Thread: Favorite Toolmaker

Originally Posted by Brother Jeeter

Craftsman aren't 'crappy' tools.

Some are and some aren't.

It used to be that ALL Craftsman tools came with a real lifetime warranty. (Not the kind of waranty that defines the lifespan of a hammer as 5 years, and the warranty is good for that 5 year life of the hammer.) Now many are made to meet a retail price point and do NOT carry the lifetime guarantee. Thankfully, you can pretty reliably use this test to figure out if any given Craftsman tool is a good one.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm going to go with Craftsman. If another brand makes a better tool that I want and I can afford it, I'll switch to that other brand. For now though, there's no need for me to go overboard.

Tsteb,

One thing that I missed in your original post was what you were going to use the tools for. Hand tools for carpentry, masonry, plumbing, etc. may have manufacturers that the craftsmen who use those tools may generally prefer. Power tools are similar. We recently had some major re-piping done in our pump house and I asked the pipefitters' foreman what angle grinder he preferred "Metabo," he quickly answered; "It's the only one that holds up." I have my own preferences for woodworking power tools from both experience and how the tool holds in my hand. Hand tools are even more a personal thing.

Good luck with your tool shopping,

Originally Posted by Smiles

Not the kind of waranty that defines the lifespan of a hammer as 5 years, and the warranty is good for that 5 year life of the hammer

huh!? hammer's are one of the tools that SHOULD have a lifetime warranty! How the heck do you break a hammer!? It's a piece of wood/fiberglass/other with a piece of metal on top. Ugh...stupid companies...

anyway...another option TstebinsB is pawn shops. I have a few friends who got VERY nice tools (snap-on, mac, matco, proto) at discounted prices and i believe they still have the same lifetime warranty. Haha infact my bestfriends dad goes pawn shop cruisin' twice a month SPECIFICALLY for tools...well and guns too...but those are kinda like tools right?

again though Craftsman is a very good brand for any lay-person(non professional) IMHO

I am a mechainc and perfer SnapOn. The biggst problem with them other than the price can be service. If you don't work in a shop where the truck comes around it is hard to get service. I would reccomend to the weekend warior craftsman. They are decent tools with decient replacement policy and a good value. That is what I keep in my pickup for along the road repairs. As for power tools I would stay away from craftsman standard line (I have no experence with the profesional). I would go with different brands for different tools. I like the Porter Cable circular saw and sanders. I so far have good luck with DeWalt rechargeable. Milwakee is good for corded tools. Electrical tools are Klein and multi meters are fluke. Nail hammers I like my Steletto framer and estwing finish hammer. One brand is realy not that pratical as I reread my post.

My toolbox is a mixture of Craftsman, Channel-Lock, and specialty things that are for dealing with computers and soldering.

So far, no problems with anything.

I love Snap-On for hand tools. You can tell the difference in quality immediately when you use Snap-On, and for heavy, continual applications, there's nothing better. For the rest of us who aren't mechanics by trade though, Craftsman remains one of my favorites. They have good tools at reasonable prices, and they should last you forever. If it breaks, there's usually a sears down the street. Another brand that I've been impressed with is Husky from Lowes. Their warranties are good and easy to deal with. I work all my tools pretty hard, and so far the only one I've broken is a small flathead.

Powertools are a little different. It's a brand by brand thing really. The best is to talk to people that use them daily and see what they like.

I agree that Craftsman are good tools, although recently I've had serious issues with trying to get some replaced. The clerks act as if it comes out of there pocket.
Husky tools at Home Depot are really good and there was a time that if you brought in a broke Craftsman they would give you a Husky in return. ( at least here in Tucson). They are also Lifetime warranty
Another one I've had very good service from was ACE, I dont remember the brand name but I walked in with a broken pair of pliers and when the clerk saw them he immediately stepped up and asked if it was for replacement. I was in and out in two or three minutes.
A good way to check their service is to go to a swap meet and find old Craftsman, Husky or what ever and take it in for a replacement and see what they do.
One note of warning if you have kids put a lock on your tool box, Ive lost three sets of Craftsman screwdrivers along with others. When I ask my kids what happened to them they look like this


Bob

Originally Posted by jockeys

... and specialty things that are for dealing with computers ...

Like a hammer.

Originally Posted by Bruno

Like a hammer.

A sledge works wonders for some of your more common computer problems!