What is the makeup of your toolbox's mainline tools (sockets, ratchets, wrenches, pliers and screwdrivers)? Why did you choose what you chose? Do you have a purchasing strategy? Do you try and stay loyal to a particular brand or do you have an eclectic mix?
Being a home gamer and hobbyist, I grew up around a lot of Craftsman stuff and that's what I eventually bought for most of my sockets and wrenches. For me, having a full assortment of reasonably good quality, US-made sockets and wrenches was more important than having an incomplete set of premium branded ones. As an example, I was much more likely to need a socket or wrench that I didn't have than to break one and wish for higher quality. Ratchets I began with Craftsman, SK and Proto then, as I got the means, I ventured into more premium brands to try their offerings. I have a handful of Snap On, Matco and Wright ratchets, but that's all.
Pliers I have a bit of a different take. I have a lot of Channellock because I started with them, but I did acquire a healthy amount of Knipex later and some NWS. They are slightly different applications so it's not exactly overlap. And that's kind of the story for the entire pliers drawer. Very few examples of "same thing in a different brand" and instead more like, "similar, but
not quite the same" if you will. I do like to stick with good quality because pliers are one of those things where poor quality is both very tangible and frustrating to work with.
Screwdriers, believe it or not, I had the good fortune of coming across the US-made, Craftsman 'professional' line when I first started to build a set. I liked them enough that, as they went on sale, I scrounged up virtually every type I needed or thought I'd ever use. They're still my favorites, but I've since acquired smaller sets of things like PB Swiss, Wiha, Wera and Klein. As with pliers, it's mostly due to different features or specific needs that the Craftsman set didn't cover, or didn't cover
as well.
My overall strategy, if I had to sum it up, is to try and be reasonably stocked with decent quality tools and then upgrade where necessary and when budget allows. Premium quality is nice if you have your bases covered, don't get me wrong, but I try not to put the cart before the horse.
For me, my purchasing strategy is to buy the best product(s) for a particular application. I'm very fortunate to be in a position that price is not a factor in my purchasing decision. My sockets are Snap-On, Cat and Koken with Snap-On and Koken ratchets. Wrenches are exclusively Snap-On. Pliers are a mix of Snap-On, Cat and Knipex and screwdrivers are Snap-On, Cat, Wera and Vessel.
I feel like "best product(s) for an application" can be surprisingly subjective. What I think is best may be the polar opposite of someone else's opinion on the subject, so while folks may pursue the same strategy, there's no assurance that they'll land on the same tool.
For me, price isn't a factor anymore either. Even so, I still don't feel compelled to ditch my Craftsman ratchets, my RP or polished wrenches or anything else that I have, so long as they work for what I do with them. Aside from humble bragging or impressing people in my garage, there's very little tangible benefit to wasting the money.
and don't shop by brand name alone. No one brand makes the best of everything. I miss the tools that the Armstrong factory churned out under several brands. Proto is another one of my Favs that's timeless.