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BUCKLAND

BUCKLAND

Red Skull Member
Joined
May 20, 2020
Member Number
475
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575
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WMA
I am very particular to my SK tools. I am looking at some of the shit in Northern, how are the larger hand tools?
 
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There is nothing wrong with liking quality, purpose built tools. If all you can afford is chicom shit, do what you must to get by. If you can call the Snap On guy and have anything you want dropped off then cool.
 
From my experience northern tool is advertised to seem better by being slightly higher than harbor freight with better advertising but it isn’t any better . I bought some of their stuff when I built my shop and was unimpressed . Certain things you can get away with being cheap on as anyone they does it daily knows but if you can swing it the quality tools sure make life and warranty easier .
 
I would go with the higher end HF stuff first, talking to mechanics at work they are in many cases the same tools as SnapOn ones, but with a different logo.
They say that if they were starting out, they would have a box full of HF tools (with doubles if they broke something once, switching to SnapOn if they broke it twice.

Aaron Z
 
Never used the SK.

Matco, Mac has been pretty good.

I still have some craftsman for local quick replacement. Better brand for specific tools.
 
I love my high end specific snap on tools BUT i only buy the brand name ones when I know the cheaper Harbor Freight style tools fail. Only snap on tools I bought off the truck are snap ring pliers BUT i do have many other hand tools that I've gotten with bulk lots at auctions or garage sales. My Macsimizer tool box is awesome BUT i would never buy one of those new and I use my harbor freight tool cart daily and 1000x more than the macsimizer without issues. Also I am a Milwaukee power tool hoarder, M12, M18 and corded drill for my notcher. Can't go wrong with good brand power tools. I also am a Dewalt corded grinder as well, have 4 of those.
 
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Meh, mid brand hand tools for me...gearwrench, tekton, channellock, etc. although I've started adding things like wera or knipex but definitely little tool truck stuff. Power tools are dewalt (cordless) and ingersoll rand (air) and such. I find the hand tools there isn't a huge difference moving up further but I won't buy cheap power tools, they always suck and the tool truck brands are just rebadged or shittier.
 
I still have SK sockets sets from the 80's. Still my favorite ratchets. Is SK still good quality these days?
 
I also spent a little more money on my ratcheting end wrenches from gearwrench. Cheaper than some but more/better than the harbor freight ones.
 
I do like the old SK stuff when I can find it. A good number of my basic hand tools are semi- vintage stuff such as PA Bonney, '60s and '70s Mac, '70s and '80s Proto and Cornwell. If I have to buy newer stuff, its usually mid grade, except for pliers... I'm spoiled on the Germany made knipex stuff, even though I think I've seen they're trying to pull that shit Craftsman did before their sears demise and make a sub-quality line that is cheap and doesn't hold up.
 
Have proto and plumb for the last 40 + years.
 
Brad said:
I agree. Did you know it’s pronounced ka-nip-ex? Saw that from a video at a trade show
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It's two syllables... knip-ex. Think 'clip' and replace the l with an n.

I'm not a tool snob, but I do love these pliers. One of the small ones lives in my work-coveralls pocket along with a pic-quic screwdriver.
 
I gotta get me some of those Knipex cobras and the pliers wrenches. I've heard a lot of people raving about them, but haven't tried them yet...

I am by no means a tool snob, I do like quality tools, but I will use anything that gets the job done and a lot of times that is a HF adjustable wrench, and HF sockets.
 
billybob_81067 said:
I gotta get me some of those Knipex cobras and the pliers wrenches. I've heard a lot of people raving about them, but haven't tried them yet...
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Irwin make a similar copy, thats decent. Other copies are showing up. Not many copies have the flat smooth jaws.
 
It's easy to spend a ton of money on good tools.

I have a snap on slide hammer with id bearing puller attachment and that thing has paid for itself a few times over. It lives in a drawer next to a bunch of old craftsman, newer Hf, and some Bonney tools. It's good to have a mix.
 
I used to get the Northern catalog, but with no stores close by I've never bought much of anything due to shipping costs.

I've got a range of stuff from HF to Snap-On to "saltier"... Typically it's a matter of matching the use to the cost. I've watched others buy certain Snap-On at 10x the cost of a HF tool I use and there is little difference in quality or towards getting the job done. Other tools, the difference in quality is definitely there.

I know a guy who buys all his DeWalt 20V stuff off the tool truck - and pays a premium for it. I'll wait for the deals online (Fastener's and Murdoch's have great deals) and save my money.

The thing that pisses me off the most is when you buy a "quality" tool and find that it was probably made in the same factory as the "cheap" stuff.
 
PAToyota said:
I used to get the Northern catalog, but with no stores close by I've never bought much of anything due to shipping costs.
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Sometimes they'll have free shipping after you spend a certain amount. And other times there is a coupon code for free shipping. On some of their larger items the shipping really isn't that bad. We bought our tire machine, and a log splitter from them, and I think even our 10k assymetrical BendPak 2 post lift...

Harbor freight is pretty nice in that the shipping is always a set rate (7 or 8 bucks if I remember right) for as much shit as you can cram into an order as long as it isn't an oversized truck freight item.
 
Notstock said:
I still have SK sockets sets from the 80's. Still my favorite ratchets. Is SK still good quality these days?
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They were recently sold to the chinks, like just this past Oct-Nov time frame. No idea how that will effect the quality or if they are moving production to slave labor camps or not.

I have SK stuff and have had no issues at all with them, some shit I got from dad that he got in the 60's. I'll let someone else test out their new chicom shit.


For mid range tools I have recently been buying Tekton stuff and have no complaints so far. They have a mix of made in US, Taiwan and Chicom tools.
 
I do love my Knipex adjustable wrench, its an easy go to when your not sure what you'll need. I'm also really like my Klein needle nose, and dykes. Klein makes some nice stuff but its geared more to elechickens.

I've been going through my miss-mash of tools and weeding out the junk that's been piling up in the drawers.

I want to upgrade my wrench set and screw driver set. What do you guys have that feels good in the hand and gives you the fizz so to speak?
 
Juztyn00 said:
I do love my Knipex adjustable wrench, its an easy go to when your not sure what you'll need. I'm also really like my Klein needle nose, and dykes. Klein makes some nice stuff but its geared more to elechickens.

I've been going through my miss-mash of tools and weeding out the junk that's been piling up in the drawers.

I want to upgrade my wrench set and screw driver set. What do you guys have that feels good in the hand and gives you the fizz so to speak?
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I love Wera Kraftform screw drivers.
 
Wera is damn good.

Gear wrench is popular for hand wrenches these days.
 
GLTHFJ60 said:
Gear wrench is popular for hand wrenches these days.
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everyone I introduce to the gearbox wrenches that hasn't seen them yet says "that's stupid they don't got an open end"
but as soon as one guy at a shop buys a set, everyone else does shortly afterwords
sad that they always seem to be special order and nowhere seems to regularly stock them
 
FYI - advance auto had a ton of gear wrench stuff on clearance a couple weeks ago. They also had another brand that was very clearly re-badge gear wrench. I got the ratcheting flare nut wrenches in that brand for like $25/set for sae and metric. They're identical to the gear wrench ones except for the name stamped on them.
 
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