Shoot, many of us on here have those vintage tools sitting around waiting for you...especially boxes and pliers. There are many, many good brands. But keep in mind that the majority of vintage US tools will be fractional sizes, so when you're looking for sockets, wrenches, etc; older US tools will usually not be metric, which is what you need to work on just about any modern vehicles.
Craftsman and SK are 2 wonderful brands which are still current in the market, fairly cheap to buy, and fairly easy to get replaced under warranty. Wright, Williams, Bonney, Herbrand, Billings, Fleet, Sparta, Wards, Proto, JC Penney (& Penncraft) Walden, Wizard, and literally dozens of "Made in the USA" tools are easy to find out there. And of course, there are the "truck brands" of extreme high quality tools, like Mac, Snap-On, Matco, and Cornwell. They are quite expensive when new, and most technicians buy them on credit from the tool-truck man. Yet they have been produced for many decades, and they can occasionally be found used...but LOTS of guys are shopping for them, so get there early! Then there are fine European tools too, like Hazet, etc.
For pliers, most of us have deep respect for Channellock, Knipex, Klein, Vise Grips (with Petersen logo on the side), and all the brand names listed above.
I must have 15 or 20 extra tool boxes, and at least 100 sets of pliers. And so do lots of other GJ members. What specifically are you looking for, and where are you located? (Shipping cost can be a big part of your investment, so if you are located near a member with lots of extra tools, it can be a big help.)
