Professional tools for shadetree mechanics

[Jim Diesel]

Buy quality where its needed.

Completely agree.

 

[madmanc]

am a shade tree mechanic and started of with cheap tools with my first car when younger and up graded as the years went by , am still a shade tree now but with time i have bought britool and snap on and facom all good tools , they have lasted me years and still look and perform very well , i can pass these all down to my grandkids .

 

[Robinson1]

I have never regretted buying quality tools.

This

That being said most pro mechanics around here use a "good enough" brand. In shop settings I see alot of Craftsman and Napa branded tools.

Service trucks alot of off brand and no name sockets and wrenches especially the really big sizes

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

At home working on our own vehicles, Craftsman tools served me well for some 40 or 50 years. Where I've found top quality is a must are allen head sockets, ZNX ( the German spline one), and Philips screwdrivers . I use Wera now but in the past I used Stanley, Will, Cluthe', and Record.

At work on machinery, the rules are different.

 

[theoldwizard1]

95% Craftsman, including a lot of hand held power tools (their old Industrial line were very good). 90% of those are over 30 years old.

Segue - I have a CP impact and air hammer, but they were "special" versions sold only by Sears and had a Craftsman label on the back (and CP cast into the housing side).

 

[HaroRider]

Im just a DIY hack. But I tackle some pretty big jobs at home. Certainly its not day in and out, but when your doing a big job the last thing you want is your tools to fail you. I cant count how many times I cheaped out on a tool and regretted it.

Besides the fact I like to "collect" nice tools.