Snap-on? Mac? Matco? Facom/SK? Craftsman?

What is the best to have?

Thanks in advance for all advice!

 

craftsman because you can break them and get a new one. the others are all quality brands.

 

all depends on your needs.
Weekend wrencher, professional???

I personally love my Snap-On stuff. It is expensive, I know it. I live it so I will pay for it.

 

HUTCH, I almost certain the same goes for the other tools manufacturers as well (Snap-on, Mac, etc.)

 

FilthyRich I am a weekend wrenchhead going pro!

 

I use matco stuff... as good quality as others but the prices are right and my tool guy is great to work with.... but you cant get some tools through them... then i go to snap on

 

I wrench w/ lots of MacTools. If I could afford Snap, or MatCo I would go that route, but I LOVE my Mac Knucklesaver wrenches, and all their sockets. I prefer snap-on ratchets, despite their ridiculous price. One thing you will want to ask yourself is:
Will I be able to access tool trucks when a tool unexpectedly breaks? If you can answer yes, then by all means, buy the professional quality tools like Mac, Matco,snap etc....cornwell is for the oldschoolers. I wrench alot, but am by no means a "pro" however I truly enjoy the feeling of picking up a quality wrench, or ratchet mated to a quality socket. It's a feeling every man should experience at least once in their life. If your like me, the first time I used my friends snap-on tools, I started a saving account the next day.

 

I started with a craftsman mechanic tool set (ex: 300? piece set) then added from there. I took notice of the tools i used the most, then when i had some extra cash I upgraded them. Example.. 3/8" wrench... i bought a nice contour one from matco.. i love it. A good set of screw drivers will save you alot of time by not stripping the heads, and if you buy vise grip, do yourself the biggest favor, and buy only brand name vise grips, unless you dont like your knuckles.

 

Here Here!

 

Yeah, but you can find a sears everywhere, and i would hate running after that darn truck all the time.

 

It doesn't matter how much you spend, tools will break. I just call my tool truck driver, set up a date that works for both of us, and it's just that simple. In my opinion just as easy as going to sears, although maybe not quite as spontanious.

 

I honestly didn't know, I have never purchessed tools off a truck. Thats just how I imagined it. I knew they make the rounds to shops, and I figured you would have to catch em or wait.... When I break a tool, it is usually one I am using at that moment and one that I need to finish whatever it is I am working on. Sears is the way to for for a layman like myself IMO, professionals are a whole 'nother story.

 

I did what some of the other guys did. I have mostly Craftsman tools. Their full polish tools are very nice. I am slowly buying Snap-On tools as I have the money. I'm in aviation and most of the mechanics I talk to / work with all use Snap-On.

 

craftsman and husky im starting to go more with husky they just feel better even know they look just like craftsman. also have a bunch of snapon and a few mac tools and some cheapy tools for my box in the truck

 

Gonna have to say Craftsman. Nothing against any of the other brands but I have had great luck with Craftsman. If you use tools enough you are going to break them (usually by abusing them) now and then and Sears replaces them no questions asked. Really like the new sockets with the large sizes stamped into them. Makes it a lot easier to find the right tool.

 

thats what i was going to say

 

I would say for the average person, or even en entry level pro, Craftsman is hard to beat. Sure they don't have the slection of the other guys like Matco and Snap-On. But I know that my wallet and my wife thank me for going with what is readily avaliable, and with what cost me so much. I have nothing against Matco and Snap-On, and they make good stuff, but man for the price you can buy at least 3-4 sets of Craftsman tools for every 1 set of the others.

 

I would say it depends on your local Snap-on guy, local Mac guy, and local Sears. If the Snap-on guy stops by the shop you're going to be employed and no one has any complaints about his business practices, go with him. Same goes for the Mac guy. If both of these don't seem too stellar, how far away is Sears? Usually works best if you can just take off for 30 mins to go take care of your broken tool.

They all seem to be of very high quality, but with Snap-on and Mac, you gotta have a local rep to do the fixing and ordering for you, it just works easier that way, from my experience. I worked as a gopher at a shop for 3 years, our Sears was far away and our Snap-on and Mac guys seemed to have their ducks in a row.

And if you happen to REALLY get rich somehow and want some amazing tools, check out FACOM through Griot's Garage, those things are BEAUTIFUL!!!! I want to buy a full set of their tools, but will probably end up going with more Craftsman, just because Sears seems to be everywhere...

 

I'm gonna piggy-back on this thread a bit. I have mostly craftsman stuff because of the warranty and convenience of Sears. For those of you who have used the pro grade stuff, how do you feel about Craftsman... is Snap on or whatever really THAT much better?

Also, Lowes carries Kobalt tools - I've though about picking up a ratchet/socket set from them as they are made/owned by Snap on. Anyone tried Kobalt stuff?

 

They are a lot more comfortable to use when using them all day, all week. However, you and I will probably never need that kind of comfort, we can always just go inside, grab a beer, and take a break...