Starting to Buy Tools
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 617
Likes: 0
From: Okmulgee, OK
Starting to Buy Tools Hey guys, I'm currently a full time college student and I do detailing on the side so my budget is kind of tight. I'm about to start buying tools and after looking through some things, doing some research and reading on The Garage Journals I believe I will be going with GearWrench Hand Tools, and some Makita Power Tools. I have a Gladiator 12 Drawer 41" Chest to house my goodies in, and it currently has a few items (Craftsman stuff, broke some a few times). I do minimal work on vehicles and this is a hobby.
Cliff Notes:
• Full time college student
• Thinking about GearWrench hand tools
• Thinking about Makita power tools
• Already have a Gladiator 41" Chest
Cliff Notes:
• Full time college student
• Thinking about GearWrench hand tools
• Thinking about Makita power tools
• Already have a Gladiator 41" Chest
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From: Urbana, Illinois
You get what you pay for when it comes to any tools. But it is also just alot of trial and error to see what you like the best. I started out with craftsman everything and they did the job and are reliable, but now that i work in a G.M. dealership i have majority snap-on and some mac tools and trust me you can tell a difference. Just start using different things and decide what you like, to each their own as they say. Just my $.02
P.S. try and stay away from the majority of harbor freight stuff if you are using them all of the time or you like going into their store all of the time to replace stuff
P.S. try and stay away from the majority of harbor freight stuff if you are using them all of the time or you like going into their store all of the time to replace stuff
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 617
Likes: 0
From: Okmulgee, OK
This is just a hobby so I doubt any Snap-On will find its way into my toolbox. At this point its just out of my price range.
Has anyone heard of Armstrong? Its made in the USA and seems to be somewhat affordable.
Also, I'm looking into Proto Tools as well. They seem like really good quality items.
Has anyone heard of Armstrong? Its made in the USA and seems to be somewhat affordable.
Also, I'm looking into Proto Tools as well. They seem like really good quality items.
I have a Kobalt socket set and I absolutly love the quality of the tools. I haven't broke anything yet. I had my first set a year and everything was still perfect even using the sockets on my impact. Then my wife left the garage door open and somebody stole it. Black friday I bought another set. I let a friend use the set and he liked it enough he went out and bought one too.
If you are using the tools to earn a living don't scrimp. You don't need to purchase the most expensive just the most reliable. Most professional mechanics use Snap-On or MAC because the trucks stop at their shops. I am a hobbyist but I use Snap-On because I felt that Craftsman's quality has greatly decreased. Last time I had a Craftsman ratchet fail I took it to Sears and they handed me a bunch of parts and told me to fix it myself. Snap-On I hand them a broken ratchet and they hand me a new one.
Both Lowe's and Home Depot have house brands that are pretty good and have good warranties.
I have never heard of Armstrong or Proto that doesn't mean they aren't any good, they could be new companies. I would stick with better known, readily available brands so warranty issues can be handled quickly and easily.
Good luck.
Both Lowe's and Home Depot have house brands that are pretty good and have good warranties.
I have never heard of Armstrong or Proto that doesn't mean they aren't any good, they could be new companies. I would stick with better known, readily available brands so warranty issues can be handled quickly and easily.
Good luck.
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For the shade tree guy, the cheaper hand tools with no moving parts (sockets, wrenches) seem to work pretty good. For ratchets, I'd bone up and spend the extra money on something that is good quality and has a lifetime replacement warranty. As I think about it......I'd probably do the same with screwdrivers as well.
I've always been a craftsman guy, but have noticed that over the last several years, their ratchets are not what they used to be.
I've always been a craftsman guy, but have noticed that over the last several years, their ratchets are not what they used to be.
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I have craftsman and Stanley... Ill use whichever i pick up with no preference.
I've used Stanley for around 6 years... Used craftsman around 6 months.
Never broke anything Stanley.
I have issues breaking pliers though for some reason so Im buying craftsman for the warranty next time.
I've used Stanley for around 6 years... Used craftsman around 6 months.
Never broke anything Stanley.
I have issues breaking pliers though for some reason so Im buying craftsman for the warranty next time.
Launching!
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 222
Likes: 0
From: Illinios
Another +1 for Proto and Makita. I use both at work and they both take an everyday Industrial beating very well.
The only thing I'm not crazy about with Proto is the matte black finish. It wears of and looks like crap, on top of that, they will rust even with a new finish. Im also not a big fan of the grip of the ratchets. Its kind of a cut-in mesh design that kind of wears on your hands a bit (although it does provide a good grip)
The only thing I'm not crazy about with Proto is the matte black finish. It wears of and looks like crap, on top of that, they will rust even with a new finish. Im also not a big fan of the grip of the ratchets. Its kind of a cut-in mesh design that kind of wears on your hands a bit (although it does provide a good grip)
I've been using Craftsman for over 4 decades. Good stuff. I still have some of the original stuff I bought 40 years ago.
It's available in a variety of places now, since K-mart owns Sears. You can usually find a good mechanics tool kit on sale for a good price. That's a good place to start. Most of the sets on the shelf now are a combination of metric and standard. If you're just starting out, that works really well. Here's a good set for $200: http://www.sears.com/craftsman-309-p...2&blockType=G2
Recently, I needed to update my metric tool set. Couldn't find a good set of metric only. So I had to buy them one piece at a time. After shopping around, I went to Lowes and bought Cobalt.
Mac, Snap on, etc, are great tools, no doubt about it. Probably the best available. But they are certainly not cheap. For a hobbyist, it's far more than you need. You can spend your money in better places.
For battery powered tools, I like Mikita. If you're going to be working on cars, an impact wrench is extremly valuable. And I use the electric impact wrench far more than air powered.
You'll also need a corded 3/8" drill motor. Again, nothing real fancy here. I bought one for about $30 a decade ago, and I'm thinking of buying another this month. My brother was in the construction business. He saw that cheap drill motor and tried to give me a hard time. He said the POS won't last 6 months. I laughed when I told him how old it was.
It's available in a variety of places now, since K-mart owns Sears. You can usually find a good mechanics tool kit on sale for a good price. That's a good place to start. Most of the sets on the shelf now are a combination of metric and standard. If you're just starting out, that works really well. Here's a good set for $200: http://www.sears.com/craftsman-309-p...2&blockType=G2
Recently, I needed to update my metric tool set. Couldn't find a good set of metric only. So I had to buy them one piece at a time. After shopping around, I went to Lowes and bought Cobalt.
Mac, Snap on, etc, are great tools, no doubt about it. Probably the best available. But they are certainly not cheap. For a hobbyist, it's far more than you need. You can spend your money in better places.
For battery powered tools, I like Mikita. If you're going to be working on cars, an impact wrench is extremly valuable. And I use the electric impact wrench far more than air powered.
You'll also need a corded 3/8" drill motor. Again, nothing real fancy here. I bought one for about $30 a decade ago, and I'm thinking of buying another this month. My brother was in the construction business. He saw that cheap drill motor and tried to give me a hard time. He said the POS won't last 6 months. I laughed when I told him how old it was.
On The Tree
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 158
Likes: 0
From: Nashville, IL
Proto and Armstrong are very good tools. My dad uses Proto underground in the coal mines. He's also bought many used Proto and Armstrong tools off ebay the past couple years and uses them very frequently farming, never broke a single one and they feel very heavy duty. Personally I'd use them over new craftsman.
Ebay is your friend when it comes to buying tools. I get alot of tools from there. You can get tools like Proto, MAC, Snap-on, Williams, Bluepoint, KD, SK(my favorite). Black Hawk is a good tool in its own right and I have several of them, but alot of their Ratchets are made in Taiwan.
Don't be afraid to buy used tools. I have a ton of them that I bought for pennies on the dollar and some of them looked like they were used only a few times. To me a tool box is a tool box is a tool box. I couldn't imagine spending 5k on a roll around box. I'm not saying you don't get what you pay for, because you definitely do, espeacially in the world of buying new, but I would put casters on the chest of drawers before I shelled out that kind of money for tool storage.
You cant go wrong with SK and you can fumble across some good deals on ebay for them. Alot of craftsman is made in China now, I have a lot of craftsman tools, mostly professional series and they are pretty handy. Craftsman Higher end ratchets are the only ratchets craftsman makes that I will use. Snap-on ratchets work well, but the ones I have are a tad bulkey. The SK ratchets are the bees kneez, to me anyway....to each his own.
Don't be afraid to buy used tools. I have a ton of them that I bought for pennies on the dollar and some of them looked like they were used only a few times. To me a tool box is a tool box is a tool box. I couldn't imagine spending 5k on a roll around box. I'm not saying you don't get what you pay for, because you definitely do, espeacially in the world of buying new, but I would put casters on the chest of drawers before I shelled out that kind of money for tool storage.
You cant go wrong with SK and you can fumble across some good deals on ebay for them. Alot of craftsman is made in China now, I have a lot of craftsman tools, mostly professional series and they are pretty handy. Craftsman Higher end ratchets are the only ratchets craftsman makes that I will use. Snap-on ratchets work well, but the ones I have are a tad bulkey. The SK ratchets are the bees kneez, to me anyway....to each his own.
On The Tree
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 182
Likes: 0
From: Boston
Btw if you're not into air tools:
I got a porter cable cordless 1/4" shank impact driver. This things the *****. You can get the adapters to go to 3/8 and 1/2 drive sockets.
This thing was ballsy enough to break the sway bar frame bracket bolts on the front end of my Camaro.
You can usually find a great deal at lowes on it for around $100
I got a porter cable cordless 1/4" shank impact driver. This things the *****. You can get the adapters to go to 3/8 and 1/2 drive sockets.
This thing was ballsy enough to break the sway bar frame bracket bolts on the front end of my Camaro.
You can usually find a great deal at lowes on it for around $100
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,148
Likes: 12
From: Downers Grove, IL
The bottom line is to buy brands that are a good deal for you.
I try to go after brands that are made in the USA as I feel they are usually the best overall value, but I am not a tool snob, I use whatever works. SK is a very good handtool, the only thing they really suffer from is lack of distribution. Proto, MAC, Snap-on, and the rest of the high end tools are great if you use them every day, but for a hobbyist I can`t justify the cost unless I get them used for pennies on the dollar. I have a mix of craftsman, allen, proto, snap-on, sk, stanley, armstrong, hazardous freight and other store brand tools.
Armstrong is a good brand, also keep allen in mind. I have line wrenches by allen and they were a great buy, cheaper than craftsman, they seem stronger than craftsman and also have a lifetime warranty.
Makita does make good powertools but above all else I prefer milwaukee. Milwaukee powertools are still mostly US made and very durable. That being said if your not using it every day many times a cheap store brand tool will work just as well. My dad has a POS tool shop 18v drill that is one of the best cordless drills I have ever used. It is probably almost 15 years old and the battery still holds a charge better than the newer bosch drill that I have. Last year the slipper clutch started making noise, and must have broken something internally because it cracked the side of the drill case
. The adjustment is off now so you have to turn it way past the "drill" setting before it locks in fully but it still works and the grinding noise even stopped
.
I try to go after brands that are made in the USA as I feel they are usually the best overall value, but I am not a tool snob, I use whatever works. SK is a very good handtool, the only thing they really suffer from is lack of distribution. Proto, MAC, Snap-on, and the rest of the high end tools are great if you use them every day, but for a hobbyist I can`t justify the cost unless I get them used for pennies on the dollar. I have a mix of craftsman, allen, proto, snap-on, sk, stanley, armstrong, hazardous freight and other store brand tools.
Armstrong is a good brand, also keep allen in mind. I have line wrenches by allen and they were a great buy, cheaper than craftsman, they seem stronger than craftsman and also have a lifetime warranty.
Makita does make good powertools but above all else I prefer milwaukee. Milwaukee powertools are still mostly US made and very durable. That being said if your not using it every day many times a cheap store brand tool will work just as well. My dad has a POS tool shop 18v drill that is one of the best cordless drills I have ever used. It is probably almost 15 years old and the battery still holds a charge better than the newer bosch drill that I have. Last year the slipper clutch started making noise, and must have broken something internally because it cracked the side of the drill case
. The adjustment is off now so you have to turn it way past the "drill" setting before it locks in fully but it still works and the grinding noise even stopped. 
Like everyone else is saying, you do get what you pay for.
HOWEVER!
Snap-on, MAC.... yeah its a name. THose tools are well made, and they do last. Like other tools they break, and where SNap-on is supposed to lifetime warranty, that warranty ONLY covers the original owner as mentioned in the warranty policy. Can you get some stuff by them or the local truck guy, sure! Just dont be surprised when you get denied. When it comes to "consumables" (sockets, extensions, ratchets, etc) Proto is a GREAT deal. I would put most PROTO stuff up against Snap-On, Mac,Matco. Blackhawk is another great choice, they are made by Proto but are cheaper. Kobalt is a good one as well, they are pretty well made and easily available. Try waiting weeks for the tool trucks to get replacements when you can just go to Lowes and trade your stuff in. Just stick with what ever you can afford. Hell even Harbor Freight is starting to get better tools.
HOWEVER!
Snap-on, MAC.... yeah its a name. THose tools are well made, and they do last. Like other tools they break, and where SNap-on is supposed to lifetime warranty, that warranty ONLY covers the original owner as mentioned in the warranty policy. Can you get some stuff by them or the local truck guy, sure! Just dont be surprised when you get denied. When it comes to "consumables" (sockets, extensions, ratchets, etc) Proto is a GREAT deal. I would put most PROTO stuff up against Snap-On, Mac,Matco. Blackhawk is another great choice, they are made by Proto but are cheaper. Kobalt is a good one as well, they are pretty well made and easily available. Try waiting weeks for the tool trucks to get replacements when you can just go to Lowes and trade your stuff in. Just stick with what ever you can afford. Hell even Harbor Freight is starting to get better tools.
