Which tools are best?

[Jonas Smith]

I have used craftsman for awhile. I am not happy with their ratchets. They wear out quite fast. I have had good luck with SK tools thus far.

What about power tools like grinders and drills? Again I have had good luck with Porter Cable (made in Germany). but bad luck with DeWalt, except for a 3/8" drill.

My Father was a lineman for Bell Telephone. I have a few of his old tools, and equipment, including his old aluminum helmet and climbing spikes from the 60's. I just need to find a PW telephone truck to put them all in.

He worked with a PW pole planting truck when he first got hired in '64. To hear him describe the abuse those trucks took it's unlikely many survived. But Power wagons are known for their stamina! He said that truck was a wreck when he was working on it, but it had been around since the early 50's. It was replaced by a 2 ton IH crewcab. That IH did well, but only lasted 3-4 years that he can remember.

Jonas

[dr9487]

Porter Cable tools are great, their portaband saw is made in Tennessee. Milwaukee power tools are good except for their portaband saw, I can't get any service out of them. Some Dewalts are ok. Bosch is good, at least the ones I've owned.

[Hoody]

I was brought up on Craftsman tools, and have never tried anything else. Although I am not a mechanic by profession, and do not use my mechanic tools on a day to day basis.

Power tools are another story. Milwaukee, Bosch, and some Dewalt are my favorites. Porter Cable are also good, and I have used them in the past.

Just a side note. Black & Decker Tools (i.e. DeWalt) just bought the Tool Group from Pentair. Pentair is the parent company of Porter Cable and Delta Machinery.

[Bruce]

SK Tools

I have my first set of sockets, SK 3/8" bought it in 1966, perfect condition, except for the box it came in is worn out. I also have 1/4 " Snap-On and a Craftsman 1/2" set, enjoy using all of them. I do prefer the smooth chrome finish. As far as power tools, Porter Cable 19.5 cordless is my favorite drill, it just won't quite, and when it does, the spare battery gets you going again!

[fuzzyalex]

Milwaulkee makes very good power tools, here in Denver they have a service center which has repaired my tools for free if I take them several at once (they must think they owe me for being tougher than more than one of their tools). My first experience was with a 1/2" hole hawg drill that looked like it had ridden around in the back of dumptruck for years- beat, scratched, dirty, and had a half a dozen names etched and scratched out of the aluminum casing! I was told to drill through a piece of 1/2" angle iron with a 3/4" bit, and I was skeptical. I stood on the angle iron on a block of wood and I went for a ride! That drill made it all the way through in record time, caught on the last burr, threw me off the steel and wound itself up in a knot in the cord, dragging the 4 or so feet of angle with it!
On the other hand, I would consider B&D a one-job tool, and I would stay away from any thing that has considerable writing in Chinese on it.
DeWalt is a mixed bag, and I still haven't figured out how one 18v batt is $80+ but a drill w/ 2 batteries is around $160 or less...so now I have a surplus of drills and not enough batteries! If one were crafty one could buy a new battery, clean up their old battery, stick it in the new battery packaging and return it a week later and tell them it wont hold a charge....

[MoparNorm]

DeWalt...

...every once in a while, Lowes and Home Depot will have a DeWalt battery, two for the price of one sale. The sale usually ends 3 days before I need a battery....= (
The new 18 volt XRV battery is the best, but like you say, very pricey.
MN

[Nickathome]

Tools.

I've been buying tools about as much as I've been buying parts for my truck. I didn't have many tools before, and still don't have that much, but most of the tools I buy are Craftsman. I too grew up usin gmy dad's tools and most all of his were and still are Craftsman. Another reason is, the nearest big hardware place is our local Sears Hardware. Can't beat some of their deals. Plus they have a good return policy. I just bought a floor jack from them recently. Its foreign made but it is pretty well constructed.

[fuzzyalex]

I have mixed feelings about craftsman and sears in general. I had one of their credit cards for a bit, they won't give you a good interest rate no matter how good your credit is and they will check your credit one to two times a month to see if they can jack up the interest rate even more! I went a few rounds by phone with them before giving up and cacelling my card (they didn't care that I had bought thousands of dollars of personal tools and tools for my company).
I used to belive Craftsman tools were great 'cuz no matter where I was working (like in different cities, states, etc.) there was usually a Sears nearby to exchange broken tools. However, the tools I inherited from my grandfather were made by companies that no longer exist, never brake, and are so old and worn-looking no one will steal them! I love their history and how they show it... I have a saying- beware of the guy with a toolbox full of shiney new tools! Craftsman quality has gone down considerably in recent years, I should mention that the "companion" series aren't worth buying at all and they will not replace them, so they are only good for extracting naughty words from your mouth and throwing! Good tools just "feel" better and you can pass them on to your kids...
even if they use them all as hammers or prybars...

[MoparNorm]

30 years ago....

.....you could take a broken Craftsman tool into the store and simply walk over to the display and get a new replacement. Now they keep the "replacement tools" in a 'special' drawer and you take your chances, they are never the same as the older higher quality tools and never an exact match for my set, I guess that is part and parcel of having irreplaceable, old, quality tools.
MN

[Gordon Maney]

Re: 30 years ago....

Originally posted by MoparNorm
.....you could take a broken Craftsman tool into the store and simply walk over to the display and get a new replacement. Now they keep the "replacement tools" in a 'special' drawer and you take your chances, they are never the same as the older higher quality tools and never an exact match for my set, I guess that is part and parcel of having irreplaceable, old, quality tools.
MN

I did not know that.... bad news.

[MoparNorm]

Re: Re: 30 years ago....

Originally posted by Gordon Maney
I did not know that.... bad news.

It would be my hope that the policy is just my local Sears and not something that is national company policy, but I haven't broken enough tools to know...= )
MN

[fuzzyalex]

Most of the Sears in Denver have the same policy, and the same drawer of "used" replacements. The one in Canon City takes my old one and has Craftsman mail me a new one directly (and quickly too). I remember the days of picking out a new one in exchange of a broken one, a few times I was allowed to upgrade if the store was out of the exact replacement. I also recall being able to touch the tool and look it over. Now you can only look at a picture on a cardboard box, or spend several minutes cutting off hard plastic that doesn't fit in the trash can. And now that I think of it, I used to engrave my name into each one... but now the chrome peels off if you do that! And I could use my screwdriver as a prybar and my adjustable wrench as a hammer (notice i did not say "crescent wrench") and... and... and...

[rdv_]

Don't they sell the following brands in the States?:

'Bahco-Belzer-Sandvik'; Swedish. These used to be 3 separate brands, but have merged into 1. Top quality

'Facom'; French toolmaker, expensive, top quality.

'Gedore', and its "B" brand 'Rahsol'. German quality tools, with Rahsol having a slightly rougher serface finish.

'Dowidat', 'Heyco', 'Stahlwille', 'Hazet' are all expensive top quality German made tools.

For quality powertools I prefer 'Fein', 'Metabo', 'Hitachi' and 'Bosch' as long as those Bosches are blue. The green ones are more hobby-oriented..

[Gordon Maney]

Originally posted by rdv_
Don't they sell the following brands in the States?:

'Bahco-Belzer-Sandvik'; Swedish. These used to be 3 separate brands, but have merged into 1. Top quality

'Facom'; French toolmaker, expensive, top quality.

'Gedore', and its "B" brand 'Rahsol'. German quality tools, with Rahsol having a slightly rougher serface finish.

'Dowidat', 'Heyco', 'Stahlwille', 'Hazet' are all expensive top quality German made tools.

For quality powertools I prefer 'Fein', 'Metabo', 'Hitachi' and 'Bosch' as long as those Bosches are blue. The green ones are more hobby-oriented..

I believe we see Sandvik saw blades here, and I have seen Heyco and Stahlwille wrenches from my involvement with BMW motorcycles. The Dowidat name rings a bell, though I cannot place it.

All of the power tools you mention are sold here.