Ducati Monster Forum

I'm looking for a set of 3/8 ratchet drive metric stuff but I want real workshop quality, and I could do with a few ring and open enders 10 to 23 mm, plus a few metric socket-type Allens, coupla  3/8 1/4 adapters and a flexible coupling.

Which US brand/s are THE dogs dangles for small handtools. 

I'd say Snap-On, but be prepared to spend  a pretty penny or two.
Most of my work tools are Craftsman.  Still a good tool at a decent price with a lifetime guarantee on their hand-tools .

Best Bang-for-the-buck: Craftsman
Best Quality: Seems to be a toss-up between Snap-On and Mac Tools

BTW, I used to work for a Crescent Tool (Cooper Industries), and eventhough my toolbox is slammed full of a lot of their products, I still think Craftsman is a much better deal for quality and price. IIRC, Craftsman tools are made by Western Forge. A brand I really do not care for is Kline (based out of Chicago, IIRC). I have a few Kline tools, but they do not seem to have the quality that I'd prefer.

BTW, Cooper Industries manufactures such brands as Crescent, Xcelite, Diamond, Plumb, Lufkin, Weller, Wiss, HK Porter, Nicholson, and a whole bunch of other tools. I recall having a contract with Snap-On where we made some of their Blue-Point brand of tools.

If you want something US made, and workshop quality, without the price & bling of snap-on, check out Proto by stanely.  It is their professional grade, and pretty nice stuff in my opinion.

http://www.stanleyproto.com/default.asp?TYPE=STATIC&PAGE=HOME.HTM

mitt

Mac Tools get my vote. I used both SnapOn and Mac for the 20 years I was wrenching. The Mac stuff seemed to hold up better and was more comfortable to work with. The wrench bodies were not so sharp-edged and the ratchet handles were more comfortable & grippy etc... both are way more pricey than Craftsmen or the others mentioned here but if you can get your hands on them, it is worth it to get a feel. Some tool designs are literally a pain to work with...  :P

working at a dealership for the last 10 years I would say that it depends on the application. I own snap-on,craftsman,proto, and a few mac tools
the latest flank drive wrenches from snap on work very well but will scar up pretty fasteners so you need to decide between possibly scarring a fastener or possibly stripping a fastener.

ratchet wise I like my craftsman just as much as my snap on, snap on does have a really nice fine spline ratchet sears does not.
Starting out as a pro after school you have literally tens of thousands of dollars to spend on tools. I used this simple method to get me there without selling a kidney to the snap on rep.
start with a good brand like craftsman(I also like NAPA pro line and proto as well) and get all the basics, As you discover the tools you need/use all the time pick up those in a  higher end brand (snap-on,mac,matco,cornwall).

you NEVER have too many tools, the one you do not have is the one you will need. I easily have 9 or 10 12mm open end wrenches. Most are slightly different but it is always good to have a back-up. [thumbsup]

+ 1 on the backup. I can lose anything.

For most home shops any major brand will do.

Another option if you're looking for Snap-On or MAC stuff is to check eBay or used tool stores ... They're designed to last, and you can save a pretty penny that way  ;D

Adam

Hock Shops as well. 

I'll add K&D to the mid to high quality/price lines.  www.mytoolstore.com has pretty good prices on it.

Also, as much as I've used/owned/liked Craftsman, I think Kobalt, which is sold at Lowe's, is a much better low-end tool.  They have the added bonus of the rounded corner hex patented by Snap-On that works of the flats of nuts, not the corners.

I totally forgot about Proto tools, and those are the only ones I've been buying the last few years....I get a good discount through work when I buy them through Grainger.

A word of advise......do NOT skimp on any wrench or socket designed for allen (hex) or Torx bolts. The cheaper tools have a tendancy to round off the fasteners and the tools themselves round off and break.

I really like my Cornwell tools. They are a bit better than Craftsman and way cheaper than Snap-On.
Plus my Cornwell guy is much nicer than any of the other tool guys.  Cornwell will have anything you need and probably a lot of stuff you don't need but will buy anyways.

I have Snap-on but they are a ripoff , Britool, Bahco(sweden) CW   and Irimo (German) but now I try to buy Husky tools they are just as good as Snap-on at 30% of the cost ,

a few years ago I was working in Taiwan and the tool companies there contract manufacture for all the major tool companies I saw Snap-on stuff being made  next to Husky, Stanley and Craftsman .

ebay snap on. or craigslist someone who has a whole set of tools that hes looking to dump for cheap.

Klein tools are great, but they are more of electricians brand
I have a set of crescent wrenches. THEY SUCK. they are now the suck it tools because they have striped so many bolts.
Im eyeing a set of Craftsman metric wrenches right now on ebay.
Ive had really good luck with Husky tools. I have a ratchet set, screw drivers, allen set, and if i cant get the craftsman metrics then its $60 to husky ratchet wrenches.

Now if you wanted an electric tool...its Makita all the way!

Thanks for the advice, appreciated.

I'm gonna have a look at some Protos

Coupla weeks ago I helped out a friend with mower woes using his never used el-cheapo 3/8 toolkit, broke the 1/4 to 3/8 adapter almost right away which made all the shiny sockets useless. No problem I had a medium quality 1/4 drive emergency set in the car, never used. The ratchet handle got stuck in neutral then fell to pieces..........

jsut like what eveyone else is saying snap on, mac tools, cornwell, and matco are going to be your higher quality tools, the cheaper ones are going to be in the craftsman, proto, and kobalt. i've broken many a tool, but the higher priced ones seem to be of a much better quality.

I used to swear by Craftsman (and for the most part still do).  But you have to choose your tools, and expenses wisely.

I had a Craftsman 3/8" drive lose its rachet ability on a Sunday afternoon working on my truck.  I needed to get to work Monday morning, and I couldn't use that wrench, even if it was replaced by Craftsman's warranty.  Basically, I was kinda screwed.

So, for those tools I'm using 75% of the time, I have Snap-Ons.  That Craftsman got replaced by a Snao-On, and it's never let me down.

I have Craftsman socket sets, though (I just don't want to know what will happen when one of those fails some weekend due to poor Chinese metalurgy).

Also be careful of Craftsman screwdrivers.  It seems some of their spade (flat) screwdrivers have a tendency to bend even when used properly.  No, I'm not using them as chisels or as pry bars.  But if I'm looking to remove a screw, I'm not really happy when I see the shaft of the screwdriver is noticeably torqued.

The rest of the toolbox (and it's a sizeable one) is Craftsman, though.  It's nice to be able to get that oddball tool at a local Sears or K-Mart when you really need it too.

I have had serious problems with SnapOn warranty. No matter how many calls I made to the local dealer, he never stopped at the shop where I worked. Bottom line: if you don't spend a ton of money with him you get no warranty service.

 +1 I have Snap-on and Craftsman tools

+1 Almost all of my tools are Husky. I've used them ALOT and NEVER had one break, round off a nut or anything. Decently priced, full warranty and readily available (Home Depot)...

My tools started out as a collection of mostly crafty pieces. Then as the Snappy truck came by, I'd add one or two here or there. As said above, you'll find there are collections of different tools for the same size. I probably have 20 different ways to work on a fastener with 10 or 12mm head on it.

I would suggest that unless you are a professional mechanic, don't bother with the snap-on or other high $ brands. Lowe's and Home Repo are everywhere, start with them. Fine enough quality. Then add snap-on or other where it makes sense. If you're a weekend warrior, spending big on tools isn't really wise. At the same time, avoid those "265 piece kits" for $39. Those are ok for putting together Ikea furniture or something, but not on motor vehicles.

For those who are starting out or on normal budget, we got in with a tool vendor and I picked out a selection of tools that I thought would be useful and have them in our "hand tools" page.

:) Chris

Two Words: HARBOR FREIGHT

Back in 1968 Harbor Freight Tools set out to make it easier for the working man and woman to get the best value on top-quality tools.

WHY WOULD THEY LIE??  ;)

Adam

PS: Actually, some of their stuff isn't complete garbage - their Digital Calipers, for example, are the exact same part #, distributor, etc. and everything as a Blue-Point one ... And $20 bucks! 

+1 -- I seem to break Craftsman ratchets at the rate of about one every two years or so, and since a lot of other people do too, they've got a ready supply of them at the cashier's station for a quick, painless exchange. The Husky stuff seems to do OK as well. Oddly enough, the best set of screwdrivers I've ever owned were from Ikea -- blades shaped perfectly & heat treated very well, and the best handles I've ever used. While I enjoy working with the one Mac torque wrench I've got, I don't think I've ever seen the Mac truck in our little town, and the Snap-on guy only once.  For me as a non-pro, pro-grade tools would be as much of a potential problem as they would a solution, since I don't have the same access to the dealer/support network.

Haha, my exact experience with Husky allen sockets. Two have just snapped off so far.