Does anyone have an oppinion on a good set of mechanics hand tools. I would love to know what you use and if you like it or not. I've been looking at some of the craftsman sets from sears. I know they are high quality with a lifetime warranty but are they the best bang for the buck? Thanks

 

I have craftsmen and am very happy with them. Local easy access is important to me. If I need/want something it is nice to be able to just drive down the street and get it rather than call/wait for the rep to come.

I left a ratchet laying in the driveway behind my jeep and ran it over which kind of messed it up. I stopped by the local sears and got a replacement. No questions asked, just handed me a new one.

 

I use Craftsman too. I've had my issues with some of the quality. However, Sears has always been very good to replace.
As for getting a set, I built my own over time. I don't like buying tools I won't use. Also, I would strongly suggest 1/2 drive for everything. I've broke enough 3/8 ratchets and sockets that I simply do not waste my money on them any more.
Don't forget you will need sockets and wrenches for both SAE, metric and Torx, (sockets only). Having a selection of very small wrenches is also necessary for U-joint replacement

 

you can get a craftsman set at sears for 200. i love my set, it is so useful. plus you cant beat the lifetime warranty!

 

Craftsman all the way, yea you pay more, but I've never had an issue with them and the warranty is great.

 

craftsman are good, but invest in a snap on screwdrivers and ratchet.

 

I've got a mix of Craftsman, Snap-On, and S&K.

Do yourself a favor and go for the Craftsman. It's a good price and a good warranty. You'll pay out the ears for Snap-On and it's simply not worth it. My $90 5 piece Snap-On screw driver set and my Snap-On impact gun is as good as any other I've used. I want my money back.

 

I've got a mix also of Husky, Craftsman and snap-on. Only buy lifetime tools.

I buy in this order also.

 

We have a mix of Craftsman, Channel Lock and other specality tools.

 

I love Craftsman hand tools. Some of their tools have gotten a bit cheap lately, but in general the hand tools are still quite excellent. Examples of the cheapening of certain Craftsman tools: I bought a tire filler (you know, the thing you connect to your air compressor and fill your tires with that has a built-in gauge) the other day to keep in the JK (have PowerPlant). I have one that I bought a few years ago in my garage. The new one has a cheap, plastic cylinder for the gauge, where the old one was all metal. Same thing with almost all of their power woodworking tools--plastic is replacing much of the metal previously used. The biggest problems with plastic, other than obvious durability, is the tools are larger in order to recover some of the strength lost. I bought a plastic Craftsman tool box to keep in the JK and one of the drawers no longer locks--the weight of the tools broke the locking tabs on the rear of the drawer. Also, folks are reporting here that their torque wrenches don't have durable labeling--silk-screened rather than engraved. Also, they tend to get a bit gimmicky with some of their tools. Tools with built-in lights? Give me a real light . . and a break!

Bottom line: Great hand tools, but you should be a bit picky.

Finally, join the Craftsman Club. Doesn't cost anything, and you get great prices not available to the general public on their tools--sale almost every month.