How Many "Tools" Need a Toolbox??

[Longhorn Man]

Originally Posted by Elephanthead

I will buy any tool made in the USA, even the cheap allen brand stuff at menards is better then imported crap, it is just a hobby for me, wrenching 2 hours a weekend isn't worth 75K, I would just buy 100 C10s instead!

Like it was said before in this thread, no one would recomend something like a snap on box for a hobby wrench. In reality, that would be crazy. My box alone is worth more than anything I own.

[Wreckless_71]

I agree with longhorn... My dad is a mechanic and has been for 25 years. He has more time and money into tools that any one man should. But, tools are how he makes his living, and it just so happens to be the way I have been making mine for a couple years. Snap-On, Mac, Proto are all definitely a higher quality tool. We have these tools and we have very large and expensive Snap-On boxes to hold these tools, so that's what we use. Yeah, all the stuff breaks that's what happens when you use tools. The difference is in the frequency of breakage. For the average joe, this is not a very smart investment. That's why the average joe isn't making a living with tools.

[oldspowered]

i buy the mac snap-on tools but i put them in my cheap craftsman box. i always get crap for having that cheap box but since when did a expensive box make any money?? i rather have the tool that makes me the money!!!
btw i got a job doing bodywork! wahooooo!

[jerry moss]

i too make a living with my tools and have snap on, mac, matco cornwell, craftsman etc. well over 60K between the box and tools at work alone. i have a 3 bay snap on box at work but at home it's a an el cheapo stainless steel box i got at a "damage" sale from a local parts store.as for tools at home, i have the same selection here as at work along with some stanley, harbor freight , and others. the only complaint i have about craftsman tools are their ratchets-they flat ass suck, i've torn the guts out of more 3/8 and 1/2 drive ratchets than i care to count.

[69chevybmx]

I worked in a body shop for several years and i exclusively used Craftsman and still do. I have broken more ratchets, screwdrivers, sockets, wrenches, etc, than I care to admit. Some of the guys in the shop used Snap-on and Matco and they were fantastic tools. They look great, work great, and rarely break. If i had the money, hands down i would purchase them over Craftsman. The reality of the deal is that i cant afford snap on. Craftsman is an inexpensive good quality tool that offers free lifetime replacement. For someone who isnt making a ton of money, that is unbeatable. Our shop would generally toss their broken stuff in a bucket and once a year one of us would take in the hand full of broken bits and get new. The only problem we had with snap on was how pushy the reps are to get you to buy new stuff. they are like used car salesmen that come to you, its kind of annoying. in the end, it is what it is and you get what you pay for... i think anyway. is a Mercedes better than a Chevy because it cost $50k more?

[oldspowered]

Originally Posted by 69chevybmx

I worked in a body shop for several years and i exclusively used Craftsman and still do. I have broken more ratchets, screwdrivers, sockets, wrenches, etc, than I care to admit. Some of the guys in the shop used Snap-on and Matco and they were fantastic tools. They look great, work great, and rarely break. If i had the money, hands down i would purchase them over Craftsman. The reality of the deal is that i cant afford snap on. Craftsman is an inexpensive good quality tool that offers free lifetime replacement. For someone who isnt making a ton of money, that is unbeatable. Our shop would generally toss their broken stuff in a bucket and once a year one of us would take in the hand full of broken bits and get new. The only problem we had with snap on was how pushy the reps are to get you to buy new stuff. they are like used car salesmen that come to you, its kind of annoying. in the end, it is what it is and you get what you pay for... i think anyway. is a Mercedes better than a Chevy because it cost $50k more?

amen! those guys are really pushy to buy those big tool boxes! they hound me all the time!!

[big_al_71]

Here is another one that I have n my shop that is available with all kinds of tools from snap on, matco , mac & some craftsman...One of my techs wants to get rid of it loaded..

any inquiries PM me.....

[Skirkpat]

It makes me laugh that someone would cut down a quality toolbox, but if it came down to it anyone that has ever turned a wrench would love to have that box. I have had probably 100 vehicles, but I have only had two toolboxes, my first was a Craftsman which kept my tools of the floor, as soon as I could afford it, I bought a little nicer box....one of my best investments, not a Mac Or Snap On, but a nice Waterloo, it is all I will ever need and more but would gladly trade it up for the one pictured. I like nice things

[STOCKISH]

I would not trust the locking system on a Craftsman box to secure my 60k+ worth of tools and diagnostic equiptment. I have a triple bay Snap-On box that I paid way too much for but dont regret it a bit. Quality never fails.

[69sixpackbee]

Originally Posted by 1972SuperCheyenne

I have a triple bay Snap-On box,.......

...with the "Easy Roll" casters that make it a breeze to haul ass with it.

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by 69 1/2 Six Pack Bee

...with the "Easy Roll" casters that make it a breeze to haul ass with it.

Agreed...all the locks in the world won't stop someone from rolling off with it! A couple swings of the hammer will open any tool box lock.

[Skirkpat]

Originally Posted by 69 1/2 Six Pack Bee

...with the "Easy Roll" casters that make it a breeze to haul ass with it.

If someone wants my box they better bring a forklift or a rollback with a winch, if you have to lift it more than an inch you and all your friends wont get it without unloading first...hell even empty its not alot of fun to lift.

[kcjones]

First real job I ever had was doing brake jobs and tires at a GM dealer. I was 16 and used all the other guys' tools, largely Snap-On and Mac, but a few others here and there. I remember when a new guy fresh out of vocational school got hired, 22 years old, said he was already 25K in debt just for the box and tools he needed to land a job, not to mention the school loans. After working at that shop, and using my Craftsman tools I've had for a long time, I absolutely agree there is a difference.

It makes your work easier, more accurate, and less painful. It costs you less time, it helps you reuse parts because the tool you used fit the job.

However, I spend my money on parts at home. I don't make my living turning wrenches, I make my living so I can feed 4 kids and a wife, and spend any crumbs leftover on parts for my truck. If you gave me 1K and told me to spend it on myself, I'd buy parts (or a truck). If I needed a tool to do a job, I'd save my dough and buy the tool at Sears. Then, when it broke, I cuss and replace it. Well, I'd probably cuss even if i didn't break the tool (I spent 4 years in the Navy, and that's my excuse).

[theyammieguy]

Originally Posted by 69 1/2 Six Pack Bee

...with the "Easy Roll" casters that make it a breeze to haul ass with it.

They would probably walk off with the three piece craftsman box before having to bring four friends to lift that mac box.

[tex_waco_usmc]

Something funny for all of you: I hang out with a Heavy Mech out here in Iraq. We got to talking about tools not too long ago and he has a nickname that I hadn't heard before and thought I would share.

He said that when he was back home working for a tractor trailer dealer the "Strap-On" man would come by twice a week and strap it on the other mechs. He deals with nothing but Craftsman and he could run circles around me in a garage! Granted, I dont do it for a living! As most of you have said -- " To Each His Own!!"

[kursed]

Originally Posted by theyammieguy

and I quantee it will outlast that craftsman you have

I'd have to disagree, worked in a shop with an old timer, has had his crafstman box for MANY MANY years, still works fine... My dad's craftsman, about 40 years old and still doing just fine...

yeah the BIG NAME boxes are nice, but my 40" wide craftsman does just fine, i think it's more in how you treat your box than the manufacturer... well except for those made in Taiwan "StackOn" boxes and other knock offs..

[jholley]

I've always said that if I'm only going to have one of a particular tool in my toolbox it won't be a crapsman. While they are pretty good at replacing hand tools when they break, they break at the most inconvenient of times... like 3 in the morning when I have to get the heads bolted back on so I can go to work at 7. Granted that was a few years ago but the principle stands.

[theyammieguy]

Originally Posted by kursed

I'd have to disagree, worked in a shop with an old timer, has had his crafstman box for MANY MANY years, still works fine... My dad's craftsman, about 40 years old and still doing just fine...

yeah the BIG NAME boxes are nice, but my 40" wide craftsman does just fine, i think it's more in how you treat your box than the manufacturer... well except for those made in Taiwan "StackOn" boxes and other knock offs..

See, your talking about craftsman back in the day when the boxes were made right. I've seen and still see 40 year old craftsman boxes but anything nowadays wont last for a professional mechanic.

Seen it over and over. They buy a new craftsman box because its on sale for 120 bucks and in less than a year the drawers are sitting crooked.

[Lugnut64052]

I worked in a body shop for several years and i exclusively used Craftsman and still do. I have broken more ratchets, screwdrivers, sockets, wrenches, etc, than I care to admit. Some of the guys in the shop used Snap-on and Matco and they were fantastic tools. They look great, work great, and rarely break. If i had the money, hands down i would purchase them over Craftsman. The reality of the deal is that i cant afford snap on. Craftsman is an inexpensive good quality tool that offers free lifetime replacement. For someone who isnt making a ton of money, that is unbeatable.

Agreed!!
First time or two I got a chrome splinter off a Craftsman socket I started hopping on the Snappy truck when it came by. Yeah, they cost a lot, but they work sooooo good, even with routine abuse. I regularly bust head bolts loose with my 15 year old Snap-On IM31 3/8" air ratchet and a chrome Snappy socket.

...with the "Easy Roll" casters that make it a breeze to haul ass with it.

What professional thieves do is back into the stall with a pickup truck and just tip the box over into the bed. Couple of big prybars or two-by-fours will do it and they're outta there in less than a minute.

Anyway, I love my old Snap-on box. Big old taco cart that was made before roller slides. That thing is built like a Sherman tank. I got it second hand, and the previous owner even had a small vise mounted on the corner of the bottom chest. Except for the holes he drilled, it didn't damage it at all. Quality lasts a long, long time.

[drivethechevy]

i not really biased on any tool brand but my tools have to be made in the usa, im still in high school and im goin to tech school next fall to be a mechanic so im sure i will have highend tools for work sometime in the near future. but my at home set of tools and especialy my toolbox are consist of 2 really nice hand made tool boxes with more space then most of the larger toolboxes offer, and pretty much all of my tools are craftmans, s-k, and snap-on and there mostly stuff i have pickd up at auctions, or hand me downs from my family who have all been or are mechanics for many years
for a kid who tools around at home inbetween class time and work ive got alot more then the average hobbyist
nate

[Pont406]

I have Mac tool box at work. Small crapsman at home. It's all binding now. My shop is going away with tool boxes at the end of the year. Upgraded shop with built in toolboxes. Local BMW shop did that 2 years ago.