# Quality Tool Vendors?



## Fn/Form (Nov 6, 2008)

A lot of quality tools/wares have been pushed out of major hardware stores with the introduction of cheap Chinese products. Places like Harbor Freight feature a lot of stuff, but nothing near the quality of Greenlee, CK, SK, Channellock, Vise-Grip, Bosch, Makita, etc.

Who do you buy quality tools from? General hand tools for mechanical, cultivation/gardening, woodworking, carpentry, etc.? Power tools and shop tools?

There were a few good dedicated tool stores when I lived in a major metro area. I haven't tried to look around in this small metro area... but I need to! I'd also like to find some fairly priced online resources. New or used. Help me out, please!


----------



## skip (Dec 13, 2008)

I go to our local auto parts dealer. He sells the cheaper brands, but he also has the better tools.


----------



## 91G-Dub (Oct 15, 2008)

I've been buying Craftsman tools for many years and have always been satisfied. Good variety and prices when they are on sale are very reasonable. The warranty on their handtools is awesome, I've broken ratchets and wrenches and returned for new ones with no questions asked and no hassles.


----------



## backlash (Nov 11, 2008)

Good quality but expensive.
http://www.leevalley.com/home/main.asp
Garrett Wade Woodworking Tools & Supplies, Shop Tools, Hand Tools, Measuring Tools, Knives & Drills...
AC


----------



## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

*Garage Sales*

I live in a small city full of older people, there are alot of good garage and estate sales. They practically give away hand tools that were made in America 30-40 years ago. Good name brands such as Craftsman. I once purchased a Plumb Boy Scout Hatchet for $3.00. I head straight for the garage or basement then check out the kitchen for old knives with Shefield or Kabar blades, usually a buck each. I bought my hand crank meat grinder at one for $4.00.


----------



## dukman (Mar 1, 2009)

I think it may be wrong to say everything from C.H.Ina is junk. Some of the everyday garden tools still work good. For mechanics tools, I wouldn't trust C.H.Ina tho. If you can get them, Craftsman, MAC, and Snap-On are among the best easily found brands. I heard Vice-Grips are now made overseas... so ones like that, yard sales and pawn shops. In fact, pawn shops work good for the other brands too, just sometimes you really have to dig through the C.H.Ina crap to find the good stuff....


----------



## FreeAmerica (Mar 9, 2009)

I agree with the above poster about Craftsman tools. I buy very few things from Sears, but their Craftsman tools are the best in the business.


----------



## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

I buy from a locally family owned business.

Atlas Machinery Supply Ltd.

Since you're in the U.S. it's probably easier to get things closer to home.


----------



## RWB214 (Nov 14, 2008)

I'm a carpenter by trade. Here are the major tools I use and their brands:

Circular Saw - Ridgid
Air Compressor - Dewalt
Framing nailer 1 - Milwaukee
Framing nailer 2 - Porter Cable
Trim nailer - Bostich
Sawzall - Milwaukee
Cordless Drill - Dewalt
Table Saw - Makita
Miter Saw - Dewalt
Hammer - Douglas
Levels - Stabila, Empire

They're all professional quality and perform as well as I need them to. In 4 years I've burned through a porter cable compressor, and a dewalt circular saw. My porter cable framing nailer had been deemed "unrepairable", but I fixed it with RTV sealant so now its a backup. And I just replaced the trigger on my dewalt drill after many years of hard service. I re greased the gears and it should last awhile longer (knock on wood!). Good quality hand tools are available at Home depot if you know what to look for. I try to avoid Harbor Freight and the like unless its something thats disposable or for occasional use. Their quality and design can be disappointing. For bigger power tools I find the best prices online once I figure out what I'm looking for.


----------



## SJZ (Nov 17, 2008)

ToolTopia.com has never let me down.
I try to remember this old saying:
"Buy quality and you _may_ regret it once. Buy cheap, and you will regret it many times."


----------



## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

Sailaway hit the nail on the head. Garage sales and flea markets are the way to go. With Craftsman (and perhaps some others) offering their no questions asked lifetime guarantee, in the unlikely event that the flea market bought item does actually break, you can get it replaced.


----------



## Chemechie (Jun 9, 2009)

*Craftsman Guarantee*

I have a coworker who said that he tried to return a broken tool to Sears and that they changed their policy on replacements - have any of ou guys seen that, or have any of you gotten anything warranteed there recently?
Thanks


----------



## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

We took a ratchet back a while ago and they gave us a rebuilt one instead of a new one. All the guts were brand new and the thing works fine-just it doesn't look brand new. As I said in the earlier post, though, I get a lot of that stuff at flea markets anyway, so having a few scratches in the handle means nothing to me.


----------



## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Chemechie said:


> I have a coworker who said that he tried to return a broken tool to Sears and that they changed their policy on replacements - have any of ou guys seen that, or have any of you gotten anything warranteed there recently?
> Thanks


I don't know what the exact policy is, but they gave me a bunch of flak recently after a series of 9/16 wrenches kept breaking & I kept having them replaced (7x), it must've been a bad batch  but I kept the replacement receipt after the 3rd wrench busted.


----------



## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

Try going to a few different Sears stores if you have more than one in your area.


----------



## JackAysJake (Feb 16, 2009)

I have lots of Snapon stuff in my toolbox at work, but for home Im happy with generic stuff such as NorthernTool.com. They have a lifetime warranty on a good bit of stuff.


----------



## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

JackAysJake said:


> I have lots of Snapon stuff in my toolbox at work, but for home Im happy with generic stuff such as NorthernTool.com. They have a lifetime warranty on a good bit of stuff.


got a mix of high & mediocre quality stuff myself, my extensive snap-on section is mainly from mechanics that couldn't make the payments, a deal for me & got them out from under a large debt


----------



## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

Tools that I use all the time I will look for high quality, tools that I need for one project or job I will look for something economical to get the work done and get rid of. My core tools are high quality, but I still look for deals such as Blob got.


----------



## Expeditioner (Jan 6, 2009)

Gotta love those deals.........I drooped some things off at a Goodwill store and decided to go inside. I came across some Snap-On tools....................I "snapped" them up and ran to the checkout.......that is the fastest I have moved in a long time!


----------



## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Nice one. I never find anything good at the goodwill.


----------



## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

I find Boy Scout mugs for 25cents at GW, I take them to tradorees and trade or sell them for other interesting scouting memoribilia 1940s-1950s Philmont. I once bought a nice $200.00 Cammel hair sport coat at GW for $5.00 about 20 years ago. That coat today would cost $500.00-$600.00.


----------



## Expeditioner (Jan 6, 2009)

When I have time I try to go to estate sales.........I have found some nice tools and equipment at these events.


----------



## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

Estate sales are nice too, we have a local lady who specializes in tag sales of estates. Her events are very fairly priced for both the estate and the shoppers.


----------



## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

Just this evening I got a Dickies short sleeve button down work shirt at the local Salvation Army Superstore for about a dollar. I got another nice tshrt for the same price. Wednesdays are half off days. My wife got a few dressy outfits for a bridal shower and wedding we have coming up, and we got a few camo shirts and pants for our son along with a really nice Fisher Price plastic kids picnic table with benches. Our total for all that was $19.97USD.


----------



## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

I like Dickies. Good clothes.


----------



## DisasterReindeer (Dec 13, 2008)

91G-Dub said:


> I've been buying Craftsman tools for many years and have always been satisfied. Good variety and prices when they are on sale are very reasonable. The warranty on their handtools is awesome, I've broken ratchets and wrenches and returned for new ones with no questions asked and no hassles.


Yes, I agree with this. They support our troops too!


----------



## Old Sarge (Oct 14, 2008)

Craftsman has always been top notch in my line of work. Except in some cases, where they are just too big & bulky, to fit. Like Aircraft Mechanic work. Many times, you'll need a slim long box end wrench to go down between the engine cylinders, or some other narrow location. 
In those cases, I bough Snap-On tools. Between the two, they'll fit the bill on most any mechanical issues.


----------



## Preet (May 7, 2009)

Dewault and craftsman are my favorite brands.


----------



## Riverdale (Oct 31, 2009)

As I millwright by trade I place my tools into 2 catagories.

#1 the tools that can be watched over carefully- These include Ingersol Rand, Milwaukee and dewalt pneumatic and power tools, Craftsman and Estwing hand tools.

#2 tools that don't hurt if they get lost. These I usually get from HF. At one time, I had (for example) 16 9/16" end wrench, all HF stuff. I would buy their 'special' end wrench packages, 6 each of ½"-1" for $10. Then sell off a couple (at $1 each) to pay for the pruchase.

I started doing #2 when a co-workers brand new (like he had it less than 2 hours) long handle flex-head Snap-On ratchet and deep well Snap-On socket went up the scrap belt, never to be seen again.


----------

