Any new, must have or don't waste your money tools?

[cdowns]

what i use an awfull lot is my 1/4"ratchet set and by far the most often is the 1/4"palm ratchet what a great underrated tool
the 1/4" stuff works great on interior under infront and behind dashboards as well as all confined spaces making working in confined areas a whole lot easier


as far as ratchet quality from sears thier entry level stuff is soso but spend the money for the professional stainless with fine action and they are quite nice

SNAPON a lifetime warrenty that unless you have access to a truck on a daily basis and have spent or owe him many thousands of dollars getting things replaced is pretty hard to do for you to complete a job unless you go buy a temp tool from sears

[60ratrod]

i tell you what, after dealing with all the snap-on tools that i use in the navy, i'll take my craftsman any day of the week. we have to use a lot of their torx tips, allen tips and philips tips and they break and wear out way to friggen quickly. and to top it off working on naval aircraft having their ratchets with the screws that holds things together suck. you'll be using the ratchet one minute, and have to look for the screw or screws the next. and sometimes the screws will fall out and go unnoticed for weeks and even months before its noticed that its missing and that causes an even bigger headache cause then with that one piece missing that tool becomes a missing tool and a huge search beggins that slows everything down to a dead stop.

[HOGDADDY]

I have an assortment of tools mostly Craftsman but also some JCPenny's tools from 70's Penncraft and I remember working on my bicycles with these tools. I have a Penncraft Ratchet that wont quit and its pretty beat up too.

[old_1966_GMC]

i use a bunch of made in china tools havent had any problems with them yet i had these for the longest already and they sure get abuse alot but still get the job done

[jkade]

Originally Posted by dammitmitchell

BUT the craftsman tool boxes (the black plastic ones) with 200 plus tools in it..
when they are on sale they are definatley worth the 100-200 dollars..

Those boxes are a great deal!! I bought one about 5 or 6 years ago and I think I have broke one 9/16 socket and that is it. They are well worth the money.

I will tell you another good deal. We have the cummins tool sale that comes around once a year. A few years ago I bought a set of standard and metric deep well impact sockets. I think they go from a 3/8 up to 1 1/4 and whatever that comes out to in metric and those thing have served me well. I think I paid $18.99 for each set.

[rob67]

I have a set of King Tony sockets from Agri-Supply that have held up 13 years so far. Every time I use my buddys craftsman stuff he says, don't use the 1/2", its broken or something similar. I can't complain, I brought a ratchet I have had for 13 years back to them because I lost one of the screws out of it when I was cleaning/oiling it, and they replaced it for free.

[SweetandLong68]

Guys... You just have to use your brain when you buy tools. I have lots of Craftsman, Snap-on, Matco and some MAC as well. I use this stuff everyday. But when you go and buy something I dont just buy it because of the name. Alot of people are selling exactly the same thing just putting different labels on them. So knowing this I am gonna buy the cheaper. But there are some things you HAVE to get from a certain tool vendor like Snap-on or others. But you just have to use your brain and buy what you need. I have spent tons of money on tools over the years and this has been working out for me! Everyone has their own opinions though!

[bwood]

Originally Posted by 68gmsee

I'd like to have a set of Ratchet Wrenches but too expensive at this time. Anyone think they're worth the money?

I have two sets in my bag at work (metric/standard) and three more sets at home. All are GearWrench brand except of one the metric sets at home, its a Stanley from Wal-Mart. Of all of them, only one has broken and it was a 3/8" fixed 15 degree head GearWrench, Sears swapped it for me no questions asked. The Stanley's were a Xmas gift back in 2004. I have used the heck out of them wrenching on the dirtbikes, they've been wet, hot, froze once (tool box had water in it at a winter race) and still no issues. Not sure if, the current Stanley's are as good (they look cheaper, poor stamping on them). I use the ones at work every day without issues, they are the flex head type. Watch for NAPA's traveling tool sale, they will usually have some GearWrench sets on sale. I picked up the metric flex head set in June for $35 (8 pieces).

At work, I'm a mechanic, but a little different than what most think when they hear "mechanic". I work on large equipment for a hospital (boilers, chillers, generators, large/small fan assemblies, air handlers, electrical controls, and building managment systems) I very rarely work on the vehicles-no time.
At home, I wrench on all the families cars, do the occasional small engine rebuild (lawn mowers to motorcycles, about 6-10 times a year)

Here's my preferences:

-Ohm Meter/VOM: Fluke, stay away from cheapies like the ones from Harbor Freight, they can get you killed
-Plumbing tools (pipe wrenches, flaring tools): Ridgid, I've got alum pipe wrenches from 12" to 24" and they have never let me down
-Screw Drivers: Klein, stay away from Home Depot's big screwdriver kits, the tips are soft and the set I bought last year has just about all made it to the trash. I have some Stanley Fat Max screwdrivers that I got as a Xmas gift at a work party, they are strong and the tips are hardened and magnetized. I use them at home with no issues.
-Adjustable wrenches: Cresent, they make some the have fatter handles that are easier on your hands and the jaws typically open up 1/8" to 3/8" wider than most standard adjustables. I've got these from 6" to 24"
-Pliers: Channel Lock for slip jaw/pump pliers and Klein for side cutters/strippers/needle nose/linesman pliers
-Sockets: I've got Craftsman at home (about 15 yrs old), Popular Mechanics/Stanley (don't laugh) at work. I have beat on the Craftsmans, used cheater bars ect with no trouble (shade tree mech, used to be pretty steady motorcycle engine work). The PM/Stanleys were bought as I didn't want to put a lot of money into them as there is a good chance they would be stolen at the time, but I have had no issues. I've used them with impacts, cheater bars, no problems
-Ratchets: Again, Craftsman at home, Stanley at work. I had 1 3/8" craftsman fail right after I used it, since then no issues. I have a Craftsman 3/8" flexable head ratchet that I use most of the time that has a pretty good curve in it at he joint and it is still holding up fine.
-Cordless Tools: I used B&D stuff for years with the only complaint being the batteries (I build my own now), I still use them at home, the 12v impact is been going strong for 5 years. I recently bought a Makita set with a drill and 1/4"impact, 2 LiOn batteries and smart charger. I use the impact every day at work, its light and strong and the batteries last a week or so between charging which also is not an issue since they charge in about 25 minutes (5 minute cooldown if you just got done using it, 15 minute charge and another 5 minute cooldown-all a function of the charger)
-Ratchet Wrenches: I like the GearWrenches, I bought a set of the Craftsman locking flex head ratchet wrenches and took them back. Too heavy, locking mechanism required two hands, and the ratchet part of the wrench was "clunky", seemed like it had about 1/2 as many teeth as the GearWrench and the larger size (3/4" would slip). I have some older Stanleys and have had no issues, but I don't like the look of the newer ones
-Combo Wrenches: I actually have a large set of older PM/Stanley that I like. They are longer than Craftsman and the edges are smoother (easier on my hands).

[srr]

I have had too many bad things happen with Sears so they don't get my business. Hassles with legit warranties...Head fall out of a ratchet as the guy was handing me a replacement...brand new one out of the kit...did not work. I like the screw drivers...sockets are too thin and I've cracked a bunch. The impact sockets sold by just about any place are a great deal, I beat them to death and no failures! How can you go wrong for $20.00 a set in a molded case? When it comes to a 1/4" ratchet I have found the one Autozone sells, the Duralast not the "great neck" (junk) is very good, even better than my craftsman and my Snap-on. You do have to keep any ratchet clean and lubed if you want it to work well. I have a SAE set of those flex ratchet wrenches, they rock! I only have a 15MM in metric though. With common tools like wrenches and sockets you should have redundancy, it sucks to stop in the middle of a job to replace a lost or broken tool. There is no such thing as too many tools!

[m6z]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

This new ball joint buster/tie rod separator is my favorite. I have used it on my project, and it saves from beating on everything. As far as I am concerned, it is a must have. Click on my build thread to see it in action. $10 on sale at harbor fright.

I'm going to pick one of these up for the box. Needed it when I lowered my dodge. lol.

[presleyhome]

When it comes to the tools that I know I'll use very few times ( ball joint tool, spring compressor, carb adjusting tool, serpentine tensioner adjuster, etc.) I always buy the Harbor Freight or discount tool. You can't go wrong there. All the basics though, get good ones and they last forever. I have Craftsman and Mac sockets, pliers, wrenches etc. that are 30 years old. Don't go cheap on the torque wrench either. For things that you use often, but rarely take a beating ( allen wrenches, feeler gauges, magnets, mirror on a stick, small torx bits, etc. ) I buy every size available from from Harbor or other discount house. I hate not having that $2 tool that prevents me from completing $1000 worth of work. Volt meter is required, same with every type of file ( narrow flat, wide flat , round, etc.) and punches ( get good ones).

I have a couple dozen open end /closed end wrenches up to about 2 1/2 inch that I need for maint on a bulldozer. Harbor Freight for sure, as I use it for personal land maintenance only and to buy wrenches that size from name brand sources would have been hundreds and hundreds of dollars. Same goes for a 1" drive ratchet set up to 2 1/2 inch sockets. But hey, I don't use them to make a living.

Same goes for welding equip. Great buys on used equipment there.

I've had my ODB2 tester about a year, and have used it successfully about 15 times for me, kids, neighbors, friends etc. Paid for itself in a month, really.

It all depends on what you need tools for and how often they are used. Also, if it looks like crap, it probably is. Your eyes speak volumes.

[xs-style]

The latest must have that Ive found was an Irwin bolt grip set. Its a socket set for removing stripped bolts. I ran into a caliper bolt that I just couldnt move on my brothers brakes. A buddy of mine said go get this set. When I bought it I thought for sure I was getting hosed, and made a mental note to ask my buddy what the heck he was thinkin. It comes in a blue plastic case and has a big, gold "Irwin" logo on the front. It serious looks like a childs toy. However it took that stripped bolt right out.

[treveiger]

Never buy a cheap torque wrench i learned that the hard way a few days ago. Ill buy craftsman anyday when its there hand tools, my whole family has beat the crap out of mine and my fathers sets and never had a problem with them so far... We dont use ours everyday but deffently more than most "average joe"does. Whats the best torque wrench for the price???