On 2011-03-18, Smitty Two wrote:


than a lifetime guarantee. "I don't need a lifetime guarantee right this
minute, I need a tool that isn't broken," is how he put it.

BINGO!!

When I was a motorcycle mechanic in The Dalles OR, the closest Sears
was 180 miles away, round trip. A lifetime replacement warranty was
worse than useless, it was an added expense. Having already broken a
Craftsment open end wrench and one socket, even before I went
professional, I didn't have a single Craftsman tool in my box.


OTOH, once worked for a start-up high tech company. Twenty plus
electro and mechanical technicians, all sharing the same tools out of
one seriosly abused Craftman 2-deck roll away. I worked for that
company for almost 2 yrs and saw that box get its drawers open and
slammed shut at least a 1000 times per day. It never missed a beat.
I bought one jes like it. Their screwdrivers are OK, too.

Jes like Snap-On, most tools are rebranded. Some tools in a brand
line are great, others crap. Snap-On tapes are rebranded Lufkins,
which I consider junk. The best pair of adj pliers I've ever owned
were Wizard, a $4 cheapo house brand from a long gone auto parts
chain. I'd kill for another pair.

Good and bad tools are where you find them. You can't really judge a
whole brand line by a couple tools. Nor can you go by price. I'll
buy some things from HF. I once bought a 2-1/2 ton Chinese floor jack
for $50. It was better made than an alleged USA made jack for $180.

Like the old saw, "You jes gotta be smarter than the tool."

nb