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43K views 130 replies 22 participants last post by  mafiacustomz 
#1 ·
ive been looking for some time now on the net for a good tool kit that has just about everything i need right off for my garage and as of now the only thing that looks good is the harbor freight 301 Piece Mechanic's Tool Kit and it has a Lifetime Warranty a 301 kit from craftsman is 599.99 but here of late craftsman dont like to keep their word and wants to play 10,000 questions. I know alot of people dont like HF tools i went to the HF store about 146 miles away and i will say some of their stuff looks like junk but this tool kit looked good and was heavy as hail jacks look great and the tool boxs but the cordless tools are junk. I recently got a air longboard from them it works great so im planing to buy alot of stuff from them what do you think of their tools and if you have the 301 kit tell me about it post some pics.
 
#3 ·
matts37chev said:
i would say go with the craftsman set,i dont buy much at HF.
if your HF store is that far way it would be hard for getting warranty also
christmas is the time to buy tools at sears also its all on sale
X2 on the Craftsman. I usually buy Craftsman hand tools used or at swap meets. Anything broken is replaced brand new for free by Sears anyway, so why pay full price?
 
#4 ·
joe_padavano said:
X2 on the Craftsman. I usually buy Craftsman hand tools used or at swap meets. Anything broken is replaced brand new for free by Sears anyway, so why pay full price?
I also would go with craftsman, not too long ago I went in with a !/2 " drive ratchet 35 years old that gave up on me, they just handed me a new one, I said thanks, they said no problem, and I was gone.

35terraplane Bob
 
#5 ·
mafiacustomz said:
ive been looking for some time now on the net for a good tool kit that has just about everything i need right off for my garage and as of now the only thing that looks good is the harbor freight 301 Piece Mechanic's Tool Kit and it has a Lifetime Warranty a 301 kit from craftsman is 599.99 but here of late craftsman dont like to keep their word and wants to play 10,000 questions. I know alot of people dont like HF tools i went to the HF store about 146 miles away and i will say some of their stuff looks like junk but this tool kit looked good and was heavy as hail jacks look great and the tool boxs but the cordless tools are junk. I recently got a air longboard from them it works great so im planing to buy alot of stuff from them what do you think of their tools and if you have the 301 kit tell me about it post some pics.

As for hand tools.. Craftsmans HANDS DOWN..You have to know what to buy and what not to buy at HF.. There is a lot of good stuff there, And some that will burn you.. And as far as ''ONE'' kit having ''everything'' You will need.. That won't happen.. I have been buying tools for Like some where's around 30 years or so.. You never buy one kit,, This is a man thing.. :mwink: And if your planning to build cars.... Well it ''NEVER'' ends !!!!! :mwink: You will see just what I mean about that.. Good luck.. :thumbup:


Oh !!! Every time I see one I need,, My wife say's: YOU really need that one too !!! :eek: YES !!! I sure do !!!! :mwink: :spank: :boxing:


Bad thing now.. The ones I want now isn't $599. no more.. They are STARTING AT $8,000..00 AND UP.. :pain: :spank:
 
#10 ·
mafiacustomz said:
179.99 for 301 even if it last for a year its worth the money im not hard on tools and i dont have 599.99 and for some reason my walmart stanley tools last longer thin my craftsman tools that why i realy dont like craftsman

After you bust a few knuckle's,, You will understand why.. :mwink: Again Good luck.. :D
 
#11 ·
I would buy the big Stanley kit from Walmart before I bought the HF.. price is comparable, but in my experience, Stanley stuff is pretty good, just don't abuse it.. HF hand tools are 'ok'. it's got a good warranty and it's cheap, but it breaks/ there is little price diffrence between stanley stuff and HF stuff..

I have a lot of HF stuff, but only specialized tools really.
 
#17 ·
i inherited a LOT of tools; my great grandfathers ancient Snap On stuff is great, and so is my Dads old craftsman and Proto stuff.

Go to an estate sale and buy some good OLD hand tools. New craftsman ratchets are JUNK. really coarse gears, crappy snap rings, get clogged with grit all the time. ugh

I have an old S*K ratchet that was my dads, found a dealer and he sold me the guts to repair the ratchet for like $6, and even pulled the snap ring out for me and put a new one back in (I put it together on his counter LOL).

Buy the best tools you can responsibly afford and TAKE CARE OF THEM. Keep them clean and dry and stored properly and they'll outlive you more than likely

Quality older brands you can find at garage/estate sales:

Older Proto
Older Snap*On
S*K
Older Craftsman

I bought a grand worth of 70s era craftsman tools at an estate auction for 250 and gave them to a friend of mine to replace his dimestore tools.
 
#19 ·
mafiacustomz said:
ive been looking for some time now on the net for a good tool kit that has just about everything i need right off for my garage and as of now the only thing that looks good is the harbor freight 301 Piece Mechanic's Tool Kit and it has a Lifetime Warranty a 301 kit from craftsman is 599.99 but here of late craftsman dont like to keep their word and wants to play 10,000 questions. I know alot of people dont like HF tools i went to the HF store about 146 miles away and i will say some of their stuff looks like junk but this tool kit looked good and was heavy as hail jacks look great and the tool boxs but the cordless tools are junk. I recently got a air longboard from them it works great so im planing to buy alot of stuff from them what do you think of their tools and if you have the 301 kit tell me about it post some pics.
I have been buying tools for fifty + years, I still buy tools, why, I have no idea, But if your young and just starting out, buy good ones that will last you, might have to lay more down for them, but in the long run they are cheaper. Stop and think what hand tools you use the most, most of the time there are just a handful or so. I got tools that I thought I might need, they are still in the package, hell some of the wrenches you get in a set will rust away first.I have a lot of tools, two big tool boxes full, I have wrench sets hanging on the wall, most of the tools I have are SK or craftsman, with others mixed in. they are all 35 to 40 years old, now these are hand tools, I have air tools, electric tools, some are pretty old I use my drills and air tools a lot, you just have to keep them oiled. I buy tools yet I guess it's like Randy said it's a man thing, I sure don't need them but I buy them, It's like he with the most tools wins, What, I don't know. :D

Bob
 
#20 ·
Hey if he can't afford the $599 for the Craftsman that's certainly understandable, it's easy to tell this guy to buy Craftsman but if he doesn't have the money right now then it is simply not an option for him. I also agree with everyone else here and strongly suggest you don't waste your money on the HF stuff, HF has a few usable items and even some real bargains but sockets, ratchets, etc do not fall into that category. The recommendation for the Stanley as an alternative is an excellent one and the Stanly hand tools I have are as good as Craftsman from a quality standpoint but replacing a single piece from the set can be a bit difficult as it seems they only want to sell sockets and wrenches in sets. Be aware that there are two different grades of Stanly but the lower grade wrenches and sockets are so cheesy looking it is not hard to spot the difference but most of what Wal-Mart sells is the good ones. Do yourself a big favor and don't go to HF for hand tools, the Stanly at wal-Mart is so close to the HF price but so much better quality that it really just don't make sense to go to HF.
 
#21 ·
35terraplane said:
I have been buying tools for fifty + years, I still buy tools, why, I have no idea, But if your young and just starting out, buy good ones that will last you, might have to lay more down for them, but in the long run they are cheaper. Stop and think what hand tools you use the most, most of the time there are just a handful or so. I got tools that I thought I might need, they are still in the package, hell some of the wrenches you get in a set will rust away first.I have a lot of tools, two big tool boxes full, I have wrench sets hanging on the wall, most of the tools I have are SK or craftsman, with others mixed in. they are all 35 to 40 years old, now these are hand tools, I have air tools, electric tools, some are pretty old I use my drills and air tools a lot, you just have to keep them oiled. I buy tools yet I guess it's like Randy said it's a man thing, I sure don't need them but I buy them, It's like he with the most tools wins, What, I don't know. :D

Bob
I don't think you have to go out and buy the whole set, like I said in my other post, there are only a hand full of tools you use a lot Sears has sales every week, you can get a set of wrenches for $30 to $50 bucks wait awhile buy a socket set. Unless he is going into business, you don't need everything at once. Right now they have a 75% off sale on over stock tools. 109 piece set for $49.99 wench sets for $9.99, they have all kinds of stuff on sale, I have tools up the butt, and I never got them all at once. If it's your way of making a living, yes you have to buy more, but if it's for home, no you don't.

Just call up sears tool sales

Bob
 
#23 ·
He can buy what he feel's like buying.. But If there's one thing I learned about life.. If you try to cut $$$$ on tool's.. You will soon learn you save more money by buying good ones, Let's just say you buy the cheaper ones first, Then they break, Then you go buy the good ones.. And you will,,, sooner or later.. :drunk: Now sit down in do some figuring, And see just how much the good ones cost you now... The price of the broken one's added to the price of the new one's.. I had to learn this the hard way.. Now you buy what you want too.. But I like paying ''ONE'' price.. :D


OLD ONE'S + NEW ONE'S = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ :pain: :smash:
 
#24 ·
mafiacustomz said:
ok think about this has any of you bought the 3 ton monster floor jack from walmart $109 http://www.walmart.com/ip/Torin-Jacks-3-Ton-Low-Pro-Jack/14560043 which is a $195 jack at any auto store

Yes I did, And it was a waste of money.. You have to pump it 1000 times just to get it up to the car.. :smash: I won't even tell you where that new jack ended up) :mad: Went to NAPA and bought one for $199.00 Now about 2 and a 1/2 pumps And the car is coming off the ground... LESSON LEARNED !!! :D
 
#26 ·
mafiacustomz said:
ive been looking for some time now on the net for a good tool kit that has just about everything i need right off for my garage and as of now the only thing that looks good is the harbor freight 301 Piece Mechanic's Tool Kit and it has a Lifetime Warranty a 301 kit from craftsman is 599.99 but here of late craftsman dont like to keep their word and wants to play 10,000 questions. I know alot of people dont like HF tools i went to the HF store about 146 miles away and i will say some of their stuff looks like junk but this tool kit looked good and was heavy as hail jacks look great and the tool boxs but the cordless tools are junk. I recently got a air longboard from them it works great so im planing to buy alot of stuff from them what do you think of their tools and if you have the 301 kit tell me about it post some pics.
well, you asked what we thought about HF tools, we all said the same thing.
and now you dont like what we are saying.
why did you bother to ask?
or did i misunderstand what this post was about? :confused:
 
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