Tool BRAND(s) inquiry.

Sir/Madam,

Im a newbie here and I'm planning to take up Auto Mechanic next yr. I want to invest on Professional auto mechanic tools.

I would like to ask you guys on what's the best Professional tool brand thats out in the market right now?Or you may recommend top 5 brands in the market.

I really appreciate your recommendations and thank you very much.

my personal preference is craftsman since their lifetime warranty is amazing you take it back to the store and you get a replacement on the spot Snap On on the other hand you have to send back to the manufacture they do tests on it and if it was incorrectly used they void the warranty and your out... craftsman is much more cheaper also then snap on, snap on is suppose to last longer but the warranty that will actually give you no problems is also worth looking at... thats just my 2 cents i'm sure someone will post a defense for snap on...

There is a draw back on Snap On,they do not warrenty anything worn out.You have to break the wore out socket,wrench,etc to replace under warrenty.Matco is the same,they also do not warrenty anything worn out.Mac is sometimes and sometimes not.If you are looking for impact wrenches,go with Ingersall Rand and they are top of the line.They last forever when oiling them once in a while.They do make air tools for Mac,Matco,Cornwell and Craftsman's professional line air tools.Snap On is the only one that makes their air tools.Stay away from a Snap On impact wrench,they are wimpy without a lot of power

For pneumatics I prefer CP (Chicago Pneumatic), I don't like Ingersoll-Rand at all. I guess tools are mostly just preference. Though I've been through many many shops and met many many techs and a great majority of them have mostly snap-on. I have also heard many bad things about craftsman tools turning into bolt strippers after some hard every day use.

My father had bad luck with Snap On to the point he kicked the dealer out 6 years ago because the dealer did not come in time.The sockets do not last,after 6 monthes they are worn out.If my father has a broken Snap On,down to the dealer in our area.This dealer is home on weekends.My father had bad luck with Matco too,kicked that dealer out because the Matco dealer would not replace a broken socket.My father had very good luck with Mac,the dealer came in on time.The dealer ended up quiting because Mac wanted him to buy his truck and that was not an option.My father likes Craftsman better,he has wrenches from 1972 for a graduaiton gift that are still in great shape.If a craftsman ratchet fails and they try to hand a refurbished one to you for a replacement,turn it down and request a new one.I have heard but bad luck with them,they fail right away.Craftman's warrenty is the best,no questions asked.I broke a 15mm deepwell 6 point chrome socket in 3/8 drive with an impact and still warrentied it.

Isnt there a warranty issue when it comes to Craftman and using there tools in a professional garage? I dont know so Im asking... :)

Personally, I think Craftsman are good for the shade tree mechanic, but would'nt recommened them for professional use.

Im going to go against the grain and say Snap On and Mac are the better tools.

And as far as Snap On not taking back the tools, I dont know, but I have personally handed the Snap On man several broken tools and he fix/replaced them free of charge.

Craftsman also dont have door to door service, so if your in the shop a tool breaks, you have to go to Sears on your on time. But I guess you will have to wait for the SO/Mac man to show up also.

To warrenty a worn out Snap On tool,you have to break it and Matco is the same way.My father broke a worn out Matco 10mm socket in 3/8 drive when he was working at a Dodge dealership by putting a 10mm allen wrench in a vice and breaking the socket with a 1/2" drive breaker bar with a 1/2 to 3/8 drive adaptor.The Matco dealer saw that and warrentied the socket.My father and I have taken broken Craftsman tools back from my father's shop with no questions asked and warrentied them.We do this on weekends once in a while.

Just my 2 cents, your just starting out and you may want to change careers after youve studied mechanics for awhile or go in a different direction, engineering, auto design, you get the point. Stay away from the tool trucks for a few years. Shop around for bargains, used tools that retired mechanics are selling, craftsman, dont overlook flea markets and yard/garage sales. After a few years and you have settled that this is definitly what you want to do, then consider what tools you want.

Try Ebay too for used tools also.I have bought used Snap On,SK,Craftsman and Mac tools on ebay.I had to take 3 three Snap On tools to the local Snap On dealer in my area,2 ratchets and a breaker bar in 1/2 drive.They were covered under warranty and cost me nothing.The ratchets needed the ratcheting mechanisms inside the ratchets replaced and the ball to hold the socket on the breaker bar replaced.I had to replace on SK socket too and,the AutoValue auto parts store in my area did that one since they are a SK tool dealer