/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>1526740
>Craftsman hand tools still made well?
Craftsman is a mixed bag and nothing is made like it used to be. The fact that Sears is on the way out and Craftsman branded products are being hocked in Walmarts and other hardware stores should serve as a warning. Their products also started to come with different tiers of warranty so make sure you read the fine print for anything you purchase, and know you run the risk of having useless warranties if Sears does go tits up and nobody picks up the Craftsman brand or does pick up it but decides not to honor those warranties.

For cordless tools I still like DeWalt but their under the umbrella that is Stanely Black and Decker. I don't know how their newest stuff is holding up but I loved their older tools. I still miss an old coworker of mine pissing and moaning about the weight of my original 20VMAX hammer drill. I've handled newer ones and I don[t think they'd ever stand up to the abuse mine has and still be kicking. Outside the hobbyist market Hilti makes incredible shit but it's really not affordable - better one of those things your boss pay for with service contracts and whatever nonsense might be involved. They can write the shit off - if you're not using for work you can't.

Back to Stanley I use one of their ratchet sets picked up from Walmart. Cheap and it hasn't failed me yet. Haven't managed to round out any sockets or the sort either which was surprising. Definitely aren't fine-tooth and there have been times where it was impossible to get a click in a tight spot but usually nothing an extension couldn't fix. Extensions and some sockets picked up along the way are Blowe's Kobalt brand. I don't see Lowe's going anywhere any time soon so even if they're junk I can keep breaking them and replacing them until the bolt breaks free, my only loss being time.

No idea about welders - still a skill I need to pick up.

>>1526740

Husky is decent, Lifetime warranty, Just keep the receipt and they'll exchange them multiple times.

I use the 7/8 Ratchet Wrench for my job and you're obviously not supposed to smack the backside or the little gear will slip, But I do it often on accident and they've exchanged them multiple times in the past 2 years.

>>1526740

Also, For power tools, I've been using lots of milwaukee for carpentry work and they've impressed me. Really good.

>>1526740
i Mean don't pro version got lifetime?

you can get knipex,wiha,nws, or klein for pliers.Wiha,wera,witte,felo,vessel for screw drivers.

i know tool trucks brands use knippex as pliers, screw drivers matco use witte, and i think mac insulated is witte too.

Matco or Snap On
I dont like buying tools over and over

>>1526776
Husky ratchets are junk. OP do yourself a favor and buy the Gearwrench 120xp ratchet set. amazing ratchets for the price. everything else store brands are fine maybe with the exception of ratcheting wrenches. just stay away from the dirt cheap chink stuff and you should be mostly fine

as for the welder i'd highly suggest checking out Everlast if you want something cheaper. they are chink welders but they are the upper tier chink welders. never buy a straight flux core machine because you'll likely just end up having to buy another down the road when you want to get the gas anyway. same goes for the size, look for something at least 200amp or you'll eventually just end up buying another machine. you can get the Everlast 200E right now for $500 US which is dual voltage and capable of handling pretty much anything you're likely to run into. or you could get the MIG + Stick version for $639 but i've personally never been a fan of multi process machines

>>1526750
Dewalt is still just fine. i have older and newer tools and they see a lot of abuse yet they all still work just fine. it's the batteries you gotta worry about. i haven't had one fail yet but they keep putting more and more shit into them like the new flex volt batteries. Milwaukee also has the Bluetooth shit just sitting there waiting to fuck up your day

>>1526823
>tfw Husky 72T ratchets are made by the same people as Gearwrench

>>1526740
Gearwrench is straight. I prefer it over current Craftsman for sure. Plus with Sears going under, I don’t like buying bigger money Craftsman stuff because I’m not convinced I will be able to warranty it if it breaks in 5-10 years. Most Gearwrench stuff is Taiwan made which is better than Chinese crap. Apex is the brand that owns Gearwrench, they also own Crescent and Allen and some other companies and I have been satisfied with all of their tools.

A lot of people like Tekton now too. Everything is affordable on Amazon and most of that is Taiwanese. If you want to spend a little more without breaking the bank, Williams makes nice stuff as well. It’s Snap On’s Industrial brand. Some of it is US made, the rest is Taiwan made along with Blue Point.

DeWalt and Milwaukee’s new lines of hand tools are nice too but all of the Milwaukee stuff seems slightly overpriced.

>>1526852
They might be made by the same company but they are not even close to the same.

>>1526855

>>1526855
But they are....

Well, the 120xp is a bit different because it’s 2x 60T gears and two pawls, but the 84T GW ratchets are still really smooth, and those are exactly the same mechanism as the Craftsman 84T Thin Profile, the old Craftsman Professional 84T, and then the 72T has a couple less teeth and is used in the Craftsman 72T with the fat handle (except that model has the stupid cheap plastic selector switch, so I would avoid because it’s a weak link), the Craftsman Extreme Grip with the plastic ergo handle (good buy when you can catch it for $15), and the Husky 72T ratchets.

I’m a fan of the Husky ratchets too, I have a 1/4” drive model and it’s super thin plus has very little back drag which is nice on small nuts and bolts in tight spots. Gearwrench has the best selection though, the 84T flex handle set for $80 on Amazon right now is such a steal, I would recommend that to anybody looking to upgrade their cheapo 36T ratchets.

Pic related. Husky 72T is #2, GW 84T and 120XP are 4 and 5, and then Craftsman 72T is #9.

>>1526865
It’s 2 pawls not 2 gears. The gear is a bit bigger then normal to accommodate the second pawl but that’s it. Also no they are most definitely not the same. Husky ratchets are fucking garbage

>>1526750
>Stanley
I used their FatMax chisels for a few hours this month and was surprisingly impressed (albeit just on pine)

>>1526871
Yeah it’s early and I’m retarded, one gear but two pawls offset slightly so it’s basically 2x60T mechanisms but where one pawl engages at 0deg, 6deg, 12deg, the other engages as 3deg, 9deg, 15deg, etc. But the 120XP’s have that little bit fatter head.

And the Husky and Gearwrench are the same aside from a couple more teeth. You can deny it, but it’s right there in the picture.

>>1526874
Stanley isn’t that terrible. A lot of their stuff is cheap, but the Fatmax tools try to be contractor grade.

>>1526871
>>1526875
Also Tekton and HF Pitt Pro ratchets are exactly the same.

>>1526875

that's an interesting pic. is it clear which wrench is which? if not, could you provide as much detail as you can?

ok, I see this now: Pic related. Husky 72T is #2, GW 84T and 120XP are 4 and 5, and then Craftsman 72T is #9.

I see that Captain Autismo has a new BepisLoveImage. Nice. >>1526859

>>1526740
Gearwrench flex head metric ratcheting set 8-22mm
6-7mm from Korea
That 301 pc set from horror fright has all the 1/4 drive inverted torx Allen key screw driver business. Was worth it.
Got a 1/4” drive locking from Matco I shill .
Haven’t broke the dewalt 18v combo set. Bought a new 20v set. Still running the 18. No grinder.
Always used De(w)fault grinders
Shill the welder if you buy it. Menards gave me 225 in rebates. Might go Campbell hausfeld for two fiddy.

>>1526859
im uncertain if bepislav is one person or a bunch of imposers

>>1526882
>>1526865
From left to right:
1) Kobalt 72T (1/4”)
2) Husky 72T (1/4”)
3) Duralast 72T (1/4”)
4) Gearwrench 84T (3/8”)
5) Gearwrench 120XP (3/8”)
6) Pitt Pro 72T (3/8”)
7) Williams 36T (3/8”)
8) Craftsman 36T (3/8”)
9) Craftsman 72T (3/8”)

Tha Kobalt is a few years old so they may have changed designs or suppliers since then but I have a feeling that’s the same mechanism as the Stanley 72T ratchets. The Williams is the same as the last gen Snap On 936 ratchets, and the Dual 80 ratchets are kinda like a mix of that design with the GW 120XP system. Pitt Pro is the same exact thing as Tekton 72T ratchets. Craftsman 36T have been the same fucking forever, but those thin profile designs are Apex-GW models. Like I said, the 84T Craftsman Thin is the same as GW 84T, but with a quick release, the 72T Thin is the same as that except the plastic F/R lever instead of metal like the GW and Husky, and then pic related is the same 72T Apex mech as Husky and the other Craftsman, but this has the metal F-R switch unlike the 72T Thin. All of the newest Craftsman wrenches at Lowe’s are different. I want to buy a 100T Husky so I can take it apart and see what’s in there.

Just look at pic related and compare it to the Husky and Gearwrenches. It’s the same thing with a different handle. I really like that design so I don’t think you can go wrong with any of those Apex designs aside from the one Craftsman 72T with the plastic switch.

>>1526871
Actually I was thinking, the one difference with Husky is the quick release. That creates a weak spot and people will break those when they start using a cheater bar on ratchets. So if you had that issue, don’t use fucking cheater bars.

>>1526891
Actually I don’t think Kobalt is the same as Stanley. It must be the same supplier that Tekton and HF use, which isn’t bad because the models that aren’t complete shit are Taiwan made, but they all have that cheap plastic selector switch which people tend to shear off, same complaint with the cheaper Craftsman ratchets which used to be metal until the early 00’s. Pic related is a Kobalt and Pittsburgh.

No idea who makes the Autozone ratchets, but those are actually a good buy too. You can get a flex head for <$30 and it’s Taiwan made and a ripoff of Snappy design. The head on those, as well as the Snappy ratchets, is small but deep, kinda the opposite of the Gearwrench design which is thin but somewhat wide.

The newest Craftsman ratchets is another one that I’m not sure about but it must have something to do with Stanley. I wouldn’t buy one because they aren’t serviceable at all. You can’t take them apart to clean, grease, or rebuild.

>>1526891

thanks for the descriptions.

>>1526901
> lower case fag replying to bepcunt once again
I suppose it's only fair you give yourself a (you) after all that effort though. Fuck knows no one else is going to.

>>1526907
Thanks bby. It’s a lot of effort making all of these posts replying to myself.

>>1526909
I got your back gorgeous xx

>>1526907 (you)

I love you and want to have your babby.

>>1526909 (me)

>>1526914 (him)

>>1526921
Get the 84T GW flex set for $80 on Amazon. Those long handles and flex hesds are so nice. It’s amazing how much easier life is with a 12” handle on a 3/8” drive ratchet compared to little 6” Craftsmans.

>>1526934

DELET THIS

Just follow these rules OP.

Get whatever is cheapest yet not chink cheap. Stick to Harbor Freight, Lowe’s, and Home Depot or whatever you have near you.

Only things you don’t want to cheap out on is a torque wrench and anything similar that requires calibration. Cheap torque wrenches are never accurate nor hold calibration for long.

If you break and have to replace a tool 3 times within 1 year, then it justifies upgrading that tool to something higher quality.

>>1527015
Somehow I have yet to hear anything horrible about HF’s $11 torque wrenches. I would never buy one, but they seem to work better than expected.

>>1526740
unironically doyle tools from harbor freight

>>1527040
Unironically HF has been stepping their game up with lots of stuff which is why I agree with >>1527015

There’s a difference between going to HF and buying the $2 Pitt pliers in the bin on the bottom shelf and buying the $7 Quinns or $12 Doyles. They even started selling a better grade of sockets with the Quinn.

There are some store brands worth buying into, or at least most of the tools from these brands are better than total Chinesium. Autozone’s Duralast stuff is mostly as good as Husky or Kobalt, Northern Tool’s Klutch is real decent while Ironton is their bottom Chinesium brand so buy Klutch for stuff you will use and Ironton for disposable stuff you only need to last a job or two. Napa sells a cheap brand and good brand as well, their Carlyle stuff is meant to stand up to shop use.

>>1527021
>Somehow I have yet to hear anything horrible about HF’s $11 torque wrenches.

Because the people who actually need torque wrenches arent buying HF ones. The people who do use them arent going to know one way or the other.

>>1527092
I had a couple. Went on a rape van one day and had the Snap On guy test them. 55lb on the wrench was actually measuring 63lb. 1-2lb off isn’t terrible but that’s huge.

>>1527134
>trusting the rapist
>#metoo

>>1527015
I’ve done the same thing similar. If I break something more than once then I upgrade it. I don’t go full out capitalist cuck though. I usually upgrade to Blue Point, Sonic, or GearWrench.

Specialty tools I always get good quality to begin with. I don’t cheap out on Harbor Freight compression/leak down testers, quick disconnect tools, puller kits, etc.

From experience, you’ll be upgrading ratchets first. The cheap ones are fine if you’re working on your little 4-6 cylinder cars but don’t hold up when working on fleet vehicles that is all rust within a year.

Also get a complete set of both 6 and 12 point sockets. They each have their own good uses. Also just get an impact set in 3/8 and 1/2. No need wasting money on both a chrome and impact set.

My lead mechanic has about $60K worth of Snap-On and Matco tools in his truck. Most of mine are Harbor Freight brands and we do the same job. I spend more on specialty tools and tools designed specifically for a certain task like removing valve springs instead of Afro engineering shit with a hammer and punch. Makes life a lot easier having the right set of tools instead of just a $130 hammer and $1,000 socket set to rig things up with.

>>1527138
This

>>1527134
Snappy truck has a gauge that is purposely off so they can convince you pay for calibration or pay even more and buy a new wrench.

For real though a lot of people who test them claim it’s <10% even after some use, and that’s good enough for poorfag shade tree mechanics.

>>1526891
The problem I had wasn’t anything actually breaking. The little ball bearings that lock the direction in place would always somehow pop out of their hole making the ratchet useless. One of them got down into the gear and fucked it up pretty good but that was only 1. I had similar issues with Stanley but not anywhere near as bad

>>1526934
I actually prefer shorter handles most of the time. Pretty easy to snap off smaller fasteners with long handles especially with the 3/8 drive

>>1527149
That’s also about not being retarded.

I think Gearwrench is ~9” and that is straight. My gripe is with the cheap round heads and basic Craftsman 3/8” that are only ~6”. You have to grab a 1/2” to move anything moderately tight, and the 1/2” drive is short as well so you need a breaker bar or hammer on anything >10mm that hasn’t been removed in the past 3 months.

Even when I’m doing oil changes with a bolt torqued to 20ft-lbs, short 3/8” ratchets suck. I nomally don’t jack my car up because I can slide under there, but it’s awkward putting nearly 50lbs of force on a 3/8” ratchet in confined places. 10”+ handle make it much easier as long as you don’t manhandle stuff.

>>1527157
A cordless impact is always nice to have.

I was always a hand tools kinda guy but once I got into buying junk cars to strip down for eBay I got tired real quick and got me a cordless impact and an electric ratchet. Now stripping a car takes no more than 2-4 hours instead of an all day thing.

>>1527157
>You have to grab a 1/2” to move anything moderately tight

maybe if you're a weak bitch.

>you need a breaker bar or hammer on anything >10mm that hasn’t been removed in the past 3 months

see above

>>1526740
I buy my tools used. Older the better. Why old tools? They are cheaper, they are often overbuilt, and if they have lasted this long they are probably good ones. Just go to an estate sale and load up. Who needs a lifetime warranty when they have already lasted a lifetime?

>>1527371
They’re often overpriced for what they are.

Last estate sale I went to the grandson wanted $225 for a small rusted Craftsman tool box full of wrenches and half missing socket sets. Minus the tool box I could have bought complete sets of what was there for $150 or less.

>>1527377
>grandson
that's your problem
i got a box of about 10 plumbers tools from an estate sale for $2 total because the teenage girl taking the money didn't feel like looking at the price tags and just guessed on the value of things

>>1527342
That’s why I’m interested to see what this Ridgid 1/4” driver does. Took it out of the bag and first test was lugnuts and it knocked off 100ft-lb lugsnuts in 2 second. That was fuckn impressive for a 1/4” hex driver. I kinda want to get down on the 1/2” Ridgid now too.

>>1527344
Maybe. Or maybe I would rather not have to reach at goofy ass angles under a car to try and put 50+ pounds of force on a tiny metal handle when I could grab a longer one with a flex head that allows for a much better position to work from.

And there’s also the impacts which means I’m not hammering and shaking a 4000lb hunk of metal propped up above my head.

>>1526777
I work in high-volume diesel maintenance shop and all of the technicians and I have started using Milwaukee for our battery assisted tools they have far surpassed our Snap-on ones. Snap-on is having trouble with their battery assisted tools.

>>1527449
The Snappy stuff all looks a bit dated too. When half the stuff was coming out 15yrs ago, it was probably worth $800 to not be dragging the air line around, but Milwaukee keeps putting out better models every year and you can get something that beats Snappy for 1/3 the price.

>>1527377
Sometimes you get this, sometimes you get this:
>>1527377

I paid $10 for a table saw without a motor (cast iron top and wings, like picture related, was just gonna use as a work table) and $10 for a motor that fit it two streets over at the next sale. I have regularly gone to sales and had the seller tell me "Make a pile." I load up with so much stuff it takes me three trips to haul it to my truck after and the guy says "Hows $50 sound?" I once paid $15 for a brand new 8 drawer Kennedy machinists chest with the original paperwork still inside. I've bought toolboxes loaded with American made sockets and tools for an average of 10 cents a socket/tool. I bought a stack of various 10 inch carbide tipped table saw blades that were so new the lettering on the sides was still crystal clear for $1 a blade. I once got a Rockwell 24 inch scroll saw for free because the person selling it thought you couldn't get blades for it because Rockwell didn't make tools anymore. This was before the Worx people bought the rights to the name and started using it again but they take standard blades regardless. I've paid $5 for a worm drive Skilsaw Model 77 by pointing out someone cut off the ground prong (got to love tradespeople and their rampant stupidity) and then installed a new plug on it for a couple of bucks.

I'm not gonna say its easy or that every tool is worth buying or even that you will always see good prices. You do have to dig but that is half the fun. It is a seasonal thing and I take the girl out for a few hours on weekends and we have a good time. It is a cheap date as many times you don't spend much but you have fun. You see some cool shit, meet interesting people, learn about your town, and maybe acquire some tools (or other items) pretty cheapy. You don't have to pay any sales tax and, if you need a few extra bucks, you can flip the stuff on craigslist for some under the table income.

>>1527457
Every pawn shop I have ever been to is asking way too much for 90% of their shit. Used beat up tools for 75% of full retail, and then anything in moderately good condition costs just as much as sale prices on the same thing brand new.

And somebody a block over is moving and had random crap for sale in their front yard. Had two of those cheap plastic saw horses that were all sun faded and they wanted $30 for the pair. I could go to HF and pick up the same brand new for half of that.

Too much crap to comb through and I don’t have the time.

Threadly reminder. Unless of course he's just samefagging to himself which we know is a solid probability.

>>1527448
nope you're just a bitch, that much is very clear

What cheap tool brands offer complete sets?

I’ve been to Harbor Freight, Home Depot, and Lowe’s and all of the socket and wrench sets I could find skip sizes and it bugs me because I know I’d end up needing that missing size at one point.

>>1527533
Metric sizes that are commonly skipped such as 9, 11, 15, 20, etc. are because there’s an SAE equivalent within .5mm or so. Just get a SAE and Metric kit and you’d likely find a socket that fits any bolt.

>>1527476
Keyboard warriors are the cutest.

>>1527533
There’s a reason they do it. Like anon said, either an interchangeable SAE size or it’s just a size that is rarely used (until you run into goddamn 9mm hex heads on a Ferd).

My big ol’ US Craftsman set is pretty inclusive. Gearwrench and Klutch are bretty gud about it too, especially if you buy seperate sets of 1/4”, 3/8”, and 1/2”. Tekton too.

>>1527543
anyone that needs a fucking breaker bar to remove a 10mm bolt is nothing more then a weak bitch. you should probably just let the pros handle shit and stick to your job sucking cocks

>>1527552
Meh, I was going to refute this and explain how “>” means something besides greentext, but it’s a waste of effort since you can’t fix stupid and desalinization is a lengthy and complicated process.

>>1527558
weak bitch

>>1527558

anon was asking how to use a breaker bar. pls don't be so sensitive in futuer.

>>1527552

A breaker bar is simply a long adapter for sockets that is used to "break" loose tight fasteners. see pic related.

>>1527560
qt3.14 keyboard warrior ;^)

>>1527563
weak bitch

>>1527558
>>1527560
>>1527561
>>1527563
>>1527564

Samefag much?

>>1526750
Craftsman is already owned by Stanley Black & Decker. Sears sold the brand off a few months ago.

>>1527462
A pawn shop is a *business*. You aren't going to get good prices from them until there is a sale. Some rando selling a few items is looking to make enough money for the sale to be worth their time.

Which is why you go to estate sales! When you have some overwhelmed offspring who probably don't live in the area and have to empty an entire house worth of stuff in a weekend they are much more motivated to sell.

>>1526740
buy used snap-on or new husky for ratchets. don't get the kit, kits are memes full of filler tools you will never use. the HF impact driver is actually one of their gems.

if you actually want to get into some serious shit, get a fuckin' compressor and start running air tools. ESPECIALLY for doing automotive work. for real, having an air line to pull venturi vacuum or blow out AC lines is money in the bank. it also leads into my next point...

don't cheap out on a welder. get one good mig/tig/stick machine (miller, hobart) and call it a day. welders are one of those things that you don't realize how much you need to use it till you have it. you will be welding fucking everything. spend the money now instead of buying one or two crap machines and realizing you need moar. also, that air compressor i was talking about? yeah... two words. PLASMA CUTTER.

Tekton provides GearWrench like quality with cheaper prices, and many kits available through Amazon Prime. You don’t have the benifets of buying local and getting a same day warranty exchange by driving to the store but they’ve been pretty quick with warranty requests in my experience with replacements being delivered within 3 days.

Harbor Freight isn’t terrible quality they just have terrible quality control. Inspect what you’re wanting to purchase before you buy it. Half of their axes have fucked up edges on them that are beyond repair and have no idea why they’re on shelves. Same thing with their ratchets. I’ve had some last me years and others fall apart within a month.

If working on cars, don’t cheap out on an OBD scanner. Get you one that can clear codes as well, reset oil change alert in newer cars, etc.

Also I prefer Bluetooth ones that connect to an app on your phone. These types usually come with a ton of resources if not it’s own community where every code you may have there’s usually a comment section on what people have fixed or replaced to clear the code.

>>1527702
Miller/Hobart and Lincoln are just chink shit these days yet still demand a premium. the only brand that aren't chink shit are far too expensive for diy shit.

>>1528019
Also for /diy/ work you don’t need a shop spec welder. The diesel tech at the place I work has $60K of snap on shit but uses a Harbor Freight MIG welder with gas.

It’s all the same fucking shit just different brands. If you think your Taiwanese X brand ratchet is different than Y even though they’re the same exact design, you’re retarded.

The Harbor Freight quick pump floor hacks are the same as the Snap On. Only difference is Snap On gets their parts shipped here and pays some rednecks and Mexicans $11/hour to assemble them.

>>1527082
+1 on the Carlyle.
My company has a shit ton of Carlyle tools now, since the Sears closed, and they stand up to our bullshit at least as well as the craftsman shit did.

They're also nicer than the craftsman shit we had.