Kinda Frustrated With DIY Mechanics Tool Brand Selection

[Skeptic68W]

Hello all, hope you're having a fine Friday.
I do not make my living turning wrenches, but have several mechanically related hobbies (cars, motorcycles, restorations one day, etc) that I intend on participating in regularly for the next 50+ years.


I currently have a decent selection of tools consisting mainly of Craftsman Evolv, Regular craftsman (half US, half import), and stuff from Harbor freight that I have received as gifts from family, or purchased while I was in college (just finished grad school in May and finally have a real job, yay!).
As I continue to expand my tool collection, I'd like to start purchasing a little better quality stuff. I have no need or desire to buy Snap On/Mac/Matco/Proto, but at the same time, I'd like to have quality tools that I can be proud of and one day pass on to the next generation. I'd also like to try to consolidate into fewer brands when reasonable possible (I'll still buy lots of Harbor Freight stuff if I don't need accuracy or don't plan to use it often). I don't want a box full of 50 brands of tools (don't know why, just don't).


Had I been in this position 10 years ago, I would have just bought US made craftsman stuff. Professional series for wrenches and a few other things, regular for everything else. Now that the quality has tanked(fingers crossed that Stanley can move it back in the right direction), I haven't been able to find a brand that occupies the middle ground in similar fashion.


Let's take regular combo wrenches as an example, since I am currently looking for a set of 6 points in SAE and Metric.


SK - Slightly rich for my blood, but great quality, reputation, and USA made. However, I've been seeing stories about requiring a receipt to warranty out broken tools, **** that. On top of that, there are no SK retailers near me so I would have to do all the purchasing and warranty stuff online (not necessarily a deal breaker).


Gearwrench - I want to like gearwrench. The pricing, selection, and availability would allow me to buy a whole lot of probably good tools for not a ton of cash. Also, I spoke with a guy at my local NAPA and he told me that as long as they can find a part number, they can warranty any gearwrench product there for me, even if I didn't buy it there, I've heard advance is the same way. Both of these are also way closer than sears which is great. Here are my reservations.
It's a lot of money for chinese tools. They seem to be good quality, and most people are happy with them, but I have a hard time dropping that sort of money and it not saying USA on it.
I feel uncertain about their future quality. I'm kind of afraid that they will pull a Craftsman and once the name means something, cut costs hard and drive quality into the ground so even with your "lifetime guarantee" you're only guaranteed a new, lower quality replacement.
Mixed reports on quality. Some people say they like them better than their snap on stuff, other people say they opened the box and immediately returned them because the offsets were all fucked up, or the mechanisms were locked, or whatever.
In reality I'm probably going to buy a lot of Gearwrench tools, I'm just conflicted about it.


Craftsman - I wouldn't buy any of those lobster claws they call wrenches right now, but I could try to find some older professional series wrenches on ebay or at garage sales, and then just hope that Stanley starts putting out some good craftsman stuff in a years or two. As it is, I'd hate to buy US made craftsman stuff 2nd hand because you essentially have no warranty (exchange for garbage is not a warranty).


Tekton - Meh, good price point, look like fine tools, great warranty service, but sorta just like Harbor Frieight plus, not exactly a brand I'd feel particularly proud of having in the box.


What do you all think? I really wish there was a lower cost USA, or honestly even a Taiwan option. If Gearwrench has stayed with majority production in Taiwan, I would be far more inclined to buy their stuff, I just have a pretty serious mental roadblock for stuff produced in the people's republic.
Thanks.

 

[theoldwizard1]

The new HF is not bad for a DIY person.

Best bang for the buck is used Craftsman.

 

[Finance Guy]

I actually find myself in a very similar situation ... in addition to Gearwrench, you probably want to consider:

1) Blackhawk: http://www.protoindustrial.com/en/Pages/Blackhawk.aspx
2) SBD Craftsman ... as you mentioned in your post, the new SBD Craftsman will be coming out next summer. It is reasonable to expect that at least some of the USA-made mechanics tools will come out of the same factories that make the Proto and Mac mechanics tools.

 

[rrich1]

have you looked into Carlyle from Napa?

 

[speed bump]

How many tools have you broken that you are worried about warranty?

Also what application do you have that will use 6-point combination wrenches? Unless you have some pressing specific need for 6-point wrenches spend the money on useful tools, not drawer fillers.

 

[Jtels85]

It’s great to meet someone with the same exact problem that I have. 99% of my Craftsman tools are USA made and were purchased at Sears before the offshoring began. Since then, I’ve spent the majority of my time continuing to accumulate more USA Craftsman from eBay, flea markets... wherever I can. I have the Craftsman Pro wrench sets you speak of... USA made by Danahar. I picked them up before the China models hit the store shelves.

Like you, I’d love to have Snap On, MAC and Marco, but I can’t justify purchasing them as I don’t use my tools often enough to make it worth while. I really like Carlyle and Gearwrench tools, but I can’t pull the trigger. There’s just something about spending money on China/Taiwan tools, regardless of how good the quality is... they’ll get the job done and last a long time. I just prefer buying USA made when I can for many reasons. I also don’t want to buy Gearwrench because they are Apex Tools... and Apex is partly or fully responsible for Craftsman being sent overseas. I don’t want to give them a dime based on that reason alone.

SB&D’s Craftsman line will be out next year... and there’s honestly nothing that I immediately need right now. I just don’t like waiting... I’m growing impatient. They allowed people to give their email address to stay updated, but there haven’t been any updates and it’s been almost 11 months since the acquisition. I’d rather be buying now than waiting to see if the new Craftsman line is something to bow down to, or just straight up garbage. I wish someone would provide some insight as to what’s going on.

Until then, I suppose I’ll be here in tool purgatory, polishing my sockets.

 

[brownbagg]

i llike the feel of great neck wrenches

 

[jakemac]

Find the brand that fits well in your hand, then keep an eye on the used market for what you need to upgrade. Yard sales, Estate sales, Pawn shops, CL, EBay, Habitat for Humanity's ReStore. Make a long term hobby of the search and you can save a lot of money. With patience, pennies on the dollar.

Save the New purchases for the "I need it now to finish the project" items.
It sounds like you have the tools to start. You have the time ahead of you to be patient.

As for Warranty, forget it. Take it out of consideration. With the way tool companies are bought and sold nowadays, they're pretty much worthless over a lifetime. How many tools do you plan on breaking ?

If a warranty is still good if a tool breaks, then fine. But don't expect to get a direct match for your discontinued design 20yrs from now. This is why I refuse to buy new tools straight off the truck. I won't pay extra for a warranty or service. Either you stand by your product, or you don't. But don't expect me to pay for your decision to use sub-par materials later on (a-la Sear's).

There are three kinds of tools - junk, good enough, and great.
You have a "good enough " set.
Take your time to gather a great set that won't bust your wallet.

(If you were just starting as a professional, my answer would be essentially the same.)

 

[M_George]

Don't be in a hurry! Build up your selection as you need them. My preference would be SK and Proto for wrenches and ratchets, but the German brand screw drivers are great. For pliers, I like Channel Lock.

 

[chrisnazzy]

If I was in your position I would not be afraid of buying Gearwrench at all. All of my ratcheting wrenches are GW and I also have a spark plug socket set and serpentine belt set.

All of my chrome sockets are USA Craftsman or Snap-on. All of my "handled" tools are also Snap-on but mainly because I can. I work in the automotive service business but my tools are just for home use. Having access to SO weekly for the last 15 years has allowed me to wait for and capitalize on deals and promotions.

That being said, I would likely choose Gearwrench for a lot more tools if I hadn't been in this business. I think they offer a ton of value for the $$ and I can reaffirm that my local Advance Auto/Carquest will warranty any broken GW tool even if I didn't buy it from them.

I've often looked at all the sets of screwdrivers, picks, prybars and other "handled" tools they offer. I've even recommended them to some of our oil techs who are just starting out as opposed to getting into debt on the tool trucks. Here are a couple pics I saved at some point showing a nice helping of GW sets. Ill bet for less than $500 you could outfit yourself very nicely with a comprehensive GW tool kit.

BTW.....IMO if value vs. cost is most important you should also consider:

SUNEX for impact sockets
TRUSTY COOK for hammers
MILWAUKEE for cordless tools







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[Stuey]

A lot of Husky stuff is made by Gearwrench/Apex Tool Group.

There's no more "low cost USA." Kobalt used to have some, but the quality was cheap, and they eventually went with a new imported supplier.

Kobalt stuff is decent, I filled in a few holes with some of their screwdrivers and breaker bars.

 

[Fender1325]

Just for the record, my understanding is gearwrench is made in Taiwan, not China. Yes, Taiwan tools are Superior to chinese, generally speaking.

My 2 cents, throw the brand loyalty out the window. No one company does it all great.

 

[Ign]

GW quality went down long ago. Maybe not on wrenches (yet) but random stuff like hose pliers (as an example I personally own). Stuff like this the casting/forging is spotty

I think Astro Pneumatic is often overlooked.

 

[Ign]

Just for the record, my understanding is gearwrench is made in Taiwan, not China. Yes, Taiwan tools are Superior to chinese, generally speaking.

My 2 cents, throw the brand loyalty out the window. No one company does it all great.

Gearwrench what exactly? The combo wrenches, I don’t know. The ratcheting wrenches for which they’re famous have been MIC for 10+ years, maybe 15

 

[HanShotFirst]

For the next 50 years...For what you're looking for, I'd buy SK. I haven't had ANY problems with warranty. Send them the old broken, they send you the new. Same thing with Proto.

With SK's new DT ratchets, it really brings those classics very much up to date. I really like knurled handles for 90% of what I do.

 

[Fender1325]

Huh. I googled it and got mixed answers, yet they were from all different years. I didn't know they had any MIC stuff.

That being said. I'll be buying select items from various companies. I have MIC crapsman combo wrenches and they're terrible. I'll be buying wright combo wrenches and they're reasonably priced

 

[Ign]

Here's an entire thread talking about GW China quality or lack thereof. I'll also try to find my pic of the twisted pliers but the picture does not do it justice
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=335687

Interestingly, I'd say GW is exactly like the Craftsman of a few years ago (or even present day). Most of it's marginal **** with a few gems like the 120XP stuff which is highly regarded here. Exactly like Craftsman where everyone knows their basic ratchets **** but their old 84T stuff (now discontinued I think?) and low profile ratchets (esp the 60T US-made stuff) were always known as gems.

 

[rapid robert]

Agree with SK. Used set of sockets and superchrome wrenches are available on eBay much cheaper than new.

As for SK warranty I have never had an issue...mail them a cracked socket and they send you a new one...no questions asked.

 

[Ign]

Here was the best shot I was able to get at the time of my twisted hose grip pliers. As I said, it looks WAY worse in person - anyone would immediately notice it. They lift and twist to the left in a major way, er I guess they lift on the left and twist to the right.

edit: I should say I'm not a tool polisher and I think they'll work fine so I kept them. I just think it shows a serious lack of QC which makes you wonder what else is slipping through the cracks.

 

[vssjim]

I have been an SK customer through all the owners going back to Dresser Industries and have never had a warranty problem. Today they are great to deal with with everybody I know. I have been a happy customer of theirs no matter who owned them and today I think Ideal is working hard and spending their own money to make them as good as they can.

 

[Ign]

I have been an SK customer through all the owners going back to Dresser Industries and have never had a warranty problem. Today they are great to deal with with everybody I know. I have been a happy customer of theirs no matter who owned them and today I think Ideal is working hard and spending their own money to make them as good as they can.

Sure, but some of the old SK combo wrenches were kind of a let down, I think it was the SuperChrome stuff I but don't know if that encompasses many different designs over the years? Whatever SK wrenches I have just don't feel good in the hand and many are quite short when compared to other brands in the same size. That said, quality/metallurgy is likely just fine - or at least I haven't broken any but I don't break tools often.

 

[WhiteSSP]

Do you actually use your tools or do you want to tell people what brand of tools you have? My home box consists of HF, Kobalt, Gearwrench, and Tekton. My work tools consist of Proto and SK mainly. The proto are usually better quality than my home tools, but just barely. I work on big industrial equipment at work to support billion dollar military assets. At home I work on cars.

There's no point having Ferrari grade tools to work on Honda Civic grade vevhicles if you're not getting paid flat rate.

 

[bob15]

Why not buy used tools? Can get quality US tools at great prices. Look for: SK, Snappy, Mac, Cornwell, Proto, Wright, Bonney, KD, Allen, Craftsman, etc

Why worry about a warranty that you will probably never use?

 

[Wamsutta]

I'm a DIYer that can't stand cheap junky tools. I won't name any brands because I don't want to offend anyone. My point is, you shouldn't feel guilty about buying high end tools for using around the house.

 

[bczygan]

A variety of tools from various companies, that work?

Or a pretty collection from one manufacturer?

Which will it be?

 

[zendriver]

I'm a DIYer that can't stand cheap junky tools. I won't name any brands because I don't want to offend anyone. My point is, you shouldn't feel guilty about buying high end tools for using around the house.

It sounded like the OP did not want to spend money on expensive tools.

 

[Rileysan]

Lots of good advice here.

I agree wholeheartedly with the used tool advice, but it takes patience. If you don't have time to hit up estate/garage sales, flea markets, or swap meets, this is all moot. And since you still don't really know what you like, achieving your goals will be more difficult.

But I think that's all the more reason to explore the used tool market. Get out there and handle different tools until you find what you really like best!

Brian

 

[mbshop]

You will find that most tools will work. Period. As you use them, you will slowly find what works and what doesn't. I still have craftsman from the 70s that I used as a tech for years till I went to so and mac. And I used the heck out of those tools waaaay more than you ever will. When getting into specialty tools that absolutely need to get the job done, pay for the good stuff.

 

[Mr_B]

lot of the HF Pitts Pro will do fine but indeed make effort get decent wrench set, cheap nasty wrenches are 2 step backwards these days ...
also agree warranty not that big a deal, ratchets, breaker bars and extensions about most usual to break so HF would do as warranty simple and likely be around a while (just keep receipts to play safe) .

 

[derosa]

I'm a DIYer that can't stand cheap junky tools. I won't name any brands because I don't want to offend anyone. My point is, you shouldn't feel guilty about buying high end tools for using around the house.

This, it might be half mental but grabbing a quality tool to do the job just feels better, also means I have less to blame when I don't get it quite right. If I know I will need more then one of something then I prefer to buy sets to save money in the long term even if it means I'll have a few useless ones. There's been a number of times I've regretted the **** tools I bought, I've never had cause to regret a quality one. And at 7pm on a Sunday I like the confidence of knowing the quality tools I have won't let me down, I never felt the same confidence with cheaper tools and trying to find a replacement for the one I just broke ruins the fun of the work I do and only adds to my time expense.

 

[Pipe_guy]

For the home gamer I don't really think warranty should be a deciding point. If you use tools for what they are meant for they shouldn't break. If the whole made In china thing really bugs you save a couple extra bucks and get proto,Wright or even armstrong. Used is even cheaper. There is also the industrial off shore brands like westward and sunex. Most of my work tools are westward and it is decent. Their ratchets are junk but sockets, wrenches and that sort of thing will last forever in a home garage environment.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

 

[vssjim]

Sure, but some of the old SK combo wrenches were kind of a let down, I think it was the SuperChrome stuff I but don't know if that encompasses many different designs over the years? Whatever SK wrenches I have just don't feel good in the hand and many are quite short when compared to other brands in the same size. That said, quality/metallurgy is likely just fine - or at least I haven't broken any but I don't break tools often.

Their original raised panel wrenches were on the mid length size then the Superchrome wrenches came in standard and long pattern so I'm not sure which ones you have. The long pattern seem like the normal long pattern everybody else have, they should come out with a extra long pattern like others have in the 10 -19 mm sizes to be like everybody that sells them.

 

[ptgarcia]

Limiting yourself to a single brand, or even a couple brands is silly and is not the most effective way to fill your tool box to fit your needs. Maybe consider a brand loyalty approach on a categorical basis: wrenches, sockets and ratchets, pliers, screwdrivers, etc. You'll likely end up with several or even many different brands but also a well appointed tool box at a reasonable cost.

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[matthew]

A couple of thoughts:

- Some of the NAPA brand stuff on Ebay and Amazon look good, I believe it's Taiwan made, and affordable. And good size coverage with no skipped sizes.

- I wouldn't over-emphasize the warranty. Yeah, it might not be as good later, but for the most part I look at it as there to replace the odd piece with a flaw from the factory, if it survives the first little while it should last for the long term.

- At one time I wanted all matching pieces. I sort of came around to the opposite side - I couldn't put together a set all at one time so it was a perfect match, and I really enjoy the variety I now have. One manufacturer won't have the best of everything, so why not pick and choose the best pieces? I get the OCD part of it, but you may want to think whether combo wrenches from one brand and sockets from another might be an option. Or even metric wrenches and SAE wrenches from separate brands. Given a choice I'd rather spend my money on filling out missing things than replacing what I have to make it match.

 

[jonesg]

Can't figure what anyone does to break a wrench, sockets yeh. But for the home gamer to be fixated on warranty ?
I'm just grateful I can put my hands on the right size wrench from any mfger.
Self worth isn't something I find in tools.
Keep it simple.

 

[Super Sport]

Buying all one brand sounds good and helps with our natural OCD, but it's really a silly proposition. I'm probably pretty close in age to you OP, but really started building my tools set 5-10 years ago. I originally wanted all Craftsman USA, and was pretty much able to do it. However, because of GJ, I quickly began realizing that I wanted to buy some other brands and some higher quality stuff. Today, my box is a complete mixture of brands. As long as it's fairly clean and organized, my inner OCD is still happy.

I can see sticking with one brand for ratchets, one for sockets, one for wrenches, etc. However, you'll find that the brand that makes the best ratchets does not make the best wrenches, and the brand that makes the best hammers does not make the best pry bars.

So my advice: get over the "one brand" thing. Read some GJ threads, scroll through the hot deals section, and begin building a mixed brand, decent quality set.

 

[buffalobill]

Sk tools and carlyle would suit your needs well. Carlyle seems better than gearwrench, I have an old set of Taiwan ratcheting wrenches that are ok, and have been thru a newer set of gearwrench quad box wrenches that aren't worth the packaging cost.

Hit up pawn shops, lots of good deals at garage sales too. Got a full rail of 3/8 sae matco universal joint impact sockets for 5 bux. He threw in a mac hard handle, sk long extension bar for another 2 bux.

 

[zendriver]

Can't figure what anyone does to break a wrench, sockets yeh. But for the home gamer to be fixated on warranty ?
I'm just grateful I can put my hands on the right size wrench from any mfger.
Self worth isn't something I find in tools.
Keep it simple.

It seems those most obsessed with warranties, are for the higher end tools, which does not even make sense, since they are so much better qaulity presumably.

I have a mix of everything, from Snap On, to something with no name on it. I'm a fairly beefy guy and with the exception of screwdriver tips, in 40 years, I can only remember about one tool, that even needed "warrantied" and the was a SO socket.

The cheap tools seem to hold up, whats up with the expensive ones?

 

[buffalobill]

Buying all one brand sounds good and helps with our natural OCD, but it's really a silly proposition. I'm probably pretty close in age to you OP, but really started building my tools set 5-10 years ago. I originally wanted all Craftsman USA, and was pretty much able to do it. However, because of GJ, I quickly began realizing that I wanted to buy some other brands and some higher quality stuff. Today, my box is a complete mixture of brands. As long as it's fairly clean and organized, my inner OCD is still happy.

I can see sticking with one brand for ratchets, one for sockets, one for wrenches, etc. However, you'll find that the brand that makes the best ratchets does not make the best wrenches, and the brand that makes the best hammers does not make the best pry bars.

So my advice: get over the "one brand" thing. Read some GJ threads, scroll through the hot deals section, and begin building a mixed brand, decent quality set.

I'm with you on that. I like my sets to be matched, but my sockets are sk, snap on, matco, craftsman, and blackhawk. I don't care if I have a rail of matco impacts next to craftsman standards, as long as they are good quality.

Lots of older napa brand hand tools on ebay right now, good stuff for the price there.

 

[hangfirew8]

Don't be afraid of SK because of the warranty, they just replaced my 90's era cracked socket with no receipt. I did have to mail it in first, but turnaround was fast.

I would suggest the approach I've taken for years- buy the highest quality you can afford, but wait for bargains and set your sights on the equipment you really want, keeping an eye out for rebates, closeouts, coupons and promotions. Closeouts don't always mean all the tools are discontinued- often it is just an updated SKU, delete the 9mm and add an 18mm socket, new ratchet with more teeth, that sort of thing. I keep a list on my phone of all "needs" and "wants" to help remember, and avoid buying duplicates.

Also, I suggest avoiding brand loyalty. It works only for them, not for you. Buy the best in class (in your own opinion) from whomever offers the best value. There are certain GJ favorites here, like VIM bit sets, Sunex sockets and Wright wrenches for example, always consider those as you can't go wrong, but don't feel overly constrained to just those.

I try to buy as much USA as possible, Taiwan stuff from good brand names is almost always very good nowadays, and I avoid China and India, for many reasons going beyond just quality.