Do you use any anti-seize or lubricant? Is there anything that works better than other stuff?



Yesterday after putting the running boards back on I've used lithium based grease to avoid the above in the future

 

Yes and good wrenches work better ("A few dollars saved is a few more chunks of knuckle missing")

 

It WAS a decent wrench set which worked well for about 5 years and never did anything like this! Come to think of it the 13mm wasn't used until the running boards. Most bolts are 10, 12, 14, 17. Maybe they didn't expect the 13 to be used and cut a few corners

 

Get the ones that say "CRAFTSMAN" on the handle. They give you a freebie if you manage to do that to theirs... I think Snap On has the same policy, but they are more expensive...

 

Lowes sells a brand of hand tools that have the same guarante - lifetime satisfaction, period. They give you a new one on the spot if anything every happens. They are cheaper than Craftsman too. Problem is I can't for the life of me remember the name of them. They come with a red and black label on the box.

Dang, this is going to bug me.

 

I put anti-seize on anything and everything I ever want to take apart again. Go through lots of it. Just don't get it on or inside of anything sensitive - cylinders, O2 sensor, etc. Every single time I take off a lug nut I put a new dab on. Spark plugs too - that's probably the most important thing you don't want to be hard to remove!

 

I think Lowe's house brand is Kobalt. Home Depot's is Husky (they have a red and black logo - Kobalt's is blue)

 

Kobalt is a division of Snap-On. I just went to the Lowes website - Task Force is the stuff I was thinking of.

 

SK, the only tools i will ever use. i have used, abused, and beaten these and never broke one. they are hand-me-downs, and my dad beat the crap outa them. i have broken several craftsman, in my mind their new hand tools are junk. i know you can just return them, but when you need that tool to finish a job so you can drive to sears and replace it, it gets to be a p.i.t.a.

but back to the topic, yes, i always use anti-sieze on bolts.

 

S&K rocks!! Any old crap can say "Life-Time" on them.. Just take a look around, Hell, they can make them out of pot-metal and put a life-time on it.. Just gotta find a place to replace it.. Did you ever bring a tool back to Home Depot?? Did they replace it?? I dobut it.. Crafstman is ok.. But they still feel & look cheap as hell. I have 2 sets of S&K (American and Metric) In 12 years since I bought them I have never been able to break them.. (Yes, 11 years spent in a body shop being abused too!) They have the same design feel as Snap-On, but you don't need to take out a loan to buy them.. :cry:
Bottom line, don't skimp the basic hand tooks and take good care of them and they will last a life time..

 

Snap on does it for me every time, especially for socket sets.

Cheers

 

I've been using Craftsman hand tools for years and generally like they're stuff. After pickup pieces here and there over the years, and getting a couple replaced after breaking (removing old exhaust bolts/shock mounts), I've notice they didn't seem to be "making them like they used to", especially the rachets. They just seem cheaper than my older stuff. In my disappointment, I starting looking around and found Kobalts tools (made by Snap-On). I've been using Kobalts stuff for over 5-6 years now and love them. I actually prefer Kobalts stuff over Craftsman, especially the rachets.

If you blow out the racheting gears of a Craftsman rachet, they no longer give you a new rachet, they hand you a repair kit. You'll only get a new one if you somehow break the handle/casing. I've have yet to have a Kobalt break.

 

I've never heard of S&K tools... where can I find them?

 

I was handed a new one when my 1/2" drive stopped ratcheting.

For what it's worth, I agree that newer Craftsman tools aren't as nice as the older stuff. I have Craftsman tools spanning 12 years or so and my older tools definately have a better feel to them.

I have some Task Force tools. Not bad for the price.

Great heads up on the Kobalt stuff, I'll take a look at it.

Chris

 

I've only ever had a problem with one Craftsman tool, my 3/8" rachet, but it was replaced without any problem.

I often look at Kobalt stuff when I'm in Lowe's, but just haven't had a reason to buy anything yet.

 

While looking for info on Kobalt, I found this:

http://www.team.net/www/morgan/tech/whotools.html

Lots of good info on who makes what...

Chris

 

Kobalt (Lowes) and Husky (Home Depot) tools work ok, I've never had one break, however neither Lowes nor Home Depot have a large hand tool (wrenches and sockets) selection compared to Sears, so I usually go to Sears.

Also, regarding the Craftsman warranty. I broke a standard 3/8" ratchet once and took it in for replacement. The store didn't have a replacement in stock, so they gave me a "professional" polished ratchet instead.

I noticed that these Craftsman "professional" series ratchets have a nicer grip and ratcheting mechanism than Snap-On. When I reach into my toolbox, I always grab the Craftsman ratchet over the Snap-on.

 

On time we tried a craftsman chrome socket on an impact gun for 's

We had to hit the deck.

Tried the same thing with a snap-on socket.....nothin....not a scratch!
We did it to an S&K and it faired equally as well.


So the lesson is snap-on if you can afford it (best there is, period).....S&K if you can't.

 

I've got some questions.

The time has come to buy a torque wrench. I'm going to buy one of the clicking ones. I've been looking on ebay and found some different wrenches. I've found the cheap stuff, craftsman, and some husky wrenches (no Snap-on - too expensive). I don't want to spend too much on a wrench, but I want a wrench that is going to do everything I need it to do. It seems that one of the craftsman wrenches only goes to 80 ft/lbs - that's not enough.

Should I go with 1/2" or 3/8"?

So, should i go with the cheaper 1/2" no name wrench that goes to 150 ft/lbs and comes with a case, extention, and adapter but no warranty or buy a brand name wrench that might have a warranty?

I'm not sure.

Thanks guys

 

If it was me I'd buy the best 1/2 inch I could afford, just bought myself one as I had to replace the Cylinder Head on my Diesel truck. I bought one with a warranty although it was an own brand make from our local auto supplies place (Halfords). It didn't come with anything but the wrench, I've already got decent sockets and bars.

Cheers