Ok I know you guys will be able to help me on this. It's time to retire my Craftsman set and get something new. I got them 30 or 40 years ago so they were pretty good tools and lasted a long time. But nowadays everything looks like crap to me. I'm not gonna name brands so I won't make enemies, but I want some quality stuff. I'd like Snap On but can't justify that cost. I'm just an old geezer who likes to build and tinker. This Chinese crap has me doubting everything. Willing to spend a few hundred but not a few thousand. Thanks guys.

I like my husky set from Home Depot. If you break a piece just go to store and they will swap it out. I stripped a ratchet and was in and out with free replacement in under 10 minutes.

Tekton tools.

tekton.com

This 1/4in drive set is my most used set.

The best value and quality for the price you'll find anywhere.

You can get full sets of 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 drive for the price of one socket rail of Snap-on.

Ive been realy happy with my Gearwrench ratchets.

I have the Milwaukee 1/4 and 1/2 inch sets and they're fantastic.

JDCAG (NOT Colin) said:

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I have the Milwaukee 1/4 and 1/2 inch sets and they're fantastic.

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Are those the sockets that are kind of squared off so they don't roll? Was thinking of getting those in 3/8 drive.

I have a 15 year old Craftsman set and one ratchet slips. Can Lowe's swap those out like Sears used to?

Other than that everything still works after lots of wrenching on motorcycles and cars.

What's wrong with your current Craftsman set?

Milwaukee for the high end or Husky for the low end.

I went from a 20-ish year old craftsman 3/8 set to a full set of Tekton 3/8 and 1/2 impact sockets and ratchets. They've been really solid as I've had them about 5 years now. I replaced because 'why not'? My Craftsman ratchet was solid (replaced once under warranty) and was missing a couple of sockets. Still have Craftsman box wrenches. Bought in 1995.

If I was buying right now, I'd look at all of Tekton, Milwaukee and Dewalt.

tree91 said:

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What's wrong with your current Craftsman set?

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Retired to my son.

Rockdoc said:

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JDCAG (NOT Colin) said:

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I have the Milwaukee 1/4 and 1/2 inch sets and they're fantastic.

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Are those the sockets that are kind of squared off so they don't roll? Was thinking of getting those in 3/8 drive.

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Yep. It's a great feature. They're a bit pricier but I'm hopeful they'll last a long time and the cases are great so they don't end up scattered all over at the slightest bump.

drumboy said:

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I have a 15 year old Craftsman set and one ratchet slips. Can Lowe's swap those out like Sears used to?

Other than that everything still works after lots of wrenching on motorcycles and cars.

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Yes, Lowe's and Ace Hardware will swap.

We are still using our 30+ year old Craftsman and have no plan to replace them.

I have no complaints with Husky tools, and I'm not easy on my tools. They have the same lifetime warranty as Craftsman.

Not a fan of Harbor Freight's current direction, but I haven't really had any issues with their Pittsburgh sockets. They've brought back some coupons lately so "deals" can be had. I like Tekton and Gearwrench stuff, but not being able to swap out locally when something breaks stinks.

I'd buy something more expensive for ratchets, wrenches, and screwdrivers.

Bought my set of craftsman sockets and ratchets in about 1982 or 83 before heading off to A&M in my old Camaro. Was just using them today working on my tractor project.

I have been impressed with the look and feel of Husky stuff, but I don't own any. If they will warranty them in store, I would buy.

That said, I worked as a mechanic for a few years with Craftsman tools.

When my father passed I inherited all of his old tools. Lots of mixed brands in there. Snap-on. MAC. And lots Craftsman. Some of those Craftsman tools are 35+ years old and were used a lot. They still do the job.

chickencoupe16 said:

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Milwaukee for the high end or Husky for the low end.

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What's your differentiator between the two?

Milwaukee's ratchet did really well in Project Farm's (YouTube channel) test, their cases are much better than Husky's new cases (pieces actually stay put), Milwaukee case inserts can be used as an organizer in the tool chest, I think the square design of the sockets is neat, and, ultimately, price. My Husky sets have never let me down but the Milwaukee set is just better. It's probably not worth the extra cost for the average user, including me, but if OP wants a nicer set and has the money to spend, I'd go with Milwaukee.

Edd China uses Milwaukee sockets and tools, since he's sponsored by them, but they look really sharp. I like the squared shape - I guess to keep them from rolling and to allow you to put a wrench on it if need be.

I've had a Craftsmen mechanics socket set for over 10 years. Got it for christmas in my 20s, and it has done everything I need it to do.

If I were older and replacing all of my hand tools, I would definitely take a look at the Milwaukee set.

You used to be able to buy the internals and fix them. Sears would repair and not replace as most likely you have the USA ratchets and everything today is made in china.

Just look up what you need and buy new internals. I did it for my torque wrench. Very easy to repair. I am going to guess lowes and ace will swap but you will not get as good of quality wrench back…

dubi said:

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drumboy said:

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I have a 15 year old Craftsman set and one ratchet slips. Can Lowe's swap those out like Sears used to?

Other than that everything still works after lots of wrenching on motorcycles and cars.

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Yes, Lowe's and Ace Hardware will swap.

We are still using our 30+ year old Craftsman and have no plan to replace them.

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Do they swap the ratchet or just give you a rebuild kit? The last one I tried to swap at Sears, they spent an hour trying to get a rebuild kit to fit. To be clear, this wasn't a usa made ratchet.

Thanks for the replies guys. Think I'll go with the Milwaukee set or a US made SK set.

Quote:

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Do they swap the ratchet or just give you a rebuild kit? The last one I tried to swap at Sears, they spent an hour trying to get a rebuild kit to fit.

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We haven't needed to swap a ratchet since Sears has closed.

SK is solid.

The SK 1/2 drive LP90 flex head ratchet is my favorite tool I got I my box.

The SK round head ratchets a good too. Smooth, but I don't like the bulk of the round head in tight spots and prefer the teardrop shape.

SnapOn

I had to rebuild a socket wrench the other day. Now it is smooth as butter again.

I am at the age where I would rather spend more money and get what I want since it will be used for decades.

I like to buy off eBay. A used or refurbished SnapOn means more to me than a Chinese piece of junk.

maroon barchetta said:

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When my father passed I inherited all of his old tools. Lots of mixed brands in there. Snap-on. MAC. And lots Craftsman. Some of those Craftsman tools are 35+ years old and were used a lot. They still do the job.

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I inherited a socket set that doesn't have a ratchet wrench with it. It instead has a ratcheting socket that goes on a beaker bar. It was from my grandfather's farm and probably dates to the 30s.

lb3 said:

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maroon barchetta said:

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When my father passed I inherited all of his old tools. Lots of mixed brands in there. Snap-on. MAC. And lots Craftsman. Some of those Craftsman tools are 35+ years old and were used a lot. They still do the job.

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I inherited a socket set that doesn't have a ratchet wrench with it. It instead has a ratcheting socket that goes on a beaker bar. It was from my grandfather's farm and probably dates to the 30s.

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Interesting! I've not seen one like that!

After reading this post I went on eBay and bought a new SnapOn 1/2 drive S80A.

This forum costs me way too much money. Thanks for nothing TexAgs.

The only Snap On tools I have are ratchets and I would buy them again. For end wrenches, Craftsman's smooth wrenches feel as good to me as Snap On. My dad was a mechanic when I was a kid and has a nice collection of Snap On tools that I used growing up, so I've compared his Snap On to my Craftsman and other cheaper tools. The only tools I have a strong opinion on are Snap On ratchets and Klein screwdrivers. Kobalt, Husky, Craftsman are just fine for most other hand tools.

Brand to me is important but more important is how many teeth the ratchet has. There's no such thing as too many teeth and the more the better. A ratchet with a lot of teeth can make far more clicks and you can get better torque in tight spaces. Ever in a spot where your ratchet hits something on either side and it can't click the next tooth to turn the bolt? Happens to me from time to time but a ratchet with more teeth helps with this

cryption said:

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Brand to me is important but more important is how many teeth the ratchet has. There's no such thing as too many teeth and the more the better. A ratchet with a lot of teeth can make far more clicks and you can get better torque in tight spaces. Ever in a spot where your ratchet hits something on either side and it can't click the next tooth to turn the bolt? Happens to me from time to time but a ratchet with more teeth helps with this

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Yes and it's annoying.

tree91 said:

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I have no complaints with Husky tools, and I'm not easy on my tools. They have the same lifetime warranty as Craftsman.

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Husky has worked well for me but I'm a weekend wrench turner. Not sure how they would fake with 24/7 abuse.