OK, so I was browsing the net, looking for tools to buy to start off my own collection. I currently in class use Snap-on and Blue point, but I am looking around at names such as Mac, and Craftsman. Now don't get me wrong I want to stay industrial grade tools, so I am curious what brand of tools you all like to use?

I am also looking at various brands of multimeter's and scan tools, I have found a company that my instructor told me about (TPI Products) and found there 440 model for $300 and it is both a multimeter and a scan tool. What brands do you recommend?

The best you can afford if you plan to use them professionally - they will ultimately pay for themselves in speed of use and lack of injuries or mistakes.

For home/private use then for the most part limit yourself to 'cheaper' tools that you can justify the price. Can be cheaper to buy three cheap screwdrivers than one decent screwdriver.

I refuse to pay for Snap Off, as it's just too expensive for the tiny increase in quality over other brands. But they do make good screwdrivers and good ratchets.

I use Matco. Not quite as costly (but still expensive compared to craftsman) as Snap On/Blue Point but the quality and warranty are just as good.

I think I picked Matco because they had the best looking tool truck driver. To this day it is the only time I have ever seen a woman driving a tool truck.

Yea, I do have to say the Snap-on equipment we use is top notch, I priced myself a (homemade starter set)(A few various brands, and various useful tools) for $1500. Screwdrivers, ratchets, hammer, Wrenches, scan tool, creeper, pliers/cutters etc...

Quote from th84 :

I use Matco. Not quite as costly (but still expensive compared to craftsman) as Snap On/Blue Point but the quality and warranty are just as good.

I think I picked Matco because they had the best looking tool truck driver. To this day it is the only time I have ever seen a woman driving a tool truck.

Well, Matco is a brand I have not priced yet, I am getting onto that now!

I have a 192 piece craftsmen toolset. It has allen wrenches, 1/4in, 3/8in, and 1/2in sockets (some deep, some 12pt, etc), and regular wrenches all both metric and SAE. Even though 90% of cars use completely metric (and I found out that all the bolts on my car are actually metric). And my other tools are a breaker bar, socket converters (1/2in to 3/8in, 3/8in to 1/4in, etc), a torque wrench, and a good ole can of penetrating lubricant. And I also have a multimeter, but I've had that for a while for other electronics uses. I also have jackstands. My car hasn't thrown any service engine soon lights for the whole time that it's been my responsibility (when it was my parents it had a few problems). As soon as it does i'll be getting a code reader, though. Although if you go to most auto parts stores, they will connect a code scanner for you for so that you can see any codes that your engine is throwing. IDK if it's free to do that though.

Well wheel4hummer, the only thing i have to say to that is, I am a mechanic, I am preparing to be working in a full running shop. So I need a lot more of a varity of tools then what you need to work on it at your house, and as for the OBD2 scanner Id like to have my own to check my own cars so I dont need to bring them into work.

If your going to be using them every day, I wouldnt go with Craftsman. Dont get me wrong, they are great tools and will relace anything that breaks, but in the long run you'll be much happier with one/any of the 3 major brands (Snap-On/Blue Point, MAC or Matco).

when i had the garage john our original local snap on rep was one of the longest serving in the uk, the advice he gave the new mechs was to buy a set of cheap tools first and then when something broke replace it with a snap on item, that way they didn't pay for expensive stuff they didn't need, if a cheap socket or spanner was srong enough they could use it, if it broke, like most cheap ratchets do, then get a snap on item. their sets may not have looked as flash as some but they did have a reasonable set of tools right from the start rather than the 1 new spanner a week sets you saw so many have or the full set which was costing them half their wages on snap on's credit. plus when they did the enivitable and lost tools it didn't cost them a fortune ( i used to go around the finished cars engine bays and collect tools, at the end of the week i'd give them back to people who'd swear they hadn't lost anything )

the guys who have the garage now use a mix of snap on and mac. i never had much to do with mac but that was more to do with the local rep who when he was with snap on after john died was only interested in getting the new starters to buy a nice shiny cabinet with about 10 spanners in it on credit and never wanted to do any repairs to ratchets etc prefering to "send them away" despite having the gear to do the job on his van, he only lasted about 6 months with snap on.

Quote from th84 :

If your going to be using them every day, I wouldnt go with Craftsman. Dont get me wrong, they are great tools and will relace anything that breaks, but in the long run you'll be much happier with one/any of the 3 major brands (Snap-On/Blue Point, MAC or Matco).

That is kinda what I was thinking!

As of right now I am planning on getting the middle grade stuff from Snap-on and Bluepoint to start off with, Then as I need a tool, pick it up from the rep.

That is a good plan.

Dont let the rep trick you into maxing out your credit limit (assuming that you are going to be using that handy credit system that they have ) because you'll just end up with a bunch of crap that you'll never use. I fell for it and ended up spending about $2500 on a bunch of crap and only use(d) about half of it. Just start off with the must-haves and as you figure out all the different tools you'll need, you can just get them as you go.

The majority of my tools are laser, premium quality, not too dear, and i have only had one tool break as my friend broke the 3/8 drive ratchet trying to undo transit wheel nuts by jumping on it, the twat.

I do have a 1/2 drive stanley socket set that goes from 8mm-24mm metric and from 1/4 to 7/8 imperial, which is fine for what i do.

The sockets are brilliant, extension bars are really good, but the ratchet and the 1/2 to 3/8 socket adaptor were w@nk and broke really easily for some reason.

The only ratchet i havent managed to break yet is a really old draper one that my dad gave me, it feels like its made of cast iron its that heavy!

In the UK, I heard that Halfords Pro tools are almost equivalent quality to Snap-On and have really good warranties (free replacement IIRC). Dont know if this is true though as I've never used them

Quote from TiJay :

In the UK, I heard that Halfords Pro tools are almost equivalent quality to Snap-On and have really good warranties (free replacement IIRC). Dont know if this is true though as I've never used them

Halfords Pro tools are no where near as good as Snap On tools. They're not suitable for professional use, we occasionally have had to buy them when we're desperate, most of them have been broken pretty quickly. The other notable thing about Halfords range of tools is they are ridiculously expensive, they cost far more than the (non-Pro) Clarke tools.

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