Tim Blair

If you can find S-K tools down there (they do sell over the web), I've always found them to be close or equal to Snap-on in quality, but less pricey. Craftsman is adequate for the occasional loose screw. When you do pop for tools, think how long you're going to be using them, and amoritize the difference between adequate and fine over the decades; makes buying the good stuff easier to bear.

For general housework and light dentistry, Craftsman is the top of the line. S-K or Snap-On are way too expensive for that. I would at least look at Lowe's or Home Depot website offerings before I made a decision.

I've always liked Craftsman tools, mostly for Sear's warranty. Had a phillips-head screwdriver strip out, got a whole new set for free due to their "no breaking up packages" policy.

But don't forget Snap-On, if they exist in Oz...

Craftsman - they have an awesome reputation and their refund/replacement policy is great.

Be careful, though. Sears sells a lot of tools under the Sears branding that are not Craftsman. I had a ratchet screwdriver I was indordinately fond of. When it went down, Sears broke my heart.

We've got Snap-On here. Highly recommended, yes? Craftsman looks good, too.

Rob C: I'm a buy-for-life guy who'll put aside generations of Scottish frugalism for such things as pliers and screwdrivers. These S-K devices sound excellent.

Milwaukee makes excellent, durable tools.

I'd lean towards Craftsman as well - I picked up an excellent table saw last year for $200 USD; it had almost every feature of comparable Home Depot table saws at the $500-600 range. I still have a Craftsman screw gun and a circular saw from 10+ years ago with no problems on either. If I was a pro contractor I'd go with DeWalt / Makita products.

CAVEAT:

I would at least look at Lowe's or Home Depot website offerings before I made a decision.

Pick up a screw gun at Home Depot, then pick one up elsewhere. Take both of them apart (as one of my friends did). You'll see metal gears in the other model but plastic gears in the HD model. Also compare the model numbers - they'll be different 99%+ of the time.

Said friend launched into a detailed 30 minute rejoinder of Home Depot's business practices along these lines; that HD tells the manufacturers what the'll pay for each unit and the manufacturer has to cut corners as described above on all products sold to Home Depot or lose the contract with them.

Bottom line - there's one product made for HD consumption, and the one you should be buying instead. After getting my house nine months ago I quickly went from loving HD to hating it in 3 months. If I can find stuff elsewhere, I'll make that trip.

For fine work (including light dentistry) I find that Dremel works just fine for me. You name the job, Dremel has an attachment to suit your needs. For more heavy-duty stuff, I have no idea.

I think the pros in the US will tell you that there's Snap-On and then there's everything else.

I don't know if they'll send it to Oz, but sign up for the tool crib catalog. it's Tool Porn.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/static/-/pro-tools/toolcrib-subscription/ref=th_hp_tn_5/102-9909813-7890569

I get all my tools from the road side, on bicycle commutes. In the spring and fall, there are great tool migrations, and many are found hit on the road side for the picking up. Just last month I picked up a 6 foot long spirit level, which is now leaning (slightly) in the garage waiting for the first general household chore requiring one. I have many sledge hammers, so should a very particular heft in levelling be required, I will be set.

Easco makes Craftsman tools, at least the wrenches; at least they used to, according to an Easco annual report. It had a picture of a father teaching his daughter how to use wrenches. I noticed it was not the mom doing the teaching, but that's just me.

Your content filter won't allow road side as a single word (``objectionable content'').

yep, for crafts work & good re-enactments of "marathon man" i recommend dremel rotary tool. with multitude of attachments it cuts, drills, polishes, engraves etc. it's for small to medium tasks only, common at amateur/household level.

Danaher now makes craftsman hand tools. I have lots of them, but they also make Matco, which used to be used in sales demos for the purpose of snapping snap-ons (get it?) in two.They also feel so nice in your hand. My wife even fondles my 9/16 stubby every time she gets the chance.
Here at the starter castle, we lean towards DeWalt since they're harder to loose in the tall grass of the back garden. Porter Cable is it when the wife isn't there to see how much you're paying.

Get a Craftsman mechanics set. I have one, about 125 pcs. and I love it.

Doc Johnson.

If you can stand the fare, try FACOM tools.
You'll never buy another brand after them.

If not, join the Craftsman Club (it's for real) and they will send you an introductory offer on a massive tool set that includes everything but a pipe spanner.

Taking into account the fact that you are in Australia, I would say Sidchrome if you are primarily patriotic or Ko-ken if you are feeling rational.

For your hand tools Craftsman is excellent. Their replacement policy is great. Had a friend use his hammer to break up very hard rocks (Mohs 8-9 if you care, he had lost his geologists pick)and pretty much trashed the head. Took it back to sears and no questions asked they gave him a brand new hammar. His wife bought him a new pick and told him never to do that again.

Binford, obviously. Duh.

Remember, if it doesn't say Binford, it was made by somebody else.

If you're going to buy really expensive tools, get some Hazet tools.

Otherwise, Craftsman. The warranty outweighs the comparative fragility for non-professional users, by almost all accounts.

Craftsman or Snap-On. Craftsman if you think you'll bring them often, Snap-On if you think you'll grow the set.

Oh yeah, Makita power tools are the best. And the Dremel sets are fantastic for light work.

Snap-On tools are great. I also have several Bosch power tools that are wonderful, especially my sabre saw.

If you are in the market for small multi purpose tools, forget Dremel and go for the Foredom. I've had one for years and years and it's superlative.

SnapOn. Hands down

Craftsman for hand tools -- good stuff.

Dewalt power tools, professional quality. Or Milwaukee. A terrific investment! Someone here mentioned not going to Home Depot; I don't know what y'all have in Australia, but go to a professional dealer. It'll cost you up front, but they will last.

Dremel tools for fine work (sheet metal, ceramics, copper pipers, etc). Get spare heads and such, and a bench clamp for the power tool.

Snap-on tools have an excellent reputation, look great and feel nice in the hand. Bought some Sidchrome tools a few years ago, just after they were bought by Proto; they have held up well to use by my oldest son, now 22, so they must be pretty tough. For a local vendor try http://www.transquip.com.au, which sells several brands, including Minimax, which I understand to be top quality. For everyday use Stanley stuff is OK and is widely available in Oz.

I suppose the bottom line will be how much you want to pay and how much you'll use the tools. Unless you're planning on passing the tools on in your will, why pay a fortune for something you won't use much.

I feel like I'm getting a peak into a guarded inner sanctum rarely shared with women . . . kinda like spying on the rituals of the Masons.

Or should I say "PEEK".

Go for the Craftsman, even for the heavy duty homeowner they are more than adequate. One of my friends who can build anything uses these handtoos glady. Great guarantee. As far as power tools. Can't say.

For the typical homeowner/home mechanic, Craftsman is more than adequate. Snap-On (and S-K) are superior in most respects, but are very pricey: I have a (very) few, but only the ones I use all the time.

They can have my Snap-On ratchet when they pry it fom my cold dead fingers...

Rosie O'Donnell swears by her Snap-On tools.

Hahaha

iowahawk, you bastid.

Avoid slot and Philips screws at all costs. The greatest unknown Canadian invention is the Robertson screw, made witha square recess. It donsn't slip, takes more torque and is easy to drive at any angle. Try a slot overhead and you'll see what I mean. As for Philps heads, they are a nuisance to drive or remove and the screw divers have a shorter life.

Sidchrome is as good as anything, and if you want to get anti-free trade credentials they're made in Australia. snap-On are good, but expensive (as is sidchrome). Why not just get cheap Chinese crap from Supa-cheap, and bin it when you're finished? You're encouraging trade, blatant consumerism and assisting the expansion of free-market principles in a marxist hell-hole. Win all round.

The Australian Labor Party - Now there's a great bunch of Tools.

You're a homeowner - a dabbler - you don't need tradesman-quality tools. Go for cheap Chinese from Bunnings or Kmart. Save a bundle over over-priced and over-hyped US-made tools. When it wears out or breaks down - chuck it out and buy another. You can buy several cheapies for the cost on one repair on top-of-the-line tools.

Personal anecdote. 20 years ago I bought Stanley and Sidchrome. Back then Chinese really was rubbishy. Jap tools were better but as expensive as US-made. These days the quality of Chinese has come up to the point the mid-range (and still cheap) hand tools matches the quality of US tools.

Just remembered. 35 years ago I bought some of the first Chinese tools imported into Australia, just as China was opening up to the West ever so very slightly. Tom The Cheap in Hay St (Tom Wardle) broached this market successfully with direct negotiations with the Chinese. You have to be my age to remember what a closed, secretive, paranoid society Red China was back then. Impossible to get into. Anyway, this set of sockets is superb quality and still going strong. Never been able to break them. It's just a pity they're not metric.

Metric? Whats that?

I've a big Kinchrome set to replace a Sidchrome set stolen (f*ckers) - cheaper, but as good quality. Snap-On are just too pricey for home use. If you buy a big toolchest type set, watch the contents - there's some frequently used stuff often missing. I've bought socket sets that don't have 13mm and 15mm sockets I use everyday.

Tim, surely you haven't forgotten that great Australian tool-cry:
"Ya canna hand a man a grander spanner."
Uncle Doug, World of Sport.

If you need to do some drilling, sanding, etc. Why not splurge and get some Hilti tools?

Let's face it- there's only one tool you really need- anything you can't achieve with one of these isn't worth the effort.

I once bought a house from an elderly gentleman. There was a shed in the yard, overgrown with a passionfruit vine. The shed was full of tools. Hundreds of them. Maple-handled planes. Old spirit levels. Wrenches with the Ford script logo and various other makes. Old hammers and saws. Timber-handled chisels. Brace-and-bits, and hundreds of bits. Pliers, pincers, early screwdrivers. Oiled grindstones in their timber cases. Early electric drills, the metal-bodied ones. Clamps of all sizes. A massive and ancient saw bench with a vise the size of a rottweiler's head. Cupboards full of ancient nails, screws and hardware of all descriptions.

Years later, I had to sell up and I couldn't take the tools. I held a garage sale. There were guys walking away with their arms cradling treasures and their faces looking like they'd seen an apparition.

Maybe I didn't charge enough.

The big problem with the "buy cheap tools and chuck 'em when they break" solution is that they never break and bounce off your forehead at the end of the job, usually they die about the time the local Wal-Mart closes...........

I went on-line to see how much Snap-On tools were. Merciful God in Heaven above! People spend that much?! I buy my tools from the dollar store; the thing is, they smell like meat...

And Harry is right; much love for the Robertson Screw.

I went through all this Tim. I had a long conversation with the blokes at the hardware store who kept recommending more expensive kit. Eventually I said "I'd be better off buying the cheapest crap I can lay my hands on and driving it til it breaks wouldn't I?" The hardware store guy answered "probably".

I completely rebuilt the interior with my house with those tools. Five years later they’re still working fine.

Do not know about tool quality, but Rigid always had the best calenders.

I've been fond of Hillerich & Bradsby.

More seriously, I love Makita for power tools and Snap-On or Craftsman for hand tools. Worked in theatre scene shops for 20 years, can't live without any of 'em.

I've read through it all - and am still laughing! With an opportunity like this, where the heck is Andrea Harris??? Or did I somehow miss her?

Further along Habib's line of reasoning, there are really only two things you need in your tool chest. If it is supposed to move but doesn't, use this. If it isn't supposed to move but does, use this.

I'm so lazy that when my mower shit itself I couldn't be bothered taking it to the shop, and mowed my yard for a year with a weed-whacker. Made for some interesting variation in cut height.
(Maybe I should have put in for an Australia Council grant?)

I was also so slack I couldn't be bothered changing the cutter twine al the time, so I replaced it with broken bottom E electric guitar strings cut down- would go through anything (including flesh and bone) and never snap.
Don't bother planting shrubs, or keeping any domestic animal smaller than a bull terrier.

Don't listen to the "buy cheap tools and toss them when they break" jokers. Ask yourself - WWHHD? *

* What Would Hank Hill Do?

Craftsman. Don't even think, just pull their lever. The Sears warranty makes it all the more better.

My Aussie mechanic mates usually buy Repco spanners and sockets believe it or not. They have some sort of lifetime breakage warranty thing too. It'll cost ya but! My mate Rob bought ONE Repco 12ml spanner today for $9 AU!!! It's nice stuff tho- great to look at and to use. as someone said earlier, it's toolporn!

Oh, forgot to mention.. Mogy and Fuller spanners and sockets are good too. Hey Habib! instead of the E string on the whippersnipper why dont you do what us country folk do, ie use Roundup (T.M Montsano) or sump oil to kill the grass?

It'd kill my dawgs as well- and I have hippy neighbours who really hate unmuffled two-stroke engines that use more oil than is smeared on the average Elvis Fan's noggin.
I think this thing has rubber piston rings- it has as much compression as a tubercular lung.
Really fucks up nature when it gets going though.

Hey Habib, Sidchrome tools haven't been made in Oz for years. I bought a wrench/socket set just after the Proto (actually Stanley) buyout; the wrenches are stamped Proto, Made in USA. Take a look at recently manufactured Sidchrome tools and you'll find they are not stamped with the country of manufacture, which makes me think they're made in China or Taiwan. No matter, they're still good quality.

If you're willing to pay the cash for Snap-On then you should make sure you look at the Stahlwhille range as well. Similar in price and quality (top of line in both areas). So if you're paying the big cash you might as well make sure you get a tool set that you love!

Some people say that Snap-On is the best stuff out of the US, and Shalwhille is the best stuff out of Europe (Germany). (I don't know whether that is the case, just mentioning that some people say so!)

Who gives a fuck where they're made- if I had them I'd use the drop-forged spanners to weigh down the bottom of my toolchest, and still use the $12.50 hammer to do most of my work, including the brutal murder of my entire family.
Long time no hear, JF Beck.

Yeah, what with jumping through promotional hoops at work, the insane wife and a frail elderly mother I've barely had time to read, much less post. It took tools to get me motivated.

As for Sidchrome, the ratchets are very robust but the direction change mechanism is a pain in the arse. But, as my son says, Sidchrome stuff must be pretty good because it doesn't break.

Hey, Tim;

Lay off DeWalt drill bits, especially if you're doing masonry. I burned through two in no time. Try Bosch instead.

By the way, Craftsman tools are the best I've got. Some are older than I am (which is old) and they work just fine.

The best kinds of tools are the ones José Trabajero, my handyman, uses for four bucks an hour while I finish this daiquiri...

What? It's okay, I'm a Democrat.

If you don't care about the expense, Snap-On. They are far and away the most comfortable tools I've ever used. You'll finish your tasks more quickly, and you'll enjoy them more. Good warranty, too, although it specifies "normal use".

For hand tools I use Craftsman and power tools are either Ryobi or Makita - either are good. I switched to them after my Craftsman drill gaged at going through a two-by-four. By the way, I use my tools to build furniture and remodel my house.

Up here in the states we have a high end auto parts store called Napa. I got a high quality socket set there for the price of a cheap set elsewhere.

I figure they were selling it as a loss leader to get their name in my car and win my enduring good will. It worked. Everytime I buy oil at Murray's, I am grateful that I could get good, inexpensive tools at Napa.

I would check out the DNC's website. They have turned out some of the world's biggest tools.

Everyone has missed one thing:

Who ELSE will use these tools?

Your neighbour who never freakin' returns anything?

Your wife who'll use the $30 each Cr-V-Mo Chisel as a pry bar, paint mixer and screw driver?

Nice tools are great, great tools have a tendency to evaporate.

"Nice enough to do the job without frustration." that's my motto. There's little that's worse than buying the cheaper grade and have be inadequate to your skill level. It's amazingly frustrating and confidence destroying.

Oh, yes, and Robertson/Square screws rule. Using anything else if you can avoid it, is a crime.

"Fine Homebuilding" magazine does good power tool reviews all the time. Worth reading, not surprisingly no single company makes the best semi-pro tools.

Lee Valley: has a nice tool catalog with nice stuff for the non-power tool wood working community.

and learn to sharpen.

Speaking of sharpening, an old Fine Woodworking had a good tip about sharpening using wet and dry sandpaper.

Cut the sheet across the width into quarters, sixths or eighths. Next, cut several blocks of wood to size for width but shorter by 1 to 1 1/4 inch.

Lay the sandpaper on the block, fold over the two ends and fasten with thumtacks, add some oil or kerosene. One block each with a different coarseness of sandpaper will enable you sharpen planes and chisels quickly, moving from coarse to fine. Throw away sandpaper and replace when worn out. One variety pack will last a long time.

A belt sander can also do a nice job on a chisle. Hold chisle so that abrasive is moving away from edge rather than towards the edge.

Robertson screws are great, except for two problems:

1) You can't find the damned things outside of Canada. Or at very least they're hard to find in the US.

2) You still need slot and phillips screwdrivers for existing stuff (especially if you ever want to work on your car...).

Speaking of sharpening, an old Fine Woodworking had a good tip about sharpening using wet and dry sandpaper.

If you REALLY want to sharpen something, Google for "scary sharp method" (avoid the "condensed" version of the technique, the full version reads better).

If you want a plane to shave wood so thin you can read through it, this is the method to use.

TomK

Thank you. I found a ton of links when I googled including taunton.com/finewoodworking/.

This is great.

Thanks again

The D&S Scary Sharp(TM) System

Well worth the read

"http://www.shavings.net/SCARY.HTM#original"

My father-in-law's tool's are the best. I've got a shed load of them and they didn't cost a thing. Except having to marry his daughter and put up with her mum.

Well, FWIW, I used to work in a tool shop and made a point of learning the answers to questions like this...

Power tools and hand tools are completely different stories.

Hand tools - I think Craftsmans are pretty much a no-brainer, in light of their great warranty. Sure, S-K and Snap On are better but they are multiples of the price. Just not justifiable for most people. As others have pointed out, too many will "walk" over the years. Craftsmans are quite sufficient for almost everything. I only broke one of their ratchets after protracted totally unfair abuse (used a long pipe on it) and spalled out one of their sockets by wickedly using it on a pneumatic impact wrench. For a long time.

Power tools - no easy answer. It depends on the specific tool type. Milwaukee drills, for example, are pretty clearly the best, but their sanders usually kind of suck. Porter-Cable sanders are great. Bosch - lovely routers and jigsaws - Makita - very reliable all around but seem to have fallen behind in recent years - and on and on.

By the way, Craftsman used to put its name on mostly pretty serviceable mid-range power tools (made by Emerson Electric, who now produces the Ridgid power tools for Home Depot) but now they mostly sell very cheap stuff. Not ripoffs, really - there are situations where a very cheap low quality tool is the right answer - but generally not very good.

For brand names of power tools that will pretty much always be satisfactory without getting into the details of "what is the best" for every specific tool type - Bosch especially (Swiss? USA? I have no idea - I never paid attention to where anything was made) Hitachi, Porter Cable, Panasonic and 90% of the time DeWalt.

For stationary stuff (drill press, jointer, table saw, etc.) Delta and Jet.

Now, for all I know this information is useless down there as some of this stuff may be unavailable - and you may also have lots of stuff around that is unavailable in the USA.

PS I've been able to collect a good selection of Robertson head screws; after first using them, however, I would have been willing to smuggle them out of Canada myself if necessary (only about a 4 hour drive for me...)

Don't waste time with the US-made stuff. Stick to quality British - Record, for example.

Bosch would be made in Germany..

although in this day and age who can really tell..

I"ll vote for DeWalt for best power tools on a pro budget, B+D for best consumer power tools, Snap-on for best hand tools, and lets face it Habib, any hammer can handle the murder of an entire family, but nothing beats chrome vanadium for easy cleaning of trace evidence..

(is this a strange blogchat or what?)

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