need some opinions for tools..

[FishyMan]

i didn't know where to put this, but..

i am thinking of picking up a torque wrench. i checked out the ones ft/lb at checkers and the craftsman at sears. i felt the craftsman ones are built better and have better quality. i think its like 15ft/lb max? i dont remember. so everything u turn it the dial will indicate how strong. so does it mean it is only limited to what the dial reads?

ex: if i need to torque 30lbs and since my wrench's max reading is 15, do i torque till 15, stop, and then torque again to 15? or it wont work like that and the dial will just run off..cuz ur putting tha tmuch force already when the screw becomes tight.

however, i d k if the one im getting will be enough for applications down the road.

i want to invest in something that is worthwhile, what do u guys suggest? i haven't been able to find the inch/lb ones. thanks, i dont wanna buy something only to have it be useless.

thanks.

[williamsvt]

Snap on tools bro...expensive but i love em', craftsman is also good, but if you got the dough get some snap on tools

[ZigenBallZ]

Snap on is overpriced IMO... the quality doesn't justify the cost...

Cobalt is good stuff and is what a couple Snap On guys reccomended to me...

Craftsman is pretty decent and ya gotta love the lifetime, no questions asked return policy with Sears...

[arrozburner]

theres i think 3 different sizes of torque wrenches sears sells with different ranges in torque adjustment...look in your haynes or helms manual and check out which range you'll be using most of...i got the medium sized torque wrench the starts at 10 ft/lb i think...but yeah, craftsman is cool cuz of the lifetime warranty especially when it come to breaker bars...ive brocken about 2 breaker bars already (non craftsman) and that warranty wouldve come in handy

[deevergote]

Craftsman, simply for the lifetime warranty. You can say "I put it in my blender" and they'll give you a new one! Whatever it is!

I used a snap-on ratchet once, and I really liked that too. Still, if it's something that's going to get beat to death, go with something that can be replaced for free!

Husky is supposedly pretty good too. Patastinky has a set that he used when he helped with my suspension install. Not bad stuff, but I still like my Craftsman best!

[93accordcoupe93]

believ it or not i fucking love stanley, sold at walmart but my favorite ratchet is 6 yuears old and it still works perfect after LOTS of use. spins clean and quiet and never jams or slips. i have all stanley tools and also craftsmen. but stanley ratchets kick ass. compare them to craftsmen there very similar.

[AccordAnimal]

Snap On. I have a Snap on Torque wrench, fricken tight and sweet. If not Snap on Craftsman, with the LIFE TIME Gurrentee, and then Allen tools also offer the Gureentee for life.

[deevergote]

believ it or not i fucking love stanley, sold at walmart but my favorite ratchet is 6 yuears old and it still works perfect after LOTS of use. spins clean and quiet and never jams or slips. i have all stanley tools and also craftsmen. but stanley ratchets kick ass. compare them to craftsmen there very similar.

My best screwdrivers are Stanley I think Home Depot also sells Stanley stuff, so it's not really crap. My dad was a contractor, and he always seemed to use Stanley as well.

[micksf22accord]

<loves stanley every tool I have is stanley (except my power tools)

[AccordAnimal]

believ it or not i fucking love stanley, sold at walmart but my favorite ratchet is 6 yuears old and it still works perfect after LOTS of use. spins clean and quiet and never jams or slips. i have all stanley tools and also craftsmen. but stanley ratchets kick ass. compare them to craftsmen there very similar.

A lot of sockets have worked great for me but when I put a Breaker/cheater bar on the end of them they seem to blow apart, but I will keep Stanley in mind. Have you used a Breaker bar on yours?

[Tone-us]

i didn't know where to put this, but..

i am thinking of picking up a torque wrench. i checked out the ones ft/lb at checkers and the craftsman at sears. i felt the craftsman ones are built better and have better quality. i think its like 15ft/lb max? i dont remember. so everything u turn it the dial will indicate how strong. so does it mean it is only limited to what the dial reads?

ex: if i need to torque 30lbs and since my wrench's max reading is 15, do i torque till 15, stop, and then torque again to 15? or it wont work like that and the dial will just run off..cuz ur putting tha tmuch force already when the screw becomes tight.

however, i d k if the one im getting will be enough for applications down the road.

i want to invest in something that is worthwhile, what do u guys suggest? i haven't been able to find the inch/lb ones. thanks, i dont wanna buy something only to have it be useless.

thanks.

No, you can't just torque something that's 30 pounds with a 15 ft/pound torque wrench. All that will happen is it will tighten to 15ft/pounds and it clicks to let you know it's at 15ft/pounds. If you give it a little slack once it clicks and tighten again it's just going to click again because it's allready there. So if you need to torque something that is 30ft/pounds your going to have to get another one with a higher range. So it all depends on what type of stuff your going to be doing?

[wed3k]

eh...i just have a cheapy one that i got from harbor freight...works pretty well. they have lifetime warranty as well

[owequitit]

I would vote Craftsman. I use them almost exclusively (I have used most others too). Snap-Ons are good and they make a lot of great tools that Craftsman doesn't, but they sometimes aren't worth the extra cost.

As far as torque wrenches go, I would recomend the twist handle Craftsman adjustable torque Wrenches. I have one with a 3/8" drive that goes up to something like 159 lb/ft and a 1/2" that will do somewhere around 250 lb/ft. They are quite a bit more expensive, but I have yet to find anything on my car that won't be covered by those.

[aero]

Craftsman is the way to go. I really dont think there is much of a difference between snap-on and craftsman other than price. Also.. when your wrench breaks, you can just go to sears, and echange it immediately. Snap-on, at least around here, you have to find one of the stupid trucks or you are SOL.

I used a set of some tools from target.. I have about half of them left, the rest I broke. I've broken a few craftsman pieces, but i think they have all been the extensions... trying to do stuff like loosen old head bolts or crank pulley bolt.

[mrhonda]

Depends on what you plan on using them for. As far as tools to have at home and use sometimes on your own car on the weekends or whatever; Craftsman or Stanley is fine. For my application, in my toolbox at work, I don't use anything but Snap-on.....period. The superior quality of them is well worth the cost. At home tho, I just have a good set of Craftsman and they work just fine. Whatever you buy, just make sure the're made in the U.S., if they say "made in Taiwan" or "made in China" you can be sure the're crap.