A good bud of mine once said:
"Buy the best (you can afford), and only cry once."

I just want to add, that you'll probably find a much more accurate beam type torque wrench for the money than a clicker. If you want a decent clicker, you might as well save up your pennies for a real nice one. For that same amount of money you could buy a whole set of beam types.

- alex

'85 244 Turbo
'84 245 Turbo

I have two of the three vernier-style torque wrenches that Sears sells. The first one was so much fun that I have to get all three. Very useful when changing wheels in low light conditions, which often happens to me when snow is on the way!

Two of them, the two larger, are often on sale, the 1/4" never seems to go on sale. I may buy one anyway.

Now, I have to make a rig to check their accuracy.
--
3 8s & 2 7s 725,000 miles total

10 years ago I owned a set of Harbor Freight Tools. 9 years ago I bought my Craftsman. I think I still have 1 socket from the HF set the others busted, fixing my daughters Bicycle. The price of craftsman is worth it, if broken then goto Sears. I think I have only broken one socket in that time, removing a lug nut from a friends boat trailer he used in Salt Lake. Everything was rusted together, lug nuts to wheel to hub.

If you need something huge to do a big job, the Chinese are fine at this.

I'm thinking hydraulic presses, engine hoists, sandblast cabinets.

Other tools, buy the finest you can afford.

I've had really good luck at Pawn Shops.

I've found lots of Craftsman and better sockets for $0.50 each

If you are going to use the tool once in your life, get Harbor Frieght otherwise go with Craftsman.

I've had terrible experience with the stuff Harbor Frieght sells yet the clown here at work still buys the stuff so I can use it once, break it and throw it out.
For home, I always buy 'better than' this way I never have regrets.
--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwr and two motorcycles: it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me

I've bought Craftsman almost exclusively and have had my share of ups and downs. The newer "Professional" screwdrivers are head and shoulders above the color coded red and blue varieties. I've been adding to the collection through eBay lately. They have a gazillion Craftsman tools at excellent prices.

An inaccurate torque wrench is worse than no torque wrench at all. Buy the best one you can afford.

For sockets, well... I figure, if they're cheap enough, it doesn't matter if you bust one once in awhile, right?

I go for quantity. My issue with sockets is they get scattered all over the place. The one I want to use could be anywhere... in any one of three cars, in the garage, in the basement or attic, under 3 different sinks... you get the idea.

So, I buy cheapo sets about once a year. I've been buying Durabilt (uh-huh) and letting all the places I mention accumulate sockets as needed. I just want to be able to put my hand on the right size in a hurry. I hate searching.

And NO, I cannot "just put them away properly". I'm 40 and it just isn't going to happen now.

;-)

1961, and I still use it. Since then I've added a 1/2 drive Craftsman metric set socket set and combinations wrenched. Have Crescent adjustable wrenches, one Snap-On brake/refrigeration combination wrench (costliest one in the box) and who-know-what-all Brands of other stuff. Have a few I found lying in the roadway.

Next time you are shopping for a Craftsman tool, look at the country of origin. You may be surprised/disappointed.

Regards,

Bob

:>)

craftsman is the only way to go for me on hand tools, snap on are way to slick when my hands are greasy and the edge of the end wrenches are to sharp when you really start pulling on them, sockets are ok i guess. In reality I'm more likely to lose a wrench than break it and I still prefer craftsman because of the fit. as far as harbor freight, it's one of my favorite places on earth... but not for wrenchs...you don't see many chinese cars around do ya? pick up one of their end wrenchs and try it on a stuck bolt it a bad spot and you'll know why. I also tend to keep a closer eye on the craftsman.
Just my opinon...and ask anyone that knows me they'll tell ya I ain't wired quite right.
Bret
--
rust free in west Texas

Gosh... that's a good discussion topic.

Personally, I'd say that Craftsman is good for the price. You can save major bucks on the HF tools, and sometimes they're just fine. For example, if you have a little 1/4" drive set for those light duty, minor jobs, you might not really need to bother with anything else.

But not even God can help you if you put a chinese metric set in your toolbox. You'll be chasing stripped bolt heads and busted knuckles for the rest of eternity. And for torque wrenches or measurement tools, the better brands are the way to go.

Honestly, Craftsman is fine, even for most daily use stuff. Periodically you might end up breaking something, but in reality it isn't that often. I think Aye Roll mentioned he had a bunch of American made tools (Allen, Mac, Proto, etc). Tools from Allen mostly are cheaper, but like my breaker bar, they can last for a loooooong time. I have some allen ratchet box end wrenches that have been decent. I've got some Stanley 1/2 drive extensions. Some snap on sockets, craftsman wrenches, etc. I have quite an array of tools.

For the most used stuff (sockets, etc.) the $150 on a NICE set, for example, is money well spent. For occasional use, or those "one time job" times, you can slide by with cheaper stuff. Craftsman is decent enough to hold up, but cheap enough to justify buying it. When it comes to snap on, etc., you almost have to be working somewhere that they give you a tool allowance to cover some of the extreme expense.

--
chris herbst, near chicago

Most of my stuff is Craftsman. I have assorted pieces by Snap-On, MAC, SK, Proto and others. I have even got some Chinese/Taiwan stuff. THat's all universally garbage. The chrome comes off, the sockets crack, the steel's literally NOT heat-treated, as far as I can tell from beating on them (used a lot of the cheap sockets to make press tools and special one-use tools). It's pretty disappointing, the quality of the imported stuff. You'd think that, if labor's so cheap, they could make a decent quality tool by using good materials. Sadly, not the case. You completely get what you pay for.

I also use my tools at work. I might be hanging off a pipe 20 ft in the air trying to get loose some damn broken valve. I need tools I can trust. I know Craftsman has a decent safety factor built into their stuff. It's been consistent quality for many years. How do I know what went into these imported tools?

I also use tools by other quality US or European brand names: Allen, Klein, Ridgid, MAC, Hazet. SOme of these are clearly superior to Craftsman, like the Klein screwdrivers. Of course, I don't want to beat on those, since they're expensive! So I have a mix of stuff. I *love* Craftsman's warranty and have used it several times over the years. No questions asked. Even the Snap-On guy gives you a hassle when you return something. Plus, you can run down to Sears on a Sunday and start right back in where you left off. The other companies force you to find the dealer or mail it back in. Yeah, right.

I also like the fact that by buying Craftsman I'm at least not making the US trade deficit any bigger, if you know what I mean. Seems like damn little is made here anymore.
--
Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: "Roterande Fläkt Och Drivremmar!"

My torque wrenches are Craftsman.

But in one fit of temporary insanity, I bought a heavy duty 1/2" drive breaker bar from JC Whitney -- I think it's about 26" or 28" long -- and it has been wonderful for loosening and tightening the front pulley bolts that require about a zillion lb-ft of torque.

I'd bet that HF buys tools from approximately the same Indian or Chinese or Korean supplier as JCW.

The only tool I've ever destroyed from HF was the McPherson strut spring compressor. The big mutha screws galled and bound up.
--
Don Foster (near Cape Cod, MA)

I'd go with the Craftsman -- especially for sockets. Inferior quality steel flexes more under stress. I know it's only hundredths of a millimeter, but that's all it takes to wind up with rounded nuts and bolts.

Another suggestion regarding sockets: Stay away from the 12-point variety. They give you much less surface area on the fastener. You don't need the ability to turn it in tight areas -- that's what your ratchet's for. I have a Craftsman set of 1/4" and 3/8" (metric and SAE up to 11/16" and 15mm) deep well and shallow, and every single socket is 6-point. And my 1/2" drive sockets are an "impact" set -- which are made for high torque, so of course they're all 6-point as well. Frankly, I don't understand why they even make 12 point sockets.

Just my two cents. (Arguably worth that!)

Jeff Pierce
--
'92 Mercedes 190E (my daily driver), '93 945 Turbo (a kickass family car), '53 Willys-Overland Pickup (my snow-plow truck/conversation piece)

Craftsman, for sure. Its not snap-on quality, but it is much better than the imported stuff. And, as you point out, they stand by their tools with an easy replacement policy.

Mike Brown
Greenville, NC
1996 965 92K
1986 244 132K

I am quite leery of a torque wrench sold by Harbor Freight. A torque wrench is an important tool, and it is important that it is accurate and consistent. Yes, I would use Harbor Freight's engine hoist or stand, or the press that Paul has. I consider Craftsman the minimum for sockets. You can break Craftsman sockets, but you are a lot less likely to break one than a socket sold by Harbor Freight which has no brand name to keep good. When you go to the U-Pull It yards, you see a lot of broken sockets made on the west side of the Pacific Ocean. Granted, you don't leave a broken Craftsman socket behind because of the warrantee, but they are stronger.

Well to be honest I do own some Chinese stuff (Harbor Freight). My 20 TON press is fine, for exmple. Got it for a song at the HF store in Everett. Some HF stuff is pure sh@t.

I would in general lean towards Craftsman.

But I would just go tool by tool and compare ALL options - at least 3 brands.

Lemme guess, not married? If so, the tools are to fix stuff for the house? :) just joking around....I love projects....excuses to buy tools, right under the treasurer's (and CFO's) nose!
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http://www.fidalgo.net/~brook4/oilslubesfilters.html