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SS66

1/2 ton status
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WI, USA
Im thinking about purchasing a cheap set of Allied brand tools. Now I know these arent Snapon quality... But for those of you out there that have them. Are they 'acceptable'? Or do they break with 20 lbs of torque /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

This would just be a temporary solution to my lack of tools problem.
 
check what kind of guarantee they have i have some cheap ones from k-mart bench top is the brand and they have a life time guarantee so when i break one i just take it back and get a new one /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
Next time you snap a tool, think about how it would suck being stuck in the middle of no where without the tool you need to fix the job.

Warranties are great and all, but I think of tools as sometihng that your life might depend on. Its one thing if your at home, but it is another thing when your out in the woods.

The number of times my autozone alternator has died: 4 (different cars)
Snapped my "kmart" brand sockets: 3

Allied is generally a very reliable brand though. I'd check out the workmanship though.
 
Just buy the best you can afford and later move up to some good one's.

I've been buying tool's for over 30 year's now, it's endless, you need one tool for a certain application, and you don't even look at it for 2 year's.

Then the need come's for a "special tool" so you sacrifice one end wrench to put the perfect bend in it, to get at a certain, hard to reach nut, or bolt, but it's there when you need it the next time.
 
i have some cheap tool sets... IMO, the only tools I am willing to $pend the cash on for a craftsman is things like torque wrenches/socket drivers or visegrips. I rarely break a screwdriver, a socket, or a normal open/closed end wrench or anything like that... so why not use the cheap stuff?

j
 
In addition to not having to worry about breakage there is another thing to consider, how well the tool fits. Craftsman really offers the best bang for the the buck if you are buying a set. If you are just going to buy one of something you might as well buy Snap-On, because the quality is so much better for close to the same price. The last set of Craftsman wrenches I bought were the same price as just buying the 2 biggest in the set. Another example; socket set, (10 piece IIRC) 3/8 drive, Metric,12 point, in store sale, less than $20; just the 10 mm from that set was between $3-5; one Snap-On 10 mm, 3/8 drive, 12 point socket $10. I used to swear by my cheap impact sockets until I bought an IR244 impact and now they are coming appart. After saying all that, I have a some cheap tools that have served me well over the years, but not many.
 
I have a box full of cheap japanese/tiwanese tools that are busted. My boss has this thing for getting me tools from surplus city. I have everything from ballooned sockets, fragged ratchets, busted screwdrivers with the tips twisted off, and bent wrenches. The wife says I don't know my own strength and maybe she's right. I have a couple mixed and matched sets of craftsman tools and except for the teardrop ratchets (junk) they are the most reliable I have used. I have yet to use a good set of snap on or other high name. And until I win the lottery I will stand by craftsman being the best bang for the buck hand tools out there.
 
If there is a size socket you use a lot just buy those sizes from Snap-On and stick it in your box w/ the other brands. Thats how I knew how much the 10 mm cost. My house tools are not the same as my work tools. Spin all the sockets w/ a Snap-On ratchet. The only problem w/ this plan is when you use one of the sizes that is a lesser brand you'll want to replace them all. /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif $$$$ /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif
 
i always use craftsman tools, not as nice as snap-on, but thats what my dad always used and i got hooked on them.

however i've gotten myself out of SEVERAL jams with a 15 dollar korean toolset that i kept in my truck at all times. i didnt want to keep my good tools in the truck incase it was ever broken into. sure they're cheaply made but i have to say that i sure have gotten my moneys worth out of them. if you dont have much cash, get a cheap set and be easy with them. a korean open end wrench is still better than being stuck on the side of the road without one if you really need one.

its kinda like keeping an emergency poncho in your car incase you break down in the rain, its not a nice goretex rain suit, but it'll do in a bind...
 
The best bang for the buck for those just starting to assemble a decent set of tools is the Craftsman 241 piece mechanics tool set. It retails for over $200, but if you watch the Sunday ads, they have it on sale for $129-149 at least once a month. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif It gets you a wide assosrtment of SAE and metric sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, etc. I've only managed to break one Craftsman socket in the last 25 years and I often use them on my air tools. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

For my truck box, I've started slowly building up a set of truck-only tools, so I don't have to search for tools in the middle of a project. Again, watch those Sears Sunday flyers! They often have wrench sets, socket sets, screwdriver sets, etc. on sale for 50% off. Over the course of a few months, you can pick up enough stuff to have a decently equipped trail box for not a lot of money. And then you don't have to worry about some Made In China piece of crap breaking, or rounding off a bolt head, when you're broken in the middle of nowhere. /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif
 
I used to love Craftsman tools until I broke a couple of my old ratchets. Then I got replacements and the new ones were 100% crap. I can't wait til I can afford to buy REAL tools.

Then again, I got a decent sized set of Great Neck tools for my trail box from Autozone on clearance for $5 instead of $40 and they work out pretty well for small jobs like you'll probably be doing on the trail (driveshafts, changing a front shaft, etc.)
 
[ QUOTE ]
If there is a size socket you use a lot just buy those sizes from Snap-On and stick it in your box w/ the other brands. Thats how I knew how much the 10 mm cost. My house tools are not the same as my work tools. Spin all the sockets w/ a Snap-On ratchet. The only problem w/ this plan is when you use one of the sizes that is a lesser brand you'll want to replace them all. /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif $$$$ /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif

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I have my Shop tools and my travel tools.

I stick with Craftsman for ratchets and wrenches. They have sales on them regularly so if you keep an eye on the sunday paper you can get a deal on a good tool.

Now for my travel box I have cheap impacts. They hold up fine when using them with a ratchet but I am not sure I would trust them long with my impact. My good impact sockets are in the shop as are a my good regular sockets.

Tools are a lifetime purchase. I have tools that were my dads and my grand dads that I still use. I have 40+ year old Cratsman ratchets that still work just fine.

Cheap china crap is throw away. When you have a ratchet snap off at the head and you slam your hand into a exhaust manifold you will understand. I have the cheap K-Mart tool kit I threw in my wifes car for "just in case" but I will never use those tools for anything other then a road side emergency.
 
I have used alot of brands and I still stick with Craftsmen. Why spend the extra $ when it will break like the rest? So I go with Craftsmen for price, durability and ease of getting new if broken. Sears stores are in just about every city. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
I heard husky is made by the same people who made craftsman

and a lot more home depots than sears....
 
I agree with Grim, I have all of my shop tools, Snap-on and Matco , and I have my trail tools, Husky and craftsman. I used to cary my good tools on the trail and I realized how stupid I was loading and unloading everytime we stopped at a hotel or the such. Now I keep cheaper ones in the truck.
 
I bought a set of 220 craftsman tools for like 180 bucks at the sears out here. Had pretty much everything I need except plaiers and a sledge.
 
I consider myself to be an average wrencher, I do not do anything too complicated on my truck, just the usual starter, altenator, axle swaps, suspension type things. I have a variety of tools from Craftsman to cheapies. I have yet to break any tool on my trcuk doing these fairly routine things. I have broken a few tools in my life, and the only times I remember doing it waas when I was abusing the tool.

My theory is cheapie tools are better than no tools. Tools used infrequently will be cheapies, ones used more often will be Craftsman. Get a Craftsman set on sale when you can, good investment. Though the Craftsman socket wrenches seem to be junk.

Also, remember the basics for our trucks, well older ones. 1/2" and 9/16" wrenches and sockets are your friends, have lots of them.

I just don't see the point of buying Snap-On and Matco tools if you are not a Mechanic by trade or someone who does lots of wrenching.
 
If I had money out the wazoo I'd have a snapon set just so I wouldn't bust my knuckles when a socket balloons or a breaker bar breaks.
 
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