What was your first tool set?

[Canadian Charlie]

I was around 16 or 17 when I bought my first car (72 Cuda) and didn't have any tools so I bought a set of cheap sockets from a place called "HONEST ED'S" in downtown Toronto.

After a while my parents bought me a monster tool set from Sears, it wasn't a Craftsman set but it helped me learn along the way with them.

 

[Tool Pants]

Father gave me these 40 something years ago, and I still use them. I had a hand saw but can't find it. Guess it got thrown away.

 

[64merc]

When I was about 15 my uncle gave me a small Popular Mechanics (Wal-mart) tool set that he put together. I thought that was the best thing in the world. Sadly, they got stolen out of my car a few years back.

 

[Frank Elson]

I never had a tool set.
Started acquiring tools fifty odd years ago - to do things with, like making bows and arrows - and haven't stopped yet.

 

[Marty256]

W. G. Grants 1/2 socket set for Christmas in 1968. Had a ratchet and breaker bar with soft rubber handles and shallow sockets from 7/16 through 1". Bent the breaker bar and the ratchet checked out years ago but some of the sockets still remain usable.

 

[krooser]

My brother bought me some "Dunlap' wrenches from Sears when I was about 12... Dunlap was their low priced line.

 

[Major Ramifications]

I still have my first tool set, and it still works fine. It's an impact driver and two ball bearings, God gave them to me when I was born. I keep them in my underwear.

 

[Diesel_Crawler]

I still have my first tool set, and it still works fine. It's an impact driver and two ball bearings, God gave them to me when I was born. I keep them in my underwear.

Only thing is you cant clean all the bad things off with WD-40 now can you?

 

[lbgradwell]

I was around 16 or 17 when I bought my first car (72 Cuda) and didn't have any tools so I bought a set of cheap sockets from a place called "HONEST ED'S" in downtown Toronto.

Wow. I can only imagine how awful those must have been!

 

[billymade]

I was given a imported "Taiwan" tool set that came in a green tin case with a black plastic insert that kept all the tools in place; back then, Taiwan was the primary source of imported tools that you found at a typical store. I'm assuming this was because they were our allies and a democratic nation; Japanese stuff was at the same status in the 70s but in the 80s Taiwan seemed to take their place.

Taiwanese 40pcs 3/8" & 1/4"Dr. Socket Wrench Set.

Amazingly, a quick google search pops up a set that was identical to the one that I got in the early 80s when I was around 12 years old; the only difference was that mine had a green case. I broke that 1/4" nut driver/socket holder right away, the selector on the ratchet broke into pieces and the sockets broke/rounded off. I just noticed on the website for the toolset that it says "Carbon Steel Without Heat Treated."; that says it all! Now I know why everything stripped or broke! The set became essentially useless to work on my Honda XR75 and I had to use the 70s vintage Craftsman set that my stepdad owned. He later gave me that set and I started going to pawn shops to fill in all the sockets/wrenches that he had lost over the years. The trips to the pawn shops; started me on my obsession with finding the "missing" pieces to the set, I got VW Beetle in high school that I restored, that required more tools and later I worked at a body shop! There, I was introduced to Snap-On and my obsession became more expensive as I sought to replace my Craftsman stuff with used Snap-On; I would work during the summers there and I would "treat" myself to a couple of Snap-On tools that I saw my fellow coworkers used that I thought were really helpful and great tools. The 'rest as they say is history; now working at my brothers shop.... there is all kinds of stuff, "I need" and the search continues.... damn, now I need a bigger toolbox!

 

[klswvu]

16 - Craftsman basic set in zipper case and misc pliers.

My son has his own rolling box (small 5 drawer Stanley top and bottom) with a set of Craftsman 1/4 sockets, wrenches and various screwdrivers/pliers for Christmas (he is 7).

 

[krehmkej]

Craftsman in the beginning (1960s). Then, after everything was stolen, Proto, augmented with many others, depending where in the world I was residing at the moment.

 

[Mr.Nutcase]

My first snap on was when I was 16 or 17....

 

[Trouthead]

I was 20 (fall of 1972) working full time and going to school part time. Bought a 1972 BMW Tii, (funny I can't afford a BMW now) that was my first "metric" vehicle. Bought a SK tookbox set that was metric and inch sockets, with inch wrenches. Had them switch out the inch wrenches for metric. Paid about $39.00 for the set. Still use all the pieces, and the metric sockets and rachet are still my main metric sockets. I think I got my money's worth out of them. Funny I never bought another SK brand piece of anything, because they are poorly distributed in any of the end of the road places I have live.

 

[nate379]

Well my first tool set I was maybe 5 years old and it was a heavy duty plastic set. Not like the cheap **** now a days. Hammer, pliers, wrench I think... couple things like that. I have a few photos when my Dad built his first shop with me helping out with that plastic hammer. I was 7 then. It was tough enough to hammer nails with no issues.

I was around 10 yrs old when I got a real set. Basic set... wrenches, sockets sets in 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2", screwdrivers, pliers, etc. Have a few things from that still but most of it was Harbor Freight that has long since been given away or broken.

Till I moved out it was that set plus all my Dad's tools that got me through.

I'm only 26, but I have been turning wrenches for easily over 15 years. Was bikes, snowmobiles and 4 wheelers growing up and now anything from cars to wheelchairs pretty much.

 

[jhn9840]

I was 15 and my dad & mom gave me a JC Penney 3/8 dr SAE shallow socket and combination wrench set along with flat & phillips screwdrivers in a black metal box. I still have and use them all.

jhn9840
John

 

[bmxr4life87]

i was 16 in my vo tech class we had a craftsman set available to us for $300. It was a custom made set for us it was around 300 pieces including a 5 drawer craftsman box, 1/4, 3/8 shallow 6 and 12 point deep 6 point and 1/2 shallow 12 point plus SAE 1/4 - 3/4 and metric 6 - 19mm wrenches and a basic screwdriver set. The 1/2 stuff goes up to 1-1/4 and 27mm. It was a good set but the box was a glide drawer unit. About 2 years ago i upgraded to the black 41" top and bottom griplatch box and now its about full. I still have every tool that came in my set except the box itself and havent had one problem with any of the original stuff yet...

 

[rhandwor]

I purchased a set of Proto Challenger 3/8 drive.

 

[Vinko]

Forgot to mention that my first hammer was Stanley that my grandfather gave to me. Prior to that (and the Proto/Challenger Master Mechanics set I was given), I always borrowed family tools.

 

[olds394]

150 pc Craftsman; early eighties that I still have and will never sell. I was about 24. All still work and I still have all my knuckles.

 

[Brookesy]

First tool set i ever had was a Teng tool 3/8 socket set. I loved the feel of the ratchet & my dad used to get annoyed when i was always borrowing his so bought my own set. When i became & trainee mechanic i was introduced to snap on & as we all know their a whole different league.

 

[Canadian Charlie]

Taiwanese 40pcs 3/8" & 1/4"Dr. Socket Wrench Set.




Thats what my Honest Ed's set looked liked