transfixer
Senior Member
I make my living as an automotive tech, have for over 30yrs, you can't beat SnapOn for quality of handtools, but they are too pricey for someone who doesn't use them to make a living with, they are warrantied forever, unless blatantly abused, and even then they will usually cover them once,
You can find Snap on , Mac, Matco tools in pawn shops from time to time, worth checking if you have the time to drive around, Home depot wrenches, sockets and ratchets are pretty good, and supposedly have a lifetime warranty, I've bought a couple oddball sockets from them, but haven't had to warranty anything yet. Harbor freight is okay for some things you might only need once, or twice, but that's about it. Some of the flea markets usually have a tool guy with a booth, and I've been told you can find deals on SnapOn and other quality tools sometimes there, haven't tried it myself.
You can buy Gearwrench tools at some of the parts stores, prices aren't too bad, and they are decent tools, I've got a set of their combination wrenches, but I have stripped out two wrenches since I bought the set, haven't taken them back to warranty them yet, but supposedly they're covered.
My dad used to have Craftsman tools exclusively when I was a kid, but even he quit buying them back in the nineties, quality went away, and so did customer service.
You can find Snap on , Mac, Matco tools in pawn shops from time to time, worth checking if you have the time to drive around, Home depot wrenches, sockets and ratchets are pretty good, and supposedly have a lifetime warranty, I've bought a couple oddball sockets from them, but haven't had to warranty anything yet. Harbor freight is okay for some things you might only need once, or twice, but that's about it. Some of the flea markets usually have a tool guy with a booth, and I've been told you can find deals on SnapOn and other quality tools sometimes there, haven't tried it myself.
You can buy Gearwrench tools at some of the parts stores, prices aren't too bad, and they are decent tools, I've got a set of their combination wrenches, but I have stripped out two wrenches since I bought the set, haven't taken them back to warranty them yet, but supposedly they're covered.
My dad used to have Craftsman tools exclusively when I was a kid, but even he quit buying them back in the nineties, quality went away, and so did customer service.