[BMB]

Just wondering if most people are brand loyal to their tools or do you just get what works. Myself, I'm kind of loyal to Sears Craftsman hand and air tools, and DeWalt for most of my electric tools. I do have a good collection of "unknown" tools too and some antique tools from my grandparents on both sides of the family. I plan on re-equiping my home shop in the next year or so and think I may try to stay with only two or three brands if possible.

BMB

 

[Guest]

I use Craftsman simply because of the replacement policy and the fact that there are two Sears within 10 miles of me. I've broken several sockets and never had any problem swapping them out. We used a lot of Snap-on stuff in the Aviation toolboxes in the Army. They were good tools, but the Snap-on truck was pretty seldom seen at the airfield and I don't recall ever seeing it around town.

 

[Guest]

Most of my tools are Craftsman, mostly out of convenience and price. I have some Husky and some Ingersoll-Rand, but not many. But there's just something about Snap-On and Matco tools. I've bought some Snap-On dead blow hammers, brass punches and some Matco swivel sockets and there's no comparison. They just feel right. Too bad you could buy a new jeep for the price of one of Snap-On starter sets.

Greg J.

 

[Dirt Dog]

I have all kinds of different makes for speciality and whatnots, but when it comes to most of my hand tools.............SNAP-ON. Period.
I have nothing against crafstman and others, but when you've wrenched for a living...........you know the difference.
BTW, yes they are WAYYYYYYYYYYY overpriced.

http://home1.gte.net/rythem/davescj7.htm
"Get your finger outta there"

 

[Guest]

My tool chest and most of the contents are all Craftsman but I also live at Sears and get my staff discount so that could be part of the reason. I just remember growing up, drooling over the huge tool sets in the catalogue, so when I finaly could, I bought one. But again, the discount helps me decide what to buy. I do like the fact that if I destroy a screw driver using it for a chisel, or a socket punching out U-joint, I can just replace it for nothing.

'88 Sahara, 4.2, auto, 4.0 head swap (finally), no trac bars.

 

[Hooch]

Hand tools: Snap-On, Facom and Gedore, all life time warranty and no quibble swap out.
Electrical tools: DeWalt

Hooch

'83 CJ-7 258/TR/TF999/D300 in Land Rover Country

 

[jeepgod]

most of mine are sears.. only cause the store is close..

but i will buy anything garuanteed for life!

http://www.jeepgod.net

84 CJ-7 401/T-18/D20/D44/D60w/4.10&Detriots/YJ frame & tub/35x16x15 Boggers
survival is instinct, but living takes guts

 

[Guest]

CRAFTSMAN/SNAP-ON

78 CJ7 rebuilt 304/th400,quadratrac,YJ tub,2 1/2 susp.lift 32x11.50 bfg ( all in the making )

 

[Swede]

I like Snap-on ratchets, sockets, and screw drivers (standard tip - they make great pry bars). Their wrenches are too slippery for me, so I like MAC wrenches. I use Craftsman for my impact tools because they are easier to get replacements. I also use Craftsman for my torx sockets, philips screwdrivers and misc tools.

Karl
80 CJ/YJ-7 FrankenJeep
94 Grand Cherokee

 

[LEVE]

I like Craftsman, and I've grown to like Wal-Mart tools. I can't believe it either... their just so inexpensive and I can take them back when they break for a new one. And they really don't break too often and the quality is pretty good! Wal-Mart is closer to me than Sears! Man, I love Wal-Mart, it's right up there with my other dept. store... Fleet Farm!

 

[m715]

I use Craftsman for most of my stuff, just for the fact if I brake it I can get a new one, no questions asked, we always have a can/bucket in the garage with stuff to take back.
In my toolbox for the jeep just about everything from harbor freight from 1/2 off sales, I always leave it in my jeep and don't have to worry a whole lot about someone walking off with it, ~60-80 into a full set of tools.

Luke
'77 CJ7 SOA Chevy 327
http://www.cj7jeep.com

 

[jfralph]

Here we go again, I believe this has been beat to death in previous posts.

Do I have a preferred brand of tools?

Yes, Snap-On, Matco, Proto. Do I buy them, NO!!!. For the relatively little I use them, I cannot aford or justify them. Unlike Dirt Dog, I don't wrench for a living, so craftsman and S-K, Williams, etc. get my business.

As far as electric tools, I try to stay away from Dewalt and Makita. I do have lots of Porter Cable, Milwaukee, and Bosch, with some of Dewalt and Makita because they were at a real good closeout price.

Enjoying Montana's Big Sky

 

[BMB]

Posted by jfralph: "Here we go again, I believe this has been beat to death in previous posts."

Hey if you don't like my post you don't have to answer, but you did, so it must not be too dead.
BMB

 

[Guest]

I have always been a Craftsman guy myself, but when I found out that Sears had outsourced the manufacture of Craftsman tools to CHINA I have since switched to Home Depot for buying alot of my tools. They partnered with the Emerson Tool Company that Sears had always used in the US when Sears decided it would be cheaper for them to make their tools with slave labor in communist CHINA. Home Depot also has the same lifetime replacement that Sears has always had no questions asked on replacements.

/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif 84 cj7 Laredo /wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif Superior 1 piece, more to come...../wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif

 

[Guest]

snap on bluepoint mac craftsman crescent in that order


[email protected],

schaan

1980 CJ7 75% completed
1969 Early Bronco 40% completed

 

[Guest]

OK a perfect opportunity to rant about my last Sears experience. WARNING this may get long!

So I head over to my local Sears to return a ratchet that was slipping and I figured that I might as well bring the tool box that as a broken clasp too. When I get there, the counter is manned by some kid who hadn't even taken an auto shop class. I asked him where the flare nut wrenches were and he gave me a blank stare. Any way back to my point. I said that I wanted to swap out the ratchet and box. This kid didn't know what to do about the box so he called over his fellow high school student. Then he says "No you can't exchange the box, they only carry a 90 day warranty". "Fine" I say "swap out the ratchet, and call your manager over".

Well they exchange the ratchet for a refurbished one, but I let that one go.

Manager come over and says, "We can't exchange the box without a receipt." "Plus they only carry a 90 day policy". Then I say "I seem to remember Sears having a 'Satisfaction guaranteed' policy, and clearly I'm not satisfied." "Sorry sir, we just can't do it". "Well listen" I say as I point to the collection of new tools that I was about to buy, "You are going to loose a customer for LIFE if you can't make an exchange!" His reply was "I just wouldn't be fair to all the other customers".

Well now I was a bit annoyed, the one place that prides itself on customer service was giving me the shaft. So I headed back out to my truck, but made sure to stop and tell every customer in the tool department not to buy craftsman because the warranty was worthless. A couple of customers thought I was some loony, but most really took it to heart.

Well, by the time I to my truck, I had calmed down. But then I looked at the receipt they had given me for the ratchet exchange. Right there on the back of the receipt was the "Satisfaction Guaranteed" policy. Well that got me going again. So back into the tool department I got, armed with the policy in black and white.

After arguing in circles about my satisfaction level with this "30 year sears veteran" I wasn't getting anywhere. So then I finally tried to reason, "Can you just give me 50% off an new box?" "Nope" Keep in mind that this is one of their $35 hand toolboxes, not a rollaway. Finally I said "If you're so sure about this 90 policy, show it to me in writing" "No problem, it's right here on the cardboard box." Well of course is wasn't. I wasn't even inside with all the other paper work.

So he goes off to try to track down this 90 day policy for toolboxes, leaving me standing by the cash register. For the twenty minutes I had to wait I made sure to tell all the customers coming to check out about my trials. I also tried to track down the store manager (who was out on Sundays), and called the Sears complaint hotline (which was closed on Sundays).

Well he reappears empty handed saying "I found warranty information on everything except tool boxes, so I'll make the exchange this time."

All though the story ended with me having a new toolbox the whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm still considering jumping ship. The return policy over at home depot is no questions asked, so why should I bother with all this hassle?

Sorry for the long post but I had to vent!

My name is Ted, and I'm a Jeep-a-holic. /wwwthreads_images/icons/laugh.gif
[email][email protected][/email]

 

[80cj]

i used to work at sears, although not in tools, but the store manager personally told me that as a sales associate, it was up to me to determine if the customer was 'satisfied' or not. and if they were not, i could do 'what ever i needed' to ensure that the customer was 'satisfied'. i think you just got a guy having a bad day. i would go back and talk to the store manager - calmly- and find out exactly what the policy is. just my 2/100's

BTW - i use craftsman

shawn

i prefer craftsman b/c they are ga

The cup isn't half full or half empty, it's just twice the size it needs to be!!!

 

[LEVE]

My turn to rant about Sears!

I agree about the China tools... I've boycotted Chinese products for 12 years... and will continue to do so til the free thier people and quit machine gunning thier students.

A week ago I went on their website for part and ordered a replacement part for a compressor.

Yesterday the part comes... it's the wrong part.

I recheck the order, and it confirms the right part number and I recheck with my paper manual and it's the right part nubmer.

I call Sears Parts and a lady answers... and says since I ordered the part on the web site I'm responsible for keeping it... wrong or not.

I explaine that the part is the wrong part in the right box... and attempt to tell her Sears has an Inventory problem.

The point is ignored.

I'm asked to check the number on the compressor. I tell her I already did that and gave her the correct number, and part numbers and I want to talk to her supervisor....

I can't talk to her supervisor untill I go to the garage and bring back the model number off the compressor.

I tell her this sucks and hang up, and call back.

The next operator I get was great. She was willing to reason with me /wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif and I decied to drive 40 miles to the nearest Sears Parts store and have them straighten out the mess.

Man, I HATE Sears, but I like most of their goods.... in my 35 year relationship with them... they haven't changed a bit

To paraphrase the other posters: "Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.............."

 

[JEEPN]

Sears sucks. That's my opinion. Once you have been back quite a few times and gotten the runaround, you'll learn that as well. I'm tired of giving them my long handled rounded and polished rachet and getting back a short, square, refurbished, matte POS that still has the same problem with stripping. I'm tired to dealing with salesmen that claim I beat on a screwdriver with a hammer, or claim I attached a tap set to an electric drill. Just plain tired of it.

I go to Wal-Mart now to buy tools, they don't care what shape it's in, if I have a receipt or not, or whether it's 5 minutes from closing. I have never had a problem with returning anything, and in fact, I have had far less of their stuff break on me than Craftsman.

I do own a small amount of Snap-On and Bonney stuf, but I picked it up used at a lawn sale. The Snap-On 1/2" drive rachet is about 40 years old and still works great, can't say that for Craftsman.

Yes, I know it's about Customer Satisfaction, but I have been to just about every Sears store in the state of Maine, and I haven't seen one I'd care to visit again. Wal-Marts are more prevalent and Sears stores are closing down all over the place, so I just buy at Wal-Mart now.

Case in point, I needed some box end offset wrenches to install the SM465 PTO I bought, nothing else will work. I went to Sears and they were $50 for the set, Wal-Mart had them for $15, same guarantee and the same sizes.

I am not a mechanic, but I do wrench often. I also have an inventory of off-brand electric tools, like cheap Cheng-Shin crap, but I have never had a problem with them. My 4.5" angle grinder I bought for $12.50, and I like it better than my Makita I bought on sale for $50, and I've had the cheap one for 4 years now and built 4 jeeps with it. Same with the drill press and chop saw, both are running strong despite being used often, and they were less than 1/2 the cost of some others. "You get what you pay for"? Dunno about that, I haven't had a problem yet.

JEEPN
Winter Harbor, Maine
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled, It's a Jeep, Chevy, IHC kinda thing!
'88.5 Zuki, 5" Calmini, Locked, Swamped, Rolled, and just generally broken in right!

 

[034]

Ever since I was given a set of Husky (Home Depot) tools for Christmas of 1998, I've bought no other brand. They have a lifetime warranty (but I've never had to use the warranty, although the Lord knows I've practically tried to break the things with no success)... The ratchets are more comfortable than the lower end Craftsman ratchets. I hate any tool I have to pull on that has square edges. And that's the craftsman style I have experience with. /wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif Last I knew, the Husky tools were made in America. Some people have said things bad about them in similar posts like this, such as ratchets jamming, but I have yet to get mine to even act up once. Even with a 3 foot long pipe over the ratchet to try and break some bolts loose. Plus Home Depot claims that they'll warranty Craftsman tools as well as their Husky brand, just bring it in and they'll give you the Husky equivalent... /wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif

I like Dewalt electric tools. Only electric grinders Iv'e used though are Makita (I think) and I like those.

Just my $0.02...

Tim "Sandman"

ORC Land Use columnist:
My May Column