I need to replace the little ~300 piece Craftsman mechanic set (you know come in the little box with a few drawers, metric/standard sockets, 3 ratchet sizes, some wrenches, etc, that was stolen out of our garage a few months ago.
I've been waiting for this week to do so hoping to find a good deal.
Are you looking to replace it with the same thing, or are you just looking for something that will cover the same needs? How much are you looking to spend?
I'd look at Lowes and their Kobalt line.
02Pilot said:Are you looking to replace it with the same thing, or are you just looking for something that will cover the same needs? How much are you looking to spend?
Pretty much the same thing. That along with a torque wrench and a few other things were enough motor swaps in my E30 and Miata, suspension/brake work, etc.
A more durable case would be nice, but I haven't seen anything that isn't a molded plastic case. I don't really have any need for a big metal rolling tool chest or anything like that.
bobzilla said:I'd look at Lowes and their Kobalt line.
That was my first thought. Probably take a look during lunch.
Q: Any good tool sales yet?
A: Good tools or cheap prices?
I have an old Kobalt socket set that I like. I have bought some inexpensive Stanley sets which are handy for keeping in trunks but generally I am not a fan of the tools themselves.
If I were starting over on tools I would probably consider getting deep into Tekton.
Get it all easy in these 3 cases where each case has inch and mm with both shallow and deep in each case. $350 Many other combos to choose from also.
They also have a 10% reward system and a 15% student discount.
Available on Amazon too.
Some recent GRM chatter about Tekton
John Welsh (Moderate Supporter) said:Q: Any good tool sales yet?
A: Good tools or cheap prices?
I have an old Kobalt socket set that I like. I have bought some inexpensive Stanley sets which are handy for keeping in trunks but generally I am not a fan of the tools themselves.
If I were starting over on tools I would probably consider getting deep into Tekton.
Get it all easy in these 3 cases where each case has inch and mm with both shallow and deep in each case. $350 Many other combos to choose from also.
They also have a 10% reward system and a 15% student discount.
Available on Amazon too.
Some recent GRM chatter about Tekton
I like that Tekton setup. And it would be handy if I can ever start doing HPDE again. Thanks for the link!
EDIT: After checking their wrenches as well..........I may have to stick with Kobalt stuff. Adding in wrenches, ratcheting wrenches, and some other miscellaneous stuff would end up being quite a hefty chunk of change.
I have some 10+ year old Kobalt ratchets that I like, but I got a 1/4" ratchet there a couple of years ago, just before they started stocking Craftsman, and it was garbage. The switch for changing direction would move slightly from it's "end stop" position while being used and lock up the whole ratcheting mechanism. I brought it back to exchange it but they didn't have any so they upgraded it to a nicer one. On this one the switch is so loose it will sometimes change the ratcheting direction on its own.
Sears near me is selling damn near everything at a minimum of 30% off. A lot of their tools are 50% or more off. Saw a 200+ piece tool kit for around $80? Makes it comparable to Stanley, Pittsburgh, Husky, and others.
That being said, I picked up some Icon stuff from Harbor Freight and I am hugely impressed, unfortunately the only Icon stuff I see on sale right now is their storage stuff https://go.harborfreight.com/?s=icon&Submit+search=&orderby=meta_value&post_type=post&order=DESC
Oh, if you want some power tools, Home Depot is doing Ryobi sales right now. Maybe some Milwaukee? I didn't pay attention to them though
HD has a 270 piece Husky set for $99. I have been having good luck with Husky.
ACE is having a tool sale.
Slickdeals (no canoe) is the best place to go for tool deals. I've picked up way too much stuff because of that site!
I've been picking up Gearwrench 6pt sockets when they're on sale, too much Milwaukee (M12 and M18), and have a Tekton 1/2 ratchet and 6pt socket set that I love. And I bought one of the HF HD floor jacks because I needed more height from my jack.
Napa has a lot of Craftsman hand tools on sale.
Ace doesn't have E36 M3 this year.
Brickseek.com is another good site to watch deals at Home Depot and Lowes
z31maniac said:bobzilla said:I'd look at Lowes and their Kobalt line.
That was my first thought. Probably take a look during lunch.
I saw a big set for $99 the other day at Lowe's.
I ended up just ordering a Craftsman set from Sears.com
450 piece mechanic set for $219. And got a plier set. I'll be keeping my eye out for deals on some ratcheting wrenches and a few other little things.
https://www.sears.com/craftsman-450-piece-mechanic-s-tool-set/p-A010318153
Lowe's has a decent looking Kobalt set in a blown molded chest for $100.
My soon-to-be 17 year old nephew is getting this set and a variety pack of pliers from Uncle Lee for Christmas, to help keep his "hot rod" Geo on the road.
Kobalt 232-Piece Standard (SAE) and Metric Combination Polished Chrome Mechanics Tool Set
I don't mean to hijack this thread, but what do y'all think of Tekton tools? I just started with a few and wanted some opinions before I get in deeper.
In reply to thedoc :
Good stuff. Not the best stuff, but miles better than cheap tools were a decade ago. It's worth buying for sure, especially for tools you use "sometimes". I bought 1/2 inch drive sockets in all the sizes from 10mm to 38mm and 3/8 to 1 1/2 along with a 90 tooth ratchet. I don't use 1/2 inch stuff terribly often, but when I do, I now always have the right size, it's organized, and the ratchet doesn't suck. In truth, it also gave me a fairly complete set of anvils for the shop press.
In reply to John Welsh (Moderate Supporter) :
I bought the “all 1/2 inch drive” kobalt box (I call it my suitcase) years ago, planing to go back for tha all 3/8 and all1/4. But by the time I got the money up for the next set, they quit selling them that way. I never liked the sets with all three in same box.
If the sets you linked to don’t skip sizes, as so many do these days (personal peeve) I might have to get them.
In reply to Schmidlap :
I grew up with 60’s and 70’s craftsmen tools in my hands - and craftsman ain’t what they used to be, sadly. I got to liking the kobalt stuff, but there quality started going down just before the new Lowe’s vp (former sears guy) put craftsman in the store. Now they support less kobalt stuff, and lots of craftsman for more money, less quality. I can no longer recommend either. But have no better suggestions for mid level hand tools.
bigdaddylee82 said:Lowe's has a decent looking Kobalt set in a blown molded chest for $100.
My soon-to-be 17 year old nephew is getting this set and a variety pack of pliers from Uncle Lee for Christmas, to help keep his "hot rod" Geo on the road.
Kobalt 232-Piece Standard (SAE) and Metric Combination Polished Chrome Mechanics Tool Set
Lucky nephew! I didn’t have a cool influence like that. Dad wasn’t a car guy, but he at least didn’t DIScourage me!
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-286-Piece-Mechanic-s-Hand-Tool-Set-in-4-Drawer-Chest/1003095532
comes with some wrenches, as well. But both prolly skip some sizes “they” think you don’t need... I didn’t look to close
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