Favorite Hand Tool Brand

hyunelan2

Ratchets, sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers = Craftsman. Klein makes nice screwdrivers too. Crescent for adjustable wrenches and channel locks. For hammers, nothing beats Estwing.

Marqed97

I started with Craftsman for screwdrivers and basic sockets/ratchets, mostly for 3/8" and 1/2" stuff, but I prefer SnapOn for the 1/4" stuff. The ratchets are way better on the small stuff. Otherwise I mix up Mac, Matco, IR, whatever I feel is best for a certain application. Sears is 30 miles from me, while Matco and SnapOn tool trucks stop at work once a week. I guess the convenience is really the key sometimes. SnapOn really does make some great specialty test equipment though.

rusty baker

In my trade, it's Roberts, then Crain.

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"I'm twisted, not sick. Sick implies, I'll get better"
Semi-Retired Installer
Installing since 1973

Giles

When buying a tool, the most important thing for me is where it is manufactured. Now, I never buy tools from Communist China
The last Chinese made tool I bought, a few years ago, was a 1" PVC cutter. It broke on the third of fourth use. I went back and paid almost double for an American brand and I have used it MANY times with NO problems.

hyunelan2

I say that not everything made in China is a piece of crap. However, if it is a piece of crap, it was most likely made in China.

Leah Frances

There is a time and place for pieces of crap from China. I've got a few hammers I use for things other than hammering nails.

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If I could only remember to THINK about what I was doing before I did it.

Doc Holliday

I can not stand the fact that Fieldpiece hvac tools are made in Taiwan and I have quite a wide variey of Fieldpiece tools. Just bought a new Fieldpiece manometer last week.

Drills and such it's Makita, always. I don't care where they're made, they are the absolute best I have ever used. DeWalt I find bulky and imbalanced, Craftsman simply is not what they once were and are at the Black and Decker level if not below which is, well, K-mart at best.

Linemans must be Klein. They have great screwdrivers and nutdrivers and such but my Husky's seem to work just as well.

I like Ford trucks as tools as well.

itguy08

I've had good luck with my Craftsman stuff. Hand tools are great for my use and I really, really like the many C3 cordless tools I've got. Probably not as heavy duty as some but for my use around the house and in our remodel projects they have held their own.

That I can 100% agree with.

Doc Holliday

Crafstman hand tools I like, if you mean wrenches and the likes. I've always liked them.

The power tools by Craftsman is what I meant. I bought a new Craftsman 18 volt cordless tool set and I found out the hard way that are not meant for actual job sites.

Leah Frances

SnapOn makes some great torque wrenches.

__________________
If I could only remember to THINK about what I was doing before I did it.

Doc Holliday

Never owned Snap On, might give them a try soon enough.

Husky seems to be moving in the right direction, very affordable and tough tools. Me likey the ratcheting wrenches. Probably going to purchase some of these before I try Snap On.



And then these, also Husky.

Mort

Mark me up as a Craftsman guy. We use mostly Snap On at work, but I just can't see paying 8 times more for slightly better quality. Maybe Craftsman tools aren't as good as they were "in the good ol' days," but they're still mostly made in America, and that counts for something in my book. So I've been slowly replacing all the Chinese tools I foolishly purchased in my youth for those.

I also have their 19.2 volt cordless tools (screwdriver, impact driver, 5 1/2 saw, etc.) that I got for really cheap, but if the batteries are as bad as everybody says, I'll garage sale them and get DeWalt.

As far as pneumatic tools go, we use Ingersoll Rand at work, which are pretty good. We are probably the heaviest duty users you can get (tire/brake/alignment shop), and sometimes they have to be rebuilt. Aircat makes some pretty heavy duty impact guns which I think I may have to purchase for home use.

Colorblend

This stripper is quite a nice little tool actually, it is not good when you need to constantly adjust it for different cable dimensions, but when you are working with the same cables over and over it is quite ergonomic since you simply pull the insulation straight off. It is something that you just like or you don't I guess.

However, the ones you get nowadays are often a bit too sturdy and the cutting surfaces are not perfectly centered towards each other. My dad has an older one that breathes age and quality....

As for other hand tools I don't have much of a preference, I am not a craftsman either. But I swear by my Bahco socket set...
The metal is thicker than more expensive ones but it is a sturdy and handy little set that is more than worth its price. I like older Bahco tools but I have lost confidence in them a little after coming a cross a few newly manufactured tools that carry their brand that did not at all feel solid but still were pricey.


If I made plenty of money I would probably go for an arsenal of Snap-on tools, just laying hands on those is enough to make any job fun.....

OurHouse

I had actually come here today to ask about tools. Power tools are my bigger concern, though I still have a few additions to the hand tool category required. I did just get myself a set of Kobalt pliers over the weekend that seem good enough for the moment, and since they were a free gift, with a massive organizational tool box, I'm not sweating it for now

I have a Makita 18v drill that I love, and am exploring what else I need and how urgently I need it. I know I can borrow tools from a tool lending library, but the stuff I am going to use most often, I just want to get my own rather than spend the gas and wait my turn for someone to return it, etc. I know I like DeWalts, Makitas and Milwaukees. Any words on Ryobi? Craftsman, I'm skeptical because I have heard it is going down hill. Let's not even speak of Black & Decker . I think my most urgent purchase at the moment is going to be a multi tool (ala Dremel Multi Max) but there seem to be so many available when I search online and I don't know which is the best deal package because I'm not sure which accessories I'm going to want most over time, except of course the flush cutter blade to handle some woodworking issues that are pretty urgent IMHO. Any recommendations on a multi-tool set?

The upcoming projects that are soooon include ripping out the subfloor and replacing it in the tiny 1/2 bath, and possibly taking up asbestos tiles. For the subfloor tear out, what's going to make it easiest? I'm thinking I need a circular saw for that... probably also a nailer? What's my most versatile option for a nailer? Something I can reinstall subfloor with and frame up a bench for my mud room, and sister my joists where they are less frequent than current code, etc.

sdsester

I second estwing for hammers. I have a long steel framing hammer that has been with me for decades now.

I have Craftsman screwdrives, sockets and things and have since given me as a gift in my late teens. Sadly Sears no longer rebuilds the ratchet type I have but will give a newer type to honor the lifetime warranty.

I have a mixed assortment of electrical tools, romex and wire strippers and so forth.

I gave pipe wrenches to a plumber when moving years back because I did not want to deal with the weight. Big mistake.

Of course ChannelLok products in several sizes and configurations.

I really need the limited edition hand plane from Bridge City Tools? Just kidding but it is an awesome looking thing---and only $859! I do have several of their Japanese saws that come in more handy than you might think and am intrigued at the way you can adapt them for joinery.



http://www.bridgecitytools.com

I actually have hand saws, chisels, planes and things that passed from my grandfather to my Dad and on to me. Like most, I have shifted to power tool use more than I wish at times. The thrill of cutting a bull nose edge with a plane or whatever is different from the experience of whining high pitched router.

I have listed what I have in that regard in another post.

You know, garage and estate sales are great places to pick up some nice old, quality hand tools. You might have to clean them up a bit but you cannot buy new equivalents of some of them easily. Look especially for pliers and things. The Chinese cast crap at box stores fractures in your hand almost instantly.