What tools?

Keith wrote: I've been trying to work this out, and I can't come up with more than "just under 2 weeks" Still sucks though - especially when you have a shop in the middle of nowhere and the Snap-On guy doesn't want to make the drive.

3 is next to 2 and I fail at typing in the morning after working all night....

ditchdigger wrote: I am hell on cordless drills at work. Big bits and hole saws really abuse the poor things but I ain't dragging an extension cord with me 30 feet in the air in a cage on a forklift. Blow through a dewalt a year(plastic gearboxes strip out like clockwork), My Bosch crapped out in the summer heat (the motor got hot enough to melt the plastic body of the drill and spun inside) and I am now onto a white and black Makita that my boss gave me. Said it was the only cordless 1/2" drill that had actual metal gears in it. We will see.

I actually have that Mikita Li-ion drill in my box. It survived about 8 months of daily heavy use (3 batteries a day) drilling out titanium screws, nailing down floor panels, assembling lavs (blue juice is nasty stuff), cargo bins, sheet metal work, and getting dropped 25 feet off an engine. It's still going pretty strong now though currently its relegated to wood work, drywall, and the occasional automotive use. Plus the 15 minute recharge on the batteries is very convenient. All in all I'd say it was a good 200 dollars spent.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: This thread prompted to start a holiday list for me... only problem is... i don't even know what i need anymore.

My basic rule when it comes to tools is if I don't have it, I need it.

Most of my stuff is Craftsman with a smattering of Easco/KD, Gearwrench, Husky, Kobalt, and so on... A few of my basic Craftsman tools I've had since high school. Snap on purchases have been limited to metric flare wrenches and deep universal sockets. My main 3/8" drive ratchet is a Japanese Snap-on copy I got from Pep Boys when I worked there during H.S.

It's rare for me to break tools, so if I do break something under what I consider "normal use" then I'll replace it with Snap-on. This was the case with 11mm and 12mm 1/4" dr universal sockets.

I've reached that point where I walk into a Sears store and have a hard time seeing anything I really need. Now I do my window-shopping at thetoolwarehouse.net and baumtools.com as well as in various wood working tool catalogs.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Oh, and if you get that thing, make sure you get a bunch of socket organizers. That's one thing i need to invest in.

Get these from HF. You can also get them from Sears for about 300% more. They come in both black and grey, which makes it super-easy to identify metric and SAE. You can mix and match 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" on the same stick, and there's a hole on the top to hang them on pegboard.

Keith wrote:

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Oh, and if you get that thing, make sure you get a bunch of socket organizers. That's one thing i need to invest in.

Get these from HF. You can also get them from Sears for about 300% more. They come in both black and grey, which makes it super-easy to identify metric and SAE. You can mix and match 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" on the same stick, and there's a hole on the top to hang them on pegboard.

Oh nice! I know what i'm doing this weekend! Thanks!

I use Craftsmen here, although I have a few others rolling around in there. Non-pro.

This is why I posted though: JD, be careful. That job sucks. My Dad did Snap-On and then Mac for a combined 20 years or so. He hated it. Pretending to get along with scumbags, more scum not paying you, when he quit his route he had something like 80k in unpaid for tools which he'll never ever get.

Basically people paid in installments, but if the guy leaves the shop (likely if he's a scumbag) you never see him again.

One story I loved was this one. Guy buys something stupid, like a $100 pocket knife. Pays $10/week or something equally sad. Then this line "Ken, I'd love to pay you, but I don't have the money. I have some bills to take care of. After I pay those, I barely have enough for another eight ball". The guy was totally. not. joking.

At any rate, I had a chance to use a lot of really good stuff growing up, and at least Mac and Snap-On are way better than Craftsmen. Their spinning ratchets (can't remember their actual name, but the handle rotates and the head angles) were flat out amazing. I can't stomach $100 for one though.

My Dad also warned me that the quality fluctuated greatly. Every so often after they appointed a new VP of whatever, the broken tools pile would get really big for a bit and then calm back down.

Keep you guard up. If my Dad's experience is any indication, you'll need it. He now has his own shop, charges $95/hour and starts turning people away for the weeks' work generally between Tuesday and Wednesday.

tuna55 wrote: At any rate, I had a chance to use a lot of really good stuff growing up, and at least Mac and Snap-On are way better than Craftsmen. Their spinning ratchets (can't remember their actual name, but the handle rotates and the head angles) were flat out amazing. I can't stomach $100 for one though.

These?

They are pretty nice. The boss has a couple. But keep your eyes open, that $10 one I bought from NAPA (which I'm guessing is a Titan based on the color scheme) is basically the same thing and it's been through hell without a complaint.

These Craftsman ones work just about as well for me too. I like the thumbwheels on the back of the ratchet.

Keith wrote:

tuna55 wrote: At any rate, I had a chance to use a lot of really good stuff growing up, and at least Mac and Snap-On are way better than Craftsmen. Their spinning ratchets (can't remember their actual name, but the handle rotates and the head angles) were flat out amazing. I can't stomach $100 for one though.

These? els on the back of the ratchet.

More like that, but in addition to the adjustable head angle, the handle was also only keyed into position. meaning you could pull on the handle and then the plastic grip would rotate about the shaft, effectively turning it into a speed wrench.