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stanley tools

5K views 26 replies 14 participants last post by  302 Z28 
#1 ·
Anybody else use them. I have used them before and I am very satisfied with them. I saw a 201 piece kit in the flyer from wal mart this morning for $50 so I bought it
 
#2 ·
old fords said:
Anybody else use them. I have used them before and I am very satisfied with them. I saw a 201 piece kit in the flyer from wal mart this morning for $50 so I bought it

Wait until you break something in that set...

BE very weary of the "lifetime warranty" that any tool that Wal-Mart carries. I bought into the whole scheme with them too. No receipt, no refund or replacement. And they will not replace any tool (at least not in my state) if they no longer sell that brand. I fell for the "Popular Mechanic's" brand (Early attempt by Stanley to market tools exclusively in Wal-Mart's IIRC) they had years ago. For a bit more money, you could have had a decent Craftsman set that would be easier to get replacements for. Not saying that Sears is the end-all, be-all for easy replacements either.


In a while, Chet.
 
#4 ·
Don't get me wrong, as I do see where you are coming from. I still have my PM set (for the most part--minus the broken stuff). I just would not rely at all on having the warranty behind what you bought if that was the leading reason for the purchase. My old 1/2" drive PM ratchet was beyond a doubt the best ratchet I'd ever used in terms of standing up to abuse, but I bought it knowing that eventually it would break and need replacement, and there was none to be had. Not really burned, but there was ignition of combustibles if you follow....


In a while, Chet.
 
#5 ·
I bought a set of them too! :) They just looked like the perfect set to slip behind the truck seat and with the exception of needing a few larger wrenches it looks like a very useful set, for the price who is going to worry about replacement? My son has quite a few Stanly tools and we have used (abused?) them enough to know they are decent even if not pro quality but for 50 bucks that set will be handy as a shirt pocket! What I liked about it was the fact it actually has some useful items in it while most of the "econo" tool sets will have a few sockets and a few dozen nearly worthless items like screwdriver bits. I would never recommend tools like this for pro use but for week-end work and, in my case, a set to carry behind the seat or in the trunk they are just fine and that set was a bargain.
 
#8 ·
oldred said:
... they are decent even if not pro quality but for 50 bucks that set will be handy as a shirt pocket! I would never recommend tools like this for pro use but for week-end work and, in my case, a set to carry behind the seat or in the trunk they are just fine and that set was a bargain.

Right, that's the point I was trying to make (just didn't come out right--need to work on that I guess...). They are better than nothing, but when I bought mine, I was banking on the warranty that never appeared. Years ago, I also had an Ace Tru-Value set that was on sale for a similar price with a warranty. That set served me well for many years before I loaned it to a buddy. Never seen it or him after....


In a while, Chet.
 
#11 ·
I have a Stanley Mechanics set. the tools are nice, ratchets are smooth and the sockets fit nice, and the finish holds good.. not professional, but only slightly more than HF branded stuff and the sockets are a lot better than the HF sockets.. ( a cheap HF socket set will get you some pretty odd sizes, only good for rusty bolts )
 
#13 ·
warrenty

I have a couple stanley rachets in my pick and pull box and am very happy with it.I broke one a while ago,called the number on the back of the package and they sent me a new rachet in 5 days.Now,I know its not like running to sears and grabbing a new one but no problems with the warrenty,great tool to throw behind the seat for when you need it(or let your buddy borrow instead of your snap on,s)
 
#15 ·
stanley helps you do things right..

Most of my family worked for Stanley when they were in New Britain CT.
(it's but a ghost town now... they moved most operations down south and probably overseas.. ? )

I got more stanley tools than I know what to do with ... :thumbup:

The older stuff was def. better quality.
 
#16 ·
Tools

Tools are tricky among most. When I began buying a serious set of tools, which was 25 yrs ago, I thought the best tools were SnapOn. I eventually learned that convienience was the best part of SnapOn. I love SnapOn wrenches. I have 2 SnapOn Ratchets which I bought over 20 yrs ago. Have nothing but problems with them. Instead or just replacing them, they want to replace the heads in them. Use them twice, broke again. Why not just replace the ratchets? They have spent more money for heads than the ratchets are worth. Warranties are as good as the supplier. I got away from SnapOn, I have dealt with Matco as far as truck purchases for 10 yrs. Never had a problem from them. I have alot of Craftsman wrenches, ratchets, sockets. They have proved to be very good tools over the years. Stanley to me has always been common in home repair tools, which I have alot of Stanley tools for that reason, but I know alot of people that use and are very satisfied with their Stanley tools. 9 out of 10 guys/gals out there that use hand tools on a regular basis can fairly well tell if they have a good, desent, or cheap tool. Cheap tools will get you hurt. In whatever tool you purchase, just make sure it is of good quality. You might pay a bit more for a quality tool, but in normal cicumstances, you wont have to purchase it but once.
 
#19 ·
I am going to revive this thread to comment on the Stanly tool set that started it. As I said earlier I bought one too and found the quality (appearance anyway) to be excellent for the almost embarrassingly low price, the included wrenches are an exception as they look kind of cheaply made. A few days ago I really put these ratchets and sockets to the test in a situation that due to the cramped space required a less than professional approach, hammering unmercifully on the 1/2" ratchet and 3/4" socket. I was not about to beat on my Snap-On ratchet but I thought that since the Stanly outfit didn't hardly cost anything anyway I really had nothing to lose. That little incident was impressive to say the least! First I tried a "cheater" pipe and although I could get a lot of pressure on it there was simply not enough room so I had to resort to real abuse. The socket should not have held up to what it endured never mind the ratchet but both took a beating that they should never have been subjected to without a hint of a failure. The 6 point socket held up just fine and the ratchet although beat up on the handle slightly still works like new even though it should have been junk by now. This set cost only $50 and this little incident has convinced me they are worth a lot more than that and are well worth considering for home and hobby work.
 
#20 ·
I agree with Oldred.
I am really impressed with my Stanley socket set. I use it much more than my Crapsman set and the socket wrenches are more comfortable in my hand. I hate the flat handle on Craftsmen socket wrenches.

You know I bought a Stanley hand plan and some chisels recently that were made in England. I did not know they still made some tools over there. :confused:
 
#21 · (Edited)
WAL-MART. Substandard EVERYTHING. They tell the manufacturer what they will pay and to get the contract they cheapen the product.

Stanley tools made in china. Keepsthe chinese working. What The Heck !

Don't you all get it yet !!!
Buy American Keep Americans Working

Buy stuff in your hometown , keeps that storeopen . Keeps your neighbors working. Buy in your state , etc., etc..
Just keep buyin' everything that comes in from overseas and see how long you get to keep your job!!!
:spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :span
 
#22 ·
CDB, Have you honestly tried to buy American lately? Every damned item in the store and the box it comes in is from China, don't blame the consumer, blame the greedy manufacturers and merchants.


If you want to offer your opinion that's fine but what you just called me/us is very offensive and you are totally out of line!
 
#23 ·
Toyotas, gearwrench,Nissans, all copied from USA made products. If I have offended anyone, get over it. We have to start getting this country back on track. Heck, my savings bank was just bought up by a spanish bank. Also , the company I retired from was sold to a company from Finland. Then another company I worked for before that was bought by a compahy from Germany.
Future hotrodders will be souping up foriegn stuff. That's OK. Thing is it's just getting OUT OF CONTROL !
I've been to CA and seen all the containerized boxes unloading and then traveling across this great country to all states to all the great Americans. Wal-Mart .!?!
I'm sure they make good tools etc., We are not seeing them. We see the almost as good as ours.

I just watched the news and saw a report that Japan is in a worse slump the this country because no one here is buying anything(cars mostly) right now and they are laying off . Worst in 50 years for them. That is if you camn believe the news.
Also , China is passing the biggest stimulus package ever in their history to keep the economy moving moving there. What a shame.
I.am truly sorry for the ranting , and don't want to offend anyone, and I KNOW how hard it is to buy stuff made here, but if everone in the country can buy one more thing made here instead of there ,can you just imagine the effect.
 
#25 ·
OLDROD, you have to read between the lines. The word Fool was a substitute for another word thtat begines with F that cannot be posted here, Thats why I capitolized the first letter of each word.
J should have typed What The Heck but I thought readers would undrstand .
I will change it. :welcome:
 
#26 ·
I haven't seen any tools that are made in america. Craftsmen are made overseas. Snap on and mac might be made here but a guy in high school definately can't afford them and parts for his vehicles. I go to walmart about everyday. About every store sells their share of chinese crap, walmart just does it cheaper. The local stores haven't done nothing for me so I do the same to them
 
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