Beginner toolset suggestions?

[GTyankee]

:LOL:

Sometimes when i was in a vehicle that broke down on the highway, i have walked a 1/8 mile or so in each direction looking for nuts & bolts to get me on my way

 

[regal81455]

Well if you've got the coin Milwaukee's new packout socket kit is absolutely dynamite.

 

[Cableman]

Tekton socket sets back in stock, had to order it! No skips, ¼,⅜,½" drive sets. Not bad for $375

 

[ClassicJoe]

Admittedly, I did not read many other posts, so I apologize if this has been said already... a set of ratchet wrenches.

 

[CrasherAsher]

I just orderd a tightspot impact set. They are much cheaper and still come with a lifetime warranty and there customer service is on point. The case the sockets came in was damaged on delivery. I emailed the company and a few hours latter I had a response and there shipping me another case.

 

[HEMIMANN]

Ever since Sears sold out Craftsman Tools to China under "Fast Eddie Lampert", I've looked elsewhere. Since Stanley bought the brand name, I don't know where Craftsman are made today, but I'd wager it's still China.

My set of Craftsman were bought in the 90's and were made in USA by Apex Tool. Now I supplement with Wright Tool. All USA made with USA steel, forged, and FEA designed. Done right. They're even better than Snap On, so can only afford a kit at a time.

Craftsman were great because they were moderate quality, moderate price, and available everywhere. Fast Eddy wrecked it and milked the carcass into his own pocket. America - the land of the bandit.

 

[GTyankee]

Stanley Black & Decker currently operates approximately 30 manufacturing facilities in the United States

May 15, 2019
Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) today announced it will expand its U.S. manufacturing footprint with a new CRAFTSMAN manufacturing plant in Fort Worth, TX. The groundbreaking for the 425,000-square-foot facility will take place in summer 2019, and the plant is expected to be completed in late 2020.

 

[Dodge 1500 4X4]

Wow nobody has SK tools, I started buying them back in to 70's, I bought a set at a time and
they went from SK wayne to just SK now they are Manufactured by Ideal Industries Inc, They also make wire strippers and pliers, but anything SK is made by Ideal, they still are a great tool a bit pricey but I wait till they have a sale or 20% off they make a great SAE and metric set in 1/4 and 3/8 drive that is a great set to have, If you want a long lasting tool, they've always been good the me, I still have the original tools from back in to 70's

 

[xtremeroller]

Buy multiple extra 10mm sockets. On occasion you will sacrifice one to the 10mm gods and have to replace it.

 

[kevkev]

Stay away from Crapsman.

 

[Trapper1]

I

Wow nobody has SK tools, I started buying them back in to 70's, I bought a set at a time and
they went from SK wayne to just SK now they are Manufactured by Ideal Industries Inc, They also make wire strippers and pliers, but anything SK is made by Ideal, they still are a great tool a bit pricey but I wait till they have a sale or 20% off they make a great SAE and metric set in 1/4 and 3/8 drive that is a great set to have, If you want a long lasting tool, they've always been good the me, I still have the original tools from back in to 70's

I have all my SK tools . The salesman used to come to my shop weekly just like SnapOn and Mac tools. This was more late 80s early 90s.

 

[crazy jerry]

Craftsman was never the best quality, despite their lifetime warranty, which they still have. The mediocre quality was good enough for users and since you could always get it replaced at any Sears, their tools were a decent value.... Fast forward to today. You can't be sure that you will be able to replace it that tool.. Sears is nearly dead. Sears has closed in most cities. Online presence is awful. And while Craftsman is now available at Ace and other home stores, it's not owned by Sears. So who is backing that warranty? Stanley? Ace? Bottom line: I would not trust that the warranty will be honored without a receipt, or that the same tool is available in 5 years.

old skool craftsman was probly good bang for the buck. great for home users on a budget. never did i think they were near the top brands however. today theyre mostly china and taiwan, personally i want nothing to do with them.
for newbies building a good size tool collection on a budget i recomend skipping past craftsman, harbor freight, lowes and home depot. watch local classifieds, yard sales, craigslist, ebay, for used or new old stock snapon, matco, usa proto, usa williams, armstrong, sk, stahlwille.

 

[crazy jerry]

any gearhead or mechanic with a interest in high qaulity tools may want to watch this video. aparently sk has just sold out to a chinese buyer. alot of people including my self arent going to be happy. ya i dont think i can buy sk tools from here on out. what a shame

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SK has been bought by GreatStar. Now what?

The rumors were true. SK was bought by GreatStar. My dad and I discuss what this means for US manufacturing going forward.

youtu.be

 

[Loudram]

any gearhead or mechanic with a interest in high qaulity tools may want to watch this video. aparently sk has just sold out to a chinese buyer. alot of people including my self arent going to be happy. ya i dont think i can buy sk tools from here on out. what a shame

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I have some SK tools I got from my dad. They are nice. This is a shame but unfortunately it's a sign of the times.

 

[crazy jerry]

I have some SK tools I got from my dad. They are nice. This is a shame but unfortunately it's a sign of the times.

in the last 2yrs i spent around $1000 on sk stuff . theyre great tools for sure. recently ive been getting into the german tools. picked up three stahlwille torq wrenches and a couple other small items not long ago. i cant say enough good things about stahlwille. the other day bought a wera torq screwdriver, havent had a chance to use it yet.
from the sounds of it, armstrong shamelessly sold out as well. guess ill add them to the **** list right next to sk

 

[TA-PW]

After being a Diesel mechanic for 30 years and using only good quality tools because that’s how I made my living, but also remembering what it’s like to start out buying tools here is my 2 cents:
it depends how much wrenching and how in depth you want to get, but I would say buy the best tools you can afford, but you don’t have to buy new.

when I was starting out and was at trade school someone put an ad on the bulletin board at the school selling a set of tools for $1800.00 so I borrowed the money and bought the set, there were lots of Snap on amd MAC tools in th small roll cab, The journeyman I was working with figured I got about 7 or 8 thousand dollars worth of tools.

I also found Snap on and Mac tools at pawn shops, and the beauty of them is the warranty they will usually repair or replace.
A lot of tools never wear out and I still have some of the tools from that original set I bought in 1990 and still use them today.

I would say you cannot go wrong with good tools! And you can find deals if you look around estate sales, garage sales etc.
just my thoughts, I know some people say just buy cheap stuff to each there own, but if could buy a used Snap on tool or a new cheap one I’ll take the Snap on every time.

Todd

 

[Doug Ram]

any gearhead or mechanic with a interest in high qaulity tools may want to watch this video. aparently sk has just sold out to a chinese buyer. alot of people including my self arent going to be happy. ya i dont think i can buy sk tools from here on out. what a shame

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US Manufacturing is a hollow shell of its former self. We don't manufacture anything from start to finish anymore. What we still do is the final assembly, but we are totally dependent on supplies from other nations, mainly China. When the owners of our nation's companies abandoned the tariff, we opened ourselves up to cheaply made products produced by cheap labor and polluting plants overseas. Whatever. We don't have to defend ourselves. It can be made elsewhere. I've been reading a biography of Teddy Roosevelt. Can you believe that the protective tariff was THE biggest federal government revenue generator and a policy building block of the Republican Party in 1900?

God help us if we have to defend ourselves against China. We wouldn't have the chips we need for our mighty high tech stuff.