Hand Tools

[getsome]

Ok I’ll admit to being a tool addict.....I like to work on stuff and do as much car repair work as possible and since I bought my hot rod I find myself in the garage turning wrench’s more and more......Most of my older tools are US made Craftsman which have held up well but the “new” Craftsman stuff is mostly low quality junk made in China or India and I refuse to buy them.....Home Depot Husky and Lowes Kobalt tools are better but not worth the price......NAPA is selling Carlyle branded hand tools and they are very nice but they are asking tool truck prices for them......

I recently needed a 1 1/4 inch socket and looked at several places and couldn’t find one so I looked at Amazon and found one made by TEKTON which I never heard of but ordered one priced at 8 bucks and change not expecting much but when it came I was surprised that it seemed very well made and high quality......Since then I have ordered a socket set, ratchet., stubby ratchet and several other TEKTON tools and I am very pleased with them all, they are priced less and much nicer than the crap box store stuff and even though they are made in Taiwan they are first rate quality, feel good in the hand, have lifetime warranty and seem to be equal to my Snap-On tools that I paid a small fortune for.....

I just wanted to pass on a great find that I accidentally made to others on the forum that appreciate nice mechanics hand tools so if you are in the market for some really nice high quality hand tools at an unbeatable price go on Amazon and check out TEKTON, you will not be disappointed.....

[guido4198]

Thanks for that information. I've never heard of them, so I found a bit more information about Tekton Tools for anyone who wants some specifics:
https://www.toolsturf.com/tekton-tools-review/

[jeepster09]

I have had some of the nicest looking "no name brand" tools break in my hand. Lifetime warranty don't matter when wrench or socket breaks and you almost break a hand or finger.
I have learned my lesson and ONLY buy name brand. You get what you pay for. I have mostly Snap On, Mac and a selection of older Craftsman. You pay more for the name brands but you get what you pay for.

[Canine Dave]

I was a young whipper-snapper like you once. Like you, always bought the best (back then, snap-on and Craftsman was good). Always excited to "have" to add a new tool to the tool box. I loved and respected my tools. Now-a-days, I get the cheapest shyknees pos I can find that might do the job. Or borrow one.

They just don't have to last very long anymore.

[skiflydive]

There's a tool company in Barberton OH called Wright Tool Co. All American strictly industrial grade tools with a lifetime warranty since 1927. One of the most amazing forging plants I've ever been in. I've been a toolie all my life. Spent 28 years selling tools and machinery and I've never seen any hand tools better. Best tool engineering you've ever seen. They aren't sold through many retail outlets but you can buy them OTC at Fastenal and other places like that. They have a distributor locator on their website. IMO you can keep your snap-off and crapsman (personal experience here) retail stuff. Crafstman is made by Stanley-Black and Decker now. They build it cheap so they can sell it cheap at retail. If you buy industrial grade American made like Wright you're buying tools your great grand-kids will be using. To me, tools are one area where "Price is not cost".

[getsome]

I have a few older Wright sockets along with some Proto and Blue Point which is a Snap-on bargain brand they sold as a less expensive tool line and all have held up fine…..I can’t ever remember breaking any brand of tool but I have mangled up some Craftsman screw drivers they replaced

I didn’t mean to start a tool war with this thread and I don’t make any money promoting TEKTON but as a tool buyer even if I had access to the tool truck vendors I just can’t afford to pay $150.00 for a ratchet……I suppose if you are a professional mechanic and use tools to make a living it would be smart and you could deduct the cost from your income tax every year but for most shade tree mechanics like me all I want is high quality tools at a decent price……It’s getting harder and harder to find U.S. made tools and Husky and Kobalt are all imported and over priced which is why I mentioned TEKTON which I found by accident, They have some U.S. tools but most are from Taiwan but from what I have purchased so far they are very well made and heavy duty and when I place them side by side with some of my older Snap-on wrenches they are every bit as nice but I got a complete set 8mm-22mm with no skipped sizes for what one Snap-on 21mm would cost…..

Hey if you can afford Snap-on and have access to a tool truck go ahead and buy them, you can’t go wrong with the best but you can go broke…..I just wanted to pass on to guys that may want some really nice tools to take a look at TEKTON because they have some nice stuff at really great prices and I only wish I had found out about them before I spent a bunch of money for tools at Lowes….

[Bawanna]

2 demerits for getsome for starting a tool war. I not exactly sure what that means but it's serious business I can assure you, maybe.

Most of my stuff was craftsman from the way way back machine. I worked in an industrial supply warehouse for 10 years or so and they had Proto and Challenger, the lesser grade Proto. I have some of that but it never really blew my dress up.
My kids got me some Dewalt hand tools, didn't even know they made hand tools. It's really nice, got a full set after my complete sets got robbed and misplaced as the kids grew up. Don't know if it's professional worthy but certainly good enough for the very little wrenching I do these days.

[340pd]

I am just a home mechanic but bought my Craftsman tools on a monthly basis way back in the 1960's and still prefer to own rather than borrow. One of my fears is the giant garage sale and things going for pennies on the dollar to someone who appreciates oddities like a complete set of watchmakers screwdrivers, or specialized plumbing tools like a brass Moen cartridge puller or basin wrench. Every time my new soon to be son in law comes over I point out the uniqueness of some tools in my shop to make sure some are appreciated after I am gone.
.

[skiflydive]

Wright tools is a part of the Snap-on group

Wright Tools is Definitely NOT part of the Snap-on group.

[getsome]

You are correct and I edited that out, what I meant to say was that Williams is division of Snap-on making industrial tools…..I started thinking about it and looked at a screw driver which said Williams on it…..Sorry, my bad…..