Hand Tool Brands

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
0
Seattle, WA
So what is your favorite hand tool brands? I go for Craftsman for two reasons:

1. I can always return them without receipt and get a new one. Anything that has a high chance of wearing out and getting destroyed falls in this category. I remember when I first got my Tormek sharpener, I grabbed my Craftsman loppers in it and put on an incredible edge on it. Problem? I filed off so much that it would no longer close or cut anything!!! :D A quick trip to Sears netted me a new one.

When trying to crack open the bolts on my lawnmower which were stuck good, I did not hesitate putting a big old pipe on the little socket wrench and given it all I could to loosen it. Ditto for my tractor bolts. Amazingly, the 12 inch tool took all that torque without any damage.

2. Innovation. I find them advancing the art here pretty well. I like the ratcheting wrenches for example.

So what brand do you buy?
 

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
6,129
181
458
La Jolla, Calif USA
Agree with you Amir, the Craftsman brand are great tools. Far more available than Snap-on, which IMHO are actually a better made tool. I think most pros would choose Snap-on vs. Craftsman, OTOH. I think Craftsman probably sell multitudes more than Snap-On, just not to the pros!:cool:
 

DonH50

Member Sponsor & WBF Technical Expert
Jun 22, 2010
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Monument, CO
Craftsman. Interestingly enough, Western Forge has a facility just down the street from where I work makes a lot of Craftsman tools.

Snap-on if I could afford them, but pricey and hard to find (they do not normally deal with individual users, just shops/pros).
 

Dimfer

Member Sponsor
May 8, 2010
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Canada
I just picked up a set 97 piece Craftsman sockets and 1/2" drive torque wrench at 60% off

the sockets are lifetime warranty, but the torque wrench is only 1 year. They seem to last longer than Mastercraft sold by Canadian Tire.
 

mimesis

New Member
Sep 26, 2010
86
1
0
I like Knipex pliers, Wera screwdrivers, Facom anything. Channellock makes nice pliers right here in the USA. Also, while traveling I've picked up some great, small ratcheting hex bit screw drivers etc. that are made in Japan and they are very well done and unlike anything I've found Stateside. If I were to really go nuts, I'd consider a modest Snap-On system including their very nice tool cabinets. For power tools - Festool all the way. Oh, and Stiletto hammers.
 

Matt193

Well-Known Member
Mar 21, 2011
193
0
323
Wisconsin
I am a mechanic by profession so tools are my livelihood. What brands do I mostly use? Craftsman and Matco. The Craftsman stuff is fine for most light duty tasks but when it comes to a tool that I am going to use/abuse I will buy a pro line tool. The reason for buying Craftsman is simple: it's cheap and it serves its purpose. I buy Matco because I like to support my local tool dealer who is always there and is willing to search for a specialty tool. The only downside to having nice tools is that when you lose something it's usually rather expensive to replace it.

There are plenty of other good brands on the market and many of the pro tool companies will use or rebrand their products. Some of the more common ones are Irwin, Crescent, Allen, Knipex, Channel lock, Ingersol Rand and Witte.

I also do a little work out of my garage and I use mostly Craftsman and chinese tools. The cheap stuff that you get from a company like Harbor Freight is ok as long as you know what your buying and are able to look at the product before buying it. Where else are you going to get a complete set of pliers for $9?
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
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Seattle, WA
I also do a little work out of my garage and I use mostly Craftsman and chinese tools. The cheap stuff that you get from a company like Harbor Freight is ok as long as you know what your buying and are able to look at the product before buying it. Where else are you going to get a complete set of pliers for $9?
Good point. There are some insane deals at Harbor Freight. I bought a dolly with four huge casters for something like $10. If I wanted to buy the wheels alone, each would cost $7 to $8!

At our vacation house, we have a remote garage so I needed a second set of tools that I did not mind getting stolen. So I bought a set from them. I got a lot of tools for almost no money. I also needed a meter for checking continuity and battery voltage. Again, same criteria of not worrying about stolen. They had digital meter for $5 and ti came with a battery! Unbelievable.
 

RogerD

VIP/Donor
May 23, 2010
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BiggestLittleCity
I have all kinds of brands, Snap-on,S&K,Proto,Plumb,Bonney,Craftsman,and others, bought when all were made in the good ole USof A. My favorite are Bonney and S&K just because at the time they were great values,Snap-on and Proto were at the top.
 

Dimfer

Member Sponsor
May 8, 2010
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Canada
was at Sears today to exchange the set I got not too long ago for something else because it did not have the 19mm socket in 1/2" drive that I need to remove tires for my Cayenne, the old fellow who did the exchange for me told me that Craftsman tools are made in the US, by no other than................ Snap-On.

First time I owned a torque wrench, nice to know that the lug bolts in your vehicles are properly torqued.
 

RogerD

VIP/Donor
May 23, 2010
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BiggestLittleCity
was at Sears today to exchange the set I got not too long ago for something else because it did not have the 19mm socket in 1/2" drive that I need to remove tires for my Cayenne, the old fellow who did the exchange for me told me that Craftsman tools are made in the US, by no other than................ Snap-On.

First time I owned a torque wrench, nice to know that the lug bolts in your vehicles are properly torqued.

That would surprise me,after I fell off my chair.
 

RUR

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
647
3
0
SoCal
That would surprise me,after I fell off my chair.
Me too, as the fit and finish is vastly different. I've owned a variety of Craftsman tools for near 40 years and been generally pleased, except for the screwdrivers. After twisting the tips over and over with replacement after replacement, I exchanged them for Snap-ons and never looked back. eBay is a great place to find new and used Snap-on stuff at "reasonable" prices.
 

DonH50

Member Sponsor & WBF Technical Expert
Jun 22, 2010
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Monument, CO
I had a friend working at the local WF facility, and they make tools for Craftsman, Snap-on, and others. Does not mean they are the same tools, though of course there could be overlap among them, just that they were (or, may have been) made at the same production facility.
 

Matt193

Well-Known Member
Mar 21, 2011
193
0
323
Wisconsin
Actually Craftsman tools are not made by Snap On. As far as I know most of the tool companies farm out their products to large multi brand tool companies. I think I would trust the info I got from a member of the Sears staff on the same level as a guy trying to sell me TVs or stereo equipment at a Best Buy. :p

Here is a quote from the Wikipedia page about Craftsman: "General hand tools have been made by a variety of manufacturers over the years including New Britain,[7] Moore Drop Forge,[8] Stanley,[9] Easco Hand Tools,[10] and most recently the Danaher Corporation[11] (wrenches, ratchets, and sockets) and Western Forge[12] (screwdrivers, pliers, and adjustable wrenches)."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craftsman_%28tools%29
 

Greg_R

New Member
Jan 25, 2012
95
0
0
So what is your favorite hand tool brands? I go for Craftsman for two reasons:

1. I can always return them without receipt and get a new one. Anything that has a high chance of wearing out and getting destroyed falls in this category. I remember when I first got my Tormek sharpener, I grabbed my Craftsman loppers in it and put on an incredible edge on it. Problem? I filed off so much that it would no longer close or cut anything!!! :D A quick trip to Sears netted me a new one.

When trying to crack open the bolts on my lawnmower which were stuck good, I did not hesitate putting a big old pipe on the little socket wrench and given it all I could to loosen it. Ditto for my tractor bolts. Amazingly, the 12 inch tool took all that torque without any damage.

2. Innovation. I find them advancing the art here pretty well. I like the ratcheting wrenches for example.

So what brand do you buy?

I've had bad experiences with the latest Craftsman hand tools (~ last 5 years or so). My medium socket breaks about once a year (with minimal abuse) and the screwdrivers don't fit screws very well, bend or tear out. Sears has been very good about replacing the broken tools (they have a big bin of socket wrenches @ the checkout counter!) but I grew tired of driving 40+ min to get to the store. I have some older Craftsman tools (late 1980s) that has held up very well. Sears has started to sell a Craftsman 'Premium' and/or 'professional' line of hand tools that seems to fix these problems.

I like Wera, Wiha, S&K and Knipex. Snap-on is OK but you can get the other stuff @ a cheaper price if you're buying new. If you keep an eye on used classifieds you can find some great deals on these lifetime warranted tools.
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
0
Seattle, WA
Good point about buying used lifetime warranty tools.

I just bought a set of ratchet wrenches from Sears. Boy, do these things cost a fortune. It was $100 per 7 wrench set! But I thought to get good quality versions for these. It was not Sears but the other brand they now carry (gearwrench?). It was the only one that had a 90 degree twist in them which I find easier to use.
 

andromedaaudio

VIP/Donor
Jan 23, 2011
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Amsterdam holland
I am a industrial mechanic by profession and do all kinds of things , laser alignment of machinery , solve all kinds of technical problems , my last project as a free lance contractor was improving the grinding proces for flakers and build/ design new machinery for that .
I like the german stuff like stahlwille , gedore (just stuff that doesnt break in battle :D) and for airtools redrooster , atlas copco
 
Last edited:

Mosin

[Industry Expert]
Mar 11, 2012
895
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930
Snap-On, Knipex pliers, and there is no screwdriver better than one from the now discontinued VACO line.
 

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