What brand are you? (Tools that is)

[rusty shovel]

I use Cobalt tools. I started using them because Lowe's purchased snap on and they starting making snap on knock offs, Cobalt's If you check em out they have the same laser etching and all the same mechanics as the snap ons, but at a 1/3 of the price. They also come with a lifetime guarantee. I've had some bad luck with the newer craftsman stuff, but I've yet to have a problem with my cobalt stuff. Now that I've said that of course I'll break one of my ratchets.

[Arnoud]

To revive an old topic....

I'm a mechanic and my employer provides me with Gedore tools-not the best but everyone around here that get their tools from their boss gets Gedore..
At home I use mainly Facom(good stuff,strong and well finished).I also have Stahlwille which is strong but a bit bulky.For powertools I used to have Bosch(cheap but bad)and then moved on to Black+Decker(even worse!).The best purchase was an angle grinder from DeWalt which wasn't cheap but has held up for about ten years now and has had a rough life with me.DeWalt and Black+Decker are owned by the same company....strange.
Regarding the toolchests-I have a hand-me-down from my dad(I managed to let dissapear all the tools that were in it at the time!)

Greets,Arnoud

[helowrench]

I guess the answer will be different for those that do this for a living and those that do it for fun every once in a while. I have over $14.000 invested in my BOX alone. My tools are for me not for the a-hole that just walks in a shop and picks up a few things...that brings me to the whole pawn shop thing.... most of the high dollar tools there have been stolen from people like me. I buy the best because I do not want the trouble that cheap crap always makes. Check out what's in a tool box at your local airplane hanger. A 10mm wrench,socket,allen wrench in not always actually 10mm, there is a variance between brands and quality. That goes for fasteners as well. You should buy the best you can get, it will save you time and money in the long run. Chinese tools are crap and will destroy as much as they repair. My work shares a parking lot with Harbor Freight, the only thing I get from there is nitrile gloves and cut off wheels. Get what you can afford, but do not be surprised what gets damaged with cheap crap.

As an aircraft mechanic, I had to get a tool list and value together for my stuff. (workplace was setting up an insurance policy for catastrophic loss, and included all of the stuff I have in the shop) $68,500.

my sheetmetal tools were over $50K of that

Rob

[dUbC66]

Well I attended a trade school that offered the same type of deal. i have used all the different brand with the exception of cornwell. i have had my tools in service for ~9yrs. In my opinion Snap-On tools are the best. with that being said there are several tools that from brand to brand are the same (meaning same tools in the same box supplied with different brand name stickers on the front). So some tools it is advantagious to shop arround and see if another dealer has the same thing for less money. but If i could give you some advice with your tech program and buying tools. If they offer setts of tools "tool list's" I would buy every thing you possobly can even if people say that you will never need it! If it is specialty keep it in you box like new and trade it in to your local dealer for something else that you may need on a day to day basis. if it is like the program i was in and you get the tools for 55% off then you will be ahead in the long run.

[landrocket]

I have everything and anything. Been wrenching on aircraft for 20 years and some guys only use Snap-on, others only Sears, etc. I have a cheap set of C E Tools (wrenches) and I probably use those the most, they just feel good and it was surprising to see them fit in areas that the expensive Snap-ons did not!!! And another thing, I have no reservations on taking one of my tools and grinding it down to fit somewhere, or heating it up to fabricate a certain angle and such. Don't let anybody sway you, you're the mechanic, you decide. That's my two cents.

[User Name]

40% mac tools, 40% snap-on, 10% britool, 5% visegrip, 5% cheap nasty for modifying
my roll cabs are all mac tools
I prefer mac tools sockets and extensions, but snap-on ratchets
wrenches either way, which ever I can pick up cheapest on ebay
screw drivers, more snap-on than mac, but that depends on what I can get cheapest when I need them
torque wrenches, mac tools all the way
my main welder is migatronic
I have a spare emergency snap-on (cebora) welder
I also buy cheap nasty tools for modifying, wrenches to be cut an welded, or bent to get into tight or awkward spaces
welding claps are 90% vise grip, with some cheap nasty ones modified for special jobs

[Stuggi]

Bahco for wrenches and pliers, Swedish steel all the way. I've also got some IKH, damn fine stuff as well.

[wjoef]

Allen ratchets and sockets, Chicago Pneumatic 1/2" and 3/8" impact and 3/8" ratchet, Milwaukie sawz-all, 1/2" drill, and hole hawg, Bosch Jig saw, Porter-Cable routers, Klein, Estwing, Swanson, Vaughn and Stanley hand tools. The best tool box I have found is a Knack Box, the bifold kind, ... but of course I'm a carpenter by trade.

The most important though, is your brain ... use the right tool for the job, it will make the task easier.

[VolkswagenSlave]

Its been a while since I asked this question, but I never updated my brand now that I have had some time to accumulate tools.

Craftsman was the starter with a 540 pc set and a double tall box to put it all in
The majority of the non essential tools that are expensive other wise are from harbor freight (ie ball joint press, hammers, pry bars)
I have been on every parts truck that is in the area and Matco and Snap-on are my preferred choice (needed a special tool to remove broken spark plugs from a newer ford engine block, got it that day on a snap-on truck). Most of my specialty tools have come from those two trucks.

The tools that I have are fairly basic compared to some of the people I have worked with; $12,000 for just the box is a little much (but it had a tv). I figured craftsman is my favorite since you can return just about everything no matter what happened. Unfortunately craftsman doesn’t sell everything and sometimes others have more precision.

My two favorite tools are German made pliers made by Knipex, and my Kershaw assisted open pocket knife. Both of which I got from a Matco truck.