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redneckracer1979
RCTalk Talkaholic
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- RC Driving Style
I have been working oncars and trucks for baout 18 years now and I have a full set of Snap On tools. I also have a toolbox of craftsman and that was just for when I went wheeling as the cheap tools for taking on the trail and losing them. IMHO Craftsman sucks period. Their sockets break easily their ratchets get too loose too fast. And they are just made cheap. Yes you get what you pay for with tools so just pay a little more and get a better tool.
Plaidfish
RCTalk VIP
Supporter
I think all of them have replaceable tips...at least all teh ones everyone here has mentioned.....btw buy an extra .5 or whatever that small one is....I snapped one first use....I didn't even feel it gettign tight yet....
HeartBreak
RCTalk VIP
Plaidfish said:
I'll second that. I snapped one when I was putting together an rc10gt for a customer (worked at a hobby shop for a while). I sneezed during the tightening of a CVD set-screw, and the tip broke. Went right into my left index finger. Luckily enough, the broken part was still in the CVD. I had to race with my middle finger...
Oddly enough, found out I drive better that way.... A californian, driving with his middle finger.... Irony, haha.
I know I might get laughed at, but I bought a set of Allen metric hex wrenches (long ones) and a set of Husky SAE wrenches (again, long ones) and they've worked great for me! Got them at Lowes. Now, maybe down the road they'll turn to crap, but I've had them for about a year and they're holding up terrifically!
digger
Hardcore RCTalk User
I didn't realize there was that much difference in the hobby tools.
I don't work on a car as much as some of you. Never built a kit. I always blamed the hex heads stripping out on the screws. Never thought about it being the wrench.
I'm not much on the Snap-On tools. Too pricey, and if it breaks... If the truck isn't coming around every week or so you are screwed.
That is about the only plus with Craftsman. They are crap but you can get em replaced easy. I'm there about once every 2 weeks or so...
I don't work on a car as much as some of you. Never built a kit. I always blamed the hex heads stripping out on the screws. Never thought about it being the wrench.
I'm not much on the Snap-On tools. Too pricey, and if it breaks... If the truck isn't coming around every week or so you are screwed.
That is about the only plus with Craftsman. They are crap but you can get em replaced easy. I'm there about once every 2 weeks or so...
redneckracer1979 said:
A little more is maybe $50, $100, $200 more than an equivelent set. Not double the price for a fraction of the tools.
If they offered a 190 piece set of sockets and assorted tools for 300 maybe 400 I'll take it. Not over $2000
I don't know about some of you guys who put down craftsman, but I haven't had one die yet from normal use abusing yes. I know they aren't the highest quality tools but they aren't that bad. Neither have any at the local high school autoshops last time I went around there. I never had a problem redeming a warranty either when someone f'd up sockets by using it in a impact. I can't justify that much money when I know I'll do fine with the ones I have. As for the autozone or pepboys specials, those go on our boat due to corrosion issues, I consider those one time use.
I mean come on $310 for a set of impact sockets come on. It's a hunk of steel, It probably only cost $20 at the most to make. I can buy a nice new impact gun for that much. This is like the SATA fresh air hood, it's only got $6 worth of material and it cost over $600. I know they're all quality tools but damn, how much of the price is just for the name?
OMG even their welders cost an arm and a leg their 140amp gmaw cost nearly $3k. I'll take a miller instead.
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SVORay
RCTalk Addict
I've been a Craftmen for atleast a decade. They're decent tools for sure and perfect for the at home DIY tpye person but I've busted busted rachets and sockets. Sears never once has questions me on fixing or replacing anything I've handed them. Now with that said, like I mentioned before, If I was wrenching for a living, I would buy Snap-On or Maco tools. YOu can get around the high cost of buying them through Ebay and Pawn shops. Also some tools like the Craftsman Professional wrenches are just as good as Snap-on wrenches. It's just a small way to cut courners.
Anyways, the reason is, just because they're all created out of steel doesn't make them exqual. The temperment used to harden them is different and some make their tools softer than other. As for finding the guy to get your broken tools replaced, thats easy, Snap-on guys make their Coin off you and people are always in debt to them. So don't worry, they'll be there.
I'll go Lincon for me a welder any day
Ray
Anyways, the reason is, just because they're all created out of steel doesn't make them exqual. The temperment used to harden them is different and some make their tools softer than other. As for finding the guy to get your broken tools replaced, thats easy, Snap-on guys make their Coin off you and people are always in debt to them. So don't worry, they'll be there.
I'll go Lincon for me a welder any day
Ray
SVORay said:I'll go Lincon for me a welder any day
I have a lincoln mig but I want to learn tig (much nicer welds you know) and I like miller tigs. As for the snap on and mac tools after flipping through some pages their specialty tools that are hard to come by are reasonably priced. But things like a plastic hammer for over $50....
Plaidfish
RCTalk VIP
Supporter
personally I don't do tons of work on cars like I used to at my pops shop.....I buy crapman....I know what teh differences are I just can't see spending the money on the top shelf stuff if I don't NEED it....that's a poipnt I think alot of people defending craftsman aren't seeing here...if you used your tools EVERYDAY (that's the kicker) then you'd see the craftsman stuff fail...it does..I know from personal experience....BUT for those of us not looking to fund a mecahnics shop in our garage the craftsman stuff offers a lot of value for the avg user and th ereplacement is awsome.....after seeing the boyd coddington show where the kid torched a wrench to bend it then returned it, my dads neighbor did a similar wrench mod and they just exchanged it no questions....funny looks though.....that's where I see craftsman having value, NOT in the tops shelf quality arena but great to know you only have to buy it once.....
SVORay
RCTalk Addict
SumoDethRat said:
Those Tig users are a one man band lol I mean you got things going on with both hands plus a foot...it should entertain you for sure. It's also a good skill to learn if you ever need something to fall back on if you're not already a welder.
As for the plastic hammer, I completelty know about that one. I wanted one so freaken bad but I wasn't going to budge on their high price. One day I took off to this small town east of us ( only 13 miles away) to this Army surplus store to buy some Moly lube in bulk. While gazing around there I found one of these plastic hammers for 7.99! I'm pretty sure you know where my plastic hammer came from
Ray
Plaidfish said:
I'm not putting down people who use it daily for their jobs, just the ones who think they need it when they only wrench every other weekend. I'm just saying if your not a professional mechanic, or use them on a daily basis, why mortgage your house for tools? Save your money and buy a new car.
Plaidfish
RCTalk VIP
Supporter
SumoDethRat said:
I wasn't really aiming that post at you...I think we see it the same way.....even if I was doing a restoration on a car I'd still use my crapman stuff....for as much use as I need them for I wouldn't shell out 2k for a tool set either.....besides IF I did need a better tool my pop is only 30 miles away.....
