they just st bought their first house!

Immediately make a WRITTEN household budget. Determine how much you can afford to invest in your future. This is your weekly tool budget. I guarantee if you share your written budget with your tool dealer, your going to get the best deals and service.

Now, divide your budget by half. That is the amount you can pay on a Credit Sales account, the remainder goes toward your truck account.

Now, tell your tool dealer you want a box that 2/3 of your credit sales budget will cover. Now is a great time to buy from Snap-On as we're gonna be receiving boxes from our conference.

Remember, if you buy your CHROME and impact sockets/wrenches from Snap-On, you will buy once in your lifetime-except for loss.

 

[Brownsfan]

Dont stick to just one brand. One brand does not make the best of everything. There are many brands out there that are good quality and pretty cheap. DONT buy Mac or Cornwell USA made pliers. Why? Because they can be had much cheaper under the Channellock brand. Buy what you need. If you are using mostly metric then only buy metric sets. If you need one or 2 SAE sizes then buy them in singles. If you want lifetime quality at reasonable prices then SK is really hard to beat. I will say Gearwrench for ratchets but not for any sockets(chrome). Alot of Gearwrench is now China made and is very similar if not identical to Husky sockets at Home Depot.

 

[JAKE-THE-TOOL-MAN]

Check out the tool truck equivalent thread on here for ideas. Quality technician tools at affordable prices

 

[nanofrog]

Regarding the Asian stuff, Taiwan and Japan make good tools, and even some excellent stuff too. But as mentioned, the brands aren't as well known here.

FWIW, I've not had any issues with KT Pro (King Tony), and I've used their 1/2" stuff to break loose bolts holding suspension components together (Taiwanese). The Carlyle stuff is also Taiwanese, as is Black Hawk and Blue Point. The less expensive Williams is as well (P/N's are purely numbers, while the US made stuff is a mix of letters and numbers).

The Japanese stuff is better known, such as KTC for wrenches and sockets (own Nepros IIRC), as is Koken. Engineer makes a lot of pliers and adjustable wrenches. Plenty of others, but be aware any warranty issues will likely be a PITA, possibly even impossible. But some of this stuff is equivalent to truck brands, and in the case of Nepros, prettier too.

 

[ge.raam]

Buy the best ratchets you can right now. I think it's better to bite the bullet ASAP when it comes to ratchets.

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[jd_1138]

I'd probably start with a starter set like this filled with most of the basics. Sure $1,200-$1,800 is a lot, but it's cheaper than buying the stuff separately.

https://www.zoro.com/sk-professional-tools-master-tool-set-automotive-272-pc-vts03211/i/G5492532/

And then add other stuff like the HF impacts, Gearwrench ratcheting wrenches, etc..

Here are all their SK sets.

https://www.zoro.com/search?sort=variants.price%3ALowtoHigh&categoryl2=Hand+Tool+Kits&categoryl3=Master+Sets&categoryl1=Hand+Tools&brand=SK+PROFESSIONAL+TOOLS&q=

 

[FergusonTO35]

Don't buy a new box just starting out unless you get an unheard of deal on it. Craig's List and Fleabay are full of nice truck brand boxes for nickels on the dollar from techs getting out of the business.

 

[nti06]

One the critical things to keep in order is organization of your tools. No matter what brands you choose, if you can't find or are constantly loosing your ****, then your wasting time and costing yourself money.
I've spent a pretty penny on socket rails/trays and wrench racks. When I know what I need I can find it, fix it, and get on with my life.

 

[md21722]

Some good feedback on here, Gear Wrench, Sunex or HF for impacts, upgrade as you go. I have not used Gear Wrench ratchets, I have had a strong preference for Snappy ratchets for many years... after breaking every Craftsman I've ever owned without them ever seeing a cheater bar. Even used Snappy that look like they've sat in a pool of oil for a decade work better than Craftsman.. new Gear Wrench may be OK. Having said that, I find that Snap On makes the best hand tools I've ever used, and even their impact sockets have a better fit than anything I've ever used... so if you're in it for years you may want to upgrade into that. I also prefer Snap On chrome extensions to anything I've ever used. Make the SK seem like garbage. SK is overpriced IMHO, you can do the same or better at Auto Zone or HF today. Back when I started the import tools were pure junk, but they have gotten better. Gear Wrench was not even a brand back then. But Snap On is still better if you accept the price difference. Snap On tools do break, walls of sockets will come off with a hand ratchet after 30 years of use or abuse. But it literally takes that long for them to fail. Some guys don't like the Snappy prices right off the bat, or get tired of paying the Snap On man, when they see some new guy come in with import tools that work, but the difference is they've used theirs for 30 years before they start to see problems and they are given warranty replacements....

 

[c-moe_117]

Sears advertises a 50% off student discount for a mechanic set... if you can afford to cough up $1800 for a set, might as well as get a much as you can. As it has been said before don't buy a new box, buy used off craigslist or even the harbor 5 drawer service cart with/or the 44" box. Apart from that make sure you get quality ratchets and don't be afraid of pawn shops/craigslist.

http://m.sears.com/bundle-selection/009CO90883112B

Personally I started with the craftsman 300 some odd piece set in 2005 and I just grabbed stuff along the way as I needed. Just got a snap-on epiq 68" this year.

It's a good idea to keep a pad and pen to the side to write whatever tool you have borrowed or have learned that can make a job go faster or be easier and grab it when you can afford it.

AT ALL COST AVOID FINANCING THROUGH ANY TOOL TRUCK! I can't stress that part enough, interest rate is to high and most of the time it isn't even reported on your credit score.

 

[md21722]

I hate Craftsman tools made past the 1980's. I bought a set in 2001 and upgraded to Snap On the more I continued to bust my knuckles. Tool boxes are another story, if you hunt around you can do well. Don't pay list for a Snappy box unless you have to. But they are well built. I have seen Snappy boxes tumble over and still work perfectly. They are that strong. A cheaper box will be warped and twisted and won't close, lock, or work right from then after. HF boxes don't seem bad for the price... Financing makes sense if you get the tools you need for a reasonable payment. If you pay cash you can usually get a discount, if you finance, you are usually paying list price. These are tools you use every day all day, like a good pair of jeans (fit), with tools ergonomics and less blood is worth something. Cheaper to pay more for a good tool than go to ER.

 

[Al Borland]

Until you are SURE this is what you want to do for the next 45 years, watch what you spent.
Get a box at Harbor Freight. Decent quality at a decent price. Not truck quality, but it will hold up and when you do need a bigger better box, it can hold your seldom-used stuff.
Impacts... HF Pittsburgh Pro get the basics, deep and shallow metric and SAE.
They also have good breaker bars.
Sockets and Ratchets are as much a preference issue as durability. Snap-on ratchets are wonderful, but EXPEN$IVE. (Maybe the place you splurge). SK, and Gearwrench are also good choices. Carlysle ratchets appear to be the standard-issue Taiwan William Co. ratchet (Not bad, but Harbor Freight has them cheaper)
Even Husky ratchets are decent, literally a lower tooth count version of the GearWrench ratchet.

 

[theoldwizard1]

DO NOT GO INTO DEBT TO BUY A NAME BRAND !

If all you can afford is Harbor Freight, then go with that !

 

[Greg85mcss]

A few people are mentioning boxes. It really depends where you work. I started in a large shop with over 20 techs & you were doing a lot of jumping around so I got a hf cart & stationary box. Where I work now it's a much smaller space so I don't move around as much so I'd prefer a larger cart like the snap on & cornwell 40" or the sunex 6 drawer. The sunex isn't too bad new & the hf is great for the price. If you can find one of the other 2 on craigslist that would be a good choice as it will have already deprecated. Also don't buy stuff you don't need. Most shops supply certain tools so use them until it's slowing down your money making. Obviously buy hand tools & an impact but you probably don't need a scanner or a huge set of oil filter caps for example. Sae tools take up a lot of space & rarely get used. Maybe just a basic wrench set & some 3/8 sockets. Same with diagnostic tools until you're doing the work on your own. If you're making money for a higher up tech they won't mind loaning you a pressure tester or tie rod tool. I guess the main thing is don't get caught up in having a huge cool looking box & full of tools you don't need. Efficiency is key. Speed comes from practice & having easy access to what you need.



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[yamaha0343]

Williams, SK, GearWrench, Wright, and even Craftsman.

Deals on great used truck brand boxes are out there, or just get a HF box if you need one now.

 

[GTA Matt]

If you are serious about staying in the industry for eternity.... buy as many of the best tools as you can before you get old enough to have real bills. Work hard and make a few sacrifices, later on in life you can put it on cruise control, still work hard, but not have to worry about buying tools. The tool truck equivalents thread is one thing I wish was around when I started.

 

[Greg85mcss]

Good point. I put about 20k in savings my first 3 years as a tech then baby + house = broke mf


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[M6erfan]

Good tool brands and suggestions for a auto technician starting out? Something not terribly expensive but good quality also
Thanks,
Nick

Welcome to GJ Nick

you'll get tons of opinions here but I'll give it a shot...

For hand tools I agree on the ratchets, get the best you can afford. I'd get Snap-On ratchets and Carlyle socket sets. Screwdrivers, kinda personal on handle design, but Bluepoint Wiha, Wera, or Witte made Carlyle will do you fine. Wrenches, Wright seems to be poular around here for less $ than Snap on and are excellent quality.

Carlyle tools have a lifetime warranty just like Snap-On, but no tool truck. But often they will deliver a replacement if you have one nearby. Check with your local Napa...

Id also caution about getting into debt/credit trouble with the tool trucks

If you have a reallytight budget, check out Tekton, good quality Tawain/China/USA tools at a very good price point and excellent customer service.

Good luck and again, welcome!

 

[FergusonTO35]

I would also caution against going all in on just one brand. Remember, there is no guarantee that any tool company will still be in business in the future, won't suddenly start making a federal case out of every little warranty claim, or won't cheapen themselves to death. I started out using mostly quality Taiwan tools with a "lifetime" warranty that isn't worth spit now. It doesn't hurt to have a modest personal account with a tool guy you like, just don't let it get too big. If you have to finance a box or something else too pricey for a truck account, always look first to a personal loan through a bank or credit union, sometimes even credit cards have low fixed interest rate offers. The interest will be much less and the loan is not secured whereas a tool company loan is. Tool companies can be real thugs on repos and collections also.

When you pay off a tool account, even if just a small truck account, save the receipt and any other documentation. Usually when a dealer goes out of business or moves to a different territory his previous truck accounts and collections will be sold or assigned to the next dealer coming in. Documentation that you have paid on time for the last three years may get conveniently lost. Yes, I have seen this happen before.

 

[ptschram]

AT ALL COST AVOID FINANCING THROUGH ANY TOOL TRUCK! I can't stress that part enough, interest rate is to high and most of the time it isn't even reported on your credit score.

I can only address Snap-On's Credit Sales financing

First off, Snap-On owns a bank. We write our own paper, we aren't selling credit card debt like some.

The contracts are simple interest, not front loaded, and if you don't hide from your franchisee, and need help, you're likely to get it.

As for the reporting to credit reporting bureaus, you can bet your *** Snap-On reports! If you're not a deadbeat, it will help far more than it can hurt.

 

[johninct]

Buy used top of the line used tools on Ebay, Craigs List etc. There is nothing wrong with a tool if it has a few scratches or engravings if you get it cheap enough.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Ptschram, apparently that has changed since I was a tech (1997-2007), I financed two boxes with them. Back then, Snappy credit was 20%+ APR.. Still, I had an outstanding dealer and I wish he was still around.

 

[M6erfan]

I can only address Snap-On's Credit Sales financing

First off, Snap-On owns a bank. We write our own paper, we aren't selling credit card debt like some.

The contracts are simple interest, not front loaded, and if you don't hide from your franchisee, and need help, you're likely to get it.

As for the reporting to credit reporting bureaus, you can bet your *** Snap-On reports! If you're not a deadbeat, it will help far more than it can hurt.

You charge interest & require monthly payments, how is this different than a CC? What is the APR interest rate Snap-On charges?

 

[jn50308401]

DO NOT GO INTO DEBT TO BUY A NAME BRAND !

If all you can afford is Harbor Freight, then go with that !

This is what I was told. The tool trucks came and dangled all sorts of shiny stuff in front of a lot of guys in my tech school, then **** debt. I bought what I needed new ( a good1/2 impact) and I started out with a scratch and dent Kobalt tool box. If you can't afford a big tool box right away, old filing cabinets work great and many have locks. Plus they are cheap.

Point is, don't be peer pressured or talked into into a bunch of stuff from the tool man. They're salesman and some are pretty good at convincing guys they need XY or Z. The old if you're borrowing something more than twice, buy it is very true.

Don't be afraid to hit yard sales, Craigslist etc.. Amazon has a great tool selection too at decent prices.

 

[a52-830]

I've been really happy with the stuff I've bought from Sunex and Tekton (both sold on Amazon.) Also if you're still in training, most of the truck brands and even Sears have pretty good student discounts.

+1 for gearwrench, sunex, and tekton.

as for ebay and craigslist, there are some good deals there, but take your time, there is also some expensive ****.

if you intend to buy a bunch of used "truck brand" tools off ebay or craigslist, dont expect the truck guy to smile when you show up for warranty support. you need to contribute to his business too. he understands, but he has expenses too. buy your mainline stuff through him, fill in cracks with used stuff. he will understand that.

and the others are right. the truck is a great way to establish credit, but dont get so far in debt that there is nothing left in your check. and dont stiff him, he has a long memory, and the potential to be very generous . . . .