ITT: Tools General + SnapOn VS Craftsman

I am in need of a torque wrench. Any recommendations? Given that it's a precision instrument, I'm thinking this is something I shouldn't go get from Harbor Freight.

Snap-On vs Craftsmen
Made in the same factory.

>no 17
>can't work on hondas

I got a CDI for a little over a hundred bucks. It's nice. I heard the craftsmen ones break easily, but a friend of mine has been using one for a while with no trouble. The reason I didn't get one is that their warranty is something like three months for that tool versus lifetime like most of their shit is. If it breaks and I can replace it at the Sears right by my house it's no big deal, but the shorter warranty period shows that they know it's a shit product.

I have a craftsman torque wrench and it has 1 year limited warranty that you can only replace if you have the original receipt..

You get what you pay for.

i have a craftsman that needs recalibration. who does that

This is mainly because Sears has been going under for years and Craftsman is hit and miss depending what you buy anymore. You also have to keep in mind it's a torque wrench, your average moron buying on the cheap end is likely stupid enough to break bolts loose with it, drop it, toss it around, smack it into shit, not reset the torque on it, therefore ruining the mechanisms and accuracy and going back yammering about his $60 tool being shit and wanting to warranty it.

I have no idea, maybe a machine shop. I would try asking your hardware store too.

I picked up a snap-on 50-250ft lb torque wrench and its awesome, it sucks dropping almost five hundred bucks but I've never had to worry about it loosing calibration as long as you reset it back to the lowest range while not using it and never exceeding the min max rating

My first one was some pos harbor freight that had the metal rod and I didn't trust it for shit

Ever think craftsman could calibrate it for you

kind of doubt it

Got a summit racing wrench
$30 and it isn't half bad. Feels cheap but it gives you a good ballpark torque for things that aren't super important.

Craftmade blows now. I wish I'd bought more tools growing up. I have a few that I've found at yard sales and flea markets. I'd put the American made craftman against my Matco anyday. I also really like gear wrenches 120 xp series of socket wrenches.

i bought a set of 3 snapon torques from a garage sale for 60 bucks inch lbs/0-100 ft lbs/ 100-2??ftlbs, best investment yet.

how accurate are they?

had the snapon guy recalibrate them before using them. They were close to spec. They pretty dam accurate to .5ft lb increments.

>no duralast
It's almost like you don't want it built to last

Precision Instruments split beam, they make Snap Ons split beams, but the PI is 1/3rd the price. Don't have to dial it back after using.

Ssoooooo......what tools are actually American made and worth a damn if Crapsman and ShitOn are made in China?

The ones you make yourself.

Personally, Snap-On ratchets, sockets and accessories, Britool torque wrenches, Facom or Snap-On spanners and Facom screwdrivers and pliers.

I always buy Snap-On second hand and I've never had a problem with getting replacements under warranty. I've got a 3/8 drive 'Ferret' sliding tee that was made in 1940 according to the date code and it's in near perfect condition.

I used to like Duralast but when i started to switch to more heavy jobs, they fucking broke. And you cant claim warranty unless you return the e tire set (if a set). So i just stuck to USA made craftsman. Never had a craftsman tool break on me yet, and i do light truck suspension word and shit

>"I think I speak for all of Veeky Forums when I say we don't know anything about tools or how to use them"
that may be true for you, but that is not the case for a lot of people on here

That being said, I like SnapOn tools

I work at vatozone I swap individual parts for people

Damn, i should have kept trying at different vatozones. Guy said i had to bring entire set or else he cant give me a new ratchet. I didn't give him a hard time because I'm not a nigger. I just went home and tried to find the entire set but i couldn't because i bought that shit when i was like 16. So i just forgot about it, i had other ratchets anyway. I was actually very surprised when it broke. I never had a tool break on me before. I would always hear that tools break and shit but i never knew how that went down exactly. When it happened i just sat there with a blank ass look on my face, Confused.

ok i called, it cost me 55 to have it adjusted and it takes two weeks. fuck, next time tool truck for sure. even matco or anything is ok.
craftsman just no

split beam? is that a clicker?

Doing my own brakes for the first time this weekend. I have:

>floor jack
>2 ton jack stands
>new rotors
>new pads

anything else I need? Do I need to oil any part of the brake mechanism or pad? If so, with what?

brake fluid? you are supposed to have it changed every other year.
also probably need basic tools you know to take off the caliper brackets

Lube the caliper slides and where the pads sit. Depending on where you live you might need to clean off a lot of corrosion on the caliper brackets.

I think my brake fluid was changed when I had my timing belt done.

Regular socket / wrench set is fine I'm assuming?

thanks btw

I got a hand me down set of 3/8 snap on socket set with deep, shallow, extensions, swivels, etc. it's pretty nice, but too expensive for me to buy myself.

The rest of my tools are a mix of harbor freight and craftsman. Anything precision I go buy from sears/lowes/homedepot or ask my dad for his shit

what kind of car?

A lot of nissans like having fuckhueg caliper bracket bolts that the standard socket set may not have. Europeans like using weird fasteners like allen/torx/triple square. Ditto for some American manufactuers. Fucking e-torx on a saab.

acura tl type s.

I'll buy additional tools if I need to, just trying to be more self sufficient when it comes to this stuff

you can pop the hood and look. if it looks like coffee its really really bad. new brake fluid looks very much like water

4th gen? If so you've got those brembo-style fixed calipers, you usually need a specific tool to retract the calipers.

If its the previous gen type S then you've got traditional single/dualpot calipers you can retract with a big pair of channel locks. Remove the slider pins, wipe'em down and re-lube them with a brake/slider pin specific synthetic lube. Install your brake pads with some of the same brake specific lube onto the pad nubbies where the sit in the clips on the cradle.

Also fucking rotor screws. Jesus fuck rotor screws. Impact driver and a #3 Phillips socket and hope you can knock those fuckers off.

>fucking rotor screws

3rd gen thank god

any off the shelf brake lube is fine? thanks again

I always used this type stuff onto sliders

For brake pad contact points I always used stuff like this. Synthetic stuff usually has a higher melting point than conventional copper/nickel based anti-seize. Also supposed to have anti-squeal properties if you put it on the back of the pad.

You're supposed to beable to use this stuff for slider lubrication aswell but I find its very tacky and goopy compared to slider grease.

Dude the warranties aren't even registered. Theres literally no way to track it so the procedure is to just find the same tool on our shelf, give u that one, put your broken one in the packaging from the new one and then report that as a "damaged from shipping". Everyone wins

I was all about Craftsman before they went full China, but my latest additions are all Wiha.

>SnapOn vs Craftsman
Craftsman is not the same as it used to be. Harbor Freight and other chinese tool sellers have eaten up most of craftman's customers. That doesn't do Sears any good either. I was in Sears recently and it is like a ghost town in their tools section. And they have fewer and fewer tools. It's not like before Harbor Freight came to town and ate up most of sear's tool customers. Sears used to sell a lot of usa-made stuff (clothing included) but it just can't compete against China. Now, even a bunch of Sears stuff is made in china. So sad.

What will happen when the Chinese standard of living grows too expensive and they can't be used for cheap labor anymore?

i have a tekton one i bought from amazon

it's lasted almost 2 years so far and i've had no issues with it.

When you are starting off buying tools, go to harbor freight and buy yourself a 1/4 and 3/8 ratchet set.
>But those tools are cheap!
Exactly. When the Pittsburgh sockets (10mm, 13mm, etc.) break or you lose them, replace those sockets with the good ones.

If you are not a full time mechanic don't worry about Matco or Snap On tools, unless you REALLY have to have them. They are both great tools, but the less expensive stuff will serve you well for your occasional project.

Even when I was a BMW technician I used Pittsburgh stuff that I bought from Harbor Freight all the time. Pliers, screwdrivers, even pry bars. I still have my impact socket set that I bought from harbor freight 5 years ago. I have used those sockets extensively and I have yet to break one of them.

Fap On is really overkill. Their entire business model is being able to deliver goods and being available pretty much 24/7, which is why industries like them. Couple that with them having military and aircraft certifications for their chrome plating.

That being said, I can't say new craftsman is worth it, and people saying Kobalt, Pittsburgh, Husky, Stanley etc are really not abusing their tools much. Don't get me wrong, they're great for the application, but don't fool yourself about their quality.

Personally, I prefer Wright for ratchets, since they produce strong, small profile ratchets with good chrome, etc. However, I would buy pretty much all sockets and other tools from SK, armstrong, and a few other companies when I can get them cheaply.

I'm a fan of the Canadian Tire brand (Mastercraft). They usually have a couple of different grades, and the Maximum series of tools has a pretty good warranty. No receipt necessary since it's their brand.. They know you bought it there.

Never had a Mastercraft tool break, rust, etc. I'm not a heavy user of said tools but I still have a bunch from all different time frames. They feel heavy and solid.

Every other cheap tool at Canadian Tire is garbage, though. There's a really cheap brand that might also be CT's own, I forget the name now. Black and red are the colors. Absolute trash. The metals feel like they're made of plastic, and the plastic feels like Styrofoam.

Got a harbor freight one and did my head gasket with it. No complaints and it did the job, cars got 5k on it since then

Gedore or Facom for me

No joke, 17mm is a pretty standard size for working on Japanese motorcycles, dirt bikes, atv's, etc.

I bought this Craftsman one when I was rebuilding a motorcycle engine and needed something that would get down to 26 in-lbs. Also used it on my dad's 6.0 Ford Powerstroke when we had to replace the high pressure oil pump. It's worked well so far but you've gotta be careful with the numbers that are printed on the plastic handle (pic related) as they scrape off easily......

craftsman.com/products/craftsman-micro-clicker-torque-wrench-3-8-drive?taxon_id=1895

I also have a massive 1/2" drive solid flex-type torque wrench from my grandpa who was a tractor mechanic for 30+ years. It's handy when you need to tighten stuff up 60+ ft-lbs.

Tekton tools are pretty good although they are kind of shit tier.

who /dollar store torque wrench/ here?

Craftsman wrenches and sockets are acceptable but their ratchets are pure shit. Harbor freight ratchets are honestly better except for the ultra-shitty ones they include in socket sets.

What are some basic tools I should get to start a decent toolbox?

So far I have a 3/8in ratchet with metric and imperial sockets, and metric spanners.

I want to get some screwdrivers, channel locks, vice grips, 1/4in ratchet, 1/2in breaker bar and sockets, and some other things

What am I missing to do basic vehicle repairs?

For odds and ends / replacement sockets and wrenches I've had good luck hitting up the local pawn shops. A local pawn shop that I frequent and have bought several guns from has huge bins full of loose sockets and open end - box end wrenches. I picked up 5 decent quality open end - box end wrenches for $2 not long ago. I wouldn't spend the time to sift through their stock to make a complete set or anything but it's something for everyone to keep in mind if you just need say a 10mm socket because you've misplaced yours.

Pretty sure you are going to needa C-clamp

can you take a pic? i want to see how it held up

crescent wrench (adjustable wrench)
impact driver (pic related)
torque wrench
swivel ratchet wrenches
dremel tool with cutoff wheels
propane or mapp gas torch
c-clamps
wire strippers, soldering iron, crimp and solder connectors / splices, heat shrink tubing
heat gun

and yes, you will definitely need a torch at some point if you wrench on vehicles long enough.... The dremel with cutoff wheels is only necessary if you're very unlucky but it's always nice to have a dremel around.

I have a blowtorch, and I plan on getting an oxyfuel rig eventually

Yeah, that was an oxyfuel setup in the pic, very hot. I have a smaller handheld mapp gas torch that I also use sometimes.

Uk here.
Is Sealey any good?

Lowes vs Home Depot -- Kobalt vs Husky

which one would you choose?

whatever was closer

china is rich enough, i dont understand why companies insist on giving them more money by outsourcing.

does Kobalt have the same lifetime warranty as Husky?

fun fact, Husky stuff is manufactured under license by the same people that manufacture Craftsman.

Because they have lax labor & environmental laws, a huge labor force, plenty of raw materials, adequate infrastructure to accommodate new factories, the country & economy is relatively stable, and Chinese worker's wages + benefits are still way less than those of most westerners.

It's the perfect place to set up shop in the developing world.

Skif it is Skil I feel ya on how trash they are, not even Asian women would buy such tools. But I dont think theyre a Canuck tire brand

Old Kobalt used to be manufactured in the same factory as Snap-on but they've since changed ownership.

The set I bought last year seems to be holding up though.

*Skil?

From Kobalt's website:
Sockets, Ratchets and Wrenches Lifetime Hassle Free Guarantee
Hammers and Pry bars Lifetime Hassle Free Guarantee
Utility Knives Lifetime Hassle Free Guarantee
Chisels & Files Lifetime Hassle Free Guarantee
Pliers & Wrenches Lifetime Hassle Free Guarantee

Seems like most of their hand tools have the same sort of lifetime warranty as Husky's stuff

I'm gonna be in the market for a large "mechanics tool set" (mainly just a big set of various ratchets, wrenches, and sockets) to replace the tool set that I've cobbled together over the years and was considering both Husky and Kobalt due to their price & warranty. Sure, a large snap-on set would be ideal but I'm not gonna spend that kind of money.

>the country & economy is relatively stable,

Have you read the news lately?

Besides that most Chinese corporations by and large are crooks, who may give you large quantities at a reduced price but almost all of it will be substandard product that won't meet requested spec.

GearWrench.

Mostly because their tools have stood up to abuse that none of the other brands seem to survive so far.

Two coworkers have had craftsman torque wrenches practically explode on them, the ratchet head just smashed apart on them under load.

Another had a similar thing happen with a snap-on torque wrench.

But the gear wrench torque wrenches just keep taking abuse and they even seem to require calibration less.

did they have the same one as me?
sears.com/craftsman-digitork-reg-torque-wrench-5-80-ft-lbs/p-00944596000P

mine looks like that. and i just sent it in for cal today

The country and economy is much more stable than most other developing nations and they have a proven track record of being capable when it comes to large industrial operations. If it were not so then Apple and virtually every other consumer electronics company would not have their products made there. Yes, if you're a small buyer looking for one container of cheap products then prepare to be screwed over but no one in the world manufactures products en masse better than China does at this point.

They recycle most of the world's scrap and have mining operations set up all over the developing world that keep their factories supplied with raw materials, they have more exports than any other country, they have unrivaled infrastructure when it comes to rail and sea freight transport...

Craftsman is fucking garbage. Pittsburgh pro actually makes better tools. Older snap on ratchets really arent even that great. The dual 80 is really nice but I find myself reaching for my new 90 tooth mac axis before my dual 80.

A lot of people have the misconception that anything with a lifetime warranty is a good tool, but theres so much more to a tool than that. A good tool wont break or break very rarely. A great tool makes a job that is generally a chore almost enjoyable.

Milwaukee makes the best cordless tools. Pneumatic power tools are slowly becoming less and less relevant.

Grey pneumatic makes some awesome sockets called duo that are rated for impact use, but are dimensionally similar to standard chrome sockets. Sunex also makes some good impact sockets. Avoid cr-v sockets like the plague.

Knipex is hands down the best pliers manufacturer.

Wiha and wera make really good screwdrivers and bits.

Standard gearwrench ratchet wrenches are fine 95% of the time. For standard combo wrenches williams or wright are really good.

If you must have air tools check out aircat and ingersoll rand.

This to be honest. But I do think kobalt is better than husky

It clicks but you don't have to dial it to 0, you can leave it at lug nut torque all the time if that's your primary use, also more accurate and robust than a twisting handle type

oh nice. i thought it was the kind with a dial you had to look at. i hate those, most of the time you have to put your head at an awful angle to look at them.

You see I'm living out of a cart like you now
It's crammed to the brim now but it's nice to be able to roll around with everything, could also do track weekends with it if I needed to. I made some cool space saver solutions, will post pics when I'm done decking it out

i like kennedy tool boxes, they make some heavy duty ones besides the little ones they sell a lot of.
really a lot tougher than my snap on

this kind

I've heard good things about the Harbor Freight brand tool boxes (US General). My friend's dad got a big roll-around 3-piece US General box and it seemed alright upon first inspection. Time will tell how well it holds up over time I guess. I'll probably end up with one eventually once I have some more garage/shop space.

>Milwaukee makes the best cordless tools

>tfw Snap On ct8810a monster lithium

shits pretty dope

>people talk shit on snapon
>hey bro can i use your electric

>wiha, wera, aircat, IR

this nigga knows his shit

I grabbed my coworkers 1/2 snap on cordless today because my baby one wouldn't pull a seat rail out, I thought I had the wrong size socket because I didn't feel any resistance, but looked down and the bolt was out, spun it out like nothing. Kind of overkill for most things though, the Milwaukee is good because you can use the battery for a heat gun, caulk gun, sawzall, etc.

curtiss-wright/power hawk clockwork impact wrenches. 7000ftlbs of all-american torque.

costs a gorillion dollars though because they mostly sell to da gubmint

wtf that looks weak on paper
>Provides an incredibly powerful 230 ft-lb at a lightweight 4.25 lb
>not 1/2 drive

I work at a small euro shop that only uses snap-on. So that's what's good to me!