# Where do y'all buy tools?



## mattech (Jun 14, 2017)

Growing up all my dad ever bought was Craftsman. I'm not really close to a Sears, and it seems like the quality is gone now anyway. Not looking to get professional grade stuff, but not looking for the harbor freight stuff either. I've got a few socket sets from Lowe's and the kobalt tools seem good, but would like more of an automotive selection of tools, not just basic sockets and wrenches.


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## lagrangedave (Jun 14, 2017)

Craftsman still...........


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## T-N-T (Jun 14, 2017)

Pawn shops are a great source. 


Some times.  But they sell guns too if the tools are lacking


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## 1gr8bldr (Jun 14, 2017)

Some of the Harbor Freight speciality tools are fine. Bearing drivers, pullers, etc, things you rarely use


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## kmckinnie (Jun 14, 2017)

Snap on, they say is great.


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## Artfuldodger (Jun 14, 2017)

GearWrench, Armstrong, Proto, Stanley, are all in the medium price range. Some of these are made by the Apex Tool Group.
Klein, Channellock, Cresent, Irwin Vise Grip pliers, Allen, etc.  

If you want to get into vintage brands, search the flea markets for Bonney, Herbrand, Williams, New Britian, Utica, S-K, Husky, Blackhawk, Bluegrass, and a few more I'm sure I'm overlooking.

I've got a few Snap-on tools. I think their cheaper line is Bluepoint. Other tool truck brands are Matco, Mac, and National.
I can understand buying them if you are a mechanic working in a garage. They have great customer service.


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## ryanh487 (Jun 14, 2017)

I do all the work on my jeep with harbor freight tools.  knock on wood, but nothing has broke yet.  I don't use them heavily, just a few times a year for minor repairs and upgrades.  A whole set of wrenches or sockets is cheaper than just 1 or 2 sockets at home depot or lowes. I also have their 21 gallon air compressor and 750 ft lbs impact wrench, which were a life saver.


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## Artfuldodger (Jun 14, 2017)

Disston hand saws, Plumb hammers, Ridgid pipe wrenches, Klein side cutters, Ideal wire cutters, Imp tubing cutters, Malco snips, etc.

Most of the Lenox branded tools look pretty good.


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## Artfuldodger (Jun 14, 2017)

ryanh487 said:


> I do all the work on my jeep with harbor freight tools.  knock on wood, but nothing has broke yet.  I don't use them heavily, just a few times a year for minor repairs and upgrades.  A whole set of wrenches or sockets is cheaper than just 1 or 2 sockets at home depot or lowes. I also have their 21 gallon air compressor and 750 ft lbs impact wrench, which were a life saver.



I have one of of their Oscillating Multi Power Tools, side/angle grinders and one of their die/end grinders. They both work pretty good for the occasional use that I have used them.


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## NE GA Pappy (Jun 14, 2017)

Artfuldodger said:


> GearWrench, Armstrong, Proto, Stanley, are all in the medium price range. Some of these are made by the Apex Tool Group.
> Klein, Channellock, Cresent, Irwin Vise Grip pliers, Allen, etc.
> 
> If you want to get into vintage brands, search the flea markets for Bonney, Herbrand, Williams, New Britian, Utica, S-K, Husky, Blackhawk, Bluegrass, and a few more I'm sure I'm overlooking.
> ...





Armstrong use to be good stuff, now not so much.  Armstrong, Stanley, Craftsman, and a couple others are made by a company called Danaher now, and are not what they were 10 years ago.  Adequate, but not great.

Most Apex stuff is top of the line.  Wiss, Apex, Irwin, Crescent... all good stuff.  

SnapOn is based on the name. You pay a premium for the name, but you are buying a great tool.  If you make your living with it, maybe it is worth the price, but not for the handyman.


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## mattech (Jun 14, 2017)

NE GA Pappy said:


> Armstrong use to be good stuff, now not so much.  Armstrong, Stanley, Craftsman, and a couple others are made by a company called Danaher now, and are not what they were 10 years ago.  Adequate, but not great.
> 
> Most Apex stuff is top of the line.  Wiss, Apex, Irwin, Crescent... all good stuff.
> 
> SnapOn is based on the name. You pay a premium for the name, but you are buying a great tool.  If you make your living with it, maybe it is worth the price, but not for the handyman.



Danaher bought the company I work for about 5-6 years ago. Lol


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## NE GA Pappy (Jun 14, 2017)

they bought SK tools too, after SK filed bankruptcy


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## mattech (Jun 14, 2017)

If it's sold on a truck, it's way more than I need, I just would like to get a nice shade tree mechanic tool collection built up. That last 10 years I've survived off small 30 piece tool kits and buying individual tools as needed. I've been doing alot of work on my old truck lately, and I spent alot of time looking g for a tool I don't have, and or trying g to do a job with the wrong tool.


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## mattech (Jun 14, 2017)

NE GA Pappy said:


> they bought SK tools too, after SK filed bankruptcy



They are a massive company most folks have never heard of, but chances are, most folks  have used a product of theirs.


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## NE GA Pappy (Jun 14, 2017)

What I have done is buy sets that are drive size specific.  In other words, I have a set of 1/4 drive tools, a set of 3/8 drive and a set of 1/2 drive.  I try to get them with SAE and Metric in the same box, so when I go to work on something, I have about any socket/ratchet/extension setup I would need. 

Then I bought wrenches in sets where I can keep them all together. They have some EVA foam setups now that are great.
I like the ratcheting wrenches too.  I have the straight ones that you flip over to reverse, because they only ratchet one way, that I use mostly.  I have the flip lever reversing ones too, but very seldom use them.  I don't need the offset they offer very much.


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## ryanh487 (Jun 14, 2017)

Ratcheting wrenches are definitely a great help for working on cars in addition to your normal metric and sae wrench sets.  As are metric and SAE sockets with all drive sizes, with a set of extensions and deep sockets as well. torque wrenches of all drive sizes are great to have.  One of my new favorite tools though is an 18v rayobi 1/2" impact wrench with the high amp hour batteries.  That thing makes removing bolts super fast and easy,  and is great for removing lug nuts quickly as well (always hand tighten and torque to spec when putting them back on though).


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## Jack Ryan (Jun 15, 2017)

kmckinnie said:


> Snap on, they say is great.



Snap On IS great.

I only buy Snap On and Craftsman but SO is by far the better tool.

Bought a lot off the SO truck, work bought some, but I bought a LOT second hand from retirees at work, at yard and garage sales, estate sales and auctions.

I'll still pick up a bargain on a quality Snap On tool when I see it right in front of me. I'm pretty much set up but I got a couple kids, you kids don't have brains enough to know or appreciate anything with any real quality unless it's the cheapest thing in Walmart. If you know how to buy it, you can get the absolute BEST there is for less money than that cheapo Buffalo brand junk.


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## mattech (Jun 15, 2017)

ryanh487 said:


> Ratcheting wrenches are definitely a great help for working on cars in addition to your normal metric and sae wrench sets.  As are metric and SAE sockets with all drive sizes, with a set of extensions and deep sockets as well. torque wrenches of all drive sizes are great to have.  One of my new favorite tools though is an 18v rayobi 1/2" impact wrench with the high amp hour batteries.  That thing makes removing bolts super fast and easy,  and is great for removing lug nuts quickly as well (always hand tighten and torque to spec when putting them back on though).



I've had the Ryobi 1+ for many many years, I did upgrade my drive to the lime green lithium, and the new batteries still work with the old set of tools, including the hex bit drive impact. It's not very small, but works great on smaller bolts. I did look at the ½" drive impact they make. Seems to have great reviews. I've only got a 3 gallon pancake air compressor for small jobs and an air impact gun isn't recommend for those.


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## 95g atl (Jun 15, 2017)

CRAFTSMAN on sale only.
You can order online.  
I have many Craftsman hand tools.  

Also have sets of harbor freight to leave in vehicles, hunt club, and my garage for light jobs.  

Harbor freight wrenches seem to be pretty decent for the price , esp if you get them on sale.  Just use for light and medium duty.


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## Backlasher82 (Jun 15, 2017)

Jack Ryan said:


> Snap On IS great.
> 
> I only buy Snap On and Craftsman but SO is by far the better tool.
> 
> ...



Snap-On is the best, you can tell the difference. Check Ebay, you can find some deals on SO if you are patient.


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## transfixer (Jun 15, 2017)

I make my living as an automotive tech, have for over 30yrs,  you can't beat SnapOn for quality of handtools, but they are too pricey for someone who doesn't use them to make a living with, they are warrantied forever, unless blatantly abused, and even then they will usually cover them once,   
   You can find Snap on , Mac, Matco tools in pawn shops from time to time,  worth checking if you have the time to drive around,   Home depot wrenches, sockets and ratchets are pretty good, and supposedly have a lifetime warranty,  I've bought a couple oddball sockets from them, but haven't had to warranty anything yet.    Harbor freight is okay for some things you might only need once, or twice,  but that's about it.   Some of the flea markets usually have a tool guy with a booth,  and I've been told you can find deals on SnapOn and other quality tools sometimes there,  haven't tried it myself.  

 You can buy Gearwrench tools at some of the parts stores,  prices aren't too bad, and they are decent tools, I've got a set of their combination wrenches, but I have stripped out two wrenches since I bought the set,  haven't taken them back to warranty them yet,  but supposedly they're covered. 
     My dad used to have Craftsman tools exclusively when I was a kid,  but even he quit buying them back in the nineties,  quality went away, and so did customer service.


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## Big7 (Jun 15, 2017)

The once mighty Craftsman of which I have many
of the USA made older stuff. Got a few more when my Dad passed.

They were good then.

Most of them are made in China now. So, there you go.

Still have the lifetime warranty same as always. FWIW..

The Husky from Home Depot are also made in China but they
seem to be pretty good for the money.


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## transfixer (Jun 15, 2017)

The only problem with Craftsman may be trying to find a store to get them warrantied?   Aren't they closing up a lot of them ?  Someone told me you could get craftsman tools in Kmarts now, but they don't have many of them left open around my area either ?   I don't see Sears being around in another 5 to 10 yrs.


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## Casey81 (Jun 15, 2017)

When I was still turning wrenches for a living Snap-On was my go to. I have everything under the sun honestly. I picked up a bunch of Gearwrench sockets a while back that are nice for.the price. Watch Amazon for deals on Sunnex tools. They will run 20% off deals every now and then.


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## GoldDot40 (Jun 15, 2017)

It totally depends on the specific tool. I've used them all...I've broke them all. Craftsman really went to the crapper when they started making them in China. Now that Stanley owns Craftsman, they say they will start making them here in the States again...we'll see.

I've still got a LOT of Mac, Snap-On, Cornwell, Matco, US-made Craftsman, Kobalt, Gearwrench, and a few Duralast and Autocraft stuff. I sold over half of what I once had when I got out of automotive work.


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## 1gr8bldr (Jun 15, 2017)

I recently got tired of not being able to see the size of sockets. I would write on them, put stickers on them, etc. So one day I saw the colored sockets at HF. I bought them thinking they would not last. They have lasted over a year now. The 3/8 drive show zero wear. The 1/4 drive, smaller sizes look worn. However, I love the color coded. Wonder if anyone else makes a better set?


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## rjcruiser (Jun 15, 2017)

Garage and estate sales....be picky, but you can find good stuff for a reasonable price. Proto is good if you can find it. Was Stanley's pro line.


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## king killer delete (Jun 15, 2017)

I work in a chemical plant , most of the time sockets are worthless except impact sockets. My wrench sets are every type and name brand. Have wrench size up to two inch. Electrical tools are all Klein


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## Eudora (Jun 16, 2017)

Some good news on Craftsman which has been (or will be soon) bought by Black and Decker. "Stanley Black & Decker CEO James Loree said his company will increase the availability of Craftsman products through other retailers (brick and mortar and online) as well as through industrial partners. He added Stanley Black & Decker will expand its manufacturing presence in the U.S. as a result of the deal as well and that would lead to an unspecified amount of new jobs in America too."  
Make America Great Again !


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## EAGLE EYE 444 (Jun 16, 2017)

Artfuldodger said:


> GearWrench, Armstrong, Proto, Stanley, are all in the medium price range. Some of these are made by the Apex Tool Group.
> Klein, Channellock, Cresent, Irwin Vise Grip pliers, Allen, etc.
> 
> If you want to get into vintage brands, search the flea markets for Bonney, Herbrand, Williams, New Britian, Utica, S-K, Husky, Blackhawk, Bluegrass, and a few more I'm sure I'm overlooking.
> ...




Back in 1971 and 1972, I worked for UTICA TOOL MANUFACTURING COMPANY which was a Division of the Triangle Corporation in Orangeburg, South Carolina.  It was a really large plant that was basically split in half with 1/2 being the PLIERS SIDE (and I do mean every type of pliers known to man) and the other side was the WRENCH SIDE (which included every type of wrench, sockets, extensions, hammers, screw drivers, circular saw blades, torque wrenches, "adjustable wrenches", tool boxes, and most any other type tool every imagined.  My brother-in-law was the Foreman of the PLIERS SIDE of the plant and he had worked for UTICA TOOL COMPANY when they were located in Utica, New York.  He relocated with the plant when they moved to South Carolina.  

We manufactured Utica, Bonney, Herbrand, Channel-Lock, lots of special runs of JOHN DEERE tools  and LOTS OF CRAFTSMAN TOOLS.  The funny thing is that we would run maybe 50,000 parts for Bonney or Herbrand and then would just CHANGE OVER THE NAME STAMP TO CRAFTSMAN and run another 30,000-50,000 pieces.  They were the EXACT SAME SPECIFICATION FROM THE TYPE OF STEEL, MANUFACTURING DETAILS SUCH AS CHROME PLATING OR BLACK OXIDE AND ALSO THE MEASUREMENTS, INCLUDING THE ALLOWABLE TOLERANCES AS WELL ETC.

The ONLY difference was the fact the you had to pay 3 times more for the price of Craftsman tools because they had a "lifetime replacement warranty" on a tool that  "failed during normal use".  The bottom line is that Craftsman got your money up front and laughed all the way to the bank because very rarely did a tool break during "normal working conditions" so they never had to replace very many tools at all in the grand scheme of things.  They made out like BANDITS in the process by doing it this way.

I gave my boss a 30 day notice before I quit working there and the Company gave me the opportunity during my last month to pick out whatever tools that I wanted along with a big new toolbox to keep them in.  All of this was FREE to me.  Some of these tools are Bonney, Herbrand, Craftsman, and John Deere (which were super "glossy" because of a new refined chrome plating that had just been developed at the time).  

I still remember when I left on my last day as the Plant Superintendent wrote me a "gate pass" for this entire bunch of tools including the tool box and I gave it to the Security Guards before saying farewell to all of them.  I still have all of these tools and toolbox and I have continued using them since 1972.  On several of these tools, I actually performed various operations in the manufacturing process of them.  The good news is that I have never broken any of these tools since back in 1972 either and I use them every week in one way or another. 

If I ever needed to buy a new tool now, you can bet it won't be a CRAFTSMAN because of what I have known since 1971-1972.


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## specialk (Jun 17, 2017)

T-N-T said:


> Pawn shops are a great source.



yep....


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## rayjay (Jun 18, 2017)

Every time I go into Lowes I browse the hand tool section looking for those yellow tags. About 2 to 3 years ago I was making out like a bandit on closeouts. Flat ratchet sets, socket sets, etc for about 1/3 of the normal price. I bought 3/8 and 1/2" socket sets for about half of what the ratchet would have cost. I really like their ratchets. All the Craftsman ratchets I have are out in the shed in the box that only gets used rarely when working on something out there or cleaning parts in the parts washer.

Most of the Kobalt mechanics tools are made in Taiwan not CC.


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## fireman32 (Jun 18, 2017)

Bought a 300 piece Craftsman set from Sears close to 20 years ago, .25 to .75 with wrenches in both metric and standard.  All but a few sockets have lasted, the most used have been replaced for free.  15 years of autobody work is rough on them.  
I now work part time at cotton picker repair shop, the owner provides all the tools.  He is 95% Snap-0n.  They are expensive and we have to keep up with them, but they are quality.


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## JohnK (Jun 20, 2017)

You can buy good German made hand tools online. Look around, best time is when they change the grips or something.....same stuff just the old model at half the price.


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## GoldDot40 (Jun 20, 2017)




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## specialk (Jun 21, 2017)

GoldDot40 said:


>


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## red neck richie (Jun 21, 2017)

mattech said:


> Growing up all my dad ever bought was Craftsman. I'm not really close to a Sears, and it seems like the quality is gone now anyway. Not looking to get professional grade stuff, but not looking for the harbor freight stuff either. I've got a few socket sets from Lowe's and the kobalt tools seem good, but would like more of an automotive selection of tools, not just basic sockets and wrenches.



Northern tool and equipment or tractor supply or Walmart who ever has the best price.


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## Holton (Jun 25, 2017)

You can buy Craftsman many places now adays. I believe Craftsman was one of the things Sears sold trying to stay afloat. Quality seems still there.


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## EAGLE EYE 444 (Jun 25, 2017)

Holton said:


> You can buy Craftsman many places now adays. I believe Craftsman was one of the things Sears sold trying to stay afloat. Quality seems still there.



I do believe that most all of the Craftsman tools that we made back in the early 1970's were for SEARS Roebuck.  Later, Western Auto was the next company that sold a tremendous amount of Craftsman products.  Ironically, BOTH of those companies are pretty much not in existence today with Sears barely hanging on by a thread and most stores will probably be closed soon across the nation.


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## transfixer (Jun 25, 2017)

GoldDot40 said:


>



lol,,  told my dealers that quite a few times over the years, but for sockets, mostly impact sockets and specialty sockets they are hard to beat,  you'll pay three times what it would cost in a normal store, ( if they carried it )  but you'll never have to buy another one, and don't have to travel to a store and deal with a clueless employee to get it warrantied,,,,  if you make your living with sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, snap ring pliers and the like,  there is really no other logical choice. Having said that,  I will not buy their air tools, or their diagnostic equipment,  Ingersol Rand makes the best air tools, and you can buy them online or a lot of places,  and Snap On scanners constantly have software issues, and will lie to you from time to time, add to that they cost 2 to 3 times what other companies cost.


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## OmenHonkey (Aug 1, 2017)

Like some of the others I was an Auto Tech. I only bought and still only Buy Snap-on Tools. I have a lot of Money invested in them and I see them as an investment that one day my daughter will be able to liquidate if needed. If your interested join some of the yard sale groups on facebook. I see tools for sale on there all the time where some young kid thought he wanted to repair cars for a few months.


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## lab (Nov 19, 2017)

I've bought a few rock river brand from fastenal when on sale.


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## GoldDot40 (Nov 19, 2017)

Since this thread just got revived...I'll throw this out there. With Black Friday coming up...you can get some AWESOME deals on hand tools during these sales. A few years back, I scored an entire SAE and metric Gearwrench set at Sears for $20. Will be a good week to keep your eyes open for some bargains.


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## jrickman (Nov 20, 2017)

I pulled wrenches on helicopters in the Marine Corps from 94-00, so I've seen them all break in a million ways. What little Snap-on stuff we had did break less often than the rest, but they still broke. Warranty don't mean nothing when the nearest guy driving a Snap-on truck is 5000 miles away with an ocean in between you. This experience taught me that it's better to "buy cheap twice" up front than to "buy cheap, buy twice" or to depend on a warranty. If I can get two sets of anything decent for the same price as one with a lifetime warranty, I'll take it!


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## Lukikus2 (Nov 20, 2017)

I have a brewsters mix from over the years that have survived and kept going. And I have broken every brand out there. Lol  Any one know any one who makes undestructable 3/8 rachets?


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## Artfuldodger (Nov 20, 2017)

EAGLE EYE 444 said:


> Back in 1971 and 1972, I worked for UTICA TOOL MANUFACTURING COMPANY which was a Division of the Triangle Corporation in Orangeburg, South Carolina.  It was a really large plant that was basically split in half with 1/2 being the PLIERS SIDE (and I do mean every type of pliers known to man) and the other side was the WRENCH SIDE (which included every type of wrench, sockets, extensions, hammers, screw drivers, circular saw blades, torque wrenches, "adjustable wrenches", tool boxes, and most any other type tool every imagined.  My brother-in-law was the Foreman of the PLIERS SIDE of the plant and he had worked for UTICA TOOL COMPANY when they were located in Utica, New York.  He relocated with the plant when they moved to South Carolina.
> 
> We manufactured Utica, Bonney, Herbrand, Channel-Lock, lots of special runs of JOHN DEERE tools  and LOTS OF CRAFTSMAN TOOLS.  The funny thing is that we would run maybe 50,000 parts for Bonney or Herbrand and then would just CHANGE OVER THE NAME STAMP TO CRAFTSMAN and run another 30,000-50,000 pieces.  They were the EXACT SAME SPECIFICATION FROM THE TYPE OF STEEL, MANUFACTURING DETAILS SUCH AS CHROME PLATING OR BLACK OXIDE AND ALSO THE MEASUREMENTS, INCLUDING THE ALLOWABLE TOLERANCES AS WELL ETC.
> 
> ...



I've ran across a couple of guys in Augusta that worked in that plant as well. I enjoy looking through old tools in junk barns and flea markets. I don't believe I've ever seen any John Deere branded tools. 
I found a Plomb socket the other day. My Dad bought me my first socket set in the mid 70's. It was a Herbrand set.

Plomb was challenged by Plumb and changed to Proto.


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## Artfuldodger (Nov 20, 2017)

The OP was looking for a step up from entry level. I did find a list for entry level socket sets to include;
Tekton, Westward, Gearwrench, Craftsman, Crescent, SK(made in America), & Stanley.

Many of the Apex Tool Group tools are now made in China instead of Taiwan. 
I do like the laser etched markings some companies use to identify the size. My vision is bad and I can't hardly read the markings on my sockets. I have them on plastic rails which suck because they don't stay put. The old school metal rails suck too.

I do like my Stanley/Armstrong/Blackhawk  Rotator Ratchet. You can twist the handle either way to turn the socket after you get the nut loose. The head is bigger so it doesn't always fit on everything. I bought mine for $12.00 when Advance Auto changed to Gearwrench branded tools. Plastic handle will probably fall apart 30 years from now.

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-89-9...pID=31GZUqeeJZL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch


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