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How do you define quality in hand tools?

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carder69

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Jan 21, 2009
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Location
Indiana
My day job is quality management in health info tech company and I thought about what defines a quality tool independent of COO and brand name.

Here are my thoughts:

1. Quality of raw materials

2. Manufacturing process - forging, heat treating etc

3. Fit and Finish

4. Design and performance -does it do it's intended job repeatedly.

5. Number of product failures per million or some standard.


I am not aware of any standards created for measuring quality of hand tools, but it would nice to have some objective criteria beyond brand, COO, price, reputation, and warranty.
 
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noid

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Jul 15, 2010
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Its ability to do jobs it was never intended for and still keep going strong.
 
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Ritter4.0

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Jan 8, 2011
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Maryland
I just look for any reputable names on the tool. If its an old tool that is obviously used and has USA on it, I get it regardless of the name.
 
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shampoop

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Jul 12, 2009
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SW Washington
1. It's strong enough to actually get the job done for decades and not flex where it's not supposed to.
2. 1 and 2 really are the same thing.
3. All finishes look good initially, but what will actually last and prevent rust. Whether the tool works smoothly. Also, just how the tool feels and whether or not it has excessive slack/play in particular areas.
 
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DrkMtnDew

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Sep 24, 2010
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Whatever will get the job done as well as saves me money in the long run. :)
 
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Concrete B

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sberry said:
Cost is a huge factor, a HF wrench may be excellent considering it cost only a dollar.
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I differentiate quality and high quality. I'd never argue that an HF wrench is equal to Snap On. However, an HF wrench in 2011 will be good enough for a large portion of consumers.

In cases where I don't think I'll use a tool often, I'll get a cheaper($) one, but if I use it enough to break it, I replace it with a good one.

I also agree that a realistic chart comparing various brands would be very insightful. I mean, I buy a lot of Craftsman and like it. If an objective chart told me that HF was nearly as good as Craftsman, I'd have to rethink my purchases.
 
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treasureseeker

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Aug 1, 2010
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996
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Michigan
Design, quality of material used. How well it functions in comparison to other manufactures. Exposed tooling marks, size and weight in comparison to other manufactures, flaws in the metal under the chrome, ease of clean up if it has a comfort handle and last ergonomics. I like Snap On, Hazet, PB Swiss, Knipex, Wera, Wiha, and Stahlwille mostly
 
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AZ_Catskinner

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Jan 29, 2011
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Morenci, AZ
In addition to what's already been listed, I give points for ergonomics as well. There's nothing worse than spending umpteen hours with uncomfortable tools.
 
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trainwreck

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Dec 25, 2010
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northern NJ
Your #4 should be #1. If the tool doesn't do its job, it doesn't matter how high the quality of the steel is, nor how well it's machined and polished. If a 10mm wrench isn't 10mm wide, it's no better than a paperweight.

Your #1 and #2 are really two sides of the same coin. Great steel can be ruined by poor forging/heat treating, and great forging/heat treating isn't going to make a great tool out of pot metal. The two need to go hand in hand or not at all.

Just like AZ_Catskinner, I'd add ergonomics as #3.

And your #3 would round out my list at #4.

Just my two cents, and probably not worth even that.
 
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MattT

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Feb 20, 2010
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carder69 said:
1. Quality of raw materials

2. Manufacturing process - forging, heat treating etc

3. Fit and Finish

4. Design and performance -does it do it's intended job repeatedly.

5. Number of product failures per million or some standard.
Click to expand...

That's a reasonable list from a manufacturers viewpoint but about the only item an individual tool buyer can eyeball is fit and finish.

carder69 said:
I am not aware of any standards created for measuring quality of hand tools, but it would nice to have some objective criteria beyond brand, COO, price, reputation, and warranty.
Click to expand...

There's ANSI, DIN, and fed military standards for tools that I know of and they might not be the only ones. Then there are the ISO manufacturing standards but IME they're more a measure of manufacturing control and associated paperpushing than product quality. If a manufacturer is consistently making a **** product they'll be able to get ISO accreditation.

As a tool buyer it all comes down to brand combined with COO if you want to be reasonably sure you're buying a quality tool. If you stray from reputable, 1st world, brands made in their home country you're taking a chance.

The lesser toolmakers, and rebadgers like craftsman and hf, do have some quality tools but can't be relied upon to consistently deliver quality tools.

Price has more to do with acceptable quality than absolute quality. The cheap tool won't be as good as the premium one but it might be good enough for your application.

Warranty is mostly a smokescreen especially on the lower end. A quality tool without warranty beats out a POS with lifetime warranty. When a tool fails you'll have lost time and possibly other damage and/or injuries which outweigh the cost of most tools.
 
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mrholeshot

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Jun 22, 2010
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Strength, fit, finish, comfort, warranty. Price and Name have nothing to do with it. Snap-On isn't the only game in town although my personal favorite.
 
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NeilH

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May 3, 2009
Messages
171
Location
UK
strength and fit for me. which is why i only buy snap on hand tools.

i dont not consider the warrenty, as the fit and strength on the snap on is so good i would buy it even without lifetime warrenty.
 
M

mrholeshot

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Jun 22, 2010
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NeilH said:
strength and fit for me. which is why i only buy snap on hand tools.

i dont not consider the warrenty, as the fit and strength on the snap on is so good i would buy it even without lifetime warrenty.
Click to expand...

The only tool I would buy without a warranty is old SK.
 
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sberry

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Jun 18, 2005
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Brethren, Michigan
If an objective chart told me that HF was nearly as good as Craftsman, I'd have to rethink my purchases.
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I don't know how one would chart them but I can tell from years of rugged use they are at least nearly as good while improving all the time where Craftsman seems to be slipping. They are so cheap anymore they are even 1/4 the cost of those.
As a side note they are some of the only tools I see at an auction that actually brought more than you could buy them new for,,, ha
I have some of most brands, lots of USA stuff, in recent memory I have bought a few new in our hi use areas, a while back I went to Menard's to score a set of metrics to leave in a remote location and went with the Allen's, the cheap junk they had was really junk and the Allen had nice fit and were priced right but more and more I have been getting imports in the common sizes, mainly 7/16, 1/2, 9/16, I buy a handful of each every season and am really impressed considering the cost. I reach for the most convenient one, rarely consider which one is "best".
Seems some tools they cant match for some reason, I would assume where very controlled mfg needs to be maintained at that cost, diagonal pliers, vise grips and clamps, even channeloks seem to still be sub par. Adjustable wrenches have went way up, screwdrivers in many cases, many pipe wrenches are acceptable for limited use. Sockets have finally come a long way although difficult to compare as back in the day most imports were those 40 pc sets for 5$ in a tin tray, those really don't count though although have some extensions from those that have survived.
 
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