Local Sears Closing - Which Tool to switch to?

[dirtydogintex]

huhh?

 

[jroddy 1713]

I second Armstrong at fastenal. I've used Armstrong for years and have never been let down ..even in the oilfields and heavy abuse and use I'd put them above any other

 

[Southern]

I am going to vehemently disagree with the people saying Kobalt is the best of the brands listed in the OP. I find Husky to be far better.

Although I'd probably be goin SK were I the OP.

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

no menards around here

 

[Brownsfan]

I am going to vehemently disagree with the people saying Kobalt is the best of the brands listed in the OP. I find Husky to be far better.

Although I'd probably be goin SK were I the OP.

Have you actually compared them lately? I have and the Kobalt hands down won for me. Now I am only talking about ratchets, sockets and wrencehs. The Kobalt ratchets are much better than the Huskey equivelent.

 

[danski0224]

So my local Sears is closing...which is an extreme PITA. Highlighted this weekend when I broke a 17mm socket...now I cant exchange it easily like before. That leaves Lowes/Kobalt, HD/Husky, and TSC/MasterHand branded tools. Any one better then the other?

I would suggest buy whatever you want that is most convenient at the time. Use whatever standards you want to with respect to CoO and such.

Kobalt and Husky have gone through some pretty big changes over the last few years. What happens if/when one of those retailers goes under and you have a bunch of their stuff?

The warranty thing is nice, but it is meaningless if the supplier isn't around anymore.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

I would suggest buy whatever you want that is most convenient at the time. Use whatever standards you want to with respect to CoO and such.

Kobalt and Husky have gone through some pretty big changes over the last few years. What happens if/when one of those retailers goes under and you have a bunch of their stuff?

The warranty thing is nice, but it is meaningless if the supplier isn't around anymore.

You got a point...and after reading all the responses and such, I think the new mentality is to forget about the retailer and brand and just go with something thats good quality, not expensive and that way if I can warranty it great...if not, no biggie, I'm only out 3-4 bucks. Who would have thought that even Sears/Craftsman would be in such a finanical bind...was just reading & hearing this AM they were hurtin even more then I thought. Its obvious that in this new economy, NO brand is 100% safe...not even Twinkies.

 

[GShelton]

I have been a long, long time Craftsman user. I too am looking to abandon them due to recent changes. But the issue I am having is finding a tool line that has the selection as Craftsman does. (Without having to mortgage the house to buy a wrench. LOL!) It has been a few years since I really looked into this, but has the Kobalt/Husky line increased the selection of sizes? Does SK/Armstrong and the like have the same selection as Craftsman?

 

[someone else]

You can get a lot of Armstrong stuff from Amazon. Get a prime account and everything is to you in 2 days for free, shorter time if a distro center is near you. I find their prices are better than Fastenal a lot of the time.

 

[cattleranchmarch]

I would go with the Kobalt. I don't really like the Husky tools. I don't know if this is an option for you but I bought some Evercraft sockets from NAPA that are really nice.

 

[zer0cell]

I actually changed my mind... id go with kobalt as well... easily available and decent quality with a low price. the new husky adjustable wrenches look decent though as well

 

[PT Doc]

If you feel that your time is worth more tha shipping it to the warranty dept, then just go buy Kobalt as replace the broken piece. At some point you will be near a sears and then you will have an extra. Just in case you break it again. Seems like you have made up your mind.

 

[byoungblood]

I'd spend more money on the stuff that isn't likely to break without being abused, ie., wrenches and sockets. Chances are you'll never break either one unless the tool itself was defective from the get go if you start out with a quality brand to begin with, making the warranty relatively moot. For items such as those I have lately been preferring Wright.

Screwdrivers, bit sockets, universal joints, breaker bars, etc., are probably something that you want to be able to warranty easily. Most of my broken tools have fallen into those categories, so being able to swap them out conveniently is a must.

 

[greasemonkey44]

honestly id just buy what ever is available to you; i have a sweet spot for gearwrench
and most advance auto parts have a pretty large selection
i bought alot of kobalt when it was on deep discount a month ago; its pretty nice for the money, and there are tons of lowes around

 

[rodm1]

Wright

 

[firebox40dash5]

Though the cost is $1 more than you could buy the single socket for retail, you should be happy they will replace the lost ones at all...

If you pay me more than retail, I'll replace anything you do anything with.

Dropped your $3 screwdriver down the septic tank cleanout? For just $5, I'll get you a new one!

 

[IONH]

If you pay me more than retail, I'll replace anything you do anything with.

Dropped your $3 screwdriver down the septic tank cleanout? For just $5, I'll get you a new one!

How nice of you.