best tool brand?
 

what do you guys suggest for a nice set of ratchets....? i like S K husky except their ratchets craftsmen ratchets aint very durable usually. i have a husky tool set and the ratchets seem almost like they didnt oil them from the factory. so i think im gonna try to take them apart and oil them.

craftsman all the way

:lol: :lol: :lol:


Sorry there brian.



Go on ebay and do a search on snap-on tools. You save 50%+ on snap-on tools. Worth every penny. If your looking for a good set of tools at a local store check out kobalt(home depot) i hear they're a good company and craftman pro are nice tools.

Craftsman ratchets slip. Snap-on are the best but they're expensive.

craftsman ratchets do slip, that what caused my banger up finger.

Snap-on.

Yep, thanks to Craftsman I have ten of those. :crazy:

Snap-On, no question about it.

Kobalt tools are made by Snap-on. Nice stuff but they are not exactly bargain priced either.

i agree too many busted fingers and hands because a piece of sh!t cracksmen ratchet released and changed directions on a tight bolt. snap on all the way plus the cracksmen handles arent comfortable to hold

i am a "professional" and my FAVORITE ratchet is the teardrop ultra thin 3/8 craftsman. the ones that come in the tool kits are CRAP. you get what you pay for.

Snap on is too expensive. I've never EVER had a slipping craftsman. If they slip, send it back and get a new one, since they've got a lifetime warranty. In fact, I've only broken ONE craftsman in my life, and that was a 9/16" socket, from jumping on a ratchet handle while trying to loosen a rusted bolt. That's right, JUMPING on the ratchet, with my 170 lb self. Cracked the socket, no damage at all to the wrench.

it kinda depends on what you are doing too. i bet you could check the boxes of any professional (mechanic, bodyman, machinist) and they wont have JUST one brand. i may be wrong, but i bet snapon doesnt make a pinstripe eraser wheel like Astro does. I have almost all Ingersol Rand air tools, all craftsmen hand tools, S&K impact sockets, IWata paint guns, etc etc. check out the FAQ board and look for martinsr's basics of tool buying thread, it puts everything in perspective.

all i want to know is a ratchet brand...like i have sockets from every company under the moon....same for wrenches etc and those dont really matter too much to me i dont see much difference in the brands as long as it's not the brand that says "taiwan" on it lol. i want some ratchets that are comfortable to use have a quick ratcheting mechanism to them and are gonna last me for a good long time. my only complaint with snap on is when i break one i have to wait forever to get a replacement. what do you guys think of S and K? i like the ones rick has. how much can i expect to pay for a snap on 1/4 3/8 1/2 set versus a S K one?

SK Isn't bad. If Craftsman is Oldsmobile, SK is like cadillac, half a step up. I don't really notice a difference though. Craftsman has a nice fine action, I've never had one bind, and if you get them engaged completely, they don't slide.

My first ratchet and socket set was a Challanger, 1972, the ratchet slipped last year and I got a new one from Napa, think it was Blackhawk; no charge. Others that held up good for me were Proto, have Craftsman, S-K, Snap-on, and can't tell the difference. From now on all I buy is at the used tools at the flea market and stay with lifetime guaranteed products, just trade it in if it gives a problem and save boo-koo bucks!

yeah see that's my main issue.....craftsman is easiest to turn in...but between my dad and my best friends dad RIGHT now we have 3 that are toast and need turned in.

The cheap style crafstman rachets with the I beam are junk .. If you ever contact the selector lever while applying torque its over it will slip and bust whatevers in the way.

MAC tools are really good as well as Matco and Snap-On The Craftsman Polished Pro Rachets Are good aswell And crafstmans makes some really nice polished wrenchs that resemble the Look of snap on as far as being skinny ..

I dont know about the fit.. I do know ive stripped bolts with 9/16 craftsman wrenchs Only to come back and remove the same bolt with a snap on wrench . Seems the fit is much tigher Has less play in them .


All depends on how much your willing to pay .. Ebay is a very good place to get snap on tools ive built several sets of wrenchs and sockets piece by piece Sometimes id even find sellers with multiple items i needed .

did you guys know that Craftsman hand tools are made by the same company that makes Matco hand tools? Danaher Tool Group. at least for know, who knows what Martha Stewart & Co. will do.

if your ratchet will see grime & grease or dirt I would go with Snap-on. once a year take it apart for a good cleaning with brake clean & lube with engine oil. the new snappy's have a o-ring for sealing & the larger plastic like grip is VERY comfy. I would treat their locking flex-head like the plauge though.
just an opinion from a professional truck tech who has tried the other brands with many problems & none with snap-on.

No anymore, they're not. Lowes had a falling out with Snap-on (J.H. Williams). Snap-On owned the plant where Kobalt was made but they were not spec'd by Snap-On, nor forged by Snap-on. They were very good tools, but not on par with Snap-On. Currently, Kobalt tools are made by Danaher to the same specs as the J.H. Williams manufactured pieces. The tool boxes are now made by Waterloo.

Danaher is the parent company of Matco tools. Matco is an excellent brand of tools, but again, that does not mean that Kobalt=Matco. Different plant, different specs. They're made to compete with the likes of Husky and Craftsman. Matco is made to compete with Mac and Snap-On.

Having made my living with my tools, I will say that there is no comparison between the retail consumer brand tools and the tool truck tools. It's a matter of whether the quality and functionality difference is worth the extra $$$. I find Kobalt to be superior to both Husky and Craftsman. Now that I don't make a living with my tools, I feel that they are a good compromise.

I buy a lot from the pawn shop,Snap-on,mac,matco,ect.Blue Point is a good tool as well.Plus it don't matter where you buy,they are still lifetime guarantee,swap them for new ones.

Have to agree with most everything stated. I had been buying SK locally at jobbers prices, but the store got bought out. Since then I've been cruising ebay, also check the prices at www.thetoolwarehouse.net

Snap-On tools are very good tools, especially for someone who uses them every day and makes a living with them (I'm a Harley Mechanic). However, I see Snap-On kind of like designer jeans, expensive and not entirely necessary, especially for someone who just turns wrench as a hobby in their garage. I like Craftsman stuff because it too has a lifetime warranty (Yeah, I have to go to Sears as opposed to the snapon guy coming to me, but the price difference is worth it.), and the only Craftsman ratchet I've had give out on me was one I had a 6 foot length of cheater pipe on (a bad habit I learned growing up on a ranch), and they took that back and gave me a new one. I've never had a Craftsman ratchet let me down (with the exeption of when I was doing dumb stuff, see above), so either you guys got a bad bunch of tools, or you're not doin' it right!

I'd say craftsman as my first choice (I have Snap-On tools I got at the tech school I went to, but I won't buy any more), Stanley's are OK, but not the greatest, Husky is pretty decent. Just stay FAR AWAY from any tool that has CHINA printed on it in big letters, those are known as Snap-On from Taiwan, and not worth buying.

I own some craftsman and husky tools. I am happy with all, no complaints about them
Well actually I wish some of the ratchets had more teeth, but they both make them, I just bought the cheaper ones (got what I paid for).
I have a Husky impact gun I am very happy with.
I did just purchase some craftsman reversible ratcheting wrenchs (1 8-pc metric & 1 8-pc sae). Should be here tomorrow :).
As far as impact sockets, pry bars, etc. I have always purchased Harbor freight stuff and have never had a problem or complaint. As long as the tool doesnt have moving parts it will probably be ok from harbor freight.

do your husky ratchets seem like they werent oiled or something? they click real loud and dont ratchet well? mine are brand new and seem like that. also how much do those ratchet wrenches cost? i want me some of them.

The Husky ratchets (I have 3) all seem fine and smooth.
I have a snap on thats smoother, but that has more teeth and I think that plays into the smooth feeling.

The Craftsman ratcheting wrenches are not cheap.
If you buy a set they are cheaper $50-150.
I wanted some both sae and metric and wanted the reversible option.
If you plan to buy any I highly recommend you go into the store and feel them out. I almost bought a set online I dont think I would have been happy with.
Craftsman has a lot of these ratcheting wrenches. Some are fine tooth (5 degree), some are not. Some are thicker at the ratchet some are thinner. Some are reversible while others are not. I liked these the best and happen to find them on ebay for a fair price.

I bought these on ebay for $60.00 each.
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00942405000
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00942404000

Edit:
The Husky ratchets do have a loud click to them, but it feels very solid.
If you are shopping for a good ratchet I say get one with a lot of teeth and the reversible switch location is important. I love the snap on "on-off" switches. A lot of the cheaper ratchets will have a whole head that rotates to reverse it. These suck as sometimes the ratchet is against something and difficult to reverse.

Craftsman and Husky are made by the same company. Several years ago my local Home Depot had a sign up stating that they would replace broken Craftsman tools. I asked the tool guy whats the deal and he told me they were made by the same company.

I also read somewhere that the company that makes Husky and Craftsman makes another big brand. I wanna say the other brand was Snap-on, but i'm not 100% sure on that one.

:bowtie: I HAVE A TON OF SNAP-ON & MAC TOOLS. MOST OF THEM I PAID 20 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR FOR OFF OF EBAY OR IN PAWN SHOPS. I ALSO HAVE ALOT OF CRAFTSMAN TOOLS THAT I USE EXCLUSIVELY FOR MY JUNKYARD TRIPS. (NO GOOD TOOLS IN THE JUNKYARD INCASE I LOSE SOME, IT'S NO BIG DEAL.) :D :D JOHN

here's another vote for SK ratchets. i really like the 4 that i have, 2 - 1/4 and 2 - 3/8. my dad uses sk ratchets but the majority of he rest of his tools are snap on. he owns a body shop and uses them every day. if you are just a weekend wrench, craftsman will do ok. but like a previous post stated, you will notice a tighter, more precise fit with better quality tools. i have not had good luck with snap on ratchets. the dont seem positive enough on their clicks.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: (QUOTE)I also read somewhere that the company that makes Husky and Craftsman makes another big brand. I wanna say the other brand was Snap-on, but i'm not 100% sure on that one.(QUOTE)
I'M 100% SURE THAT HUSKY, CRAFTSMAN & SNAP-ON ARE NOT MADE BY THE SAME PEOPLE. :bs: :bs: NOW DON'T GET ME WRONG.. I'M NOT A "TOOL PREMADONNA. I JUST HAVE AN AWFUL LOT OF SNAP-ON & MAC TOOLS. I LIKE SNAP-ONS SOCKETS & RATCHETTS, SPECIALTY TOOLS & AIR TOOLS & I LIKE MACS WRENCHES BETTER. I DON'T HAVE ANY REAL EXPERIANCE WITH ANY OTHER BRAND BUT 25 OR 30 YEAR OLD CRAFTSMAN & S-K , & THEY WERE O-K, BUT THE SNAP-ON & MAC TOOLS ARE JUST A PLEASURE TO USE :D :D JOHN

I've got Husky, and I haven't had a problem with them yet.
The only reason I bought them though was that I need 1/2" stuff fast and Home Depot was the closest place that was already open that morning.
Todd

i just jumped on ebay after junkyardjohns post and d@mn the prices are right for snap on stuff some of it is half what it costs off the truck

I was curious about this a while back, so I did an internet search and found this site . I cannot speak to the validity, but it is interesting reading.

I am a fan of Craftsman tools, but I have had rachets go bad. I bought one of the "boxed" sets of Craftsman tools around December of 1992, and I've had to have both the 3/8" and 1/4" ratchets replaced because they would sometimes not "catch" as you were trying to loosen bolts. However, the ones that I got as replacements seem to have better internal mechanisms in them. I kinda agree with the folks who say "you get what you pay for". Most of the "boxed" sets like I have are the cheaper of the Craftsman line and are not as good as the higher dollar ones, but they work fine for the general mechanic type work that I do. I have been extremely impressed with the Craftsman reversible ratcheting wrenches I have. I've put some serious strain on them with a cheater pipe and have yet to mess one up. Of course, they weren't cheap either. ;)

Anyway, that's my .02.

Mike

I have a mix of ratchets in my box... A few craftsman, a few Snap-ons, a Matco, and a few Macs.....

IMHO the craftsman sucks.... they do break and break alot.... this is the cheap little one you get in the tool sets...

I have one Mac that slips and I need to get it fixed but it has been around forever.

Never broke a Snap-on or Matco... In fact my Favortie rachet in the world is a very very worn Matco swivel head ratchet. 3/8 drive. The swivel is now what I call a flopper... It flops all over the place.... However this ratchet has been with me most of my proffesionaal Aviation mechanics life as well as working on whatever car I had and I just love it. I love the Snap-on 1/4 drive rachets as well.

I bought alot of my tools on ebay and in pawn shops to save cash.

I will always buy a name brand tool when I see it at a good price.

I do have a lot of crappy stuff but try to upgrade over the years.

Regards,

Mastercraft, for the cheaper brand, but nothing beats a Snap-on.

It's funny that I recently bought a couple wrench caddies from Sears (they had a Craftsman sticker on them) and when I got them home and unwrapped I removed all the stickers (I hate stickers on tools and such)

Guess what was embossed on the caddies under the stickers?


Snap-On

Hmmm...

Just stay FAR AWAY from any tool that has CHINA printed on it in big letters, those are known as Snap-On from Taiwan, and not worth buying.[/QUOTE]


More like Snap-In-Two!

(I worked as a auto technician for 5yrs) Since then do work on the side at home. I own Snap-On Craftsman and Matco Ratchets. I've owned my Craftsmans for the longest. Never had a ratchet back to Sears. My Snap-on's have never let me down. The Matco I was getting replaced on a regular basis when turning wrenches for a living. My 1/2 inch ratchet is a Craftsman, just because I never broke it or could convince myself to spend the money for a Snap-On.
So my vote goes for Snap-On first. I put them first because they are alot finer on the ratchet teeth so in a tight spot you can ratchet them.
Next is Craftsman. I've never had to replace one and there are Sears stores whereever you go to get em replaced if needed.
Hope this helped.

Craftsman, Snap-on, And S/k, I Have All 3, No Problems W/ Any Of It ;)

If you work with them everyday (like I used to do), buy Snap-on. They will pay off in the long run. If you use them on the weekend to poke at rust (like I do now that I got my degree) buy what ever, I have tons of Snap-on, Mac, Matco, Craftsman, S-K (I call them "slip & kills") and they are fine for home use. In a maintenance environment, Snap-ons or Macs are mandatory...