Need tool brand help?

[clean1]

Hey whats goin on guys. I've been lurking here for a few months now checking out some of the great projects you all. I have recently decided to restore a old craftsman chest I scored off craigslist like for 150 as my second tool chest. I know sum will say CM boxes are trash but I could beat the price. the guy did a custom paint job on it. Im thinking about sanding it down and repaint it candy green w/ black drawer trim. My main question is I'm looking for a reasonable brand I can rebuild my collection of tools around and fill this new chest. I currently have a mixture of brands i have collected base on need over the time between craftsman sockets, HF , and other store brands. However I am looking to become more organized and uniform with this new box. I am looking for a brand reasonable in price and quality, and fairly is to get a hand on. I am no Pro but I do have my share of toys and projects that i work on from cars, trucks, motorcycles, custom moblie A/V, home stuff, etc.
I sure most will throw out snap on to begin with but I'm gonna keep it real I'm not on a snap on budget right now. Believe me I wish I was lol. Any suggestion are appreciated.

 

[clean1]

pics

 

[jjjrmx5]

Welcome to GJ.

I think the largest challenge these days is that the old tried and true method of set building using a single tool line ( buy C'man or buy tools off the truck) has its flaws. Buying tools off the trucks (snap-On etc.) is often cost prohibitive for almost all folks, but with C'man now offshoring a lot if not most of their tool line, the idea of buying mid quality (and now somewhat overpriced) tools just for teh C''man name is not cost efficient.

For sockets and the starter sets, C'man is still a hell of a deal as long as still made in the USA.

Outside of that, I;d spend a day reading the threads on GJ to get an idea what is out there and how you want to approach your buying process.

Buying good tools at brick and mortar stores is getting harder and harder. On the internet, you can get almost anything, but if the tools is used often, you might also want to think warranty process meaning buying a tool out of Germany may be great, but if it takes 3 weeks to get it serviced or replaced, then issues may arise.

Last is budget. There are ****** tools out there. But in some instances, a tool from Harbor Freight may be acceptable. In other cases, tools that are identical to the high end and truck tools are out there too with great savings. And on top of that, some high end truck tools are totally worth saving up for and spending on as they are heads above the competition.

Do a lot of reading on GJ and you'll be 80% of teh way there and members can help with the rest.

 

[clean1]

Thanks... Good info

 

[countryroad82]

My opinion for the DIYer is Craftsman or SK. Granted Craftsman is going overseas but still easy to warranty. SK is a great brand imo, I really like thier screwdrivers personally.

 

[SnowHill11]

I'm personally a fan of the Danaher group, although I'm disappointed that they too have started to off shore some of their lines, I still feel the Armstrong tool line is a great value, Made in USA, and easily available on Ebay and throughout the web, at least for sockets and wrenches, I also think channellock is a great brand for all types of pliers, again USA and readily available. As far as other tools I'm still learning myself and drawing from this vast resource : )