What type of tools do ya'll use? I started with all Mac stuff. I got a great price break when I was in the Navy on them. Now I use a healthy mix of SK, SnapOn and Grey Pneumatic sockets. How bout you guys?
Craftsman, Mac, Snap On, CAT (which is made by Snap On), and some others
mostly craftsman, some SK, Proto, few others but I just do my own work.
Not a mechanic , but , I have Snap On , some Craftsman, and Channellock
Snap-on, Proto, Plumb, SK, Craftsman, Mac, Cresent and a socket and ratchet that came with a model T Ford. My dad gave it to me.
Snap on, Proto, some Matco, craftsman and harbor frieght for when I need to "modify" a tool.
Mostly Snap-On. I use IR air tools for the most part also. Most of my large 3/4" and 1" drive impact sockets ( 1 5/16" to 3 7/8") are Martin. Had alot of Mac tools at one time when we didnt have a Snap On dealer, but have traded most back for Snap On.
Alot of craftsman,some snap-on & mac,sk,a few proto,and some home made tools.Now forgot to mention my chinese "copanion" tool sets.They sell for around 30 dollars and I keep one in every vehical.They get used more often than my other brands of tools that I keep at the shop.
Those are my "loaner" tools.I keep some of the offbrand wrenches etc in the event I am called upon to loan them to someone.It has paid off over the years.Ron G
tools MAC SNAP ON MATCO SK CRAFTSMAN and CORNWELL
bought a lot of snap on right out of school, now it is all mac. I have a huge mac box in my garage full of tools (8'wide x 8' tall), and load down my truck with what I will need for the day.
and who knows what that will be till the days over.
4 different size hammers and a cold chisel . The bigger the doubt , the bigger the hammer .
Uh-huh... I suppose that's what you use to "true up" your lathe... OCR...
No , i just put a piece of cardboard under the wonky leg to do that .
When i used to wrench i usually shopped around for the best tool vs. the best price. I now have Snap-On, Mac, Matco, S/K, Crapsman and even some jap impact sockets. I found that for most jobs Crapsman sockets will do fine but Snap-On was the toughest and had thinner walls for tight spots. Mac and Matco have the best pry-bars. For the money and strength jap impacts are the way to go, if you break one throw it out and buy a new set. Snap-On by far has the best wrenchs and rachets but i prefer Mac air ratchets and Matco airguns. S/K tools are IMO the best out there but they are very hard to find around here.
I have Snap on, Cornwell, S-K, Craftsman, OTC,Blackhawk, Mac, Matco and a whole mix of things to get the job done. They all work good for me. I used to have this Snap on man stop at my house and he took in all kinds of trade ins then he would sell them to me for a good deal. I liked that. Kevin
Snap on is far and above the best HOWEVER bang for the buck has got to be Mac The only thing to watch out for is Mac is owned by stanley tools so in some instances you can get the EXACT same tool with a different name on it MUCH CHEAPER
One more thing I forgot to add Matco tools are very good as well BUT good luck finding a dealer to warranty your stuff.
I have mostly all Mac and Cat (I get a break on Cat tools since I work at a Cat dealership) and what I can't get in Mac I have Snap-on. My Mac dealer is the best to deal with, if I break a tool I can go to his house at night and swap it out. I also bought 2 88" top and bottom boxes from him so he takes really good care of me. The Snap-on guy is kinda a jerk because in our shop everyone has Mac tools and boxes.
Snap-On Tool Boxes with Collector's Edition Graphic Plates that I bought when I was an Auto Mechanic back in '92. Tools are an assortment of Craftsman, Snap-On, Mac, Cornwell, SK, Gray, Channel Lock, Makita, DeWalt, Channel Lock, Blue Point (Snap-On) Husky and Mastercraft (Canadian Tire - almost identical to Craftsman) Precision measuring tools Inside/Outside Micrometers, Vernier Calipers, Depth Micrometers etc either NSK, Mitutoyo, or Starrett. Various other specialty tools by Competition Cams, Fluke, etc etc.... Butane Soldering Torches by Bernz-O-Matic. Don't really care WHAT is in my hands.... Personal Opinion is that the man makes the tools look good, NOT the other way around. Carried Gray wrenches, and Craftsman or Mastercraft boxed socket sets in the truck when I was on the road for 10 years. Nothing flashy or expensive, but when you stop on the side of the road to help out a fellow trucker at 3 am and at -40°F, it has been my experience that they don't check for brand names. Have a Good Night.
My name is Tim and I am a Snap on Junkie. I keep it with in reason, he is always paid off and I run Chinese for the big stuff, but I really believe that the nut won't round off or the screw head won't strip when I am using my Snappy. I know ..I have a problem.. but they just feel so good in my hand
snap on is nice, for small stuff. Too expensive for some of the bigger stuff. nitro cat air tools seem to hold up good. Cannot beat the price for the power. Williams is a good alternative to cheap chinese sockets and wrenches. A good tool box is always good too. When you open the drawers all day and make a living out of it quality counts.
Iowa Mold Tool makes my box..... I wish I could have a nice Mac box, but that is just impossible.
an IMT box sounds cool, I used to work on their cranes. I've commited to working out of a tool cart and leaving my box against the wall, so I have an old used box and a nice roller drawer cart.
Maybe I wasn't clear. It's all mounted on my F550. I have to stay mobile.
gotcha, I have much respect for the field mechanic, you bring them home.
snapon,cat,britool,stahlwillie,elora,hazzet like the cat gear as its cheaper than mr snapon buy all the big gear stahlwillie etc good prices and excellent quality
No Silchrome...or mogy... Gave up buying expensive stuff as too many magnetic fingers about,so now affordable German made.
1 sidchrome socket. i hear what your saying, hate people who steal tools they have no backbone
http://providence.craigslist.org/tls/1397707609.html
a mix of every brand there is probably.... from the Snap to the crap...
Interesting... New mechanic here (12 years and still learning). Myself, I have a box load of Snap-On wrenches (hate busting knuckles) impact sockets from Craftsman- (clearance) impact wrench from Chicago Pneumatic- the thing wont die, 18v Snap-On impact (wouldn't trade it for anything) Screw drivers from Matco, nut drivers from ...???, crowsfoot- Snap-On, wire crimpers- Snap-On, wire strippers- Craftsman, 220 Hobart Ironman welder..... I'm thinking I liked my old Miller better, Specialty tools- Snap-On (because the guy comes around once every week) I bought my first "real" tool box about 10 years ago... it's been all uphill since then. Bad things... Harbor Freight, Northern tool, and CarQuest tools. There will be one guy that says I'm wrong... one out of?
Does anyone have a MAC Macsimizer series box? I am looking at them right now, but have never even seen one. How do they stack up to the Tech series boxes? What are your guy's thoughts on them?
In most cases Snap-On is king, but......$! I started with Craftsman and have been slowly replacing them. I really like my Proto wrenches. For jumbo wrenches(1-3/8" to 2") I have a Harbor Freight set and so does just about every other heavy equip guy around here (and they just don't break!). The tool trucks stuff is great and what I shoot for, but I just can't afford it most of the time. Except for when you find tool truck stuff on Ebay for a steal........! I work at a Case dealer and Case has come out with a tool line that has a price you just can't beat! and Case tools are made by J.H. Williams (owned by Snap-On) and warrantied through the dealer and then back through Snap-On. With the employee discount I just can't say no!
I run a service truck and brand wise I have a mix of everything. A lot of craftsman. The sockets are good but I hate the ratchets. I dont even know what brand my ratchets are, but theyre not a big name but are really comfortable.....Ive used them like a monkey with a pipe when I should have grabbed a breaker bar and the suckers hold up. After my snap on and mac air tools were stolen, I needed quick replacements cheap....I bought Kobalt ones from lowes. I intended that to be temporary, but to my surprise, they work awesome. Havent had a time yet that I wished I had a different one. I have a lot of "tool show" specialty stuff. The little picks, scrapers and crap that you only use once a year but cant do without. Most of the other stuff is just off the shelf, lowes, home depot, autoparts store stuff. A "bigtime pro" would probably laugh at my stuff but using these tools all day everyday, I cant find one reason to buy snapon or mac. I dont think twice about spending money on a tool. To me even $100 for a wrench is nothing because you have it forever. But I walk on the snap on truck all the time with a pocket full of cash......And walk out with nothing.
Mostly Snap-On, bits and pieces of Blue-Point, Fluke, Stauff, Rexroth-Bosch, Komatsu, Cummins, CAT. I'd hate to think of the actual value of my tools :dizzy Currently contemplating buying this tool box as a xmas present From: Me To: Myself
We dont do a whole lot of heavy repairs on our equipment our selves, mainly just maintenance and light repairs. I have an uncle and cousin who are/were professional mechanics, but we do try to keep decent tolls in our boxes. Alot of craftsman, the ratchet wrenches are awesome, dad has a lot of older Proto, Channellock and Klein pliers, some snap on stuff. Chicago Pneumatic impact wrench, Dewalt 18v cordless tools. I have a nice ball bearing craftsman roll away tool chest to keep the stuff thats not in the work truck. I bought a set of Kobalt ratchets in the plastic case a few years ago and use those more than my craftsman ratchets anymore.
I like snap on for things like ratchets and wrenches. I have matco screw drivers and nut drivers, witch I think have the best grips. williams 3/4 sockets, enerpac hyd.
I used to really try and stick with Snap On, Mac, etc. but the $$$ is absolutely crazy. I still have a lot of smaller hand tools (pliers, wrenches, screwdrivers, etc.) made by them and they certainly "feel" better than some other brands. But in the past 10 years I doubt if I've even been on a tool truck. Seems like the $$$ I save staying off the tool trucks allows me to jump on some crazy good used deals.
I have to say, where in the past i never considered it, the hand tools from Lowes have come a long way quality and comfort wise. I never used to think of Lowes as a place to go for mechanic tools, but I cant leave there lately without spending a bunch of money.
Most of my stuff is Crap-On .. (I mean Snap-On ) Which I buy Second Hand. Selling most of the 3/4 - 1" drive stuff off .. Iam not gonna ship it around the world again .. Pain in the Behind.
Mostly Craftsman, some Blackhawk, some Napa. I've collected tools only as I've needed them. I have one Snap-On 9/16ths that my wife bought me 15 years ago. At that time it cost $20 and I could have bought a whole set of Craftsman wrenches for that price and the Snap-On isn't near as old as my Craftsmans (you might have noticed I like Craftsman.) My favorite wrench is a 1-3/8 SK combo wrench. Thick neck on both sides and a thicker body with a polished finish. Just one of those tools that feels good in my hand. (don't go there...) I went to a job interview one time and the other mechanics asked me what I had. I told them and they gave me a "humph" and went back to polishing their Shiny Snap-On toolboxes. Kinda glad I didn't get that one...