moxnix wrote: Actually if you add them to your cart right now they are $29.99.
Oh berkeley! I just had to come in here. Dagnabit now I spent money. 
moxnix wrote: Actually if you add them to your cart right now they are $29.99.
Oh berkeley! I just had to come in here. Dagnabit now I spent money.
J308 wrote:moxnix wrote: Actually if you add them to your cart right now they are $29.99.Oh berkeley! I just had to come in here. Dagnabit now I spent money.
You are more then welcome!! 
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: I wouldn't buy ratcheting wrenches at sears. Sadly, the Harbor Freight ratchet wrenches are far superior. It's not even close. I have a set of the Gearwrench and a set of the HF. But yes.... ratcheting wrenches are AWESOME. What polisher are you talking about? Is this something i need, too?
Wazzat? The HF ones are FAR SUPERIOR to the gearwrench ones???? Ok, holding up on ordering from Sears, as the HF ones are $25. 
Please elaborate!!!
Oh, and forget about the polisher. Do NOT go watch videos of the PC 7424, do NOT go to Autopia and look around. And whatever you do, don't click here.
J308 wrote:92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: I wouldn't buy ratcheting wrenches at sears. Sadly, the Harbor Freight ratchet wrenches are far superior. It's not even close. I have a set of the Gearwrench and a set of the HF. But yes.... ratcheting wrenches are AWESOME. What polisher are you talking about? Is this something i need, too?Wazzat? The HF ones are FAR SUPERIOR to the gearwrench ones???? Ok, holding up on ordering from Sears, as the HF ones are $25.
The ratcheting action is much better. They're tighter, no play, and i swear they have more clicks per rotation.
They also feel better in the hand.
In terms of strength, i can't say yet. I haven't really put either to a big test yet.
The HF set can usually be had for $20 with coupon, or less if you get creative. The downside is that the swivel end set doesn't come with a 17mm.
They do also have the non-swivel end set that DOES come with a 17mm, which can also be had for $20 with coupon. (Or less if you find it on sale for $25 with a 30% off coupon.)
HF hand tools DO carry a lifetime warranty as well.
Oh... and sonuvabitch. I need a polisher. I have a single stage red car.
In reply to HiTempguy:
What the heck is a Cambodian Tire? Never heard of 'em.
In reply to J308:
He is poking fun at Canadian Tire.
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: The ratcheting action is much better. They're tighter, no play, and i swear they have more clicks per rotation. They also feel better in the hand. In terms of strength, i can't say yet. I haven't really put either to a big test yet. The HF set can usually be had for $20 with coupon, or less if you get creative. The downside is that the swivel end set doesn't come with a 17mm. They do also have the non-swivel end set that DOES come with a 17mm, which can also be had for $20 with coupon. (Or less if you find it on sale for $25 with a 30% off coupon.) HF hand tools DO carry a lifetime warranty as well. Oh... and sonuvabitch. I need a polisher. I have a single stage red car.
So do I. Actually, it's currently single stage pink. That's how I found the thread. 
Ok, good lookin out on the HF stuff. I'm going to go through the review threads. I'm still going to jump on at least the one Gearwrench set with my Christmas $ tool fund, but I'm going to check the HF option also. Thanks!
The HF set I have didn't come with a 17 or 19mm wrench, this Gearwrench set does.
A $100 tool box is gonna make you want to punch babies. Cheap junk. Save your pennies for a used Snap-On, MAC, Matco, or Kennedy off Craigslist.
A $100 Sawzall would be a good tool, but unless its corded or you are buying a mate to the cordless tools you already have, you will have an orphan once you start expanding your set.
A $100 air compressor can fill tires, run a rattle gun and a blow gun. It can run a die grinder in short bursts. Not the best choice but not bad if you have no source of compressed air. I ran a pancake compressor for 5 years until I had enough jingle to buy a real compressor. I gave my pancake to my friend who uses it to air up tires.
$100 spent on soldering irons/multimeters and the like can be better spent on the real stuff like Fluke, Weller, etc. All you get when you buy those items from Sears is less value for your money.
$100 worth of hand tools will get you some decent stuff at Sears. Pliers sets, torx and allen sockets, T handle allen sockets, flex sockets, impact sockets, extensions and swivels, full polish ratchets, flare wrenches, or just fill out your sets. Don't have a set of 6 point deepwell sockets? Don't have a set of 12 point deepwell sockets?
The Craftsman hard line tools are still decent for the most part. Even with a box full of Snap-On stuff, I still grab my Craftsman Pro full polished ratchets most of the time, and a Craftsman extension or swivel is almost as good as a Snap-On. The only thing I miss is the knurling on the shank. My Craftsman T handles and allen sockets have been great, but after breaking a lot of the Torx sockets I picked up a set of Snap-Ons. No one makes a better torx socket. Stay away from the gimmicky crap and focus on the chrome. My Craftsman impact sockets do a fine job. They are thicker than my Matco sockets but are just as bulletproof.
Horrible Freight? Puh-leeeez!
I just jumped on the Gearwrench set, thanks! Very timely, was going to stop by HF today to pick up a set of these 
DuctTape&Bondo wrote: I just jumped on the Gearwrench set, thanks! Very timely, was going to stop by HF today to pick up a set of these
Yeah, I already have full sets of gear wrench in metric and standard without the flex heads but at that price my tool box just got a little fuller.
I don't know if they have the equivalent at Sears (they should, but I haven't looked), but my latest favorite is the open socket set I got last year. The ratchets and sockets all have an open center so long bolts pass through, virtually eliminating the need for deep well sockets. The set I have is Kobalt from Lowes, and the ratchet action and quality is higher than most of the recent Craftsman stuff I've bought, plus it has metric and sae all in one set with 3/8 and 1/4 drives and extensions. Honestly, I hardly touch my big Craftsman assortment since I got that set
I've never been a huge fan of ratchet wrenches, I can never seem to get them on the bolt or nut for lack of space. Usually if there's space for a ratchet wrench, I can get a socket there.
Of course, having said this means the next project I tackle will have some fastener that will require a ratcheting wrench set.
93gsxturbo wrote: A $100 tool box is gonna make you want to punch babies. Cheap junk. Save your pennies for a used Snap-On, MAC, Matco, or Kennedy off Craigslist. Horrible Freight? Puh-leeeez!
You get what you pay for certainly, but for my home garage, a HF wrench takes a nut off just as well as a Snap-On. Do you realize some people are on a budget? We're not talking about half price here, we're talking 100 tools for the price of 1. If you're honestly saying they are 100x better and not just being elitist, then honestly I'd love to hear about it.
Also, at the risk of offending you, you are HIGH if you think you can find a used Matco or Snap-On for anything close to $100 on craigslist. Save your pennies is right because you're going to need about 40,000 of them to go with your $100.
The rest of what you said looks like valuable info and I appreciate it, but man, be reasonable. Please feel free to show me why I'm wrong. I'm not trying to argue, I really want to discuss. I'm currently at a place in my life where I don't have access to the Matco/Snap-On setups I once had, and I need a budget tool box. (<$200).
Toptul seems to make good stuff. I have a lot of friends that are happy with them, and apparently some character named Tom (not me) is a distro. for them and gives out the mad discounts, or at least he used to, if you're a member of GarageJournal.
J308 wrote:93gsxturbo wrote: A $100 tool box is gonna make you want to punch babies. Cheap junk. Save your pennies for a used Snap-On, MAC, Matco, or Kennedy off Craigslist. Horrible Freight? Puh-leeeez!You get what you pay for certainly, but for my home garage, a HF wrench takes a nut off just as well as a Snap-On. Do you realize some people are on a budget? We're not talking about half price here, we're talking 100 tools for the price of 1. If you're honestly saying they are 100x better and not just being elitist, then honestly I'd love to hear about it. Also, at the risk of offending you, you are HIGH if you think you can find a used Matco or Snap-On for anything close to $100 on craigslist. Save your pennies is right because you're going to need about 40,000 of them to go with your $100. The rest of what you said looks like valuable info and I appreciate it, but man, be reasonable. Please feel free to show me why I'm wrong. I'm not trying to argue, I really want to discuss. I'm currently at a place in my life where I don't have access to the Matco/Snap-On setups I once had, and I need a budget tool box. (<$200).
I've found the "Horrible Freight" tools to be better than Craftsman for at least the last couple years anyways. Same warranty, too. I cannot stand Craftsman tools. (Except for the old stuff i got from yard sales and pawn shops. The new stuff is garbage.)
The only possible exception so far might be the screwdrivers. But when you can get 18 of them for $6 at Horrible Freight, wgaf?
The kind of work I'm doing now is: keep two daily drivers running on a laughably small budget as my wife is about to quit her job and to back to skool. So, no project cars, just basic maintenance, with the occasional ridiculous "why did you even try this in your driveway?" job, like replacing the entire suspension of my car.
Maybe I'll just fill out the tool sets I have. I don't have English anything, all metric, but then again, we own two Saturns, and they're metric cars. I have a good set of box ends, but not ratcheting, I have 6 point 3/8 and 1/2 drive sockets, deep well 6 point 3/8 drive sockets and all sorts of random 1/4 drive stuff. Maybe some ratcheting box ends and a deep well 6-point 1/2 drive set is in the cards. Also don't have any hex anything, save for a Snap On set that folds out, and it's only 5 keys.
In reply to mndsm: I am, but I don't post much. My entire tool budget is less than some of these guys spend on liners for their box. I'll check out toptul. For boxes or for tools?
In reply to 92CelicaHalfTrac: Exactly, wgaswgaf! Only problem is that Lowe's is 1 mile away and HF is 15. I have returned a tool to Lowe's though (unused) when I found I could get an entire set for less at HF.
In reply to ultraclyde: Try as I might, I am unable to find these unicorn tools on Lowe's.com, you don't happen to have a part # do you? If you can't, no big deal, I'll roll over there today and get a couple hot dogs from the parking lot vendor and drop in. Also, as far as wratcheting combos go... I had to use them to remove the 6 bolts behind each hub, and believe me, they were worth their weight in gold as they saved me about 20 minutes per side during a 6hr suspension swap with wheel bearings.
In reply to Twin_Cam:
I feel you homie. I'm on a comically low budget too. I wish I had bought a lift for my garage back when I had monies for things. Ah well! What's for lunch?! lol.
Anyway, do you have a Sears Outlet local? Most of their stuff is 40% off, and if they'll take that gc, you can stretch your value a little bit.
J308 wrote: In reply to Twin_Cam: I feel you homie. I'm on a comically low budget too. I wish I had bought a lift for my garage back when I had monies for things. Ah well! What's for lunch?! lol. Anyway, do you have a Sears Outlet local? Most of their stuff is 40% off, and if they'll take that gc, you can stretch your value a little bit.
A Sears Outlet is the only reason i have any Craftsman tools. Craftsman stuff i can get for about 10% more or less than HF stuff most of the time. (Well, not counting the ridiculous sales HF has)
Well, that and the Sears credit card comes in handy if i'm trying to finish a job that i'm out of cash for and need a tool. 
As for TopTul, both tools and boxes are good E36 M3. I'm taking a long hard look at getting rid of a lot of my tools and starting over with TopTul, since it looks like i'll be doing a LOT of wrenching in the next few years.
Good to know, I'll check out TopTul. BTW, HF has a polisher for less than $50. Forgot to mention that.
J308 wrote: You get what you pay for certainly, but for my home garage, a HF wrench takes a nut off just as well as a Snap-On. Do you realize some people are on a budget? We're not talking about half price here, we're talking 100 tools for the price of 1. If you're honestly saying they are 100x better and not just being elitist, then honestly I'd love to hear about it.
Living in the rust belt, I have rounded off too many fasteners using substandard tools. The difference between a Craftsman #2 Phillips and a Snap-On #2 Philips is night and day. Same with the Torx bits. As I stated above, some tools it pays to buy the truck brand. Other tools, not so much. I use my Craftsman 6 point 3/8" drive deepwells more than I use my Snap-Ons, I just like the fit and finish of them. The Craftsman extensions I have do 90% of the job at 30% of the price. Thats a bargain!
J308 wrote: Also, at the risk of offending you, you are HIGH if you think you can find a used Matco or Snap-On for anything close to $100 on craigslist. Save your pennies is right because you're going to need about 40,000 of them to go with your $100.
I was young and dumb once and bought a Craftsman ball bearing griplatch top box for around $225 from Sears. I used to think Sears was the pinnacle of tools and brands like Matco were out of reach for a guy of my means. The Craftsman box has performed pretty well, but it is a night and day comparison to my circa 1992 Matco Excelerator set that I picked up off Craigslist for $400 for a top and bottom. Save $10 a week by not buying a pack of smokes or a soda on the way to work or something and in around 9 months you can start shopping for a toolbox that will last the rest of your life.
J308 wrote: The rest of what you said looks like valuable info and I appreciate it, but man, be reasonable. Please feel free to show me why I'm wrong. I'm not trying to argue, I really want to discuss. I'm currently at a place in my life where I don't have access to the Matco/Snap-On setups I once had, and I need a budget tool box. (<$200).
I take it you must be part of that NOW mentality. If I was in your shoes, and I once was, I would store my tools using any secure means necessary (old dresser, cabinets, shelf units, rubbermaid totes) and put awaty $10 a week into my new toolbox fund. Once I had $500, I would buy a used pro box that would last forever and maintain its value if you ever decide to upgrade.
When buying big ticket items like tools, I consider the 2nd hand market and how quickly can they be converted back to cash. Sure, you can buy a lot of Harbor Freight tools for little money, but once they leave the store they are worth their weight in scrap and not a dime more. For example, drop $500 on new Harbor Freight tools and you may be hard pressed to get $100 if you go to sell them in 6 months, because either you don't like them, you need cash for something else, or you don't see yourself using them again. If you drop the same $500 on used truck brand tools, you can easily recover 75% of that cost when you go to sell them.
I'd just like to say that the HF email that went out today is full of much winsauce.
I have found with Harbor Freight a 1/3 of the time you get 90% of the quality for a 1/3 the price, a 1/3 of the time you 60% of the quality for a 1/3 the price and a 1/3 of time you get 10% of the quality for a 1/3 the price. So it averages out.
I am basically quickly getting a decent tool collection using Harbor Freight and such and then I am going to keep my eye on Craigslist to slowly get better things as good deals come up.
Also I am in the same situation I have the same amount at Sears even though I didn't ask for any gift cards to there. Whatever more tools for me!
J308 - I couldn't find it by searching on Lowes.com so I resorted to teh googlez. Looks like they don't sell them on the web anymore, don't know if they're still in stores or not. damn shame, it's a great set.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_68107-1074-22399_?productId=1097399
I'm not sure if you guys have seen it, but there is another thread somewhere here dedicated to the great find / horrible curse of HF debate. It has a different title than this one. 
ultraclyde wrote: J308 - I couldn't find it by searching on Lowes.com so I resorted to teh googlez. Looks like they don't sell them on the web anymore, don't know if they're still in stores or not. damn shame, it's a great set. http://www.lowes.com/pd_68107-1074-22399_?productId=1097399 I'm not sure if you guys have seen it, but there is another thread somewhere here dedicated to the great find / horrible curse of HF debate. It has a different title than this one.
Uhhhhhhhhh holy E36 M3 this is a good deal:
http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=338516-22328-85181&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=3364130&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1
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