Posted: 9/5/2012 4:45:08 AM EDT
| I need a quality socket set for working on vehicles and gunsmithing. Primarily vehicles. I am also looking for a torque wrench. I want something that will last that isn't extremely expensive. I also have amazon prime so please suggest what they have there first. |
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Stanley and Craftsman sockets will serve you fine. I don't think I've ever broken one, but then again, I use my tools properly.
Not sure about the torque wrench. I own both a $300+ Snap On as well as about 3 Harbor Freight, and the HF's are just as accurate as the Snap On. |
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Can't go wrong with Craftsman, although I heard they were making them in China now.
Also agree with TGC on the torque wrench. Most torque wrenches are not very accurate unless that are calibrated fairly regularly. But tightening a given bolt to the exact value is not nearly as important as torquing all of the bolts in a group the same so that you don't warp anything. |
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Say I buy some craftsman wrenches from amazon. Will sears still replace under warranty or will I need to send them back to craftsman directly? I've broken a bunch of Craftsman stuff and Sears has never asked for a receipt. They don't care where you bought it, it's a Craftsman tool. |
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Say I buy some craftsman wrenches from amazon. Will sears still replace under warranty or will I need to send them back to craftsman directly? I've broken a bunch of Craftsman stuff and Sears has never asked for a receipt. They don't care where you bought it, it's a Craftsman tool. Excellent. I think I will go with them. |
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I agree about Craftsman. If you have a Sears or an OSH near you, either will sell and provide warranty service if it is ever needed (highly unlikely).
Cheap, made in China tools just suck. They are better than nothing, but if you can afford Craftsman, get them. I have a Craftsman torque wrench. It is fairly big and bulky but it works just fine (and has for 30 years). It looks just like the modern ones for sale at my local OSH. |
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While Craftsman tools are generally fine for the average DIY guy, I have found their ratchets aren't as good as they used to be. Be careful if you really have to pull on them. I relegate them to "home service" now, Snap-On at work. Yup. Fine for the average home project, but far from pro quality. |
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I need a quality socket set for working on vehicles and gunsmithing. Primarily vehicles. craftsman USA. Quoted:
I am also looking for a torque wrench. I want something that will last that isn't extremely expensive. I also have amazon prime so please suggest what they have there first. PROTO. snap-on quality at half the price. link on amazon.com ar-jedi |
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For the sockets, a few years ago I would have agreed that Craftsman USA sockets were fine for the average DIY'er but now Sears is slowly transitioning to Chinese made tools with the Craftsman name. So far their sockets are still made in the US but if you buy a set today and break something a few years from now, it may get replaced with something Chinese made? The problem with Chinese made tools is the steel they use is typically a lower grade that doesn't not hold up well.
The bigger thing I would worry with Craftsman is, will there even be a Sears\Craftsman in a few years? Sears has been battling just to keep the doors open for years now. Last thing I heard was the current owner is looking to possible sell the Craftsman and Kenmore brands? If that is true and does happen, its hard to say what that will mean for either brand? Will the new owner warranty older tools and even if they do, what will they replace them with? Personally I'd spend the extra money and buy from a higher end US manufacturer like SK, Williams or Wright Tools. They will cost more but they are made better. Between HD\Husky and Lowes\Kobolt, I would go with Kobolt because Husky = mostly Chinese, Kobolt = mainly Taiwanese. There is a difference in quality between the 2. On top of that, Lowes is better about carrying individual sockets, ratchets and wrenches and over all have a more complete line up IMO. Too bad you didn't ask this question a couple of week ago because Lowes just had a lot of their sockets sets drastically marked down. I was able to buy 10 piece 1/4" drive shallow sets (SAE and metric) for $5 each. Same thing in 3/8" drive for $8 ea. and the 3/8" deep sets for $10ea. That's dirt cheap for brand new sockets w/a lifetime warranty. As for a torque wrench, it seems like the best deal going these are the Precision Instruments "Split Beam" torque wrench . PI has a very good rep in the Torque instrument market and is one of the suppliers to Snap-On (as well as CDI which S-O owns). The Split Beam style has the advantage of not needing to be dialed down after each use like a typical "click" style wrench. |
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Check out the current Kobalt line, they offer the same lifetime replacement warranty as Sears. The Kobalt stuff used o be very good with many of their tools made in the US, but the last time I checked,all of their current tools are made either in China or Taiwan. It's a shame, really. I have an older set of their American-made ratchets that have been great, along with a couple sets of their American-made screwdrivers. |
Unfortunately a lot of tools are going the china way. Be careful buying craftsmen. Lately the manager at the local store has been denying warranty on sockets and ratchets. Claims they are being used professionally so no warranty. This started after they started carrying the professional series in the store. Maybe the older pre china tools will command a premium on the used market...........pre ban tools FTW Since I quit working on cars for a living I could be sitting on my nest egg 
I worked in a standards and calibration lab for a couple years. While cheap torque wrenches work they do not hold there calibration very long and can be very erratic. The two we saw the most at the lab was proto and snap on. While there calibration might have changed over a years time they were very repeatable compared to some of the cheaper crap. For the price I would go with proto. |
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I worked in a standards and calibration lab for a couple years. While cheap torque wrenches work they do not hold there calibration very long and can be very erratic. The two we saw the most at the lab was proto and snap on. While there calibration might have changed over a years time they were very repeatable compared to some of the cheaper crap. For the price I would go with proto. listen to this man! 
ar-jedi |