What are basic tools I should buy myself?

As a professional mechanic for years (1970 to 2002) working on cars, heavy equipment, race vehicles and boats it is my experience that if you buy Craftsman (Sears) brand tools for everything they have and then buy the "specialty tools" from OTC, Mac, Matco, or Snap-on you are money ahead. I also bought some "cheap" tools from Harbor Freight, Tool Town and other places. If yu are judicious about what you buy you can get away with the "cheap" tools. The larger wrenches (no need for 2" combination wrench in the automotive field) are just fine when you buy from Harbor Freight or Tool Town. Small tools, often used in transmission work need to be good tools and I have had Snap-on tools break more often than Craftsman. That is why I have Craftsman sockets in six and twelve point in 1/4" drive and 3/8" dfive. I also have the same brand 1/2" drive and impact sets. The other nice thing about Craftsman is that they are gauranteed - to your satisfaction - for life. Snap-on tools are only warranted and that means it is up to the dealer to do what he wants. I have never had a Craftsman ratchet rebuilt but I have had two Snap-on ratchets rebuilt instead of being able to get replacements because the dealer felt it was "good enough". They quickly broke again and were replaced with Craftsman. I have a 20 year old Craftsman 3/8 drive ratchet that I have used daily up until I retired and it has never slipped a tooth in all the years I have abused it. I wore a Mac air drill out in less than a year and replaced it with a $15 "cheap" air ratchet that I still own and use today. I haven't even had to put a kit in it.
Just because that tool has a name brand on it doesn't make it any better than another tool and just because you pay three times as much for a tool doesn't mean it will outlast the cheaper tool. You can buy 10 $30 air ratchets for the cost of one Snap-on air ratchet and I will bet the Snap-on tool won't out last the first two $30 ratchets. I don't buy Snap-on at all - I don't like paying for the "pretty" tool. They stopped selling their black tools because they were stronger and cheaper than the fancy polished tools. A starter set from Craftsman will last most people a lifetime - unless they lose them. Buying Craftsman tools at the pawn shop or yard sales is a great deal because as long as they have the name "Craftsman" on them you can take it to Sears and get a brand new tool - even if it is just the chrome flaking off. Snap-on has never done that for me and I spent a lot of money on them in my very early years,

 

I totally agre with you Paul.. I have a mixture of tools in my arsenal... My Snap On box I have at work is loaded to the gills with all brands of tools. I have everything from Proto to Snap On.. I like my Craftsmen stuff more than the Snap On stuff. I do have a good set of the old Snap On black wrenches that I don't let anybody touch (cause they never seem to get returned). All in all, I would rather deal with Craftsmen due to the lifetime warantee... speaking of which I have a 1/2" breaker bar that I need to get traded out as I broke the drive head clean off ..LOL..

 

PAWN can be good... but STOLEN is bad...

Just to throw a wrench in the works... so to speak...

It's the nature of the pawn business that some goods are likely stolen, but I'm SPECIFICALLY wary of buying tools that may have been stolen from a tradesman. Very uncool and I won't even risk supporting that type of transaction.

A mobile mechanic (tranny mechanic I think) got his van cleaned out and it's end of his business unless insurance kicks in fast. My dad (engineer/machinist) had an entire steel cart of tools "walk out the back door" 2 years before he retired. Dad bitched at manager to see the security videos. Manager complied under police pressure. Turns out it was the security guard. Tools long gone at some pawn shops. Manager knew about it.

Security guard fired. Manager paid up cash for stolen tools. Dad quit job.

Although we have new laws in place here where police monitor some transactions most of it now is stolen copper at metal recyclers. Tools are rarely labelled, tracked, and recovered.

Every location is different - but my local pawn store is near a run down area with lots of schizophrenics and drug addicts near by.

But I agree it's a risk and you may get quality tools for a great price.

Personally, I shop at a big tool store (KMS Tools) who have a consignment/liquidation centre in the back of the store... get air tools that used to be owned by shops who closed down or traded in equipment and for 75% off and they guarantee even the used stuff (polished my car with a 15.00 random orbit sander and it did an awesome job).

Whisky

 

well I will say it.....the best wrenches/sockets for the best price is found at harbor freight......I have several 100 wrenches/sockets from them and I have put up to 4-5 veins of torque on them and they are still going.
I have cobalt drives.

And some of the tools mentioned are nice to have, but there not basic tools.

 

Buy you a decent set of metric and standard sockets and open end/box end wrenches from any of the name brands. Some may crucify me for this, but I've actually had very good luck with the Stanley brand tools from Wal-Mart. I've been using the same set of Stanley sockets and wrenches for about 6 years now. It's all about using the right tool for the job. In my opinion, Proto and S-K are the absolute best tools you can buy. Proto tools are all we have where I work at Kubota, and they are just awesome.

When you get past the basic stuff, get you a decent air compressor and impact wrench and hardened sockets to go with it. Once you get used to having an air impact around, you'll wonder how you ever worked on anything without it...

 

Stanley???!!!....

BWA-HAH-HAH....

nyah.... nyah...



just kidding.... I have a pile of Stanley tools (I do like the black and yellow). My very first ratcheting screwdriver was a Stanley and I still have it... about 20 years now... it's just gone kinda green and yellow. Gotta bunch of Stanley woodworking tools...

my FAVORITE tool box is my FatMax cantilever 3 tier toolbox... big wheels, tall handle, opens with a single button and it's my main kit for working on film because it's huge and waterproof.

I also have a Stanley 30" waterproof FatMax toolbox in the trunk of my car.... can also use it as a chair or step.

I'd LOVE to buy a big Fubar if the next movie I work on calls for wrecking a lot of stuff (more fun than baseball bats).

AND BTW... I really like their hammers too.