Small Hand Tools...which Do You Like And Use?

Hi guys

I am new here and enjoying your post. I mostly use GEDORE tools which I have built up over the years. My first toolbox supplied to me as an apprentice for which I had to pay off monthly had mostly GEDORE tools.
I inherited a large BRITOOL set from my late dad which belonged to his dad. There are items missing which I would like to try and buy and try replenish this lovely kit. But for day to day GEDORE does it for...They are tough, we have certainly proven that here in Africa!
 
Good tools don't cost, they pay. I personally love Snap-On, and although I don't buy enough anymore to justify being a stop for anyone I will seek one out if I need something. I believe they can be bought online now as well, but I like supporting the truck guys. That is a lot of investment they are driving around in, and although it isn't much, I don't mind at all helping them make a living.

Craftsman used to have good hand tools made, but comparing some I bought when I was a kid.......yes, saving up pop bottle money was for tools, modern Craftsman is no comparison. In my box, in no order of preference, I find Mac, Matco, Snap-On, Craftsman, S-K, Proto (real Proto, before Stanley bought them out), and a few others I can't recall. Then there are the BiL tools, the BluePoint, Companion, Huskey, Kobalt, and a few other nondescript tools with no name that I can recall. Those are for loaning, beating, prying, bending, modifying, and general abuse....or taking into the woods to work on something where they may never be seen again.

Odd note on Gedore. Long time ago I bought a handful of wrenches from a friend who bought an auto parts store. He was not going to carry the line, so almost gave them away. With all due respect, Scrowoash, they must offer different grades to different places of the world. Those were about the softest, most ill-fitting tools I have ever owned. I might still have one or two of them. These days you couldn't GIVE me any of those tools. There must be a pro line or something. No one would brag on the ones I have. I have come very near to tossing them, but if I need to cut down or weld on a wrench, I wouldn't hesitate on one of the Gedores.

I wish we had better access to the finer tools made in Europe and elsewhere. Not that I have any great need to buy a lot, but I'd like to be able to see what there is out there.
 
P T Schram said:
Call the 800 number, they'll take care of you. Tell the nice young folks I sent you.
Click to expand...

I had a great experience using that.
It was handy sending photos so they could tell what I had.



I notice a huge difference between good hex and torx drivers
The hardware store torx in the 5-50 range were soft and twisty.

Whia torx work well for me.


In Canada, they still make the pro line of Gray hand tools here.
 
The majority of the tools I have are craftsman, I found that there are some craftsman professional that are exactly the same as Snapon except for the name laser'd into them, including the part number. I have snapon at work and they are nice, but I started adding Wiha for security bits and other lines for specialty tools. tools are a preference that we each have based on our experiences. I still like some craftsman but I wont turn down other tools that are good. Tim
 
Bahco, Ridgid, Gedore, old Dowidat and Minimax. Photo of two of my oldest tools bought on the same day over 40 years ago.
First is a Ridgid 8" pipe wrench with special customised handle.
Second is Gedore 10" locking pliers made in South Africa that has outlasted Vice Grips and other brands including SnapOn which lasted about two years until one too many taps with a hammer turned them into Snap Off. Seller wouldn't replace under warranty so I welded them to the tray of the truck with the (un)appropriate sign for about 5 years.
Tony, the Gedore wrenches you have must have been made in the USA.:shhh:.
John.DSCF1579.JPG
P.S. I'm glad there's no dislike button.
 
At work we have a mixture of Snap-On and Stahlwille. At home it's a mixture of Snap-On, Matcc, Mac and Craftsman. Each has their place, but as time goes on, I have been replacing the Craftsman due to wear and tear with Snap-On and soon, Stahlwille. I'm finding that the Craftsman stuff is not holding up well anymore, and it's getting harder to replace without driving to multiple stores to get a replacement when it fails.
 
I bought my first set of real Craftsman tools back in 1980 when Sears sent out sales catalogs to your house to see what was on sale. I still have the original set of tools minus the screwdrivers and have added many more craftsman tools to the collection, and lost a few over the years, too. My tools have had a easy life over the years, maybe gotten rough with a socket or two, but that's about it. Screwdrivers, well, that's another story. My last purchase of screwdrivers was a set of Stanley 100 Plus screw drivers with the square shanks, new old stock ones. Dad had a set when he was doing serious machinery repairs back in the 1970's, still have a couple of them from his tool collection. They really hold up very good! Beat Craftsman screwdrivers hand down! Have a few speciality tools from Mac and Snap On, and from others. My son and I have had very good satisfaction with the TEKTON brand of hand tools. Even Though they are made in Taiwan, they have so far held up very good. They have some nice torque wrenches we have bought and used. Can't beat them! Just had another Craftsman torque wrench go bad! Gurrr!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top