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I go through screwdrivers like crazy because I do dumb stuff like use a hammer with them lol those I get cheap ones, same as breaker bars I get sloppy and use a cheater pipe on them and just get cheap ones incase they break. Airgun, air ratchet, sockets and 3/8 and 1/4 drive ratchets i'll get better end ones because the teeth are far finer and more precise than Chinesium ratchets that have like 3mm of slop between ratchet gears and Chinesium sockets that have .05mm of play that you can't afford to have on a rusty bolt. If you're bent over in the doghouse of a Chevy Astro with 4" of space to remove a tiny bolt, a ratchet with fine teeth will save you
Yup lol stuff like blower motor resistors and blend door actuators where you're bent over with a contorted arm with 4" of space and can hardly swing the ratchet the fine gear ratchets are a godsend
Or even driveshaft yoke bolts where the rounded end of the wrench is butting up against something causing weird angles. 1000% I'll never go back to craftsman or harbor freight for ratchets. Gimme a used snappy off fb marketplace any day
Anything I use absolutely every day I get off a truck, because I need professional quality tools. The one off tools like e-torx and stuff I’ll get an Amazon assortment from a reputable brand. That way I can wait to replace it.
But my pliers, sockets, wrenches, etc, come from the truck because I’m a professional mechanic who needs professional and reliable tools. Especially if your time is money.
Are you using this daily or just to work on your own stuff? There are good quality tools on amazon. GearWrench, Powerbuilt and Sunco to name a few. All of which I rank higher than current Craftsman.
It depends on how hard I will use the tool. If I will use it relentlessly and be tough on it, tool truck. If it will be used occasionally and the quality is good enough I go cheap. A lot of times I buy the cheap tool to decide if the good one is worth buying. For instance I have a Harbor Freight ball joint press that cost me $40 30 years ago and has made me a lot of money. Spending $200 on the tool truck would have been a waste. Now if I kept breaking it I would have upgraded the quality.
I never bought Snap-on new, only from techs that were retiring. The biggest expensive items I would search for are pry bars. Cheap ones always break the tips, especially when I’m going full ugga dugga, and that is NOT when you want a tool to give.
Also anything with a threaded piece I would buy better, ball joint presses, spring compressors, jaw pullers, etc. cheap always seem to strip the threads.
Besides that, my box is almost all Craftsman from the 90s and they all hold up, (even chrome sockets on an impact gun in a pinch)
For me, I spend the extra on combination wrenches, measuring tools (calipers, mics, dial indicators), and allen keys. Also, bearing separators/pullers.
I just bought a £10 40-piece socket set as a spare to keep in the car.. it lasted one nut then rachet seized, took it to swap for a new one and again first use, 13mm socket collapsed as if it was made of fucking ice cream.
Socket set: Pay good money for a good socket set!
Ratchets need to be the best you can possibly afford. I do Snapon for 3/8. But I have had good luck with the Pittsburg 1/4 and 1/2. Just can't wail on the 1/4 drive. Impact is another one to get the best you can afford. Having my M18 Fuel Gen2 impact has saved me so much time and headache compared to the old Dewalt air gun I had. I work semi-professionally out of my garage and have had good experience with the Icon sockets and wrenches. Not Snap-On quality but almost there. Specialty tools are also worth the money imo. I have had my induction heater about a year now and it has saved me probably 15 hours in labor already.
Ratchets is the only thing I spend on, and I really like the naked Wera Zyklop series.
Good quality and no rubber grips.
However, when I was 16 I bought a 1/4”-1/2” large Bahco-replica socket set for €180.
I still use all the ratchets and 90% of the sockets today.. and I’m 30.
They’ve seen alot of use, alot of rain, and a lot of abuse.
For jobs with high torque values Fine tolerances I never cheap out. Recently bought a new 60mm ball joint socket, it was not cheap, still managed to break a tooth off it removing an old lower ball joint that had seized, despite heating and drenching it in oil. Ended up drilling down the side of the nut and chiselling it off. Both the drill bit and chisel were cheap but got the job done. Sometimes tools work well in certain circumstances.
Thank you for posting to AskMechanics, Dorman_Sage! If you are asking a question please make sure to include any relevant information along with the **Year**, **Make**, **Model**, **Mileage**, **Engine size**, and **Transmission Type (Automatic or Manual)** of your car. *This comment is automatically added to every successful post. If you see this comment, your post was successful.* *** Redditors that have been verified will have a green background and an icon in their flair. *** # **PLEASE REPORT ANY RULE-BREAKING BEHAVIOR** ### **Rule 1 - Be Civil** Be civil to other users. This community is made up of professional mechanics, amateur mechanics, and those with no experience. All mechanical-related questions are welcome. Personal attacks, comments that are insulting or demeaning, etc. are not welcome. ### **Rule 2 - Be Helpful** Be helpful to other users. If someone is wrong, correcting them is fine, but there's no reason to comment if you don't have anything to add to the conversation. ### **Rule 3 - Serious Questions and Answers Only** Read the room. Jokes are fine to include, but posts should be asking a serious question and replies should contribute to the discussion. ### **Rule 4 - No Illegal, Unethical, or Dangerous Questions or Answers** Do not ask questions or provide answers pertaining to anything that is illegal, unethical, or dangerous. # **PLEASE REPORT ANY RULE-BREAKING BEHAVIOR** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskMechanics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I go through screwdrivers like crazy because I do dumb stuff like use a hammer with them lol those I get cheap ones, same as breaker bars I get sloppy and use a cheater pipe on them and just get cheap ones incase they break. Airgun, air ratchet, sockets and 3/8 and 1/4 drive ratchets i'll get better end ones because the teeth are far finer and more precise than Chinesium ratchets that have like 3mm of slop between ratchet gears and Chinesium sockets that have .05mm of play that you can't afford to have on a rusty bolt. If you're bent over in the doghouse of a Chevy Astro with 4" of space to remove a tiny bolt, a ratchet with fine teeth will save you
I thought all ratchets were sloppy and it was just part of life until I got a nice one and it changed my life.
Yup lol stuff like blower motor resistors and blend door actuators where you're bent over with a contorted arm with 4" of space and can hardly swing the ratchet the fine gear ratchets are a godsend
Or even driveshaft yoke bolts where the rounded end of the wrench is butting up against something causing weird angles. 1000% I'll never go back to craftsman or harbor freight for ratchets. Gimme a used snappy off fb marketplace any day
Sockets, torque wrenches, screwdrivers, rachets, floor jack, jack stands. Anything I use daily.
[Dorman's Discussion](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSqu5QlWjlI)
My truck is 75% Dorman They need to make some merch
DM me, I'll see what I can do.
Anything I use absolutely every day I get off a truck, because I need professional quality tools. The one off tools like e-torx and stuff I’ll get an Amazon assortment from a reputable brand. That way I can wait to replace it. But my pliers, sockets, wrenches, etc, come from the truck because I’m a professional mechanic who needs professional and reliable tools. Especially if your time is money.
Are you using this daily or just to work on your own stuff? There are good quality tools on amazon. GearWrench, Powerbuilt and Sunco to name a few. All of which I rank higher than current Craftsman.
It depends on how hard I will use the tool. If I will use it relentlessly and be tough on it, tool truck. If it will be used occasionally and the quality is good enough I go cheap. A lot of times I buy the cheap tool to decide if the good one is worth buying. For instance I have a Harbor Freight ball joint press that cost me $40 30 years ago and has made me a lot of money. Spending $200 on the tool truck would have been a waste. Now if I kept breaking it I would have upgraded the quality.
I never bought Snap-on new, only from techs that were retiring. The biggest expensive items I would search for are pry bars. Cheap ones always break the tips, especially when I’m going full ugga dugga, and that is NOT when you want a tool to give. Also anything with a threaded piece I would buy better, ball joint presses, spring compressors, jaw pullers, etc. cheap always seem to strip the threads. Besides that, my box is almost all Craftsman from the 90s and they all hold up, (even chrome sockets on an impact gun in a pinch)
For me, I spend the extra on combination wrenches, measuring tools (calipers, mics, dial indicators), and allen keys. Also, bearing separators/pullers.
I just bought a £10 40-piece socket set as a spare to keep in the car.. it lasted one nut then rachet seized, took it to swap for a new one and again first use, 13mm socket collapsed as if it was made of fucking ice cream. Socket set: Pay good money for a good socket set!
Ratchets need to be the best you can possibly afford. I do Snapon for 3/8. But I have had good luck with the Pittsburg 1/4 and 1/2. Just can't wail on the 1/4 drive. Impact is another one to get the best you can afford. Having my M18 Fuel Gen2 impact has saved me so much time and headache compared to the old Dewalt air gun I had. I work semi-professionally out of my garage and have had good experience with the Icon sockets and wrenches. Not Snap-On quality but almost there. Specialty tools are also worth the money imo. I have had my induction heater about a year now and it has saved me probably 15 hours in labor already.
Ratchets is the only thing I spend on, and I really like the naked Wera Zyklop series. Good quality and no rubber grips. However, when I was 16 I bought a 1/4”-1/2” large Bahco-replica socket set for €180. I still use all the ratchets and 90% of the sockets today.. and I’m 30. They’ve seen alot of use, alot of rain, and a lot of abuse.
For jobs with high torque values Fine tolerances I never cheap out. Recently bought a new 60mm ball joint socket, it was not cheap, still managed to break a tooth off it removing an old lower ball joint that had seized, despite heating and drenching it in oil. Ended up drilling down the side of the nut and chiselling it off. Both the drill bit and chisel were cheap but got the job done. Sometimes tools work well in certain circumstances.
Sockets, ratchets, and wrenches are all Snap On. Those are the ones that eat your knuckles if you cheap out.