Best tool brands?

I know not everyone likes to do things like this but I like to find broken tools, claw hammers and such, and repair them.

 

Yup, antique stores often have many quality tools with lots of life left in them...some just need a little TLC

 

You can also pick up good deals at pawn shops that take in way to much tools

 

Tool abuse !!
Buy a good driver(That fits YOUR hand ) , everyone likes there own feel !!Bits in hex and buy the best tips ,Milwaukee ,Dewalt , Snap-on all make a good line and less (Bluepoint) .

Tools are personal for many
For 18V drivers , Im a Makita abuser !!
Sloth

 

A really good option for some hand tools are Facom, made in France. In some cases far superior to even mighty Snap-On! Their ratchets are very low swing, with many more smaller teeth, that makes for a stronger tool with the advantages of a short swing in tight areas which can make ya more efficient! I think you can still get them through Eastwood and Cornwell, though there might be other vendors!

 

Look for a sprag ratchet , smallest movement ..
For @Motomom34 , who is a home owner , Good bits on driver's is semi important , then again KNOWING how to pick the correct bit is the real important choice , Philips / pozi / square drive / Robertson /XYZ / Torx / Allan ,, thats the hard part ..

THATS why IKEA includes the wrench

Sloth

 

As you have noticed, that was a very broad question and you are getting a bunch of answers all over the spectrum. Here are a couple links to previous tool discussions:

Some Thoughts on Basic Metal Working - Part 2 (Hand Tools)

Some thoughts on basic metal working

Here are a few of my thoughts.

Battery power tools:
Dewalt- this is what i have used for over 20 years. It was about the best option 20 years ago with the widest range of tools. Since I have about a dozen various 18v tools, I got kind of locked in. If starting over again, I would likely not go Dewalt but not because there is anything wrong with them. Warranty is 3 years.

Milwaukee - they have come a long way. Many contractors tend to favor them now but I also note that Milwaukee has pushed distribution through industrial supply houses and marketed well to trade professionals. The range of tools has skyrocketed in the last 6-8 years. You can even get special battery operated crimping tools for crimping the connectors for the 400 amp power lines entering a building. 5 year warranty. I haved used them a lot as my brother in law went all Milwaukee maybe 6-8 years ago.

Rigid - these are sold through Home Depot. A carpenter friend dumped all his Dewalt tools and went Rigid about 10 years ago. Why? Lifetime warranty, even on the batteries! That battery thing was huge with nicads. Not sure if batteries are still lifetime so check. I bought a Rigid large tube power caulking gun 12 years ago because Dewalt, Craftsman, Ryobi and Milwaukee didn’t make one then. Loved it.

An HVAC contractor friend had all Ryobi stuff which I have used. They make a real interesting light that fastens to wall studs, ceiling joints, various 2x lumber that is quite cool. But when I used these compared to the new DeWalts, Rigid, Milwaukee, I didn’t find them better in anyway. Nothing wrong with them.

Don’t get too hung up on the battery voltage stuff. The Milwaukee M18, Dewalt 20 volt and Rigid 18v lithium batteries are all the same voltages and have the same number of cells inside. The Dewalt Flexvolt is interesting but unless you are making a living with these tools, you don’t likely need any of the flexvolt stuff.

For a basic homeowner lets assume:
- only uses stuff on occasion and batteries may often go weeks fully discharged before being needed and charged (which is hard on them),
- don’t need the special tools (crimpers, seamers, bandsaw, drain blaster, etc.) and only want or need the basics (drill, grinder, circular saw, jigsaw, impact driver, reciprocal saw, grease gun),
Then I’d suggest considering the HD Rigid brand due to the battery warranty (If it is still lifetime).

Hand tools.
40 years ago my favorite brand of wrenches and sockets was Indestro. Excellent quality, lifetime warranty and best value for the money. They don’t exist anymore. So much for the warranty.

Used to use Snap-on. Expensive but good. After trading in for warranty replacement my 1/2” x 9/16” combination box wrench (I used it pretty much all day everyday) about the 3rd time when the chrome peeled and cut my hand, I was pretty much over Snap-on. Unless you are making a living with your tools, I think you are better off spending your budget on more very good tools than a few super excellent tools.

S-K, Proto, Mac - Used some of all of those in my wrench turning days. All just fine.

Craftsman - these plus all my old Indestro are what are most of the wrenches and sockets in my tool boxes these days.

Screwdrivers:
I have a whole mix of these. The Craftsman are ok, not fantastic. The Kleins in my boxes are my favorite screwdrivers, especially for Philips. Note, that the longer the Philips driver you use, (upto about 12 inches) the better.

Pliers, cutters, etc.
Channelock are my goto. Have used these for over 40 years, many in my boxes are that old and still going strong. Excellent quality and value.

Visegrips
Buy the actual Irwin ViseGrip brand. The China stuff is almost all crap in this arena.

AT

 

I've done a wide verity of work through the years and a wide verity of tools as well .some tings require the best and msome a fancy name does not make any difference
I have some Harbor freight blue handle screwdrivers with lug heads that are the best I've ever used , better than snap on .
And their warranty is good .
Not all tool companies make every kind of tool, so you have to have an open mind and shop around .
For end wrenches the style I prefer is the socket head and open end, some call it the S wrench . I like it so much I have even made some to accompany sizes that don't exist in that design. 11/32" deep well . "Dash board gage fasteners"
I have even created a hanging platform for end wrenches that has never seen the market, to work in my carry around. .
I am probably the only person you know that has a cherry picker on his tool box .


I had to reinforce the box and wheel arrangement ,but lifting a 350 cheve engine fully dressed was no problem.
On this job mostly hydraulic pumps and motors and related equipment .
But working on boats I replaced engines and out board motors .
I have a picker on both my trucks as well . It pays off . big
it's a good harbor freight tool.
Some tools are expendable , that vise on the box was broken , I welded it back together and it stayed ever sense and I was tough on it. Some situations are a one time thing you'll never see again ,so having a cheap tool that is good enough for that application is all you need . again harbor freight tools are cheap enough to do for this event .
My early career working on air compressors, most of my work was building new units and doing warranty work as well , being that many of the units that came in for work were antique, I had to learn how to make tools to accommodate their odd designs seeing there were no tools available for them I knew of nor any one else in the industry at the time. .
snap on tools are great and so are every one else's popular name brands if you pay attention to what you demand of them., and the vulnerability of your knuckles in a given situation .
if your using standard sockets in your impact wrench and they break you should know better.
this happens all to often because of working conditions and access , not the tools fault necessarily . the engineers fault ,or the puppeteer driving the engineer to cut corners .
Making a wrench work sometimes required more brain than bron . the right kind of heat and impact and patience can get things done better than brute force .
If you break a bolt it takes 10 times longer to get the job done .

.


.

 

I have made my living using Klein pliers and screwdrivers, Craftsman and S-K sockets and wrenches, Ridgid cordless tools (Lifetime warranty and lifetime battery warranty), and a 30 year old set of Snap-on air tools. Like most I have some of every brand of this and that, but these are my go-to tools that I find myself using the most. Newer Craftsman has turned to junk. The Harbor Freight wrenches have impressed me though. I have never thought much of a lifetime warranty on hand tools, I'd much rather they didn't break to start with. That said, I have returned Craftsman ratchets for replacements when they started to strip.

 

Tevin said
“A quality bit in a $50 drill is better than a junk bit in a $300 drill. “ YES! AFTER 35 years as an electrican, and drilling MANY HOLES...
I think I spend more money on black HHS bits… than I would have on cobalt bits
Titanium – High speed steel bits which have been coated with titanium nitride… are a SMALL step up ………….BUT IT IS A COATING and will wear off quickly. FOR HHS (HIGH SPEED STEEL) step up to cobalt drill bits.

Cobalt is a type of steel…..not a coating.
Kobalt is a HOUSEBRAND OF Tools at Lowes

I HAVE NEVER FOUND cobalt drills at lowes.,I have found small sets at HOME DEPOT. Cobalt - Twist Drill Bits - Drill Bits - The Home Depot

Drill Bit Types - The Ultimate Guide


What are cobalt drill bits?


by HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

Different types of drill bits are used to cut holes in different types of materials. Diamond drill bits are used for materials such as glass and tile; black oxide bits are common for plastics and carbon. Cobalt drill bits are particularly successful in cutting through hard metals such as stainless steel and cast iron, although they can be used for softer materials, too. Cobalt drill bits are not made of pure cobalt, but rather a steel alloy with 5 to 8 percent cobalt. The 5-percent alloy is known as M35 grade, and the 8-percent alloy is M42. The cobalt increases the strength of the steel and makes it more heat-resistant; this is an important factor in drilling hard materials because the friction of metal against metal can produce high temperatures that damage the material or the drill bit. Bosch, for instance, makes a cobalt drill bit that can withstand temperatures of up to 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit (593 degrees Celsius).

New cobalt drill bits are a dull gold color, making them distinctive on the shelf (or in your toolbox). The color occurs when the drill bits are baked in the process of production; it’s not a paint or plating -- cobalt drill bits are cobalt alloy through and through. For this reason, they can be sharpened relatively easily with cutting fluid while retaining their strength and durability (although the gold color may wear off).

Cobalt drill bits are often more expensive than other drill bits, but if you regularly drill through metal, they are a good investment since they tend to last longer. You can buy sets of drill bits in graduated sizes or individual drill bits for your specific needs.

 

Still have a lot of old school USA made Craftsman tools. I use them daily and are older than most of the kids in my shop! Have other stuff I bought from all the tool trucks over time. Prowling pawn shops can yield good results as well. Stick to known brands with a good reputation for quality.

 

RUST…………………….

PEOPLE in dry climates DO NOT think of RUST like people in a WET! HUMID! Climate do.

With Florida being surrounded by the warm Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean, and with South Florida being a nearly tropical climate, it is definitely the most humid state in the U.S.

It's average annual relative humidity is 93 percent in the morning and 74 in the afternoon.

IF YOUR TOOLS RUST in the drawer,in the tool box, in the truck…….YOU MAY BE in Florida.

YOU NEED HELP….MOST oil sprays will dry out and the tools will rust

I have tried many THINGS to stop, slow down RUST.

BUT, I have found NAPA 1370 chain & cable lube to be the BEST coating to prevent rust.

I have a tap & die set I do not use very much. BUT ,when I need a tap, I need a tap NOW,I need a RUST FREE tap. I have lost taps over the years to RUST. Whole sets!

I have a tap & die set that was new 5-8 years ago, well over 5 for sure. It was sprayed when new and last sprayed JUNE OR JULY 2013………..

FAST FORWARD to summer, 2018…….after 5 years of of almost no use of my tools

I do not think I sprayed them for 5 years (I may have……...but I don’t think so. I did not work very much at all.)

THE tap & die set looks brand new…..the chain lube coating is still on all the parts…...still WET to the touch.

Other tools that were sprayed,screw driver tips, black HHS drill bits, look brand new.

Other tools that were NOT SPRAYED………….SOLID RUST

PRESERVING OILS-NAPA 1370 CHAIN &CABLE LUBE

One oil does not fit all uses.

Preservative oils are not created equal. Lubricating oils for machinery generally lack rust proofing qualities. Shafts on food grinders, choppers, strainers, etc, should be lubricated with food grade oil, which usually means olive oil, but for long term storage they should be preserved with rust preventative oil.

WD-40 has some fine uses, but the spray cans are for tourists. WD-40 is available by the gallon and can be used with a small hand-pump sprayer much more efficiently than a spray can.

The finest rust preventive oil I have ever found is NAPA brand Chain and Cable Lube (part number "Mac's 1370").

NAPA is a national chain of auto parts stores, this particular product is unique to NAPA; other "chain and cable lubes" do not come close in quality, some being simply a sticky, long polymer goo.

The discovery of the ability of NAPA Chain and Cable Lube to penetrate into the pores of steel and prevent rust has been known to loggers for many years. Out here in the rain forests of southwest Oregon, loggers would often find discarded wire rope, particularly chokers. The rain and salt spray created by the Pacific Ocean would render chokers absolutely stiff with rust after a single year on the ground. These hardy men would clean off the dirt, spray one side with NAPA Chain and Cable Lube, let the foam dissolve into a thin oil and penetrate the cable, then after awhile turn the cable over and spray the other side. Sometimes a second coat was needed, but often by the end of the day the choker was limp and supple as new.

Use NAPA Chain and Cable Lube on all bare metal to prevent rust: especially warranted for saws, blades, or any metal which can rust, and you will have preserved your irreplaceable tools. Each spray can will cover a multitude of metal, while extra cans held in reserve should see you in good stead for years.

 

LOL! I will neither admit or deny those accusations but remember I am not the only one who uses the tools in our house. Though I will admit that a flat-head screw driver is best for opening a can of old paint.

Many of the brands mentioned I have never heard of. But I do notice a difference in old tools verse new tools. I have an old Craftsman corded drill that I picked up at a yard sale for about $5. It is heavy and solid. The cord has some electrical tape around the cord because there were some exposed wires but I would never trade that drill.

Our new air compressor is Dewalt but we only have a few tools for it so far. The kid went and bought a hose from Harbor Freight the first day and the hose leaked so he got one from Home Depot, better quality and same price.

 

So tools huh? Depends on for what use but in general these brands I use in professional garden contracting metal working blacksmithing:
Facom, AmPro, Bosch, Milwaukee, Gedore, Bahco, Stahlwille, Hultafors, Kemppi,Elga(MMA stick welding), ESAB(About everything else also some MMA stick rods) and aslo bunch other made in China stuff for some random stuff and these are mostly used on professional level of things in Scandinavia... Ain't the cheapest either but those have worked well over 20 years this includes my fathers tools too that I use almost daily (Y)

 

You people are in one sense idiots, you are all talking about "which tools to buy"? I am 80 years old, have children who don't give a damn about using their hands for anything but video and tv, grand kids that don't care about anything, and I have tool boxes full of tools, Snapon, Craftsman, Starett, Brown and Sharp, Bonnie, SK, etc, that I have made a living with for the last 40 years, a Ford 9n 1942 model, with plow, disk, drag, scraper, sub soiler, etc, wood splitter, chain saws, wedges, mauls, chains and come alongs, greenhouse, wood stoves, guns, reloading equipment, garden tools, roto tiller, 30 year old Horse real one, etc, scythes, hand crosscut wood saws and the tools to sharpen them with, etc. When I die they will either be sold in a yard sale or to an antique shop, thrown away, put on a wall for a decoration, turned in for a fire arms buyback, police called to get rid of all those dangerous explosives etc, or God know what. How many of you have ever tried to talk to someone who is "down sizing", looked for an "Elmer" for radio stuff, spoken to the old timer out in his garden or offered to help him rototill when it was obvious that he was having problems, etc? I know who I have given a lot of stuff to and have in my will, with my wife's total agreement, who is getting most of the rest of the stuff when I die, and if "social services" don't grab it as an "asset" to be sold to pay for my "nursing home expenses", someone I like and is of a like mind will hopefully use and enjoy them for the next 35 or so years and pass them on. YMMV and your experiences my be different, but the last thing on my mind is how much my grand father's 1890's machinist tools are worth and that is the only thing on the minds of my children and grand children. I am the first to admit that if they don't wise up, and I have very little hope that they will, between the school system and living in the present world, almost everything I tried to teach them has been thrown away many years ago. Their children, raised 2,000 miles away, don't even really know us.

 

That's a sad fact , Duane . All I have is a daughter , and she could care less about most of the stuff I've collected . It'll be sold off for pennies , If I don't will it to someone . When my Dad died , my family got so stupid , I just walked away from it all . I remember my Dad telling me of a Blacksmithing book he had stashed away that was worth enough money that he doesn't even handle it for fear of damaging it . I don't know what happened to it . It's sad the way kids have no respect for the property of their parents .