Steve
Sorry for your loss. Had that happen to me in May, bastids broke into my
shop and took EVERYthing of ANY value - $3500 worth, most of it new.
But...once I found out my insurance would cover it, I got to go on a
tool-shopping binge!!
Anyway, the short version:
For anything but the most serious professional use, Craftsman combination
wrenches, Craftsman screwdrivers are an excellent value.
I bought Craftsman socket set - - 119 pcs for $99 - and wished I hadn't. The
previous set was Blackhawk , and they were much better made for the same
price. Better case too. Biggest problem I have with either of those is
that the sizes of each socket is stamped so small I can barely read them.
But the Blackhawk sockets and ratchets were of better quality - good enough
for me. The ideal would be to buy Snap-On sockets, of course. The ratchets
are another deal, and I think that's been covered exhaustively this week.
I've found that once you get into wrenches over about 1", cheapos work
just fine. Precision isn't nearly as critical in that range, and I use them
too seldom to justify buying top-quality.
Torque Wrenches: I have a Craftsman for engine work, though I've never
used it, and a HF $10 one for wheel nuts.
That's my $.02, YMMV.
Have fun shopping :)
Rex Burkheimer
J-CON Coordinator, WM Automotive Whse Fort Worth TX
Texas Region SCCA FC #19 Reynard
rex@txol.net rburkheimer@hotmail.com
Gravity...It's Not Just a Good Idea. It's the Law.
"There is pleasure sure in being mad which none but madmen know." John
Dryden
----- Original Message -----
From: Steve Budde <super_racenut@hotmail.com>
To: <shop-talk@autox.team.net>
Sent: Friday, December 24, 1999 1:17 AM
Subject: Merry Christmas!!
>
> Well I know sombody is going to just love their new tools this Christmas.
I
> know I loved them until about an hour ago when they were removed from the
> trunk of my car!!! The lock was popped and the tool box gone before my
wife
> or I could get downstairs and say anything!! So now I'm in the market for
> new tools and am looking for opinions. I have been ignoring the previous
> strings about tools because I didn't need any (at the time). Because I'm
on
> a budget and don't have the resources to replace over $1500 in tools in
one
> shot I need to get things back slowly and cheeply. Ebay here I come <G>.
> Nobody seems to like the craftsman rachets, but what about the sockets? I
> was considering a set of Metrench tools, any horror stories about them
being
> crap? My father has a small set and just loves them. Not having to
figure
> out if it's metric or sae seems nice as well as having half the amount of
> tools to carry around. So as not to clog up the list with repeated info
> please feel free to inundate me with ideas.
>
> Thanks
>
> Steve Budde
> mailto:super_racenut@hotmail.com
> "Tooless in Chicago"
>
>
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