As stated through out this thread....Craftsman, Craftsman, Craftsman.....Sears is everywhere and there is a no hassle return/replace policy. Brake any Craftsman hand tool and they will replace it....As stated in other posts start with a small set and add to it as you go. I have been using Craftsman for 25+ years and no real complaints....I break it they replace it....I have also purchased Snap On, Matco, Proto , Bonney and SK when I needed something better....I have picked up a lot of tools second hand as well like my 3/4" Snapon On Socket set.....Army Navy type store dirt cheap......

 

I agree with the set that WGB pointed out. That's a really good price too.

Crazy

 

It's tough to beat Craftsman for availability, price (though they're not cheap) & the warranty. You break a hand tool, they replace it. No questions asked, no receipt needed. Just that easy, just that fast. Snap-On has a reputation for being a better tool but I'm not so sure that's true. They are beautifully polished & top quality for sure but WAY more expensive. And they're not quite as easy to get, unless you or a friend has access to the truck.
Get what you need now & continue adding pieces. If you're serious, you will never stop buying tools. EVER. There will always be something you need. Good luck & have fun!!

 

I am a professional mechainic. The craftsman kit in the first post is a nice set, great price too. When I started out I went to sears bought similar pieces seperately. Spent more than that and this was 15 yrs ago. Though I have upgraded mostly to snap on, I still use much of it every day.
Sears will always be around for exchange, can really count on kobalt, husky, etc. Though it does seem to be good stuff.

 

If you are just starting out, and have no basic tools, then some kind of basic kit will be helpful around the house. Craftsman brand is plenty good, but if the set of tools is ONLY for the bikes, I would NOT start w/ one of those big kits, which will not include a number of essentials for your bikes, like Torx bits & torque wrench...

Instead, I would 1st make up an economical "travel kit", one which would include ONLY the bare minimum for taking along on a road trip: tire pressure gauge, a few of the correct size combination wrenches, a few sockets and ratchet, a 4 or 6-way screwdriver w/ a few Torx & Allen bits, will be a good start. You'll find stuff to add to that, like a small electrical repair kit, flat repair...And I would select from among the most compact, simple, lightweight systems, sized ONLY to handle the specific fasteners you will likely be dealing with--there's really not that much--you won't be tearing the engine down on the side of the road. After identifying the sizes of wrenches & bits you'll be needing, you may decide that it's more economical to buy certain sub-kits, such as combination wrenches, 3/8-drive socket set w/ extensions..., but be sure the kit includes most of the specific sizes you actually need.

To your travel kit then add the torque wrenches, bike lift, etc, which don't come in any of the big kits anyway. As Howard pointed out, this will be only the beginning of a lifetime of collecting tools. So buy just what you need for now, and add to it as you discover a real need.

 

If you're looking for a travel kit like lo-rider suggests above, I'd recommend this one. It's what I carry on the bike.

Now I haven't needed it yet... but I've used it on a couple buddies bikes in parking lots. I wanted a separate kit for the bike, not one where I'd have to borrow **** from my normal garage stash. Not that there's anything wrong with with that but you can imagine how it might suck to try and remember which tool bag you stored a certain ratchet in... so I wanted a nice home stash, and one for the bike that I only needed in emergencies. That's where the Windzone kit fits on nice.

 

Wish I was starting over with no tools. I'd set a budget for tools. I'd take 75% of that money, buy a torque wrench first, then the rest of that 75% get a craftsman set. The remaining 25% use as needed for the HD specific tools you will need.

 

Keep an eye on eBay or Craigslist for good used tools. I just picked up two Snap-On click-style torque wrenches off of eBay (a ft/lb and an in/lb) for roughly $100 each. I sent them to the Snap-On repair center to be calibrated at a cost of $40 for one wrench, and $60 for the other. So, my final cost for two calibrated Snap-On wrenches was $300 or $150 each. That's not bad for tools that will be a joy to work with and will be here long after I'm gone.

I also found a new, never used Snap-On roller cart tool box on Craigslist that sells normally for $900 + tax + shipping, and got it for under $500 (with no tax or shipping). And I'm sure many of you can find better deals, but I'm happy with those deals.

Just my 2 cents.

 

I like them for their flexibility and versatility. They won't work in every situation, but they sure do make a lot of jobs easier. I gave a SAE and a Metric set of these to a good friend of mine for Christmas/Birthday (his birthday is 12/25). He's been a professional mechanic for over 25 years, and has a box full of Snap-On wrenches. He's had these for a little over a month now, and he finds he's always reaching for them. We put them side-by-side w/ some of his Snap-On combination wrenches, and if you cover up the branding, etc., and look at the open end, you literally can't tell them apart. Very well made, very strong, have a fine ratcheting mechanism, and were $30 / 7pc set on Black Friday at, of all places, Sears!

I have a pretty decent collection of Craftsman tools that I've collected over the years. They've served me well. In fact, I still have the first hand box and socket & wrench set that I bought over 30 years ago. Broken a couple of sockets and wrenches over the years, but, they were easily replaced. For a while, back in the 80's, Sears was selling Craftsman wrenches that were made in Japan. Said "Made in Japan" right on the side of the wrench, where it says "Made in U.S.A.". I remember at the time, that a set of combination wrenches (7 or 8 pc set) was $34.99 if you bought the US mades ones, and $19.99 if you bought Japanese ones. I asked the guy if the Japanese ones had the same warranty as the US ones, and he said yes. So I kept $15 in my pocket and bought the Japanese-made ones.

Fast-forward a few years when Craftsman was sponsoring the NASCAR truck series, and AJ Foyt was pushing Craftsman tools, as being "Made in America". I happened to be in the same Sears store one day, and made a comment to one of the sales guys I always dealt with about how I had Craftsman wrenches that were made in Japan. He went and got his manager, and the manager said that if I wanted to trade them in, he would give me new, US-made ones in exchange. I did it, but in hind sight, I should have probably kept them as they may have been collectible.

As far as the Gear-Wrench goes, I bought a set of the Craftsman version (not the old laminated ratcheting box wrenches, but the Gear-Wrench style), and I can tell you, there's no comparison. The Craftsman wrenches feel like cheap junk compared to the Gear-Wrench ones. The trick is to catch the Gear-Wrench stuff when it is on sale. The same 7pc sets that I got for $29.99 on Black Friday, usually go for $79.99.

 

I started out with Craftsman tools back in the 1970's and have continued on with them. I now am up to the mechanics tool stand with the two stacking boxes on top and all are completely full. My whole family gives me Sears gift cards for Christmas so I buy the latest sale item every year. I would guess I have about $15,000 worth of tools I have collected over the years. But, I maintain 4 cars, my boat and motorcycle. So they have paid for themselves 20x over easily.