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Tools
No not you Troutly. :)
I want to start a new set for myself. Half of my stuff is at my lake place and the other half is at home. Some rides around in a toolbox. I'd like to take all my current stuff to the lake permanantly and start a new set. So the questions are, is Kobalt (Lowes) any good? I've always had Craftsman tools, but I hate Sears. What about Mac, Snap-On? I know that they have a good rep, but are they overkill for a shade tree? Also I really want a cordless 12v and 18v impact. After seeing Buck183's, I have decided I need one of these. Who makes the best one? Thanks. |
Go air! Buy a compressor for less than 100$, air ratchet, impact, die grinder is all you will ever need, just working on small stuff.
Craftsman is what we have used forever. Lifetime warranty, why not. |
I own a Auto Repair shop. Snap-on and Mac are
beautiful tools,but way to expensive. Some of the hand tools from Lowes are pretty nice & should work fine. I dont use Spap-on at home, I have craftsman & some husky stuff. |
You may hate Sears but Craftsman hand tools are hard to beat for the price. Some of the power tools could be better , in my own opinion. I have some SnapOn but only strange one purpose tools and the like. And SnapOns cordless power tools are great.
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I have a lot of Snap On hand tools from back when I was a car audio installer. No doubts from me that they are the best, but I still think the prices are insane. When the guy in the truck shows up at the shop though, they just make it too easy to buy the stuff. :D
I can't see how they can charge $10K for a toolbox and keep a straight face. Nowadays, I just go to Sears or Depot. |
Hey eyezlee, did ya see my collection? That would make a decent start for ya. ;) I maybe biased, but I would go with the name all over my tools.
Buck |
Nope I didn't. What are they?
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I'll get ya a pic.
You didn't see that LARGE blue thing in the corner of the shop that said "Snap On" on it? Buck |
i have 1 snap on tool. long medium size screwdriver.
ill spend 10 minutes looking for it before ill pick up a craftsman thats right in front of me :crazy: |
snap on and craftsman all the way........
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Lets not forget SK for the money a good buy and life time warranty also.
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Call #1-800-872-8066 This is phone number to a tool wholesale Co. called Weiss Tool Distributors Inc. They have terrific tool deals!! or www.WeissTool.com.
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just buy this and be done with it.
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I agree for the money its hard to beat craftsman plus the warrenty.
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You might check out the new Stanley tool sets..........they just got into that line. They look pretty good and are offering some rebates now.
stanley |
The Kobalt tools look nice, Craftsman best value, but nothing beats snap-on, My father , a mechanic and service station owner for life, years ago put a craftsman wrench on a bolt and said to pull it, then put the snap-on wrench on the same bolt, you can literally feel the difference in the two wrenches, the snap-on gives you more pulling power and is more comfortable in your hands.
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Originally posted by Chris L Lets not forget SK for the money a good buy and life time warranty also. |
I've always been a firm believer in buying the best tools on the market. The biggest argument I hear is that if it has a lifetime warranty it must be just as good. P'shaw!
Taking the heads off my old HP465 I went through every Craftsman socket I had that would fit the bolts. They split like rotten banana peels. Finished the job, and many others like it with Snap-On. With Snap-On stuff I've never broken a tool and never rounded off a nut or bolt head. Warranty's are fine if you've got the time to go back to Sears in the middle of every project to replace busted tools. I also agree with previous comments about comfort and feel. I work on my stuff because I enjoy it. Fine tools and the pride of ownership enhance that enjoyment. Like Dad always said, "Take care of a good tool and a good tool will take care of you." |
Snap on at the shop, home, truck, boat and wherever else I happen to be working at the time.
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Originally posted by HyperBaja Go air! Buy a compressor for less than 100$, air ratchet, impact, die grinder is all you will ever need, just working on small stuff. Craftsman is what we have used forever. Lifetime warranty, why not. there is NO air compressor for <100 bucks that will run REAL air tools, what are you using a dentist drill :D :D and if it don't say Continous Duty rated, It's junk. cast iron twin or better, at least 12Ga power cord. if it has a fancy plastic cover and looks cool it prob junk. If you can pick it up and put in your truck without help or at least a back ache afterwards it prob junk too. :D |
anyone make a good rechargable impact that doesn;t cost a fortune? sure would be nice in the bilge pulling motors and the like.....
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Originally posted by Chris L Call #1-800-872-8066 This is phone number to a tool wholesale Co. called Weiss Tool Distributors Inc. They have terrific tool deals!! or www.WeissTool.com. |
I thought this was going to be a phucktard bashing thread:D :D
We use Craftsman for general duty stuff, and Snap-on or Proto for the rough stuff. |
I have a bunch of craftsman stuff, that i try to phase out a bit at a time. They do the job, but there's nothing like a quality tool. I'm doing pretty well by now. I do say, i hate craftsman rachets. I wouldn't even bother with them. my S+K rachet is my fav. SK is now owned by a company called facomb, i have a bunch of their stuff, some of the best ive ever used. check them at Facomb
Thats the best advice i can give. Start with a big craftsman set, and upgrade when $ allows. Youll eventually end up with a nice set, without breaking the bank. |
I'm with topdj I spent close to a grand for my compresssor. Craftsman hand tools are good cause if you break them they give you a new one. Prob. is why has time to go to sears in the middle of a project to exchange tools. mac and snap on don't break (normally) also if your getting into swivel and impact sockets check out cornwell, they are awsome but pricy. Mechanic or backyarder you cant have too good a tool unless you like band aids and asprin.
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Snap on is the nicest. WAY overpriced, but generally they work out deals with financing etc for mechanics at shops. while i worked at a shop, i used some snap on, but you can buy 5 craftsman tools for 1 snap on. Now i dont work at a shop and if i break a snap on its a royal pain in the ass to get it replaced. then they have to order it and hook up with them again. AND they are a little pissy with you about replacing stuff if your not one of their "regulars"
To me, its not worth the money and the pain in the ass for snap on, if your not a full time mechanic. my craftsman stuff works great. |
Originally posted by JUST ONCE Prob. is why has time to go to sears in the middle of a project to exchange tools. mac and snap on don't break (normally) |
I agree with the difficulty in trying to buy SnapOn when you don't work at a shop with a regular dealer. I mentioned in my post above that I have a lot of SnapOn from a former job. I haven't bought a single tool from them since I changed careers over 10 years ago.
If it weren't so difficult, I'm sure I would. My screwdriver set is missing a piece, and it's been driving me nuts for quite a while, since I can't stand to use any other brand of screwdriver. |
A handy guide, so you have some idea what tool to use for what purpose:
TOOLS EXPLAINED By Craig Bonhoff HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer now days is used as a kind of divining rod to locate expensive boat parts not far from the object we are trying to "adjust". Available in a variety of sizes, which is typically chosen based on the amount of time you have already wasted attempting to "solve a problem". Available with a head made of steel, plastic, brass or hard rubber. As a side note, only the steel head has a practical use, no logical use for the other materials has ever been discovered. Some models equipped with the fly away head option. AKA "Ford Wrench", "BFH", "Wound Inflicting Hammer" RAZOR KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on boxes containing boat covers and bimini tops. ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Used for spinning steel pop rivets in their hole until you die of old age. Some larger models are capable of turning the user’s wrist in amazing directions never before imagined just as the bit starts to break through the material you’re drilling. SLIP JOINTED PLIERS: Primarily used to round the heads off of bolts. The joint slips and only grips items slightly larger then what you were originally trying to grip. Most have an area to cut wire at the base of the jaws. The "cutter" is good for squishing and mutilating wire where you would have liked to cut it. DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the garage, splattering it on the Bud Girls poster above the bench grinder. BENCH GRINDER: This devise is equipped with a wire wheel on one end and a grinding wheel on the other end. The wire wheel is used to clean debris off of old bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench at the speed of light. Also removes fingerprint whorls and hard-earned calluses in about the time it takes to say "Reggie Fountain". The grinding wheel is used primarily for starting small surprise fires at your feet. Also has the ability to transport the object your working on great distances. HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering the boat trailer back to the ground after you’ve installed those new low profile tires, trapping the jack handle firmly under the chrome fender. EIGHT-FOOT LONG DOUGLAS FIR 2X4: Used for levering a trailer upward off a hydraulic jack. TWEEZERS: a tool used for removing Douglas Fir wood splinters from your hand. PHONE: Tool for calling your boating partner to see if he has another hydraulic floor jack. Also useful for canceling dinner reservations you and the wife had and ordering pizza delivery when the "three hour job" you started in the morning has now moved into the evening hours. GASKET SCRAPER: Theoretically useful as a sandwich tool for spreading mayonnaise; used mainly for scraping dog doo off your shoes. E-Z OUT BOLT & STUD EXTRACTOR: A tool that snaps off in broken bolts or studs and is ten times harder then any known drill bit. TIMING LIGHT: A stroboscopic instrument used for illuminating grease buildup on crankshaft pulleys. TWO TON OVERHEAD HOIST: A handy tool for testing the tensile strength of ground cables, fuel lines and electrical connectors you may have forgotten to disconnect. ˝" X 16" SCREWDRIVER: A larger motor mount prying tool that inexplicably has an accurately machined flat tip on the end without the handle. BATTERY ELECTROYTE TESTER: A handy tool for transferring sulfuric acid from a boat battery to your pants and to the inside of your toolbox after determining that your battery is dead as a doornail, just as you thought. HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes. VISE GRIPS: Used to round off the heads of bolts. If nothing else is available, they can be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand. RATCHET: Bolt removal tool typically equipped with a breakaway pop-top. This tool can also double as a hammer. Used with sockets that automatically fall off when you get near the bolt you want to remove. Sockets typically fall off and run and hide like critters. Changing directions requires a deft touch and a smart rap on a hard surface, and it might hold…and it might not…..not for the high blood pressure types. TIN SNIPS: From the same family as the hacksaw. Comes in right and left hand models, but neither will go where you want it without religious training. Perfect for ruining light- weight steel, copper, aluminum, brass, etc. TROUBLE LIGHT: The mechanic’s own tanning booth. Sometimes called a drop light, it is a good source of vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, which is otherwise not found under engine hatches at night. Health benefits aside, it’s main purpose is to consume 40-watt light bulbs at about the same rate that the 105-mm Howitzer shells might be used during, say, the first few hours of the Battle of the Bulge. More often dark then light, its name is somewhat misleading. PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the lids of containers and splash the contents onto your shirt. Doubles as a center punch, can also be used as the name implies, to round out Phillips screw heads. AIR COMPRESSOR: A machine that takes the energy produced by a power plant 100 miles away and transforms it into compressed air that that travels by hose to a Chicago Pneumatic impact wrench that grips rusty trailer bolts last tightened 10 years ago by someone in Missouri, and rounds them off. |
Snappy.... snappy.... unless it's something I have to put a torch to so that I can get the wrench into a strange place... then it's anything cheap... :D
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Originally posted by wwwTOPDJcom there is NO air compressor for <100 bucks that will run REAL air tools, what are you using a dentist drill :D :D and if it don't say Continous Duty rated, It's junk. cast iron twin or better, at least 12Ga power cord. if it has a fancy plastic cover and looks cool it prob junk. If you can pick it up and put in your truck without help or at least a back ache afterwards it prob junk too. :D |
Originally posted by dockrocker A handy guide, so you have some idea what tool to use for what purpose: |
I have many craftsman peices and some Snap-on to. But my FAVORITE ratchet is an ESCO my dad gave me many of ears ago. Not even sure if they ae still in biz or not or were to get them but you might check them out.
Rag's :D |
I'm with HyperBaja,
I put a $79 4 gal Harbor Freight pancake compressor on my cruiser. I run the pi$$ out of it every time I change an impeller or use the impact to knock rusted bolts loose. And my friends have put more hours on it than me. No, it wont keep up with a drill or grinder, but for small jobs away from home, they're great. BTW, I am getting a 220V 60 gal for home. I doubt that would fit on my boat though. Gary |
Oh yeah, one other note on tools for the boat:
The more expensive they are, the faster they sink. Gary |
Originally posted by BajaRunner i disagree. i break a craftsman about as often as i do a snap on. yes they are better (snap on) but if you break those in the middle of a project, wheres the snap on man? |
Originally posted by JUST ONCE Driving over in his truck the guy i used was always a terd. i would break something and call him, hes like see you next thursday or you can meet me on my run. i bought more cornwell because of the service. there all good tools, if your a mechanic and can get them easily (and afford them) then by all means i would go with snap on. for the rest, sears. |
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15 gallon, 150 psi, 3hp craftsman compressor. Works fine, was 79 bucks and had a bonus kit with it, 10' of hose, tire wand, and an air ratchet. No, nothing has broken yet, so they cant be that bad. Now if you are looking to open/run a full service shop, this wont work. But for the small projects this is more than adequate.
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The psi is cool but volume is problem. If your workin with an impact gun 15 gallon won't keep up. thing will run itself to death.
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