Lifetime Warranty Tools Vs. Cheap Disposable Tools

[jimmy12345678]

I used to be one who bought cheap tools thinking “there’s no difference” etc etc. But at this point in my career cheap means very little to me, I’d rather pay more for something good that will last or is easily warrantied. It’s a pain for me to run to Lowe’s/Harbor Freight etc after work to get a tool swapped out and I’d rather not have to deal with that. For most things it’s easier to hand it to the tool truck and have it fixed or replaced than to take time out of my free time to do so. And because of that ease and the service you pay more for tools.

Which brings me to the point of the thread, which is others balking at the notion of paying more for good tools. I’ve heard many times “why would I buy snap on when I can buy the same tool 6 times over from Harbor Freight/etc?” Well IMO if I had to buy a replacement 6 times it was a POS tool to begin with, not even considering the time I wasted running back and forth to the store 6 times as well as the downtime having a cheap tool break in the middle of the job causes.

Cheap tools have their place but I’m over bargain shopping for tools. IMO it wastes more time and money than forking over the money for something good. Buy once, cry once. A very wise person said once that “It can be very expensive to be cheap” and that lesson has been cemented in my head from life experiences.

What do you guys think?

 

[zendriver]

That Harbor Freight tools are not "cheap tools" only inexpensive.

If someone is constantly busting them (or any tool), perhaps they are not using them right.

 

[jimmy12345678]

That Harbor Freight tools are not "cheap tools" only inexpensive.

If someone is constantly busting them (or any tool), perhaps they are not using them right.

Here in the rust belt, the Harbor Freight Torx and Allen sockets simply do not hold up to the abuse they go through. I’ve broken a few of my Snap On torx sockets as well, but much less often. And I don’t have to make a special trip to swap them out, just wait until the snap on truck stops by. My time after work means more to me than saving a buck.

The problem I find with cheap tools aren’t they they outright fail, just that they don’t fit as snuggly as a better made tool and you’re more likely to round off a fastener by using them. Try using a cheapo open end wrench on a rusty fastener and you’ll splay open the ends and round it off. A better made wrench is much less likely to do that. Heat can help hedge your bets, but the poor quality tools will only do so much.

For DIYers and folks who don’t use them everyday they can be very serviceable, but you still run into the issues I mentioned above.

 

[qqzj]

I only buy tools good enough for my need. It would be super stupid for me to buy snap on etc, or German tools. My China Taiwan tools work very well. If I have spare money to burn, I buy nos Craftsman tool just for collection and price appreciation. Return wise, they beat the sh$t out of snap on.

 

[zendriver]

Here in the rust belt, the Harbor Freight Torx and Allen sockets simply do not hold up to the abuse they go through. I’ve broken a few of my Snap On torx sockets as well, but much less often. And I don’t have to make a special trip to swap them out, just wait until the snap on truck stops by. My time after work means more to me than saving a buck.

The problem I find with cheap tools aren’t they they outright fail, just that they don’t fit as snuggly as a better made tool and you’re more likely to round off a fastener by using them. Try using a cheapo open end wrench on a rusty fastener and you’ll splay open the ends and round it off. A better made wrench is much less likely to do that. Heat can help hedge your bets, but the poor quality tools will only do so much.

For DIYers and folks who don’t use them everyday they can be very serviceable, but you still run into the issues I mentioned above.

I've never cried over any of my tool purchases, but if using them professionally, it probably does make sense to get professional tools.

Why would you consider HF hand tools "disposable" if most of them have a lifetime warranty?

 

[slowtwitch73]

You bring your own needs, circumstances, biases to the table.

Someone else brings theirs.

Whats works for you, may not work for someone else. Doesn't make either invalid.

Same as it ever was, but seems to be lost on a lot of people.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

It's all relative. There is a tipping point where a tool that fails regularly isnt worth the downtime and hassle.

Bit sockets are a good example, high failure rate, you gotta have back ups. Some tool truck items are worth buying to wear them out and make your initial cost back in warranty replacment. Having a truck show up and swap worn stuff is great for minimizing down time. Saves the trips after work, mailing stuff at USPS, etc.


As said, cheap tools do often have por fitment. One needs a quality tool if you want to make money. Not to say tool trucks are the only place to find a quality tool.

 

[AndyL]

Depends on the tool use... Daily use - yeah spend the money. Those tools you pull out once a month or less - nope cheapies FTW.

Except the stripped/sheared/goddamnit that bolts fubar kit - that one you always buy a good one.

 

[IndyGarage]

When I go to buy anything, I want the one that never needs to be fixed - so I don't ever even look at the warranty on anything I buy.

I don't care about the warranty - I'm not going to use it, and I don't want to use it.

Stuff I use a lot, like appliances, and tools and cars - I will forgo the latest features and style to get something that just works. I've mostly found that stuff for me. For me the Harbor Freight stuff is hit and miss. I won't use their power tools, because they just don't hold up. I'd rather find a used Honda small engine than buy a new Harbor freight, because they rattle apart pretty quickly and the Honda doesn't.

I do have some of their specialty stuff that works fine and I have a few socket extensions and breaker bars and impact sockets that work great. I'm less worried about the brand than the performance. Also, for me tools are not a status symbol. I don't care how pretty they are or how pretty their cases are. They are going to get scratched and beaten and bent.

 

[king nero]

Daily/regular use: premium brands (Mostly german for me nowadays, 20 yrs ago all I bought was Facom). As said above, I value my time more, and I hate to break a tool in the middle of a project, on a sunday afternoon, ...

For special jobs like crimping RJ45 connectors, which I only had to do 20 or so during my house renovation, I bought a fairly generic tool. Don't even know the brand. 20-25 USD or so, give or take. Was't going to shell 100+ on a "good" brand.

I also had to buy a 46 mm socket recently for oil changes on a utility vehicle, that I only plan on keeping for a few years. Chinese socket it was.

 

[DGersic]

Here in the rust belt, the Harbor Freight Torx and Allen sockets simply do not hold up to the abuse they go through. I’ve broken a few of my Snap On torx sockets as well, but much less often. And I don’t have to make a special trip to swap them out, just wait until the snap on truck stops by. My time after work means more to me than saving a buck.

The problem I find with cheap tools aren’t they they outright fail, just that they don’t fit as snuggly as a better made tool and you’re more likely to round off a fastener by using them. Try using a cheapo open end wrench on a rusty fastener and you’ll splay open the ends and round it off. A better made wrench is much less likely to do that. Heat can help hedge your bets, but the poor quality tools will only do so much.

For DIYers and folks who don’t use them everyday they can be very serviceable, but you still run into the issues I mentioned above.

Here, further north in the rust belt, the fasteners are no longer the size that fits whatever they were when they left the factory. A sloppy fit 1/2” socket may be ideal for pounding on to what was a 14mm bolt originally but now is not.

Allen and Torx fasteners are awful. Undersized tool to fastener engagement, and once you round out the fastener, good luck getting anything on it to remove it.

I rarely use the open end of a wrench for anything. Box end and sockets are essential. Maybe once it’s loose, then the open end might be used for getting it out, but no serious torque applied. I’ve never spread the open end of a wrench, simply by not using the open end for anything that matters.

 

[jimmy12345678]

It's all relative. There is a tipping point where a tool that fails regularly isnt worth the downtime and hassle.

Bit sockets are a good example, high failure rate, you gotta have back ups. Some tool truck items are worth buying to wear them out and make your initial cost back in warranty replacment. Having a truck show up and swap worn stuff is great for minimizing down time. Saves the trips after work, mailing stuff at USPS, etc.


As said, cheap tools do often have por fitment. One needs a quality tool if you want to make money. Not to say tool trucks are the only place to find a quality tool.

Absolutely

Here, further north in the rust belt, the fasteners are no longer the size that fits whatever they were when they left the factory. A sloppy fit 1/2” socket may be ideal for pounding on to what was a 14mm bolt originally but now is not.

Allen and Torx fasteners are awful. Undersized tool to fastener engagement, and once you round out the fastener, good luck getting anything on it to remove it.

I rarely use the open end of a wrench for anything. Box end and sockets are essential. Maybe once it’s loose, then the open end might be used for getting it out, but no serious torque applied. I’ve never spread the open end of a wrench, simply by not using the open end for anything that matters.

I mainly use an open end on jam nuts for alignments or when the box end won’t fit, which is rare. The same can be said of line wrenches. My old Craftsman set will round off tube nuts way more often than my snappy ones, although here it’s usually a matter of cutting the line, hammering a socket over the fitting and replacing everything. Sometimes you gotta reuse the tube nuts too if it’s something oddball, but usually they’re too rusty and rounded to be worth it.

And yes, hammering the “wrong size” onto a rusty bolt head or nut is something I do very often here as well. As you said, what was once a 14mm might be whittled down to a 1/2 or even 12mm because the head has rusted away.

One worse than a rusty torx or Allen head is a rusty triple square, don’t see many because I don’t service many VWs/Audi’s but once those rust enough it just turns into a circle. Or the 12 point heads on Jeep Wrangler wheel bearing bolts. A good 12 point 1/2 socket or good extractor sockets have saved my *** many times with those on some old rusty POS Jeeps.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Lifetime Warranty Tools Vs. Cheap Disposable Tools​

There's a *ton* of middle ground to be considered.

 

[DGersic]

Absolutely

I mainly use an open end on jam nuts for alignments or when the box end won’t fit, which is rare. The same can be said of line wrenches. My old Craftsman set will round off tube nuts way more often than my snappy ones, although here it’s usually a matter of cutting the line, hammering a socket over the fitting and replacing everything. Sometimes you gotta reuse the tube nuts too if it’s something oddball, but usually they’re too rusty and rounded to be worth it.

And yes, hammering the “wrong size” onto a rusty bolt head or nut is something I do very often here as well. As you said, what was once a 14mm might be whittled down to a 1/2 or even 12mm because the head has rusted away.

One worse than a rusty torx or Allen head is a rusty triple square, don’t see many because I don’t service many VWs/Audi’s but once those rust enough it just turns into a circle. Or the 12 point heads on Jeep Wrangler wheel bearing bolts. A good 12 point 1/2 socket or good extractor sockets have saved my *** many times with those on some old rusty POS Jeeps.

I have both C and SO line wrenches here. And deep sockets. And a small pipe wrench for when the socket fails.

I don’t have anything with a triple square. I intend to keep it that way. I have enough round fasteners to deal with already.

Since I’m not doing this professionally, the convenience of the tool truck isn’t a thing. If I want a SO tool, I’m better off with eBay. If I need a SO warranty, I have to chase down a truck to wherever it stops, then deal with the side eye of not being one of his regular customers.

I buy tools to use. I don’t collect them. I wipe them down, but they’re not polished and never will be. If a tool fails because it was poorly made, I’ll buy a better one. If it fails because I was abusing it, that’s my fault, not the tool’s. I need to change what I’m doing, use a more appropriate tool for the job, or something like that. Sure, I can break a 3/8 ratchet with a 6’ cheater pipe, but that’s just being stupid. Step up to a bigger breaker bar, a bigger drive size, impact tools, or some other more appropriate way to get the fastener off.

 

[d.mcfarland]

Lifetime Warranty Tools Vs. Cheap Disposable Tools​

There's a *ton* of middle ground to be considered.

The same can be said about performance of the tool and I think for many people that is or should be the determining factor.

IF the cheap one doesn't get the job done then the value is zero.

 

[Firebrick43]

That Harbor Freight tools are not "cheap tools" only inexpensive.

If someone is constantly busting them (or any tool), perhaps they are not using them right.

There are tons of cheap **** at harbor freight. Perhaps you haven't used good tools? I have seen some items from there that are ok, but an awful lot are junk.

Just to list the ones that I or my friends have tried and seen fail,

Absolute garbage
pneumatic band grinder, no power
pneumatic need scaler, no power, high air usage
2"x30 belt sander, won't track and broke casting where rest mounted due to being very thin/potmetal.

Useable but **** comparatively
Tire changer, Barely better than using spoons, bead breaker bent, dismounting bar garbage.
sand blaster, leaks like a sieve

 

[kelpaso1]

Wrenches and sockets up to 7/8-19MM Snap on, 1/4 and 3/8 ratchets Snap On, I have never broken a SO wrench, just plain wore out a couple most used sizes. I have broken a couple of chrome SO sockets but only because I used them on an impact gun, so not their fault. My SO wrenches are going on 40 years, 30 in professional every day use. For the home goer buy once and you'll probably never wear any of them out and when you kick the bucket your kids will inherit good quality tools that will probably last their life time also.

 

[tyyost]

The problem I find with cheap tools aren’t they they outright fail, just that they don’t fit as snuggly as a better made tool and you’re more likely to round off a fastener by using them.

This is often how things work for me. I try to buy to the appropriate balance of cost vs actual value. I have lots of tools across the spectrum from harbor freight to snap on and many in between. I still use dozens of my craftsman chrome sockets from the 90s as my go to sockets unless I’m using impacts.

As said above, if I did this every day professionally it’s likely I‘d buy better wrenches, especially ratcheting wrenches since my Gearwrench ones are a hodgepodge of reversing and non reversing, and level up on a few other things. I try really hard to buy professional level power tools, and work them into the cost of the projects along the way. Hand tools are in the golden age of variety and cost, and there are deals to be found all the time. Deals on cordless or corded tools often means you are getting less, either features or longevity.

 

[zendriver]

There are tons of cheap **** at harbor freight. Perhaps you haven't used good tools? I have seen some items from there that are ok, but an awful lot are junk.

Just to list the ones that I or my friends have tried and seen fail,

Absolute garbage
pneumatic band grinder, no power
pneumatic need scaler, no power, high air usage
2"x30 belt sander, won't track and broke casting where rest mounted due to being very thin/potmetal.

Useable but **** comparatively
Tire changer, Barely better than using spoons, bead breaker bent, dismounting bar garbage.
sand blaster, leaks like a sieve

I'm sorry, I thought the discussion was hand tools, that whole "lifetime warranty" thing.

 

[G McKay]

Wow!! And to think- I'm still using my dad's Craftsman power sander and hand jigsaw that my dad bought and used back in the 1950s and 1960s. And they (and others) still work great for me.

 

[JeepYJ]

I used to be one who bought cheap tools thinking “there’s no difference” etc etc. But at this point in my career cheap means very little to me, I’d rather pay more for something good that will last or is easily warrantied. It’s a pain for me to run to Lowe’s/Harbor Freight etc after work to get a tool swapped out and I’d rather not have to deal with that. For most things it’s easier to hand it to the tool truck and have it fixed or replaced than to take time out of my free time to do so. And because of that ease and the service you pay more for tools.

Which brings me to the point of the thread, which is others balking at the notion of paying more for good tools. I’ve heard many times “why would I buy snap on when I can buy the same tool 6 times over from Harbor Freight/etc?” Well IMO if I had to buy a replacement 6 times it was a POS tool to begin with, not even considering the time I wasted running back and forth to the store 6 times as well as the downtime having a cheap tool break in the middle of the job causes.

Cheap tools have their place but I’m over bargain shopping for tools. IMO it wastes more time and money than forking over the money for something good. Buy once, cry once. A very wise person said once that “It can be very expensive to be cheap” and that lesson has been cemented in my head from life experiences.

What do you guys think?

Instead of buying 6 just buy 3. You’ll have two spares and half the money in your pocket. Throw the broken ones in a bucket and take a bucketful in when it’s filled with broken tools.

I've never cried over any of my tool purchases, but if using them professionally, it probably does make sense to get professional tools.

Why would you consider HF hand tools "disposable" if most of them have a lifetime warranty?

Exactly, just take your broken tool in and leave with a new one in less than 5 minutes easy.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

^ It can be tough to fill up a bucket, unless you're buying straight trash. To me one is using the wrong tool, or doing something very specialized to get the job done to have that high of an attrition rate. IMO it's tough to buy true garbage in hand tools, in 2022. Even the HF multi colored sockets or sunex stamped combo wrenches work and fit properly. No, they don't fit like a Williams socket or a Wright wrench, but they're 100% usable and will get the job done. It's like pulling rotted manifold studs. Yeah, you can use a nice 3-lobe stud puller, OR you can suffer with a pair of vice grips. The latter needs WAY more heat to get the job done, but it'll get done. What's your time worth? Odd side note, a pro mechanic can probably get by with crappier fit on tools, since they should have access to real torches to make stuff glow. Obvious life is better and easier with good tools, but when a jam-nut is glowing orange you don't need an amazing open end on your wrench to turn it.

This is often how things work for me. I try to buy to the appropriate balance of cost vs actual value. I have lots of tools across the spectrum from harbor freight to snap on and many in between. I still use dozens of my craftsman chrome sockets from the 90s as my go to sockets unless I’m using impacts.

As said above, if I did this every day professionally it’s likely I‘d buy better wrenches, especially ratcheting wrenches since my Gearwrench ones are a hodgepodge of reversing and non reversing, and level up on a few other things. I try really hard to buy professional level power tools, and work them into the cost of the projects along the way. Hand tools are in the golden age of variety and cost, and there are deals to be found all the time. Deals on cordless or corded tools often means you are getting less, either features or longevity.

When I turned 16 my parents bought me a blow-molded case Craftsman set. I still use those sockets daily on my cart, most you can't identify the size on as they laser etch is 90% gone. Non issue for me as they're in order 8-24 by size. They work well. They don't fit like a Koken or snap-on or SK etc., but they get the job done. IMO if they had just lowered the lead-in taper down to engage more of the fastener head they would've been even better regarded.

 

[JeepYJ]

^ It can be tough to fill up a bucket, unless you're buying straight trash.

Exactly.

 

[Al Borland]

I have Taiwan Husky line wrenches. WAY better than my SK line wrenches. Of course, the SKs are most of 40 years old and may have seen some rough service. (But so have the Huskys).
Hex and Torx bits, mixed feelings. If you are breaking them regularly, get better bits. Or look at how you are using them.
I don't have easy access to a tool truck, and not interested in Grainger's overpriced offerings.
For work, HD and HF work just fine. The tools will probably go AWOL after a job or three anyways.
At home, my regularly used tools are old. Mostly American, but no warranties.
Whatever. They're paid for. And they work just fine.

 

[CHI_Tool&Die]

I've been replacing all my cheap hand tools for the house and work with higher-quality stuff. For me, it is literally the fit that has me sold. My Proto sockets have no play in them - on the fastener or on the ratchet. All of my Tekton, Gearwrench, Capri all had a slop that just made it maddening (for me) when I was working with them. I am dumping all my Capri bit sockets from work for the same reason. They are good quality tools, but it's such a pain to have them constantly bouncing around on the drive square, especially when I'm using them with my Wera speed ratchets like a screwdriver. It's not just COO either. My Wera Taiwan sockets are freaking tight and take a beating. Same with some of my Taiwan Craftsman stuff. I've had tons of German stuff just absolutely fail. But generally, it's the big names that tend to produce quality stuff and it tends to come from the US/Japan/Europe/Taiwan.

Personally, if you are looking at industrial brands or similar the price isn't outrageous. Sure, I will splurge on some things like my SK ratchet or some Wera hex keys. But my Bondhus, Proto, Felo, etc. stuff has been within maybe $10 of the big box store stuff. I find the key, something I learned in hindsight and wish I could have put into practice, is to get what you need. No need to blow $300 on a 15 piece wrench set if the $100 11 piece set will fill all your needs. That way you can get really, really nice quality stuff and keep it well within a budget. I can't tell you how many random-*** sized sockets and wrenches and bit sockets I have that I will never use but I just had to get the full set. Waste of money.

 

[rancherbill]

Well IMO if I had to buy a replacement 6 times it was a POS tool to begin with, not even considering the time I wasted running back and forth to the store 6 times as well as the downtime having a cheap tool break in the middle of the job causes.

What the heck do you do with them that you'd break them let alone 6 times. I seldom break tools, I can't remember that last hand tool I broke.

You could buy one toolbox drawer of Snapon or a cabinet full of decent import tools.

I like have shallow, mid size and deep sockets in 1/4 3/8 1/2 in metric and imperial.

 

[Gurp]

Generally I like lower budget but good enough to fit my needs.
Its usually somewhere in the middle.
I have everything from Proto to HF in my box.
It all has a place. As long as you know how much you're going to use a tool and roughly how hard on it you'll be. you can not over spend and get just what you need.

 

[lardy1]

My father was a tradesman as well. He taught me to buy the best tool I can afford. That raises questions of its own but the premise was to avoid the pitfalls of being tightass. He always said that only rich people can afford cheap tools.

You bring your own needs, circumstances, biases to the table.

Someone else brings theirs.

Whats works for you, may not work for someone else. Doesn't make either invalid.

Same as it ever was, but seems to be lost on a lot of people.

10-4, Eleanor. We seem to exert a lot of energy trying to convince others of something that's really none of our affair.

 

[beemerphile]

I tend to inhabit the upper middle ground somewhere between designer tools and disposable tools. I've "broken" very few hand tools of any description and length of warranty doesn't come into play. Key for me with wrenches I am going to use frequently is how they feel - slender and polished vs. thick and rough. Hex bits I go high end because the cheap ones are clearly disposable. Handled drivers I go high(er) end because it takes that to get a driver with a good feel.

 

[Dave455]

Just an observation, but here in the U.K. many of the cheaper tools come with a “lifetime warranty” anyway. If the unit cost of a tool isn’t that great, it’s an inexpensive thing to give a warranty.

My personal experience is that these things are little more than a marketing gimmick for the most part. If you buy a tool, and it turns out to be genuinely faulty, most reputable makers will replace it anyway. Not the case if you wear it out, but that’s not what a warranty is for (or at least shouldn’t be).

As for what quality level to get, buy according to your needs. I avoid the cheapest tools like the plague. There is a whole strata of tools, generally Chinese made, that don’t really function at all. Waste of money.

There are some very good “mid range” tools out there, often european made, but I include the better (not all) Taiwanese tools now. I get totally boggled when I read these threads about “I don’t know whether to get the cheapest Chinese tools or Snap On” There are literally a world of tools in between, quality wise.

If you like some top end tools, then go for ‘em, but buy wisely. Sure, pay up for top end American, European or Japanese made tools, but for goodness sake don’t go buying mid range Taiwan tools off a tool truck just because you get a “warranty”!

I personally find I need different “grades” of tools anyway. I have some “top end” tools, but I keep them for “top end” tasks. Would I use the same Snap On socket that I use to strip an aircraft wheel, for working on a building project? No!

 

[AldeanFan]

Here’s my experience,
When I worked in a shop during college I had mostly lifetime warranty Mastercraft tools from Canadian Tire, and a few tool truck tools.

I cracked a truck brand 11mm socket using it on a ratchet, after waiting a week for the truck to come by they accused me of using it on an impact and wouldn’t warranty it.

I broke a truck brand 1/2” breaker bar at the head. After waiting two weeks for the truck to come by they told me I wasn’t old enough to have bought it new so they wouldn’t warranty it. I took it to Home Depot and they exchanged it for a Husky breaker bar.

I cracked a 3/4” socket from Canadian tire and stopped at the store on my way home from work and had a new one in my hand in 5min, no questions asked.
same when I broke the handles of a pair of side cutters.

Canadian Tire had me back to work with replacement tools immediately, the truck made me wait a week to deny my warranty.

 

[nmantas]

No one has mentioned distance/time to replacement. If you live deep in the sticks and work on stuff you tend to buy better and in multiples because that broken torx bit can just about shut you down for days. At least that is what a shop worker told me in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where tool trucks are rarer sights than cougers and albino deer.

 

[02camaro86]

Here’s my experience,
When I worked in a shop during college I had mostly lifetime warranty Mastercraft tools from Canadian Tire, and a few tool truck tools.

I cracked a truck brand 11mm socket using it on a ratchet, after waiting a week for the truck to come by they accused me of using it on an impact and wouldn’t warranty it.

I broke a truck brand 1/2” breaker bar at the head. After waiting two weeks for the truck to come by they told me I wasn’t old enough to have bought it new so they wouldn’t warranty it. I took it to Home Depot and they exchanged it for a Husky breaker bar.

I cracked a 3/4” socket from Canadian tire and stopped at the store on my way home from work and had a new one in my hand in 5min, no questions asked.
same when I broke the handles of a pair of side cutters.

Canadian Tire had me back to work with replacement tools immediately, the truck made me wait a week to deny my warranty.

bet you will be in business WAY longer than that truck guy.... wow.

i simply buy high quality stuff for the tolorances, in NJ stuff can get pretty crusty and having nice tools that fit tight and dont round stuff can be the difference between an easy job and an ordeal. search ebay and facebook marketplace and getting nice stuff isnt as far out of reach as you may think and its holds its value if you ever need to sell it.

 

[Fly YX]

I bought lots of stuff off the truck over the years. At my new job doing light rail I can’t get a truck to stop in. Talked to the Snap On guy He told me He is in my area every Thursday at 8:30. And that he would text me but he never has I looked for him a few times but never see him. Filled out the online form for the other tool trucks but have not heard back. Now mostly get my tools from Wright Tekton HF Capri or one of the big box stores now. If I do need to warranty something it’s not a big deal if I get it from one of those stores. If a truck tool breaks I will have to call them a hopefully I get someone that will exchange it on the phone. Was a fan of SK but they are still working out the new facility everything on their website is sold out.

 

[Kscardsfan]

Price is what you pay, value is what you get-Warren Buffet. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to get a good quality product, you just have to fit the needs to the price. Life is a giant cost/benefit analysis balancing act, and it’s no different buying tools. If I know I’ll use something regularly, or if the fit is important to me I’ll spend more money on it. If it’s something I’m likely going to use one time, or it’s being bought to sacrifice for some part of the project, low melting point, Velveeta grade Chinese steel is a winner there.
My dad always taught us, and his students, that value is perceived benefits/cost. If I think that Snap On is the only way that it’ll get done, than it’s worth $40 for one wrench or $20 for a socket. If I’m reasonably sure that a HF or Autozone special will get, it I’m all about $5.99 for a rack of cheap sockets. The main thing I’ve learned from working in trades, hanging around real mechanics and other pros, and just from my own life, is that when you find the sweet spot between cost and quality you’re a happy man. My box is a hodgepodge of Snap On, Mac, and Matco. Older (USA) Craftsman, Proto, Williams, all the way down to HF and other no name Chinese **** so I don’t feel bad about making a special wrench with a torch and bench vise.
someone else pointed out above about breaking tools/warranty needs and saying it’s probably abuse more often than outright failure. It got me to thinking about the tools I have warrantied out, and I would guess 60-75% of them were abuse more than failure. I know I broke at least one Craftsman claw hammer handle, which I’m sure I missed on the swing with it. I know I busted a pair of Craftsman pliers at the joint, which made me feel like a hell of a man at 17 years old lol. I returned a ton of a ratchets that were most likely needing lubed or a fresh spring, but they just swapped them out. But the rest of them were more than likely abuse/misuse I placed on them that they replaced under warranty. Using the right tool for the right application, which isn’t always convenient or easy, is usually way more productive than putting 6’ of cheater pipe or getting a 12 lbs sledgehammer out for a 3/8” nut that’s seized up.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Yup... you pay for that amazing warranty.. and every other knucklehead's warranty. Warranty Culture... you heard it here first.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Really just depends what it is. For example to me Snap-on chrome sockets are a complete waste of money. There are so many manufacturers with good chrome sockets and Snap-on drives me crazy because their deep sockets aren’t as deep as other brands. Here is a recent example of mine when I started a new job back in June I bought a nice Icon pick set well they were almost just as bad as the Pittsburgh set so I had been looking to upgrade so found a Snap-on set on eBay for $50 new old style soft handles and purchased them and the week I’ve been using them they seem so much better than that $14 Icon set. So in my opinion it depends on what it is. But for the most part I buy quality lifetime warranty tools and in the rare cases I have to use the warranty it’s no issue. Really the only times I have had to use the warranty is on stuff broken bought at the pawn shop. I have cracked plenty of 14mm and 17mm sockets on Subaru drain plugs too so I need a quality 14mm and 17mm as my SK always broke so did a few other brands too.

So basically just about any tool needs to be quality but cheap disposable tools have their place too if you consider them cheap and disposable. Like the Pittsburgh picks are good for pulling plugs out of RTV when it hardens at the end of the tube lol. And stirring anti seize but that’s about it.

 

[M635_Guy]

I think this topic has been covered here directly and indirectly dozens of times, so this:

You bring your own needs, circumstances, biases to the table.

Someone else brings theirs.

Whats works for you, may not work for someone else. Doesn't make either invalid.

Same as it ever was, but seems to be lost on a lot of people.

 

[zendriver]

If I have a needed tool break and for whatever reason(s), I can't have a warranty replacement within 30 seconds, I just buy something that will work from elsewhere and address the warranty replacement later.

Doesn't really happen much anyway, but hey I'm only "DIY"

 

[wafrederick]

If I have to make a tool,the cheap disposable tools come in handy.