What would be the best route for someone who is tool-less to acquire the right tools? Is buying a XXX-piece tool set all-in-one thing worth it? or is buying each tool as you need it the best way to go?
I started to do something really simple today to my truck and found that I was unprepared in the tool department.
If you are going the Craftsman route, sign up for the Craftsman Club and watch the special sales they have. There is a pretty good sale going on over the next couple weeks for club members on multi-piece tool sets. Not a bad way to go for the shade tree mechanic.
FWIW, the higher number of piece sets at Sears have significantly better socket wrenches than the basic kits.
If you do buy crapsman, I'd try to find a used set. The current sockets/ratchets from crapsman really suck in quality. Terrible finish and poorly made.
I'm still OK with Craftsman, especially the professional series. Thier new ratches are especailly nice. Buying a big combo set on sale can get you a lot of tools for not too much $$. My dad bought me one of these way back, (around 1976!) when I got my first car, and the sockets from that set are still use today. I also still have a bunch of Craftsman sockets and extensions from my grandfather, still marked with his # when he worked in the shipyard during WWII. Very cool to use those.
The other option if your are short on $$, is to buy a whole bunch of tools at Harbor Frieght. You could get a pretty complete set for $150 or so. Then every time you use a tool and know you have a need for it, replace it with a better quality piece, and relegate the HF stuff to the trail box. I really hate low quality tools, though, and even my trail box by now is mostly decent tools.
If Craftsman has really gone down hill, that's too bad. I've bought tons of Craftsman stuff over the years, and have been happy with all of it. The sockets I use all the time are Craftsman of various vintages from the last 25 years. They have survived being driven with my impact, cheater bars and the like. I don't baby them and have broken maybe 3-4 sockets in my life. I did notice their large Crescent wrenches no longer say "Forged in USA", so I bought a different brand.
Home Depot (Husky) and Lowe's (Kobalt) also sell some decent tool sets, and they come with a lifetime warranty just like Craftsman. I like the old Husky stuff, but it's really just personal preference. I would start out with a decent ratchet set to begin with, Sears usually has them on sale during the year for 50% off which is a pretty good deal. The larger the set you get, the better the deal, but sometimes they fill it with a lot of uneccesary tools just to increase the part count.
The very basic tools I would recommend are
Ratchet set. 3/8 is most common, A few 1/2 and 1/4 will probably come packaged with it
Decent set screwdrivers, cheap ones tend to destroy screwheads
Needle nose and slip joint pliers
8" Crescent wrench
These items should be of decent quality because they will probably be used often. Then as you find a need for more, you can just go buy them as you go along.
Pawnshops are great for good quality tools. They usually sell Snap-on,Mac etc. at 50% or less of book price. Also check the Sears ads, every week it seems like they have different tools on sale. They may not be made as good as they use to be, but they are still the easiest to get replaced.
Craftsman is the lowest quality I would buy. Technically there are only a few truly professional brands of tools (snap-on, mac, matco, and a few european companies). Craftsman has a series of professional tools, but husky and kobalt do not. What is the difference between professional and not? Professional tools have lower tolerances, are more user friendly and give you more access to tight places. I have a very large craftsman set and I love it, but there are some things you have to go higher quality on. Personally snap-on extensions are better and I love mac airtools.
I live by my dad's idea. Find out what you need specifically, and buy the best one you can afford. Yes it takes time to get all of your tools this way, but it really gives me the time to figure out exactly which tools I need, and which brand to go with. I'm a bit of a brute, so I have broken several sockets from every manufacturer I can think of.:whoops:
Mac, Snap-on, Proto, Craftsman, Cornwell, Matco... you name it, I broke it. The more expensive ones take more to break, but they can break, and they usually come with warranties to match what you paid for them.
I also think you can get by with a cheap set, and replace what you break with better quality tools as you go along. It's really up to you.
I have this dilemna everytime I buy a tool. Although I really believe you can't go wrong buying top end tools, the fact is Snap-on/Mac/Matco are just soooo expensive. And since I rarely break my handtools and those tool trucks don't stop at my front door, I can't justify it.
I also agree that Craftsmen has gone downhill. BUT, the fact is I still regularly buy Craftsmen tools. Why? Because they still are descent for the price (i.e. value). But I also buy Kobalt and Husky and really don't notice any quality difference between the three and I think all have lifetime warranties (for handtools, not power tools). I have also heard good things about tools from Tractor Supply (Masterhand) but don't have firsthand experience. My guess is they are likely made by the same company as Craftsmen or Kobalt or Husky.
The one thing I will give Craftsmen is their selection of specialty tools. The tool depts at Lowes and Home Depot just aren't as good as a decent Sears. But all three stores are everywhere, and that is another plus (for buying and warranty replacements).
I rarely buy Craftsmen power tools anymore, however. My experiences as of late is that they are just crap.
Defenitely wait for specials on the Craftmen tool sets - they have some good ones.
And one last note - If you see a good deal on a Metric Set, go ahead and get it. 99% of the time a Metric socket/wrench will fit SAE, but not the reverse. Don't ask me why, but it's true (for sockets and wrenches - not sure about Allen head bolts). And since you own a cruiser, Metric is what you need.
