I know the topic of US-made tools has been talked about, but I want to know what kinds of tools are in YOUR garage. I'm just starting out and putting a garage together and I need to fill it with tools! As far as hand tools, I like Craftsman so I can bring it back if I break it. But what about other stuff? like compressors, presses?
Being retired I don't plan on any production work to justify the purchase of the latest efficient high buck designs. I stretch my toy fund budget by keeping eyes and ears open for purchases of good old USA stuff at swaps, auctions, on Craig's list, by word of mouth etc. I can afford to have much more and better quality "handy to have even if I don't use it often" stuff that way. My screw press, Arc welder, Beverly shear, alignment equip [including turntables], a couple of air compressors [shop and gas portable], power hacksaw, back up chop saw, big drill press, along with a whole bunch of smaller stuff came from those sources. Ed
I would start out with Harbor Freight and get the most amount for your money. As these tools break/ wear out/ etc. then replace them with a better quality tool, watch for used tools, garage sales, flea markets, swap meets, etc. Sears often has a good deal on starter kits, WAL-MART has some great STANLEY brand starter kits at good prices. When you buy Harbor Freight they have different levels of quality, go for the better quality polished finished wrenches, their impact sockets have proven to be reliable to me and their range of specialty tools is large. Use the 20% coupons found in magazines and the free tool offers. The coupons are also redeemable online. If you need some coupons PM me your snail-mail adx.
I don't like that idea, because all the money that goes to HF is wasted. Yard sales, swap meets, craigslist, epay, and most of all friends who know someone who's selling something are all good sources if you're on a budget. If you're not on a budget, then sears is ok, but the tool trucks have the good stuff...and they like to be well paid for it. I use mostly 20 year old craftsman hand tools. My compressor came from a friend who was moving away. Most sandblasting I've done I used my neighbor's blaster. My press came from a travelling salesman, it was affordable and has lasted 20+ years. Got my MIG from a guy at the swap meet, divorce sale. Lathe was at a neighbor's yard sale. Mill was on craigslist a couple miles away.
If I were a professional mechanic I guess I would buy SnapOn, MAC, etc., but being a hobbyist I don't need to spend that kind of money. I do have a lot of SnapOn, MAC, Matco, Proto, etc tools because I scored them at garage sales and pawn shops, but I also have a lot of Craftsman tools that serve me just fine. Craftsman tools are not what they once were and have gotten cheaper in the quality department, and instead of handing you a brand new one they now reach under the counter and hand you a rebuilt one. Their lifetime warranty also does not extend to anything but hand tools...........we have an expensive racing jack from them that won't stay up and they refused to do anything about it, even though it is just over a year old now. Harbor Freight has some decent stuff but you have to pick and chose. Some is really crap. I do like their step drill bits and gold plated drill bits though, they hold up as well as the more expensive ones and are a lot cheaper. Don
I personally like MAC tools. But I have mainly Craftsman bc I can take them back without waiting for the tool truck that comes once a week. Go to your local pawn shop(s) you can buy cheap craftsman with chrome comin off and what not, then just go to Sears and trade out for new. They cover the chrome plating in their lifetime worrenty.
Used, I dig through the assorted crap bins at the pawnshop and have come up with an extensive collection of Proto and older american tools doing that, look for old craftsman, old stanley, wright, blackhawk etc. If you see a visegrip and it has Peterson on it grab it!! the good visegrips are gone forever. Hoard every one you can find, I found some Husky screwdrivers at Home depot that were american made, they look like old craftsman, 'm not sure if they still make them here
I've found out there are two kinds of pawn shops to buy tools from. The first shop takes every socket and wrench out of a box and labels and sells them individually. The second shop just leaves all the tools in the box and sells it as a complete unit. The second one usually has better prices and if you dig through a box and see some name brand stuff in there you can toss out the japanese ones and keep the good stuff. I also learned from a friend who used to work in pawn shops that you NEVER pay them the first price they are asking............he said only fools do that. They will negotiate with you on any item in the store. Don
I would definately have to agree w/ squirrel on this one. All of my tools were sourced from private parties. With the way quality is today you really have to make very informed decisions about the tool and price that works for you. Dont forget about making your own machines and is a skill that definately adds to your cache'. I personally love estate sales because the tools are random and the kids usually don't know what it specifically is.BD
I'd agree, hunt the pawn shops for good tools. But know what you are buying and don't pay more than they are worth. It pays to check out yard sales and estate sales too. I picked up a handful of good quality small end wrenches at a yard sale where the gal had just gotten divorced and had all of her ex's tools laying out on a tarp priced by size. Another guy and I were among the first there and went one for you and one for me and cleaned out the batch. $$$ wise for decent tools you can't beat Craftsman on sale in sets at Sears at their bigger tool sales. For someone starting out or starting over that Is what I would suggest. The sets in a box without any little tool box are usually pretty inexpensive for what you get at their annual big tool sale. For a rollaway or top box ask if they have any in their scratch and dent stash. They might have a top quality box in the back room with a ding in it for half the price of one with no dings. I've got a couple of Ace hareware 3/8 ratchets that I use all the time as my Snapon 3/8 ratchets need rebuilt and I like them for the money. Good feel to the handles and they work well. I love my SnapOn tools and use them all the time but they are just too spendy for most guys to use if they aren't actually being used to make money. There is a use for the HF end wrenches though and that is you can get a set of them cheap enough to throw in the car to take along to the wrecking yards where you might need an odd size that your regular set of "fix it on the side of the road" tools in the car won't work.
If you are young and just starting out,buy quality tools,now and you will still be using them,when you die of old age. I still have my first set of Craftsman tools from 1960. My Snapon tools date back to 1975,and are still in great shape.Buy from Harbor Frieght,and you will hurt your self when the junk breaks(I have scares). Also their electric tools are likely to catch fire and burn down your garage(almost happened to me). Flea markets,swapmeets,and estate sales are great places to buy USA made,name brand tools. I stay away from Craigs List,too much fencing of stolen items.
Agreed, estate auctions, yard sales, swap meets, friend of a friend, etc, is the best (on the cheap) way to go. I've still got most of my first Craftsman starter set from around '69. $39.95 with a real metal box & tray. Not being a cheerleader for Craftsman, but it's still a pretty good bang for the buck, and decent (semi-pro?) grade. I even got 'em to replace a torque wrench once, that wasn't really a lifetime warrenty tool.
I would avoid the new craftsman tool boxes, they seem to be made of thin steel and very poorly made, I bought one ten years ago, and it started falling apart in a couple of weeks, I don't know how many times it's been welded,reinforced and repaired already. Oh they don't warranty them either. I tried to take mine back when it started biodegrading, and they wouldn't do anything, I looked at some a couple of weeks ago, and they seemed to be made of recycled beer cans
My newer (5yrs) Craftsman flat screwdrivers are crap. The tips are soft and twist easily, and what would be the point in taking them back? They would just replace them with new ones that are also crap. The Kobalt stuff from Lowes seems to be pretty good quality, and I believe made in US?
My rollaway and most of my hand tools are Craftsman. My compressor is FS Curtis, scored off Craigslist. My mini mill was purchased from a local machinist. Blast cabinet came from Harbor Freight at significant discount. Parts washer came from Amazon. I have purchased a lot of tools from HF but never at full price. The HF air and power tools are fine for my light usage.
I didn't see too many us made tool there, you might look to see if the husky ones at home depot are still American made, the ones I got a few years ago are and seem to be decent. I don't know about crapsman, the sears ones say US made but the ones they sell at ace and K-fart say made in China, It's hard to believe they make two lines of the same identical tool
Snap on or Matco. last choice craftsman. Forget buying harbor freight junk chinese hand tools. Buy good tools the first time and you will never have to buy again.
Auctions, Craigslist, EBay, local classified ads, and asking around are all places to find deals on equipment. It normally takes a while for the right tool to come along for the right price. If you don't mind the waiting, and investing the time and effort to keep looking, you can find some good quality used stuff. With careful shopping you can end up with a much better grade of tool than you would get spending the same money for something new. If you don't mind projects, buying something decent but in need of some repair can work well if bought for the right price.
Craftsman on sale is hard to beat ! I don't do business at HF as I try not to support an entire chain of stores that only sells foreign made stuff. We need jobs here in the USA ! Can't do much, but I can do this. (sorry for the rant)
I've bought a lot of new Snap-on tools off Ebay at 1/3 to 1/2 off what the tool truck sells them for. I did buy a nice English Wheel at the last Charlotte Auto-Fair for $400. If your patient deals are to be found...
There's nothing cooler than buying turn of the century tools(thats 1899-1900 for the young guns) and checking out the craftsmanship and quality. The second coolest thing is buying them from old timers and hearing the stories.
Yeah I bought an old snap-on box from a yard sale, as well as some S-K ratchets and older craftsman stuff. I always scan the classifieds on here for stuff as well. It's kinda tough because I have to buy tools for work and for home. The swap meets at Englishtown are great too, but lately they've been selling junk and lawn chairs
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