I figured the armstrong would be a good piece. I know armstrong, gearwrench, and MATCO hardline were all made from Kingsley tool a few years ago. I hope they are different in the torque wrench line

 

In some cases, Certain brands are only available to tech due to the tool guy not coming around or if he's a dick or not.

I buy snap-on because the guy is cool and gives me deals. Plus if I ever have an issue with a tool, he replaces it no questions asked.
My MAC guy is a dick and ripped me off on some sockets once. Plus he's one of those veterans trying to get 100% disability and never been deployed.

The MATCO guy is ok. Just don't order from him, you'll never get it. If it's not on the truck, you'll never see it.

As for Tq wrenches, I strictly use Snap-on digitals. Nice to have TTY in it. Everything now is TTY.

 

Just to clarify, AVOID these:

ARMSTRONG
WESTWARD - available from Grainger
Specifically models: 4AD94, 4AD95 and 4D96

 

Snap-on tools and divorce...both are expensive and worth it.

 

Quoted for greatness!

 

Certain stuff, wrenches, sockets, torx and hex bits, specialty tools and boxes, buy the best quality you can afford. A cheap hammer works, so do gear wrenches. My box was a 6 month old repo, I paid around $15k, but it is the last box I'll be buying. IR for impacts, been using the same IR composit since 2002, I've seen a couple issues with some of their newer titanium impacts. I have close to $80k in tools, and there are things I still need. I probably have $3k just in torque wrenches, that's about the only thing I'm done buying. On the bright side, I can do everything except machine work at home(laid off now so box is in garage), a lathe, a decent mill, better MIG and a TIG are the next big purchases. It never ends...

 

Snapon and Matco are the biggest scams around. They only survive because of an irrational cult following of people thinking their tools are 'the absolute best' as if that somehow justifies $400 for a 1/4" socket set or $500 for a 3/8" impact wrench.

I doubt these companies even 'make' tools. The more you shop around online, the more you see that nearly everything pedaled to the glassy-eyed tech school kids is nothing more than a rebadged tool marked up 300%.

And if you pay more for a tool box than a good used Mercedes, you are a moron. The box HOLDS YOUR TOOLS UP. You think that is worth $10K+??? 'But is has roller bearings.' LMAO.

TOOL TRUCKS ARE A SCAM. Yes I registered just to post this. Spreadin' the word!!!

 

I needed a roller tool box for my small shop and was looking into what snap on offered.. they are nice but there is no way I could spend 1k+ for a tool cart with 3-4 doors.

And some of the 80'' tool boxes are $10,000 and up...

I know they are strong and each drawer can hold hundreds of lbs each unlike the cheaper brand tool boxes, but I cant wrap my head around the price.

My Original duralast 100 piece socket kit cost about $100 and has lasted me 10+ yrs and I have close to 4 full complete car builds on it.. I have broken the 13mm socket and 15mm socket and they have been replaced but other than that I've been good.

 

Don't be so sure. You don't really "need" Snap-on tools. From experience I say they are the best. One time the only 5.5mm 1/4 inch swivel socket, out of all the brands, that didn't break was a Snap-on. I used to let everyone borrow it for the same job in a dealership.

 

In that situation, buying a high quality snap on tool worked out.

I have 2 snap on torque wrenches and a stubby 3/8 ratchet which kicks ***.. But all my normal sockets are still duralast. So far so good

I pick and choose which tools need to be high quality based on usage.

 

I have a snap on ratchet I've been pounding on for a while that's proven to be decent, hasn't broken yet.

Dissappointingly I recently had the 3/8 drive craftsman 84t fail on me, and come to find out they're no longer made. Got a 3/8 72 segment cushioned grip to replace it which so far has been fine.

Thing I find with ratchets is the on/off selector is what I seem to break the most. If hat thing is plastic/cheap it ain't gonna last

 

Back in the day(1985) when I started in transmission business there wasn't many tool company's like there is today. I tried craft man and I had to go by there every other day. So I go on the Snap-on truck and look around. I loved looking at the nice tools,then I talked to the tool man......WOW what a di2k he was. I said I'd never buy from him! I started needing tools that CM didn't have. I needed to buy from the DI@K. WOW set of wiggler socket set was 160 dollars,(now 350)I only made 200.00 a week.
Soon the Mac man came around,WOW he was a really nice guy,I bought everything from him, F-off snap-on. I was able to pay 20.00 a week for the tools I needed. So I started to buy more and more. The weekly bill went up some but I started to pay more because I could. Pretty soon you owe 2-3K and its only 20-30 bucks a week<that's why we pay the higher price. He comes every week has every tool you could think of and they will warranty your broken stuff W/O any crap and after a while you have spent 100K at least and its 30yrs later and you have two big boxes and you never regret any of it.
Somewhere in there the shop I worked in was robbed and we all lost our tools,WE didn't get any money for our lost tools. I ended up moving to a nother shop and different dealer,this snap-on guy was cool and he gave me 5K worth of credit so I bought from him.

 

my flex head bent handle sk grew legs recently
replaced it with one of these at a coworkers recommendation and I'm pretty happy with it

https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-14967-...handle+ratchet

 

Well, I've been a die hard craftsman only guy my whole life and can honestly say that now, their ratches are the biggest pieces of **** out there. So are their screw drivers. Sockets and ****, I'll stick with the cheaper craftsman stuff with the warranty, but the high dollar ratches are definitely worth it if you have the money and do a lot of wrenching.

I also use snapon torque wrenches.

 

You're right Blown06! Don't even think about getting a craftsman torque wrench, that has to be the biggest piece of **** tool I've ever used.

 

Funny I have a craftsman torque wrench I've had for 10 years and when the calibration folks are at my work I've had them test it on their equipment... It's off by less than 1 lb, and is consistent from the bottom to the top of its range 20-250 ft lbs if memory serves me right.

Granted I've had it for a LONG time, maybe that's why?

I have some el-cheapo ones from HF that are all about 5 lbs low from their settings. But again relatively consistent, knowing that if I am in a pinch at track and need one I set it 5 lbs high and live with it.

I won't put a good one in trailer as they grow legs quick, this I'm sure of.


Sometimes ya get lucky I guess, all of my tq wrenches I have been using, and having checked on a regular basis for 8-10 years.... Fwiw.

 

Who told you they were made in the same factory? Kobalt tools are made by Danaher, the same company that manufactures Craftsman and most recently Match. Most of these tools are made overseas to save on costs of production. Snap-On tools on the other hand are manufactured in factories owned by snapon across the United states. Each factory specializes in a certain type of too, for example, sockets and ratchets are made in on factory, screwdrivers and hammers in another. They are all owned by Snap-On and produce exclusively Snap-on tools, nothing else.

 

I still use a set of "Proto" tools my dad bought right after WW2 still in good shape and the torque wrench has been through several calibrations and still holds up! I worked on large steam and Gas turbines and all the tools used for final assembly had to be calibrated every few months....

 

I have a mix of Craftsman tools from 10+ years ago and Kobalt tools. They both have been working very well for my needs. Lately, I have been buying Kobalt sockets and such because the selection is pretty good in the store, and I don't have to go through the hassle of dealing with Sears employees should I need to replace something.

My torque wrenches are CDI.

I think I have bought two Snap-On tools over the years: a GM steering pin puller, and a flywheel tool I bought used off eBay.

 

10+ year old thread, but very useful reading. So now it seems that Sears has sold off it's Craftsman tool brand to the Stanley B&D . Now in order to know we need to bring our reading glasses to look for Chinese made tools. I'm a weekend mechanic now days, but as a lover of my knuckles, I would never EVER use a Stanley or B&D tool

Game over man Game over! Seems that in order to get good American made tools, you will have to buy Snap-On. (Mac is owned by Stanley B&D)