John Martin Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 What's your favorite tool brand? Mine's Milwaukee Electric Tool - Entry 1 If that's advertising (the hyperlink) please let me know so I can get rid of it. I was just hoping that everyone could check out each other's favorite tool brand by posting hyperlinks. I've been using them with my dad ever since I was little and so far, never had a problem with 'em. Like them a lot. I'm sure you all have to have a favorite tool brand that you always count on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeaverDamForge Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Why, BeaverDamForge, of course!! Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solvarr Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Northern tool house brand sn't the best but I can afford it. Put their tools on a surge protector and it'll tell you when to stop for a while. I love my band saw they just knocked it down to 155$ 2 months after I bought mine Northern Tools Metal Cutting Band Saw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 I don't really have one. I do occasionally buy a Craftsman tool but I shop at the infamous Harbor Freight sometimes too. I don't buy anything electric there, though. Reminds me of a story: A blacksmith goes to the local hardware store and says he wants to buy a wrench. The hardware store owner asks "what size and which brand?", and the blacksmith says "It don't make no difference to me, I'm gonna forge it into a screw driver anyway". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welder19 Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 (edited) Milwaukee and Rigid. Milwaukee hold up good and usually are the most powerful. Rigid are great tools and have lifetime warranty on a lot of their stuff, even batterys on cordless tools and brushes on electric, just be sure you fill out the warranty info and send it in, they will send back the info you need in case you ever have to make a claim, which I did have to get a battery replaced and it was easy and no hassle, that alone makes it worth it since most of the time if a battery goes bad your better off buying a new tool for the price of battery's. Hilti are really good but unless your making a living with them they are bit out of most of our price range. welder19 Edited August 20, 2008 by welder19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddog Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 I've had good luck with DeWalt, Makita, Rigid & Milwaukee. Makita makes some consumer grade grinders which arent worth much but their high end stuff is good. The Rigid & Milwaukee stuff I bought as reconditioned from one of those tool truck sales. I try to buy only good quality tools but , IMO, there is a place for cheap tools like HF. You cant expect too much from them and you have to know enough to fix them. I bought one of their Beverly Shears knock offs. It didnt work when I took it out of the box but an evenings tinkering made it into a very useful tool which served me well until I picked up a real B2 on ebay. These days Craftsman tools are HF quality at a higher price. Some brands of 2nd rate tools are better than others. I have heard good reports about Grizzly. I looked closely at one of their hz bandsaws and found it had bushings where Jet had ball bearings. Nevertheless they seem to work well from what I hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRobb Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Bosch, Milwaukee, Ridgid, DeWalt & Porter Cable. Craftsman for hand tools. Depends on the tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabre Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 I love my band saw, they just knocked it down to 155$ 2 months after I bought mine Northern Tools Metal Cutting Band Saw WOW i gota get me one of those guys.... THATS CHEAP!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jose Gomez Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Little Giant, Nazel, Big Blu, Beudry, K-A. Seriously though, Metabo grinders are about the toughest thing out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mende Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 I say Bosch makes the best stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnW Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Stilh and Husqvarna. Quenchcrack, your story reminds me of the guy from the hills that arrived at the hardware story to buy one of them there chainsaws because he had him some trees to cut. He bought one and brought it back the next day, slightly beat up, with the comment that it didn't cut worth a crap. The mood suddlely changed when the hardware man sent the saw to the repair shop to see what could be the problem, and his customer remarked, "what's that sound?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike BR Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 One of my favorite things about blacksmiths is that they aren't tool snobs. This thread is a perfect example of folks giving honest opinions about both cheap and expensive tools based on their personal experience. Not like auto mechanics, who may not talk to you if you buy Mac tools instead of Snap-On. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Caradoc Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Mike looking at the pictures in the gallery I would say most of these guys can make better hand tools than you can by at a retail store. Hopefully one day I can say I can make better hand tools too. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnr Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 My favorite tools are the Finnr Bjornsson tools that come out of my shop. For the ones I buy, I look for quality and price. I always buy the best I can afford so I don't have to get another in a few months. Finnr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Auto Mechanics: My son is in Tech School (UTI) in Automotive Mechanics. He will graduate next year and we bought him a "basic" set of Snap On tools. They all fit in a Craftsman 8 Drawer Tool Chest. $1750!!!!! I gave him some of my Dad's Craftsman tools in 2 smaller tool boxes and he uses those to do "Government Jobs" for his friends. Now, make no mistake, Snap On tools are extremely well made and beautifully finished. But a $12 set from HF will turn a bolt too, just not as long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrynjr Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 I love my band saw they just knocked it down to 155$ 2 months after I bought mine I just looked into that tool, it would cost me $154.63 for standard shipping. For $300 I bet I can find something closer to home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mills Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 larrynjr - I check craigslist a lot and snagged a similar one for $60. Some of them take a lot of effort to get them cutting well. Snap-on vs the wannabes. I have the breaker bar and set of 3/8 drive sockets I bought about 82 when I started as a professional mechanic. There are other ones as well but those were my first. Still works great. I also several set of the low end of the scale tools. It is easier for me to drive a socket onto a vice grip stripped nut or bolt if it isn't real expensive. Same for heating and bending a wrench into a special shape for this one job. Know whut I mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Heat and bend a perfectly good tool into a completely goofy shape to use for only one project? Sounds like a blacksmith to me. (grin) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Fisher, Trenton, Hay-Budden, Peter Wright, Mousehole, Arm and Hammer; Champion, Nimba, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1860cooper Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Just mostly from farming experience I've come to appreciate Milwaukee most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGropp Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Milwaukee for drills, Metabo for grinders, Makita for cordless, Bosch for most others. Victor for OA and Miller for welding. Cheap tools are a complete waste of time and money IMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welder19 Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Some cheap hand tools can serve a useful purpose but not cheap power tools, they are indeed a waste of hard earned $, IMO. welder19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden_eagle Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 I like tru-temper, Hatashi, Milwaukee, and bobcat. We've own at least one tool from every brand, these are just some of my preferred brands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGropp Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 A lot of my hand tools I've bought used over the years from junk stores, pawn shops and estate sales. The old tools were designed and made by the same people that really used and depended on them to do the job. Cheap knock offs seldom get the subtle geometry that really makes a hand tool work. The condition of a used hand tool is fairly easy to assess and if cared for will last for generations of daily use. Inexpensive power tools do have a place. Few of us can buy industrial grade equipment to start out. If they function reasonably well, it's better to use industrial grade tooling ; blades, cutters, bits and abrasives . Those are the things that actually do the work. Just don't think that that $200 drill press from HF is the same as the real thing. Put some sharp ,high quality bits in it and drill the holes you need until you can buy something a lot better . If you are a professional, usually only professional grade tools will hold up to the daily grind. Good tools are worth fixing and taking care of. Just my 2cents worth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike BR Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 (edited) To me, there's a certain range where cheap power tools make sense. A $700 Harbor Freight plamsa cutter might work just as well as a $1400 Thermal Dynamics. And then, it might not. I figure that if I can afford to gamble $700 on the HF, I can afford to invest $1400 in a Thermal Dynamics. Someday. I can buy a $1 HF screwdriver and not cry if it strips on the third screw. But why bother when I can buy a Stanley for $4 or a Klien for $8. On the other hand, I bought a $30 "heavy duty" 1/2" drill from HF for those few times I need a 1/2" hole in a piece of steel I can't get in my drill press. It'll spin the bit, and it's hard to justify spending $150 for a name brand drill that will mostly sit in a drawer. If the drill breaks next month I won't be happy about it, but losing $30 won't kill me either. Edited August 23, 2008 by Mike BR spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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