HF equals what?

[kctyphoon]

One of my buddies is a mobile auto tech and works out of a van. I pull into my apartment complex and he is wrenching away in the parking lot. His go to ratchet....the 3/8 x 1/4 drive HF extendable ratchet! I laughed at him cuz he was waiting for me to bust his chops about it, then I told him my go to was the 1/2 version. We both got a chuckle outta that

have both of them, think they are both a must have.. i changed the 3/8, 1/4" combo into just a 3/8 with a socket release and i think it works better like that..

 

[SalahHH83]

I hope these sorts of comments won't be your only contribution to GJ.

Hammers are basic tools. If you are a serious craftsman, pro or DIYer, you have your choice of a number of hammers all with lifetime warranties. If you are young or work hard, it's only a matter of time until the plasticizer in your handle gives up. Plastic doesn't last forever.

I would choose a hammer from a company that you know will be around in 10 years, I.e. Not Sears, that offers a convenient warranty service. Snap On offers very convenient warranty service for some.

Snap on hammers won't last forever. But they are very nice, possibly the best hammers out there. The handles are nice, offering two comfortable positions. I don't think paying $40 for a hammer I will use and be happy using for the rest of my life is too much to pay. If you want to pay $10 for the cheapest hammer made and use that for the rest of your life, God bless you. Just don't criticize me for wanting to use nice tools that don't hurt my hand.

The key here is, some people here are thinking hammers are disposable. You buy it for $10 and when it breaks you buy a new one. Snap On doesn't agree. My guess is, the people selling the $10 hammers are counting on the fact that 10 years from now, 90% of customers will have lost the receipt, forgot where they purchased, or just won't bother with the warranty because we are consumer disposers.

It certainly isn't and was meant as a little levity poking fun at those who have swallowed Snap On marketing machine hook, line and sinker. I don't doubt that SO's dead blows are probably more comfortable than HF's - for how much more they charge people they should be. I also don't doubt that a plastic encased dead blow will eventually break - whether made by HF, Snap-On or anybody else.

The one thing i'll say about HF is they don't require a receipt for returns on hand tools. They're obviously the cheapest out there as far as tools go (it's foolish to try to argue that HF is better than SO or SK etc.) but those who act as if anything from HF is completely worthless and anything from Snap-On is unbreakable gold are fools... especially when they are spending the majority of their hard earned money paying on financed tools.

You've got to remember when you buy from a truck you're paying for the marketing, the truck guy's salary, gas, higher mark up etc. With Wright, SK, etc. you're not paying for that increased overhead or heavy marketing campaign.

Obviously SO is better quality than Harbor Freight, but that's not to say that there aren't some good items at HF which can certainly hold their own. For instance, paying $750 for a Bluepoint tool cart when you could get an identical one for $160 at HF.... I dunno about yall, but $600 is a lot of money to me.

 

[SalahHH83]

Obviously there is no correlation between price and quality because good tools cost nothing to manufacture.

This is so so true. I think this all time when people get too caught up in tool company marketing. Ultimately, I'd be willing to bet that set of Snap On sockets which retails for $200 bucks probably had a manufacturing cost of less than 10 bucks, quite possibly far less than that even. Hell, watch a youtube video of SK sockets being produced. They have machines that are literally CRANKING them out. Not knocking the quality at all, but that machine cranks them out by the second. How much do you think that costs per unit compared to the machines making Kobalt, Craftsman, HF or anybody else's sockets?

 

[vintage nut]

I use lead hammers I made myself.... Might try another deadblow eventually though.... Last one the handle bent

you can never have too many tools

 

[Wizzard]

It certainly isn't and was meant as a little levity poking fun at those who have swallowed Snap On marketing machine hook, line and sinker. I don't doubt that SO's dead blows are probably more comfortable than HF's - for how much more they charge people they should be. I also don't doubt that a plastic encased dead blow will eventually break - whether made by HF, Snap-On or anybody else.

The one thing i'll say about HF is they don't require a receipt for returns on hand tools. They're obviously the cheapest out there as far as tools go (it's foolish to try to argue that HF is better than SO or SK etc.) but those who act as if anything from HF is completely worthless and anything from Snap-On is unbreakable gold are fools... especially when they are spending the majority of their hard earned money paying on financed tools.

You've got to remember when you buy from a truck you're paying for the marketing, the truck guy's salary, gas, higher mark up etc. With Wright, SK, etc. you're not paying for that increased overhead or heavy marketing campaign.

Obviously SO is better quality than Harbor Freight, but that's not to say that there aren't some good items at HF which can certainly hold their own. For instance, paying $750 for a Bluepoint tool cart when you could get an identical one for $160 at HF.... I dunno about yall, but $600 is a lot of money to me.

I agree 100%. I just got done debating between a Snap On 32oz ball peen dead blow vs Trusty Cook 32 oz ball peen. The SO was $102 from the website (where I'd have to buy it from to get the lifetime warranty).

What did I go with? ...Armstrong 32oz which is the exact same as the Trusty Cook, except that Armstrong offers a hassle free lifetime warranty (TC offers a 2 year). The cost was $59 versus $102. That $43 I saved can now buy me a 16oz Armstrong should I choose.

 

[Kirbot]

I agree 100%. I just got done debating between a Snap On 32oz ball peen dead blow vs Trusty Cook 32 oz ball peen. The SO was $102 from the website (where I'd have to buy it from to get the lifetime warranty).

What did I go with? ...Armstrong 32oz which is the exact same as the Trusty Cook, except that Armstrong offers a hassle free lifetime warranty (TC offers a 2 year). The cost was $59 versus $102. That $43 I saved can now buy me a 16oz Armstrong should I choose.

Come to think of it, Advance Auto carries Armstrong hammers. There's some pretty good deals to be had with their coupon codes.

I've never heard Armstrong's warranty described as "hassle free" before though...
I'd be very curious if anybody has had them replace a worn out dead blow.

 

[KEH]

IMO, at the present time the best hammers are made by Estwing and Vaughn.

No opinion on deadblow hammers.

KEH

 

[Wizzard]

Come to think of it, Advance Auto carries Armstrong hammers. There's some pretty good deals to be had with their coupon codes.

I've never heard Armstrong's warranty described as "hassle free" before though...
I'd be very curious if anybody has had them replace a worn out dead blow.

Yea, I noticed that Advance carried them too...but Advance was considerably more expensive than Tooltopia (who is the cheapest on those). Armstrong's warranty is listed on their website as free/prepaid replacement on all hand tools (minus abuse), much 'friendlier' worded than Estwing and other companies when I compared.

 

[arz71]

Homedepot does sell the Stanley Compocast as well, online their website. I *think* one can have them shipped to the store with no shipping.

I buy off the tool truck, but either way the Trusty Cook or other USA branded mallets are all excellent quality.