What SOCKET set and tools should I buy?

I’ve had a couple things survive but I don’t buy anything from there unless I only need it once.

 

As @Exracer2 says, buy a quality set of tools once. While guarantee's are nice, it's not nice when a tool fails in the middle of a project and the ride to replace it under warranty is the project you're working on...

I learned the hard way and bought cheap sets, then just replaced them when something failed. Cracked a lot of knuckles that way. Finally did learn and bought a USA made set of Craftsman years ago. I've never had any of them fail and have never had to replace anything I didn't lose (or lend to someone, never to be seen again).

 

Agree with everything you said, I bought Snap On rachets, I don’t like bloody hands when the crap rachets fail, I bought most of my sockets from Amazon (Stanley) pretty good value for what I use them for. You get what you pay for, tools are a wise investment that pay dividends for the lifetime of use.

 

I also keep two of these multi-size sockets in my toolbag, they work on a lot of different screws as well as lag bolts and nuts. Their only limits are how deeply seated onto the bolt a nut is, its not as deep as it looks, and if used on a really tight nut or is over torqued, it can strip the nut. They use spring loaded pins to lock down around different size and shaped nuts and other screw heads. There’s different size ranges, just two will cover 7mm to 34mm. This was one I just saw today at Sears. Lowes sells them too for $13:

 

Buy the best tools you can afford. Crap is crap and fails when you need it. Lifetime warranty. Local availability and strong. Box wrenches, good deep sockets and high quality handles. Stay away from low end China kits, but frankly all the shit is made in China so unless you can find and older used made in USA set your pretty much fucked for good quality.

 

Carry these in my truck. Also have 1/2" sets from them in larger sizes from replacing front bearings on my 2nd gen. Held up to some good abuse and store easy.

TEKTON 3/8" Drive Socket Set, Inch/Metric, 6-Point, 5/16" - 3/4", 8 mm - 19 mm, 45-Piece | 13101

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00R...rds=tekton&dpPl=1&dpID=51q30N7b4eL&ref=plSrch

 

<<<Professional mechanic,I can vouch for Tekton quality. I have several of their polished jumbo wrenches (1"1/4 and above) they are as beefy or beefier than similar snap on wrenches and have served me well doing front end work. The Sam's club in Great Falls has the small size set in metric and standard set for about $70.00

https://www.samsclub.com/sams/30pc-combo-wrench-st-tekton/prod22071248.ip?searchTerm=tekton wrenches

 

If Fischer Price made tools would you use them on your truck?

When we speak of using quality tools vs simply ok quality it’s because there is a difference. Add junk like this into the mix and you might as well just forget the whole discussion about quality. The proverbial fitzall. Fits everything yet fits nothing. Might as well just use off brand Harbor Freight vice grips.

I am not trying to insult the poster who linked this product. But this is a piece of crap. If I had one of these in my tool box as an apprentice the owner would just throw it out. He came right out my first day at work with my journeyman and they started rifling through my box. They finished and told me “you can tell a lot about the quality of work a man is capable of by the quality of tools he uses”. I asked so what does my box say about me? “Your tools say you care about the quality of work you do. Now we will see if you know how to use them”.

A fitzall like the one posted says all I care about is good enough. It may work but it may damage something but I am ok with that. Spending the money or taking the time to do it right isn’t my first priority so I’ll just use this wonder socket. Who here would be ok with the dealership mechanics using these sockets on their truck? I would make them replace any nut or bolt tightened or loosened by one of these.

 

As an emergency trail tool Ive seen them take off smeared bolt heads that a normal socket couldnt fit. I did say they had limits, and could strip heads. My Craftsman V & VV series set that I use for garage work say Forged in U.S.A. on all the wrenches, and I’m the original owner.

 

Mostly junk.

 

^^ This

 

Where to start with tools? Find some guys that work on their own trucks and volunteer to help them with projects. Before you know it, you will be the guy answering this question.

 

I have matco, snap on, harbor freight, crapsman, tekton, gearwrench, bluepoint, husky, and some other stuff at home. Snap-on at work. Honestly, I hate craftsman, theres worse but I'd recommend Harbor Freight for basic socket sets, and impact. They have good long pattern wrenches too. I'm not a huge fan of their standard combo wrenches I'd getting something a little better but for sockets they're pretty decent. They even make pretty decent ratchets. If you don't have a HF local to you I'd say go Kobalt or Husky, easy to get warrantied. Gear wrench makes really nice stuff too if you want to spend a little more. They're not quite tool truck quality but they're pretty decent but I'm not a huge fan of their ratchets. Everything else is pretty decent.

 

Fair enough. As long as they are the last tool to grab and not the first. Smeared bolts could one specific example where this becomes a must have tool. That’s a really good idea.

 

They're especially good where you cant turn your vice grips!

 

I use a Stanley Fatmax Professional kit 229 piece. I waited until they were 90% off at Canadian Tire which seems to happen every 6 months here. I think I paid under $200 for it.

 

For that price I got a 300 peice set from harbor freight. They also have a lifetime warranty.

It’s $200 now but I got it for $150 when I got it.

 

Yeah but harbor freight sucks . Not a shot at you but I've worked autobody for the last twenty years and I have bought harbor freight kits for Christmas and birthday give always and used some myself . I've also had one of these kits since 06 . These are well built and the socket wrenches click in very small increments like a quality (snap on ,mac ,Matco) kit . It also isn't soft and the sockets dont crack or strip and round off bolts like harbor freight tool kits do.
Sure I have snap on / Matco tools in my big boxes
But I've had one of these in my roll cart since 06 and I use it more frequently because it comes in a tray that fits perfectly in any roll cart lower drawer . I even bought an extra one for the house . I use them every day and haven't had one break or lost one . I've broken harbor freight ones and I've only had there offerings in my hand only a handful of times . There is a reason everyone complains that there harbor freight stuff breaks . You do get what you pay for but there is a limit to those sayings . Just because snap on is so expensive doesn't mean it's better than say middle tier tools . Just dont buy the cheap crap .

Not a jab at you bud or anyone else that bought hf tools to get them by but that's all they are cheap tools to get you by . That is there place in the world .

 

A good vice grip like the kobalt brand is a do all tool. 1000 uses

 

Invest in some Snap On tools, best out there. But if you’re staying cheap you cant really go wrong with some harbor freight tools