So I had a friendly debate today with a guy about tools. He swears by Snap-On tools and won't keep anything else in his tool box. My debate was that for general every day use tools (sockets, wrenches, screw drivers etc....) that paying 3 or 4 times the price for a tool with the same warranty (lifetime) as I sell isn't justifiable to me. Secondly that if it breaks, you might have to wait a week or two until the Strap-On rep comes back with the replacement where as 7 days a week it's available from a retailer under warranty.
Ditto for tool boxes

i'm all on board for Snap-On & Mac for some specialty tools, but general use tools, i see no value.

What's in your toolbox and why?
What about the tool box itself? (include any pics)

I bought a $600 set from Sears and never looked back. That was 8 years ago, and ive only replaced a 1/2 socket wrench because the direction lever broke, because i was using it as a hammer. I bet that guy buys brand name everything too....ie Nike because he thinks they are better than Sketchers, while most people know they are equal quality.

If its gonna see real stress, or hard use I don't care about warranty. It has to work. But for most stuff, cheaper yet name brand tools work fine by me. Special tools, if I'm gonna use it over and over, such as pullers, etc, best I can get. If its gonna be used once and I can't borrow/rent it I'll cheap out most times.

like 75% of all my tools are Craftsmen tools.

Most of my stuff is a mixture of Craftsman/Mastercraft Maximum along with some Westward. Why? Cause you can break it 6 years after the original date of purchase and get new ones with no hassle without a receipt. And I've had to do that a few times too. Plus it's always on sale. I just stay away from the air tools there. CP FTW. The tool kits at work on the flight line are all Snap On, the portable ones are a mixture of Snap On and Proto, and I don't miss them at all when I do my own stuff at home with my "cheaper" tools. And Snap On is impossible to deal with sometimes when you break something. It has happened a few times at work with their impacts, which break all the damn time. Guys running the tool cribs always bitch about how difficult Snap On is to deal with sometimes, but I guess your rep always makes a big impact.

However, one thing I will never buy cheap again are pliers and cutters. I've been through countless cheaper ones and finally bought all Snap On pliers and cutters and they are well worth it IMO. Especially the snap on duck bills. Best tool ever. I also have some Knipex which are also amazing pliers, on par with Snap On. I also have a set of Snap-On screw drivers which I absolutely love, got them for next to nothing too...

I want this http://www.craftsm...12602_009H0259000B

i had a Snap On box awarded to me when I graduated from tech school. It was, of course, stolen out of the trunk of my Buick. My tools after that were a mish mash of Craftsman, Evercraft (NAPA), and whatever Chinese or Korean knockoff I happened to find at auctions and meets.

Posted by big dave I want this http://www.craftsm...12602_009H0259000B

Holy shite! That's a mother of a tool set.

Posted by oddspot Holy shite! That's a mother of a tool set.

I would want a nice rolling tool chest for that...

Depends... screwdrivers HAVE to be Snap On. I know Canadian Tire ones are lifetime, but I don't have time to return them every fucking day when the tips break off.

However, when it comes to wrenches and stuff, anything that's decent works. I've actually split fewer Canadian Tire sockets than Snap On sockets... and I can't fathom paying $350 for a wrench set when I can get something nearly identical for $45 with the same warranty.

HAVING SAID THAT... I probably spend 3-4 grand a year on each of the tool trucks (Mac and Snap On). Mac has some beautiful specialty tools for euro stuff. Oh, and the Macsimizer toolbox I bought increased my bill a bit. I have about $25k in tools and equipment at work, and still have a long way to go.

Oh, and this is my favorite tool EVER:



It's like a money gun when you're flat rate!

Heh...I'm happy with my Black & Decker cordless drill I got at a K-Mart liquidation sale for 5.00 because the sales dork assumed because it was on a display sign, it was non-functioning

Craftsman. When my 3/8" ratchet busted, it was pretty awesome to just run to sears and get a new one in 20 minutes. It's kinda of a pain in the ass for us hobby mechanics to catch the Snap-On dude. Oh, and the price is a major factor too. I can't justify $100 (or so) for a ratchet when I may not use it for a couple weeks...

Posted by bandi Depends... screwdrivers HAVE to be Snap On. I know Canadian Tire ones are lifetime, but I don't have time to return them every fucking day when the tips break off. However, when it comes to wrenches and stuff, anything that's decent works. I've actually split fewer Canadian Tire sockets than Snap On sockets... and I can't fathom paying $350 for a wrench set when I can get something nearly identical for $45 with the same warranty. HAVING SAID THAT... I probably spend 3-4 grand a year on each of the tool trucks (Mac and Snap On). Mac has some beautiful specialty tools for euro stuff. Oh, and the Macsimizer toolbox I bought increased my bill a bit. I have about $25k in tools and equipment at work, and still have a long way to go.

MMMM Macsimizer tool box! yummy
An old guy that worked for me had one... with all of the side cabinets and everything added on. Took three of us to roll that fucker across the shop

my brother is to the point where he needs a bigger box... it's stuffed right full of tools. At the dealership he works at, they stopped going through Snap-On and go through Mac's now.
the Mac's truck seems to be far more regular than the Snap On.

I've got a 40 year collection of tools..........Shit I've got tool pouches on street bikes, dirt bikes, dune buggies, multiple 4x4 trucks, mountain bikes. I've got construction tool pouches for different levels of telecommunications work, such as outside plant, underground or, inside plant.

My really nice stuff stays home for working on my cars.

My theory for buying tools is. I'll buy the cheapest tool I can find. Say I need a body grinder, I'll buy a $17.00 one from harbor freight. If I wear that one out, then I know I need to buy a nice one.

That $17.00 body grinder is now 4 years old and still works fine.

I have a buddy that bought a Makita gold sawzall for like $300.00, he used it 20 times, now it sits. I bought one from sears for $50.00, used it 100 times, and still use it every couple of months. It's 20 years old now, still works fine.

Why buy a Land Rover, when a Jeep will do what you need?

a few years back I had some stuff to do at Heffner Lexus/Toyota in Kitchener. The Service Manager took me for a tour of both shops.... WOW
They actually had Dealership provided tool boxes, all identical. Techs had no choice but to use them. So the shop wall looked uniform across the board, and the hoists were all painted to match.

Everything in the Toyota shop was red and white. Everything in the Lexus shop was black and gold. Impressive

Posted by oddspot a few years back I had some stuff to do at Heffner Lexus/Toyota in Kitchener. The Service Manager took me for a tour of both shops.... WOW They actually had Dealership provided tool boxes, all identical. Techs had no choice but to use them. So the shop wall looked uniform across the board, and the hoists were all painted to match. Everything in the Toyota shop was red and white. Everything in the Lexus shop was black and gold. Impressive

If you think lexus/Toyota is nice, you should see McKenna Porsche/Audi/VW in Downey right down the street from my house. Its nearly identical and sterile as an OR, with an ultra modern nightclub look.

Posted by big dave If you think lexus/Toyota is nice, you should see McKenna Porsche/Audi/VW in Downey right down the street from my house. Its nearly identical and sterile as an OR, with an ultra modern nightclub look.

I spent a weekend in a NASCAR garage and all of their associated working/technical trailers. Probably much the same... ultimately sterile.

the Audi dealer in Waterloo Ontario (Crosby) was nothing special, probably less impressive then my own shop.

At the Freightliner HQ here in Portland, they have a nice shop for their R&D Center and its interesting because all the tools are these weird no-name brand tools that all say FREIGHTLINER or DALMLERCHRYLSER on them. When I did a quick tour there, I asked about that to one of the techs and he seems to think they were a custom order from Snap-on.

Now speaking of Chrysler; as I recall their is no dealer requirment to have identical tools per se, but some of the multi-location dealer chains I think have such polices.