Kobalt or Stanley or Craftsman tools
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 4,230
Likes: 477
From: Southwest VA
I bought some Kobalt allen and torx bits, they suck.(kept breaking and bending) Replaced them with Mac. A little pricey but worth it. For regular wrenches & sockets craftsmen seems to work well. my 
Yes, it's true; you bring in a broken Craftsmen ratchet wrench or socket to Sears, and they will honor the Lifetime Warranty. That said, there is nothing prettier than the polished finish and fine craftmanship of a set of Snap-On Box End wrenches, for example. A quality toolbox with real ball-bearing drawers would be nice, too. (Mine was $300 from Harbor Freight, and holds up to 125 lb.s of tools per drawer). You get what you pay for is true here.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 5,190
Likes: 5
From: Eastern Washington
Out of those 3 choices, no question craftsman is the better choice. I agree with looking on craigslist, always tools there. I am always looking at garage sales and pawn shops for tools. And with some tools that I know I am not going to use to often but need for a job, I will look at Harbor Freight. They make very good throw away tools and sometimes they will last longer than expected
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
From: 91766
Stating as a backyard machanic it was Craftsman. Great quality but that was almost 40yrs ago. I still have them and they are still performing. Later I worked as a machanic and it was Snap-On and MAC. Both are equally great tools but as one poster put they are pricey. Note: for whatever reason all of the black "palstic" handles on the Sna-On screwdrivers are cracking and falling apart from their shanks. Now I gotta search out a Snap-on truck to see if they'll honor the "lifetime" warranty. So I would say that along with performance and durability, they should be backed up with a rock solid warranty. Good Luck!
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 934
Likes: 10
From: Alberta
If you are starting from scratch (thanks to your friend) then I would buy the biggest Craftsman set I could afford. That would become my base set of tools.
From there I would start buying more specialty stuff when I could afford and from the company that I thought the best for that particular product.
From there I would start buying more specialty stuff when I could afford and from the company that I thought the best for that particular product.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 25,310
Likes: 2,446
From: Eastern NE
I pretty much have a mix, but went w/Craftsman 300-piece as my base. Have added Kobalt, Stanley, Husky, etc...as project(s) allow. My recommendation is to go w/good set (200+ piece) and buy quality. From there - Harbor Freight is your friend...
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