Join the Family

Sign up to receive the weekly newsletter featuring the very latest from Petrolicious. Don’t be left out—join the ranks of those who Drive Tastefully.

Already a member?

How was the drive?

We're glad you're back.

Not a member yet?

Forgot your password?

Reset Your Password

We'll get you back on track.

Journal: What Tool Brand Are You Loyal To?

What Tool Brand Are You Loyal To?

By Josh Clason
March 27, 2014
17 comments

Photography by David Marvier for Petrolicious

Owning a vintage car comes with many benefits. The driving experience, memories, and uniqueness are all advantages to owning a classic. On the other end of the experiential spectrum is the realization that your car will have a problem at some point. No matter if you handle big repairs or just the smaller ones, you will need a set of tools for when the inevitable problem arises or a part breaks.

I began with a basic Craftsman set and have been slowly adding to the collection over the past ten years. As I get older and have the luxury of affording better tools I have come to appreciate a quality tool in how it feels, how it works, and its durability. Part of the reason I drive a vintage car is that it was designed to last and I want a tool that shares that very same characteristic. There is something about a tool that is well crafted, and even if it feels a little silly to admit, I get a lot of pleasure out of something so simple as rebuilding and taking care of these tools. Ordering and installing a kit to rebuild my Proto ratchet was something that was just as fun as fixing something with that ratchet itself.

Where does your tool loyalty fall? Is it a mix of whatever you have cobbled together over the years? Did you inherit an unwavering devotion to Craftsman from your father or grandfather? Or have you gone the route of Snap-on, Mac, or SK?

Tags Craftsman/ Loyalty/ Maintenance/ Question/ Repairs/ Tool Brands
Join the Conversation
View Comments

17
Related
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Martin McAllen
Martin McAllen
10 years ago

I buy mostly Beta tools, excellent quality at a very good price. Got some Japanese Koken tools, not the easiest to find, but great tools at a good price as well. Never been sucked into the Snap On black hole, not worth the price.

0
Christopher Gay
Christopher Gay
10 years ago

I’ve always believed that a tool should feel good in your hands, and have always been relatively blind to a particular label or make. Everyone has a different feel and different technique, so your mileage may vary. My first complete set my father gave me at a young age was a Craftsman, but as a fabricator, I now have so many hand tools of various makes accumulated over the years that range from select purchases to hand-me downs from my father, step-father, and grandfather. When you’ve been at it long enough, you can spot quality before you pick it up, and you generally reach for that favorite ratchet, wrench, screwdriver, pliers, and hammer because they feel good in your hands. Some tools need to be modified, and sometimes you just need to make your own.

0
Phil auldridge
Phil auldridge
10 years ago

Recently I had a difficult task of remove a long steel bolt from a 3 inch thick aluminum suspension casting on my 1953 Nash Heally LeMans Coupe. No doubt that bolt had had 55 some-odd years to weld itself into place. I tried everything… heating, snake oil solutions, and, of course, my trusty Harbor Freight air chisel. Finally, out of frustration, I sprung almost $400 for the top of the line Snap-On air chisel. Using a fabricated punch rod, that baby drove that bolt out of that casting like it was butter! Sometimes there’s just no substitute for a top quality (and top price) tool!

0
Michael Fischer
Michael Fischer
10 years ago

Harbor Freight. Because, you know…. poor.

0
Erling Sovik
Erling Sovik
10 years ago

If you are looking for the best quality professional tool then Stahlwille is the best choise.

0
Jono51
Jono51
10 years ago

I have a bit of anything and everything picked up over the years, but some of my favorites are an old set of Canadian made Dreadnaught brand ring (box end) spanners that I stole from my father. I also have some very similar ones that I acquired from my Uncle with the brand name Gray, which it appears come from the same company. Google and ye shall find.

0
Anders Holmberg
Anders Holmberg
10 years ago

Snap-on!

0
rodzilla
rodzilla
10 years ago
Reply to  Anders Holmberg

While Snap-On tools are a fairly high quality brand, I find their wrenches too thin to grip comfortably,

0
German Classic's
German Classic's
10 years ago

When I was doing a little research before buying my first tools, a good friend of mine recommended Facom tools. I ended up buying 1/2″ and 1/4″ rachet sets, and i was sold. The quality feel of a tool like that gives me the same feeling as owning a well built quality car.

0
Luke Ogier
Luke Ogier
10 years ago

Over the past 35 years of collecting tools I have quite a wide selection. The majority of my trade tools from 35 years ago are still with me as are my grandfathers and fathers hand me downs. It is quite easy to see quality in the manufacturing. I have a pair of channellock pliers that are so well made they rate up with my Micrometers, DTI ‘s and hole gauges.

0
Julian
Julian
10 years ago

If I can afford it I buy facom

0
Dutch
Dutch
10 years ago

My first set of tools were (are) Blackhawk, so I just kept adding to the collection. However there are some Mac and Craftsman sprinkled in there too. So, I guess I’m not too loyal.

0
Tobin Carlson
Tobin Carlson
10 years ago

I pride myself on being as much of a snob as I can afford to be and in as many area of my life as possible, so on reading this and learning that one can be a Tool Snob I thought to myself, Aha! A new, fairly obscure yet semi-practical way to indulge my snob-impulse! I immediately seized my iPad Air in its Book Book case, navigated to eBay and punched in “Hazet tools.” After spending a few reverential minutes in the holy hush of this virtual reliquary, I realized to my dismay that to use a Hazet tool or one of its peers on my workaday BMW would be the mechani-moral equivalent of shimming my starter with a splinter from the True Cross. Back to my Craftsman tools; I am undone.

0
Future Doc
Future Doc
10 years ago

The cheapest that gets the job done without failing or falling apart… which is normally whatever is on sale. Tools do not have to be the best, but they have to work.

0
Yoav Gilad
Yoav Gilad
10 years ago

Craftsman, guaranteed for life…

0
Otávio Mattana
Otávio Mattana
10 years ago

Gedore. And for electronics, Fluke

0
Rj Louro
Rj Louro
10 years ago

Hazet or Beta, but if I can afford it Hazet.

0

Petrolicious Newsletter