Metal Quality

[reynolds@LL.MIT.EDU (Brian Reynolds)]

     I have always heard people say things like Snap-On uses better metal 
     than craftman on their socket sets.  Just by looking you can tell that 
     there is an obvious difference in their finish.  Is there a way to 
     tell a good quality  metal from a poor quality metal?   Another 
     example would be drill bits.  How can you tell if a set is cheap or 
     good quality?
     
     
     Thank for your help
     
     Brian Reynolds