Tool brand question

[KansasArt]

Hoping this doesn’t open up a can of worms because I know some of you guys are really passionate about certain brands. Not my intention nor am I trolling.
Most of my wrenches, sockets, ratchets... were purchased in the 90’s to 2000’s. Most are c-man with a few truck branded stuff thrown in. If I needed a particular socket or wrench I picked it up at Napa. Needing to do some upgrading. So I’m wondering what brands are in between big box and truck brands. I’m assuming that the big box tools are lesser quality sourced from china. If that’s not true, please correct me. Not a pro, but I do almost all my own work and work on the kids stuff as well as friends vehicles. So don’t need (or can afford!) the truck brands. So what’s in between the big box and truck stuff? What’s good and what’s to be avoided?

Thanks!

 

[sponfit]

Sk, Williams

 

[outwestjake]

I work in industrial bottling and have come across quite a few different brands,

I started out with Craftsman for wrenches/sockets/ratchets.
However, here are some other brands in my box that I feel are notable:

Wera - A German company that makes very nice Sockets and Ratchets (a bit pricey for a set). I would not recommend their ratchet wrenches because they don't come with an angle for knuckle clearance.

Proto - Ratcheting Wrenches - I feel like they make the best ratcheting wrenches, but they are definitely a bit pricey. I've used older craftsmans before without any problems.

Wiha - Allen Wrenches - I really like the Wihas for allen wrenches, they just seem to grab better than most. Wera makes good ones too though.

As far as regular box/open end wrenches, I still have my original craftsman set. Not sure how the newer ones are though.

 

[Shane6377]

There is a lot of other info that will probably determine the best response to your question.

Does COO matter? What's wrong with your current tools that you are wanting to replace them? New or used?

Also consider what you will be doing with them. If you're just doing automotive work big box store brands like Husky and Kobalt would be fine for most things.

That being said... SK, Williams and Proto are my go-to. They are every bit as good as tool truck tools without paying for the name. Tekton and GearWrench get a lot of praise too but I only have a few pieces so I can't speak to their whole line of tools.


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[Fedwrench]

Let's start off by saying that the quality gap between a truck brand tool and other brands have narrowed considerably over the last 20 years.
Let me follow that up by saying, that I seldom if ever, recommend a single brand for everything. I prefer to pick and choose the best each brand has to offer. Next, you need to shop around for the best deal as there is often a wide price spread for the same item.
Now what's wrong with what you have and what are you looking to upgrade?

Are you looking for fine tooth ratchets to replace the older Craftsman/Napa versions? long pattern wrenches? better pliers? If you narrow your focus, i can give you a better answer.

 

[Dave455]

The short answer is, probably about 90% of the manufacturers out there, with the caveat that they are in between on price, not necessarily quality. I see some of the ‘truck’ brands (MAC for sure, I believe Matco too, but don’t see them) are substituting more and more Taiwanese tools, but not reducing prices. In these cases, you can almost certainly pay less, but get better tools!

So, what is there? Well, assuming we are talking wrenches, sockets etc, lets start in the U.S.A. There’s S.K. Williams (make sure you get the U.S. made - not all are), Proto and Wright. All have strong and weak areas, but if you buy sensibly, you are unlikely to be disappointed.

From Europe there are Stahlwille (German) Hazet (German) Gedore (German) Elora (German) Heyco (German) Facom (French but owned by Stanley so lots of outsourcing now) SAM (French) Beta (Italian, but cheaper tools outsourced) USAG (Italian) and King **** (British).

Again, all have strengths and weaknesses. Stahlwille and Hazet are probably up there with Snap On for quality (and some items they do better - Hazet bit sockets, for example). Facom produce some unique, and nicely finished tools. King **** excel at big hefty tools without big hefty prices.

From Japan you have KTC and KoKen. KTC are probably the nearest you will find to Snap On in terms of the range on offer. Their premier line, Nepros, is probably superior to Snap On, but don’t expect them to be cheap. KoKen only offers sockets and accessories, but they excel at this and are increasingly my ‘go to’ maker. They probably typify the ‘mid range’ but with the observation that, at least here in the U.K, they probably offer 95% of Snap on quality for about 35% of the price!

 

[lardy1]

Favorite brand threads tend to go off the rails pretty fast. The best advice has already been given. Be more specific and don't expect one brand to be the best at everything. Lot's of great options out there if you ask questions, sort the good info from the ******** and can afford to wait for deals.

Good luck. Tool shopping is a gas.

 

[Super Sport]

For the most part it's hard to go wrong, even cheap tools today are pretty good quality. It does make a difference if you're looking at buying American made tools or not, and if you are, expect to spend quite a bit more. Craftsman used to fill an excellent price point, but with them gone, it's hard to find reasonably priced USA-made wrenches/sockets/ratchets.

For USA-made, there's Wright, Williams, Proto, and SK. I've handled quite a few new tools from each, and I think Wright and Proto have the nicest initial quality, but I'm sure all hold up about the same.

For imports, I don't see a point in paying big bucks for a name, since most are about the same quality and many are even made in the same plants. Gearwrench is good, so is most of the offerings at Harbor Freight. Some on here like Napa Carlyle. Tekton is another I'd recommend.

For specific tools, some brands really lead the pack on quality. Knipex, for example, makes probably the best pliers available, and they're not too badly priced. The Germans also offer some of the best screwdrivers, with Wiha, Wera, and Felo all being excellent quality. Bondhus and Wiha make great hex/allen tools. Wright offers some of the nicest combination wrenches. Mac is my go-to for knurled socket extensions. If you still use adjustable wrenches, Irega is the Spanish OEM for a number of brands including Channellock, and I think they're some of the best.

 

[BrandoJames]

I'd recommend looking at the "Truck Tool Equivalents" thread on this board. You can save a lot of money & pick up quality tools by viewing that thread. Good luck.

 

[toolaholic]

If you can find them I like Armstrong ratchets. I like proto sockets . I like Wright and proto wrenches , I like SK Gpro if you can find them ratcheting wrenches. Wiha hex drivers and screwdrivers,

 

[Davefr]

Unless you need highly specialized automotive tools or the "value added" services of a dealer, then there's virtually no "in between" tool that can't be found that's equal to tool truck quality but at much better pricing.

Shop the tool, not the brand and be more specific in what you're looking for.

 

[Shelbylex]

How soon do you need the tools?
For the ones you need immediately, consider SK, PROTO
If you have time, buy what you need to get fast and then slowly look for deals. You might be able to get Snap On and other truck brand tools cheaper from yard sales, CL, etc. But - will take time if you want great deals...

 

[belvedere]

In addition to the suggestions above, take a look at Carlyle (NAPA).

 

[parks31]

Another vote for Wright tools.They are made in USA check and good quality.

I would also look at SK very dependable tools.

I will say though if you have the option of a truck consider it for the single reason it is going to be there for a long time (warranty purpose if needed). Snap on has been around for 100 years and I do not see it going any place.

 

[richfinn]

The short answer is, probably about 90% of the manufacturers out there, with the caveat that they are in between on price, not necessarily quality. I see some of the ‘truck’ brands (MAC for sure, I believe Matco too, but don’t see them) are substituting more and more Taiwanese tools, but not reducing prices. In these cases, you can almost certainly pay less, but get better tools!

So, what is there? Well, assuming we are talking wrenches, sockets etc, lets start in the U.S.A. There’s S.K. Williams (make sure you get the U.S. made - not all are), Proto and Wright. All have strong and weak areas, but if you buy sensibly, you are unlikely to be disappointed.

From Europe there are Stahlwille (German) Hazet (German) Gedore (German) Elora (German) Heyco (German) Facom (French but owned by Stanley so lots of outsourcing now) SAM (French) Beta (Italian, but cheaper tools outsourced) USAG (Italian) and King **** (British).

Again, all have strengths and weaknesses. Stahlwille and Hazet are probably up there with Snap On for quality (and some items they do better - Hazet bit sockets, for example). Facom produce some unique, and nicely finished tools. King **** excel at big hefty tools without big hefty prices.

From Japan you have KTC and KoKen. KTC are probably the nearest you will find to Snap On in terms of the range on offer. Their premier line, Nepros, is probably superior to Snap On, but don’t expect them to be cheap. KoKen only offers sockets and accessories, but they excel at this and are increasingly my ‘go to’ maker. They probably typify the ‘mid range’ but with the observation that, at least here in the U.K, they probably offer 95% of Snap on quality for about 35% of the price!

I think my Koken sockets are as good as my Snap-On

 

[MJO]

Can't go wrong with USA made tools, I'd buy used locally or off ebay, great deals on tools that will last you a lifetime.

 

[Citation]

Hoping this doesn’t open up a can of worms because I know some of you guys are really passionate about certain brands. Not my intention nor am I trolling.
Most of my wrenches, sockets, ratchets... were purchased in the 90’s to 2000’s. Most are c-man with a few truck branded stuff thrown in. If I needed a particular socket or wrench I picked it up at Napa. Needing to do some upgrading. So I’m wondering what brands are in between big box and truck brands. I’m assuming that the big box tools are lesser quality sourced from china. If that’s not true, please correct me. Not a pro, but I do almost all my own work and work on the kids stuff as well as friends vehicles. So don’t need (or can afford!) the truck brands. So what’s in between the big box and truck stuff? What’s good and what’s to be avoided?

Thanks!

Why are you upgrading? What's wrong with the current tools or are you looking to make a new set? The majority of my Cman tools are from the same time frame. The sockets are fine and no reason to upgrade. The wrenches are on the short side so I can see a reason to add long pattern wrenches to go with. Same with adding some ratcheting wrenches.

The only are where my old Cman is really lacking is ratchets. I've since added some roto head ratchets as well as some Husky 72t and a Stanley extending 3/8 ratchet. I'm now good on ratchets. I think you will find that your needs aren't better served with more expensive tools in general.

 

[gatlibs]

If you are upgrading to specialized tools for certain purposes, then please be aware that the exact same items that truck brands sell.can be had under different names. Non-hard line items are usually not produced by the companies selling tools on the trucks. There is a large sticky thread called tool truck equivalents.

 

[HomeTheaterMan]

The inbetween would be the USA made Craftsman stuff but it sounds like that's what you already have. You won't do much better imo without spending a bunch more money.

There are lots of good brands, but not many where id recommend one brand for everything.

SK is great, Wera, Williams, etc.

If you need something a bit cheaper and COO doesn't matter, I've also had decent luck with Gearwrench.

When it comes to wrenches and imo ratchets, it's hard to beat Snap On. I'm also a big fan of their screwdrivers. If you need more than you have with your Craftsman, I'd probably pick up a used SO ratchet, wrench set, screwdriver set, and stick with your Craftsman sockets.

The Craftsman USA made pliers were pretty good too. However, if you really need more, Knipex is the way to go there.

To make solid recommendations, we really need to know more about what's wrong with your current tools and what you want to improve.

 

[KansasArt]

Thanks for the replies. I see I didn’t quite explain myself correctly by saying upgrading. Nothing wrong with what I have. I should have phrased that to say “expanding” or “adding too”. The suggested companies are exactly what I was looking for. COO is important to me, I do try to buy USA made if possible/prudent. This gives me plenty to choose from and many items to study.

 

[Negen]

For USA made tools there are always small stuff people forget about some times.

Jackson tools used to be and I think still see american made shovels , hammers , wheel barrel etc but could be wrong about 100% coo. But still an American company with american steal.


Warwood hammers are nice. I have one small 1-1.5 lb sledge type striking hammer that comes in handy when you need to beat the snot out of something.

Wilde tools are very affordable but inconsistent in what they make it seems. But prey bars and pliers and other things of use.

Also don't discredit wall mart for some USA made tools. It looks like they are phasing out their hyper tough line but their new hart line looks maybe better? I have a nice USA made hyper tough fiber glass ( or some sort of plastic ) level they also have a new hart brand aluminum level that looks good.

Empire tools makes some nice torpedo levels and other measurement tools that come in handy.

Enders makes some handy chisels
Bucks brothers also makes some chisels

Drill hog makes somewhat affordable USA made drill bits.

Bondhus and eklind are USA made hex keys and other stuff

Ullman picks and pick up tools are great

These brands are most of my USA made stuff besides the standard sockets and wrenches I have sk and proto sockets and pilers I prefer proto over sk for sockets. I have wright wrenches which are great.

Hope this helps. These are some of the brands I use I am simple home owner guy who attempts to fix and or build stuff around the house. I am not a mechanic or have any trade that would require a collection of tools.

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[FSrepair&fabrication]

I have a mix of alot of brands. Mostly USA, some offshore. Snap on is my favorite for ratchets, extensions, and screwdrivers. But since thats out of the price range my recommendations are:

Wright - Usa made and very tough. Great ratchets and sockets, my favorite brand of wrench as well. Screwdrivers and pliers are not so nice IMO.

Williams - Snap on’s industrial brand. Good mid grade tools many of which are identical to the snap on line minus the fancy polish.

Proto- another mostly USA industrial brand thats mid range priced. Really nice wrenches and impact sockets.

SK- similar to wright/proto but a little more expensive. The older SK stuff is really nice and can be found cheap on ebay.

Cornwell is a truck brand but dont cost very much used for some reason. My second favorite brand of wrenches as well. Alot of the new stuff is offshore, so i would stick with used stuff from ebay or pawnshops.

 

[FSrepair&fabrication]

Also, channelock or knipex for pliers, mayhew for pry bars, punches and chisels. Nicholson for files, lennox for any cutting device or consumable.

 

[KansasArt]

Lots of good suggestions! For shovels & such I have a home owned farm/ranch that carries a lot of USA built items. They are a little bit more expensive than big box items but I try to frequent them whenever possible.


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[dredoubleu]

For hardline tools, my best luck has been with Gray Canada and SK. I have some Koken Zeal sockets (3/8 deep and shallow and 1/2 shallow) and I found they were wearing out very fast. They seem to be great sockets, but not built to be abused in the rust belt. For specialty automotive tools I’ve had great luck with mostly Lisle and Gearwrench, with some Matco in there when the price is decent

 

[Ton ton]

Maybe improving is the word you are looking for. Just a guess.