Born & raised in Boston and life's long journey has deposited me in Maine for the last 10 or so uears.... Husband, father & professional wrench turner...
So although my situation isn't special or unique in any particular way, it is somewhat wee suited to benefit from all of the experience and info TGJ has to offer.
I spent the first part of my career as a TeleTech in the inner city, which basically means I used small hand tools, stripped lots of CAT5, and stared at lots of test equipment. A few years I spent behind desks trying to explain how to fix things and now, I spend my days fixing and maintaining all kinds of manufacturing equipment (conveyors, spin dryers, VFD's, PLC's, Baldor Motors, a variety of Urschel stuff, 3M tape/boxing machines etc., etc., etc., oh yeah.. & do all the building maintenance too). Essentially what this all means is that I use just about the most general assortment of tools imaginable. When I say general I mean ratchets, wrenches, screwdrivers , pliers, Allens, some striking tools... I do use some more specialized stuff occasionally, like my Fluke t+ Pro, tap & die, pullers, knockout sets and so on. Nothing exactly exotic.
I wouldn't say I am a snob, but I like the best of all things. I appreciate outstanding craftsmanship, design and innovation.This usually translates to the tools (and everything else I buy) being expensive.. My place of work provides a meager, nearly useless assortment of Husky hand tools mixed with the occasional Greenlee screwdriver of nut driver. It is really a sad state of affairs and translates into me getting zero enjoyment out of using my tools. Because of this I am starting from scratch and need just about all the stuff mentioned above. My plan looks like this.
-Wrenches = Proto/Wright/SK
-Ratchets = Ditto
-Pliers = Channellock
-Hex = ?? Bondhus t-handles maybe (already have a set of ball end L's in SAE & Metric
-Striking tools = ??
I omitted screwdrivers from that list because I just bought a thorough set of PB's (which are incredible btw). I would really appreciate your guidance and recommendations on what the best of the best is in all the above categories. I am really leaning toward SK for the wrwnches and ratchets (yesterday it was Wright) because thay have such an amazing selection and their chromium is just the best which to me translates to longevity... and I have considered Knipex for pliers, however, I think Channellock's quality is just as good, they are USA made and the cost of Knipex seems completely out of line when Channellock is just as good at a third of the cost.
Please provide you advice, feedback and suggestions. I literally (well apart from the PB's and a Milwaukee utility knife) am starting from scratch so any and all info is welcome. I look forward to being a member of TGJ. Thanks.
So although my situation isn't special or unique in any particular way, it is somewhat wee suited to benefit from all of the experience and info TGJ has to offer.
I spent the first part of my career as a TeleTech in the inner city, which basically means I used small hand tools, stripped lots of CAT5, and stared at lots of test equipment. A few years I spent behind desks trying to explain how to fix things and now, I spend my days fixing and maintaining all kinds of manufacturing equipment (conveyors, spin dryers, VFD's, PLC's, Baldor Motors, a variety of Urschel stuff, 3M tape/boxing machines etc., etc., etc., oh yeah.. & do all the building maintenance too). Essentially what this all means is that I use just about the most general assortment of tools imaginable. When I say general I mean ratchets, wrenches, screwdrivers , pliers, Allens, some striking tools... I do use some more specialized stuff occasionally, like my Fluke t+ Pro, tap & die, pullers, knockout sets and so on. Nothing exactly exotic.
I wouldn't say I am a snob, but I like the best of all things. I appreciate outstanding craftsmanship, design and innovation.This usually translates to the tools (and everything else I buy) being expensive.. My place of work provides a meager, nearly useless assortment of Husky hand tools mixed with the occasional Greenlee screwdriver of nut driver. It is really a sad state of affairs and translates into me getting zero enjoyment out of using my tools. Because of this I am starting from scratch and need just about all the stuff mentioned above. My plan looks like this.
-Wrenches = Proto/Wright/SK
-Ratchets = Ditto
-Pliers = Channellock
-Hex = ?? Bondhus t-handles maybe (already have a set of ball end L's in SAE & Metric
-Striking tools = ??
I omitted screwdrivers from that list because I just bought a thorough set of PB's (which are incredible btw). I would really appreciate your guidance and recommendations on what the best of the best is in all the above categories. I am really leaning toward SK for the wrwnches and ratchets (yesterday it was Wright) because thay have such an amazing selection and their chromium is just the best which to me translates to longevity... and I have considered Knipex for pliers, however, I think Channellock's quality is just as good, they are USA made and the cost of Knipex seems completely out of line when Channellock is just as good at a third of the cost.
Please provide you advice, feedback and suggestions. I literally (well apart from the PB's and a Milwaukee utility knife) am starting from scratch so any and all info is welcome. I look forward to being a member of TGJ. Thanks.