Posted: 12/5/2011 10:43:11 AM EDT
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Looking for mid-grade hand tools with lifetime warranty, like Kobalt, Husky, Duralast, etc.
Lowe's is not my first choice, but the Kobalt seem to be the nicest. Does anyone have any experience with Kobalt? Any other brands you would recommend? Thanks. |
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I have some Husky and Kobalt ratchets and sockets. No issues with either of them.
Craftsman is far from what Craftsman was years ago. I have a number of their older ratchets and sockets and compared to their quality today, there is no comparison. I will not buy Craftsman tools until they get back to making good stuff. Cheers, cc |
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Kobalt makes the BEST tape measures. Thats all I use from them.
My location to Sears makes Craftsman my wisest choice. No receipt necessary, they'll replace it on the spot. I agree with the ratchet claims made about craftsman, fortunately ratchets seem to reproduce themselves or something, its the only thing I have 10 (and counting) of. Husky is garbage as of about 2 years ago. I will probably never buy a Husky hand tool again, too bad because they used to make some good stuff. |
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it really does come down to how much hassel it is to replace a broken tool.
I stick with crafstman because I started with a 3 draw tool box full of them for 100 bucks. BUT if I had to do it again, it would probably kobalt or husky since there seems to be a lowes or home depot on every corner. IF wally world had a lifetime set, I would probably use those instead as well. |
| I bought a Kobalt tool box. 3 pieces cabinet and spent about 700 or so. About 6 months later the bearings fell out of one of the drawers on middle unit. I am not a mechanic or use my toolbox daily or weekly for that matter. I called Lowes to get a number to call Kobalt. They gave me a number to where I could buy Kobalt. WTF I need this thing fixed. So I go down and talk to the store manager and nada, zip, nothing. Some lifetime warranty. So after dicking around with the store manager for 45 mins. I just bought another unit go home and put the broken one back in the box and returned it. I'm done with Kobalt. |
| I just got as set of these, and they are the bees knees. I love the box end of them, as they have a strange inverted torx type bite to them. I also love the full polish and thin profile. Reminds me of my old snap-ons. Lifetime warranty. $20 |
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I am not interested in Craftsman because I have heard that their lifetime warranty is no longer hassle free.
For what it may be worth, this is what I found (can't vouch for veracity): "MAJOR MANUFACTURERS 1) STANLEY a) MAC Tools (Top End) b) Proto Tools (High Quality Industrial) c) Black Hawk (High Quality but mostly made in Taiwan) d) Husky (Home Depot store brand) e) Stanley (Wal-Mart and Discounters) 2) DANAHER a) Matco Tools (Top End) b) Armstrong Tools (High Quality Industrial) c) Silver Eagle (High Quality but mostly made in Taiwan) d) Grey Pneumatic (Industrial quality but mostly made in Taiwan) e) Kobalt (Lowes Store Brand) f) Craftsman (Sears Store Brand) g) NAPA (Napa Store Brand) h) Allen i) Gear Wrench j) K-D Tools 3) Snap-On a) Snap-On Tools (Top End) b) JH Williams Tools (High Quality Industrial) c) Blue Point (High Quality but mostly made in Taiwan) d) Branded hand tools for New Holland and others - mostly Taiwan e) Bahco f) Sioux Tools g) ATI Tools MINOR PLAYERS BUT STILL LARGE 4) S-K (once part of Facom - now independent. Starting to see S-K tool trucks competing with Snap-On / Mac / Matco / Cornwell) 5) Cornwell (Image similar to Mac / Matco / Snap-on. Claims quality of comparable levels - however your mileage may vary) 6) Wright tools. (Can compete easily at the Matco / Mac / Proto / Armstrong levels of quality) 7) Lisle tools (much smaller - but many almost unique tools)" Source: http://www.yotatech.com/f106/kobalt-vs-craftsman-tools-73587/index2.html |
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I bought a Kobalt tool box. 3 pieces cabinet and spent about 700 or so. About 6 months later the bearings fell out of one of the drawers on middle unit. I am not a mechanic or use my toolbox daily or weekly for that matter. I called Lowes to get a number to call Kobalt. They gave me a number to where I could buy Kobalt. WTF I need this thing fixed. So I go down and talk to the store manager and nada, zip, nothing. Some lifetime warranty. So after dicking around with the store manager for 45 mins. I just bought another unit go home and put the broken one back in the box and returned it. I'm done with Kobalt. That sucks. The Kobalt stuff looks nice. Husky doesn't seem to have the same high-end finish, but at least warranty is a no-questions-asked type. Anyone dealt with AutoZone? Their Duralast handtools looks nice, but pretty pricey––also lifetime warranty. |
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My Kobalt's are ok. My personal tools are Matco, the tools issued to my bench at work are mostly Kobalt with some Craftsman. The Kobalts are ok. Pliers are Chinese, possibly chinese screwdrivers; wrenches, shallow sockets and 3/8" ratchet are Taiwanese; deep sockets and 1/4 ratchet are USA stamped.
For the money, the Kobalts will do the job. However, my Matco tools are well worth the money. |
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I am not interested in Craftsman because I have heard that their lifetime warranty is no longer hassle free. Their warranty is still fine. It's just not as easy to get them to replace a wrench you cut down under the story that it broke.  I've never "broken" a craftsman wrench or socket so I wouldn't even worry about the warranty. Their ratchets are a different story and the warranty complaints are generally against the ratchets.
If you want tools from Lowes, Home Depot, Autozone, etc., go to Harbor Freight. It's the same thing and you'll pay less. Craftsman sets can be had for a very reasonable price, especially now during the holidays. Like I said, go Craftsman, but buy an Armstrong ratchet ($40-60). |
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Quoted: I buy older hand tools off of craigslist... I don't even care if they are rusty...I just soak the rusty tools in Evaporust from Harbor Freight, rinse with water and coat with oil....good as new in most cases. I usually get them for pennies on the $$$ This reminds me of a Pawnshop I used to go to when I lived in Wichita. They sold tools by the pound, you could buy Snap-On or the like all day long dirt cheap. I loved that place. |
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Craftsman hand tools are best overall IMO, but as noted before their ratchets suck. I have Snap -on ratchets for my craftsman sockets. this All very true. Warranty is great but like stated if its not a tool you modified they will take care of it. I had a ratchet that was rusted soils that I found in the bed of a truck at a wrecking yard they replaced. Just don't buy their ratchets they warranty them with a plastic gear now.cobalt is junk. Just because they are the same manufacturing company don't mean the quality is the same. Think Geo metro vs. Hummer both are general motors maybe the army should stick to compact cars. |
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I buy older hand tools off of craigslist... I don't even care if they are rusty...I just soak the rusty tools in Evaporust from Harbor Freight, rinse with water and coat with oil....good as new in most cases. I usually get them for pennies on the $$$ This reminds me of a Pawnshop I used to go to when I lived in Wichita. They sold tools by the pound, you could buy Snap-On or the like all day long dirt cheap. I loved that place. Pawnshops here ask stupid high prices for beat to shit matco and snap-on tools when you can find them. I gave up. I have a mix of Kobalt and Craftsman. The only wrenching I do is on our cars (lots on the Jeep) and around the house. They've given me no problems at all. |
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I have had a problem lately with: -Breaking my warranty-replaced craftsman ratchets on the first use. I need to start asking for new ones off the shelf and not rebuilds from under the counter. -New craftsman open-end wrenches being WAY out of spec. Rounded off a newer nut, measured the wrench and it was well outside of what it should be. Have not taken it back yet. Measured some other newer ones I had and I felt they were all at least a little out of spec, compared to older models of the same sizes that I had around. I was buying whatever store brand home depot sells, but that stuff started breaking so often I started buying extras as to not stop in the middle of a job. Not worth it. I have better luck with disposable tools from harbor freight. I have broken several craftsman ratchets when applying a 2ft iron pipe for leverage. HF ratchets have been treated the same and not broke yet. If you buy socket size adapters, get brand name stuff. HF in particular sells junk socket adapters.
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I've had good luck with Craftsman, but almost all of my stuff is 20-30 years old. I've only had 2 warranty replacements, and they replaced both tools without issue. One was a Phillips screwdriver where the tip was pretty much worn out after more than a decade of use. The other was this extension I sheared. 
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I have had a problem lately with: -Breaking my warranty-replaced craftsman ratchets on the first use. I need to start asking for new ones off the shelf and not rebuilds from under the counter. -New craftsman open-end wrenches being WAY out of spec. Rounded off a newer nut, measured the wrench and it was well outside of what it should be. Have not taken it back yet. Measured some other newer ones I had and I felt they were all at least a little out of spec, compared to older models of the same sizes that I had around. I was buying whatever store brand home depot sells, but that stuff started breaking so often I started buying extras as to not stop in the middle of a job. Not worth it. I have better luck with disposable tools from harbor freight. I have broken several craftsman ratchets when applying a 2ft iron pipe for leverage. HF ratchets have been treated the same and not broke yet. If you buy socket size adapters, get brand name stuff. HF in particular sells junk socket adapters. What size drive were they? |
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Quoted: Quoted: I have had a problem lately with: -Breaking my warranty-replaced craftsman ratchets on the first use. I need to start asking for new ones off the shelf and not rebuilds from under the counter. -New craftsman open-end wrenches being WAY out of spec. Rounded off a newer nut, measured the wrench and it was well outside of what it should be. Have not taken it back yet. Measured some other newer ones I had and I felt they were all at least a little out of spec, compared to older models of the same sizes that I had around. I was buying whatever store brand home depot sells, but that stuff started breaking so often I started buying extras as to not stop in the middle of a job. Not worth it. I have better luck with disposable tools from harbor freight. I have broken several craftsman ratchets when applying a 2ft iron pipe for leverage. HF ratchets have been treated the same and not broke yet. If you buy socket size adapters, get brand name stuff. HF in particular sells junk socket adapters. What size drive were they? The last time I was working on my blazer I had a stuck bolt and I broke a 1/2" drive, so I grabbed a 3/4" drive with a 1/2" adapter, and broke that as well. I think I ended up using a 6-point wrench with a pipe on it. Sears often rebuilds ratchets in-store so it could either be the person doing the rebuilds or crap parts. |
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Food for thought, I picked up a Husky "black chrome" kit. With the limited amount that I use wrenches as a carpenter I just went with the biggest kit that was for sale. NEVER BUY BLACK SOCKETS!! They get hot as hell in the sun and if you ever drop one in a dark place, good luck.
Honestly, I have my eye out for another super kit. What I'm primarily shopping for is a good case. Not one that is oversized so it looks good on display in the packaging, but one that will take up less space in my truck. Something well thought out that doesn't have pieces that want to fall off the lid as you close it. Something that doesn't have deep well sockets lying on their sides so that when you kick the open case to the side everything changes place. Really, just a well thought out case. |
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Food for thought, I picked up a Husky "black chrome" kit. With the limited amount that I use wrenches as a carpenter I just went with the biggest kit that was for sale. NEVER BUY BLACK SOCKETS!! They get hot as hell in the sun and if you ever drop one in a dark place, good luck. Honestly, I have my eye out for another super kit. What I'm primarily shopping for is a good case. Not one that is oversized so it looks good on display in the packaging, but one that will take up less space in my truck. Something well thought out that doesn't have pieces that want to fall off the lid as you close it. Something that doesn't have deep well sockets lying on their sides so that when you kick the open case to the side everything changes place. Really, just a well thought out case. Buy some socket strips from Lowes and be done with the cases. I had similar problems with Craftsman and Kobalt cases. bought socket strips which A) take up a lot less room B) are much more convenient when looking for particular size socket. |
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I sell tools for a living. GearWrench, aka KD Tools, make a lot of excellent products and they stand behind them. Advance autoparts is about the easiest place to find them and they should swap out anything you break. However, you can also find them on Matco tool trucks. I understand that GW makes quite a bit of Matco branded tools. GW's sockets are well thought out; fair pricing, good chrome, even knurling on the ends of them for when you use you fingers. Also, Sunex makes some good quality impact rated socket in all sizes/drives. Don't be scared of them, they have a good product and warranty. |
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Stanley makes Husky. Kobalt is chinese that you will break. Might as well step up and buy Greenlee or Milwaukee I think that Kobalt are now made in Taiwan. If thats true that is a big step up. I have zero problem with Taiwan made tools I personally cannot tell the difference between American. The Kobalt I have used as an electrician are cast junk, like the equivalent of Olympic or Vulcan/Hesse in the AR world. Milwaukee has come out with a new line of hand tools that I have been using for the past few weeks. Very impressed, they have it down to the little things on each tool like wire strippers and benders on their screwdrivers to a new ECX bit that combines a phillips head with a flat blade. So you have the torque of a flat blade in a phillips head screw yet it won't slip out or strip the screwhead. |
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Food for thought, I picked up a Husky "black chrome" kit. With the limited amount that I use wrenches as a carpenter I just went with the biggest kit that was for sale. NEVER BUY BLACK SOCKETS!! They get hot as hell in the sun and if you ever drop one in a dark place, good luck. Honestly, I have my eye out for another super kit. What I'm primarily shopping for is a good case. Not one that is oversized so it looks good on display in the packaging, but one that will take up less space in my truck. Something well thought out that doesn't have pieces that want to fall off the lid as you close it. Something that doesn't have deep well sockets lying on their sides so that when you kick the open case to the side everything changes place. Really, just a well thought out case. Buy some socket strips from Lowes and be done with the cases. I had similar problems with Craftsman and Kobalt cases. bought socket strips which A) take up a lot less room B) are much more convenient when looking for particular size socket. Meh, that is too many things to grab out of the truck. Ratchets, extensions, sockets, or I could rummage through a bag. I just want to buy a kit with all the pieces nicely arranged in a compact fasion. Until then I'll just deal. |
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go with craftsman and don't look back... lol
I've had all kinds of tools from everywhere and the best tools for the money are Craftsman. If you buy cheap shit you'll be replacing them fast. Craftsman has a killer return policy. I picked up a couple of torque wrenches (3 for $20) at the swap meet walked into sears and they swapped all three for brand new $90 wrenches. I love Craftsman. |
| Strictly from a patronage standpoint, I buy Cooper tools (out of Apex, NC) when they have a US-made product, which they do have a decent bit. Cooper owns Crescent, Wiss, Lufkin, Nicholson, H.K. Porter, GearWrench, Plumb, Armstrong, among a lot of other non-hand tool companies, like Delta tool boxes. |
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Costco usually has a nice Stanley "starter" set for less than $100; I say starter cause
almost no set has everything you'll eventually want. You should expand the set as the need arises, not buy everything you think you may ever need. I keep one good tool bag in each car, one in the workshop (in back of house) and the main set in the garage. The bag that gets used the least is stocked with the cheapest brand. The set in my daily driver is what I used to carry when I crewed helos (minus some special tools). I pack that bag on road trips & whenever I want good tools while working far from help. I'd even go so far as to say put your best stuff where you think it's gonna get used the most, even if that's in your car (work thru the security issues on your own) cause your cars usually at home when your working on something else, but having just basic stuff on the road will get you by (replacing starter, water pump, belts ect) I'd cruise pawn shops that turn over alot of tools & only go 1/2 price on Snap-On, Craftsman or Matco,ect. Haunt Craigslist & have cash. Good tools aint't cheap. |
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I won't be buying any more Craftsman because their ratchets suck balls, they are making pretty much everything except sockets and wrenches in China now, and they are more of a PITA to deal with store level when something breaks.
I should note their new series of wrenches/sockets (the splined things) are all made in China as well. I have went to eBay for tools now as their tap and die sets are all China made so I found a like new set on eBay for cheap from 1996 or so and I found a Cornwell impact set for a good price as well that wasn't used a lot. From now on I will be buying Mac/Snap-On/Cornwell/maybe Matco as I get more pissed off when I spend money on something and it's crap than if I would have just spent double and been happy with the quality. I miss the old S-K too as they were great tools. |
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Stanley makes Husky. Kobalt is chinese that you will break. Might as well step up and buy Greenlee or Milwaukee I think that Kobalt are now made in Taiwan. Based on the the packages I've examined at my local store, they're having stuff made in both places. Damn shame, really. Their ratchets and sockets used to be made by Danaher right here in America. I have a set that I bought about 5 years ago and they're nicer in every way than any of the Crapsman tools I've bought in the past 10 years. I also have a couple sets of Kobalt screwdrivers that were made in the US and bear a striking resemblance to the cushion-grip Kleins, but with a grey plastic handle and blue rubber cushion. They were sold as "contractor grade", or something like that. |
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Craftsman for most hand tools. Matco impact sockets and chrome extensions for the heavy duty stuff. Ingersoll Rand for any air tools. Any swivel sockets chrome or impact, Snap On is the way to go. What do you plan on using them for? Car maintenance and other general use. |
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Food for thought, I picked up a Husky "black chrome" kit. With the limited amount that I use wrenches as a carpenter I just went with the biggest kit that was for sale. NEVER BUY BLACK SOCKETS!! They get hot as hell in the sun and if you ever drop one in a dark place, good luck. Honestly, I have my eye out for another super kit. What I'm primarily shopping for is a good case. Not one that is oversized so it looks good on display in the packaging, but one that will take up less space in my truck. Something well thought out that doesn't have pieces that want to fall off the lid as you close it. Something that doesn't have deep well sockets lying on their sides so that when you kick the open case to the side everything changes place. Really, just a well thought out case. Buy some socket strips from Lowes and be done with the cases. I had similar problems with Craftsman and Kobalt cases. bought socket strips which A) take up a lot less room B) are much more convenient when looking for particular size socket. Meh, that is too many things to grab out of the truck. Ratchets, extensions, sockets, or I could rummage through a bag. I just want to buy a kit with all the pieces nicely arranged in a compact fasion. Until then I'll just deal. Yeah, I suppose you're right. I was thinking in terms of doing basic car maintenance in my garage. The strips make things much easier, especially when under a vehicle. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Stanley makes Husky. Kobalt is chinese that you will break. Might as well step up and buy Greenlee or Milwaukee I think that Kobalt are now made in Taiwan. If thats true that is a big step up. I have zero problem with Taiwan made tools I personally cannot tell the difference between American. The Kobalt I have used as an electrician are cast junk, like the equivalent of Olympic or Vulcan/Hesse in the AR world. Milwaukee has come out with a new line of hand tools that I have been using for the past few weeks. Very impressed, they have it down to the little things on each tool like wire strippers and benders on their screwdrivers to a new ECX bit that combines a phillips head with a flat blade. So you have the torque of a flat blade in a phillips head screw yet it won't slip out or strip the screwhead. I am suprised, if you are an electrician Klein and Ideal are usually all you need, all good stuff. |
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Stanley makes Husky. Kobalt is chinese that you will break. Might as well step up and buy Greenlee or Milwaukee I think that Kobalt are now made in Taiwan. If thats true that is a big step up. I have zero problem with Taiwan made tools I personally cannot tell the difference between American. The Kobalt I have used as an electrician are cast junk, like the equivalent of Olympic or Vulcan/Hesse in the AR world. Milwaukee has come out with a new line of hand tools that I have been using for the past few weeks. Very impressed, they have it down to the little things on each tool like wire strippers and benders on their screwdrivers to a new ECX bit that combines a phillips head with a flat blade. So you have the torque of a flat blade in a phillips head screw yet it won't slip out or strip the screwhead. I am suprised, if you are an electrician Klein and Ideal are usually all you need, all good stuff. Klein is good but more on the expensive side. They have been gtg for me |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Stanley makes Husky. Kobalt is chinese that you will break. Might as well step up and buy Greenlee or Milwaukee I think that Kobalt are now made in Taiwan. If thats true that is a big step up. I have zero problem with Taiwan made tools I personally cannot tell the difference between American. The Kobalt I have used as an electrician are cast junk, like the equivalent of Olympic or Vulcan/Hesse in the AR world. Milwaukee has come out with a new line of hand tools that I have been using for the past few weeks. Very impressed, they have it down to the little things on each tool like wire strippers and benders on their screwdrivers to a new ECX bit that combines a phillips head with a flat blade. So you have the torque of a flat blade in a phillips head screw yet it won't slip out or strip the screwhead. I am suprised, if you are an electrician Klein and Ideal are usually all you need, all good stuff. Klein is good but more on the expensive side. They have been gtg for me I quit being a sparky in the mid 90's, I still have all my ideal and klein tools, they are beyond good, they are damn good and will out last me. |
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I largely have old sets of Craftsman wrenches and sockets, from 20-35 years ago. They have held up pretty well. I buy some tools at yard or estate sales, and/or used from a local tool shop.
If I need a socket or wrench size that I can't find used, I've bought a few pieces of Allen tools, mostly sockets, and they are decent. Made in USA, as far as I know. They are listed in the big list above: 2) DANAHER h) Allen 
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I have a mix of tools as I've replaced many over the years. For screwdrivers, I prefer the red and black rubber Snap On or if I have to, Kleins. Both are pricey but worth it. When it comes to electrical, whether it be low voltage or house voltage (the big stuff is for the pros), it is Klein all the way. If you use a pair of Klein crimpers on some ring terminals or butt connectors, you'll never use or need another pair. I prefer ChannelLocks over other brands and have various sizes. Made in the USA, too. I've been on a GearWrench kick lately for wrenches and have them up to 1 1/2" for the big rig. Stanley 3/8 and 1/2 standard and deep sockets and ratchets from Wallyworld a while back when I "lost" my toolbox. The round Stanley ratchets blow the Crapsman ones out of the water. I've had a 3' winch bar on the 1/2" many many times. My 3/4" drive set is Harbor Freight, and I have yet to break anything, including the other day when I had the breaker bar attached to the 3' winch bar, and ended up cutting off the Ubolt as the nut wouldn't budge, even with heat. My 1" gun is Harbor Freight as well, still kicking after 5 years of limited use. The socket I use is from TruckPro. All of my impact stuff is HF as well. All in all, I'm not a name snob. I try to choose the best quality tool for the job. For example, I might use my 1" impact twice a year. I don't need an $800 IR for that, my $100 HF works great. If I used it once a day, I'd have the IR. The more I use something or anticipate using it, the better quality I'll buy. If there's no discernible difference in quality, then price wins. Craftsman is not the Craftsman of when I was growing up. If I want imported tools, I'll go to Harbor Freight or Northern Tool and not pay American tool pricing for Made in China or Taiwan. |
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I have some old Kobalt tools from at least 10 years ago when they were made in USA that are better than my Snap on and Matco. They are strong, polished, and I have never had one issue with any of them. Too bad they suck now. That reminds me, I have a couple of Snap-on and Matco tools I need to get replaced. Anyone know what their policy is with no access to a truck? |
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I am not interested in Craftsman because I have heard that their lifetime warranty is no longer hassle free. Their warranty is still fine. It's just not as easy to get them to replace a wrench you cut down under the story that it broke. I've never "broken" a craftsman wrench or socket so I wouldn't even worry about the warranty. Their ratchets are a different story and the warranty complaints are generally against the ratchets.
If you want tools from Lowes, Home Depot, Autozone, etc., go to Harbor Freight. It's the same thing and you'll pay less. Craftsman sets can be had for a very reasonable price, especially now during the holidays. Like I said, go Craftsman, but buy an Armstrong ratchet ($40-60). Most people don't realize that Pittsburg hand tools have the same lifetime warranty as Craftsman, and don't hassle you near as much.. |