Guidance for DIYer purchasing tools in Canada

[s45]

@s45 Tell us where you are located, you might get some detailed info or even a shopping buddy to join you on your shopping extravaganza.

Hey man never knew this thread was still going lol. I'm in Toronto.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Hey man never knew this thread was still going lol. I'm in Toronto.

Lots of guys from TO area, even one of the moderators. @The Cobbler Put your location on your icon it can help with info you maybe seeking. How did you make out with your shopping?

 

[rancherbill]

Here's my list of great quality reasonable price / great quality

Propoint brand Princess Auto
Mastercraft Pro brand Canadian Tire
Mastercraft brand Canadian Tire
Many Brands KMS Tools

I think Mississauga Tools is the similar to KMS, but I have never shopped there

Home depot is spotty. They have some good name brands, but they also carry lower spec models of some name brands. Manufactures will make specials to meet HD pricing requirements. You have to watch SKUS to compare pricing.

 

[JradM]

Honestly I swear I dont know what PA wants to be. Seemed they were going to go upscale with Propoint only to have it languish and now Propoint has basically been reduced to a few impact sockets.

Powerfist went through the same. They languished, now it seems theyre bringing it back, yet theyre also bringing in more and more Titan and Grip (3rd party) tools.

IMHO theyre scatterbrained right now. I wish theyd get in a lane and stay there. Heck, I wish they doubled down on Propoint and basically just follow what HarbourFreight is doing with Icon (going upscale and having a large selection of "pro" grade tools).

I read somewhere that the reason theyre all over the place is new management. Basically the kids of the original founders are running the show and seem to care more about their fancy cars and less about the company than the previous management. I guess the kids have a bit of a reputation around Winnipeg or something.

I'm a big Princess Auto fan. It would be nice if there were more pro grade tools there, but they've got a pretty good selection of useful tools. It's mostly working for me.

It depends a bit what you're after. Sockets, screwdrivers, pliers... you can find pro tools, but you might wish for more variety. It would be nice to have Knipex, Wiha, Wera, etc.

On the otherhand, finding Proto for cheap in the Surplus isle is a fun treasure hunt! There's also some Craftsman V-Series showing up lately. Watch the Canada Only Deals thread.

Osca, Mayhew and Lisle are available.

Powerfist seems like it might be improving to me. I used to avoid it at all costs, but I've found some useful things of late that seem perfectly fine. I don't know if PA is responsible for that or if it's just easier to get quality stuff from China now than it was 20-30 years ago.

I also like that I can get some more specialized tools there. E.g. beadrollers, English wheels, anvils, forges, welding gear, etc. Often cheaper than anywhere else.

There could always be more and cheaper, but I'm also glad Princess Auto has more diversity than Harbor Freight. E.g. it's not all house brands.

 

[cannuck]

You need to get to know your markeplace. For instance: you can buy Wero online from China Tire Corp..uh..CANADIAN tire....but I can walk into Pro Fasteners in YXE and get a far better deal on the same tools right off the shelf.

You might as well just get one set of almost everything from CTC or PA since you will want premium stuff of what you find you use a lot and the originals remain as backup, lenders or duplicates.