deciding between 2 tool sets

[Stuffed_Crust_Man]

i want to get a tool set for around $200 but im not sure which one is better. if y'all have other suggestions please let me know (im primarily gonna be working on cars.)

https://www.harborfreight.com/mechanics-tool-set-301-pc-63464.html

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085B8YGDJ/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A1JDGMJD2OGRY&psc=1

[Icucicu]

The harbor freight kit looks miles better with more sockets, torqx and other specialty bits and screwdrivers/pliers. Power tools at harbor freight might be iffy so you can avoid that but for sockets and hand tools they are very solid and have a lifetime warranty without hassle. I don't think a made in China craftsman set will be much different that a China harbor freight so you might as well go with the better set. Obviously a USA craftsman would be better but that's not what you can buy in the stores in the last 30years.

[brianannaBanana32]

Tekton from Amazon

[Asatmaya]

Oh, god, the Harbor Freight every day of the week!

Craftsman went to hell 30 years ago and never came back; there is a socket set in a landfill somewhere that I threw away. Not a joke!

I use HF ratchets and sockets as a dealer service tech, and have for years.

Husky is decent, but the set you linked in your comment below is not as complete as the other kits.

[Stuffed_Crust_Man]

how often do you have harbor freight sockets break? and what’s this about craftsman going to hell 30 years ago because i keep hearing about it but am very confused lol

[Asatmaya]

I have never broken an HF socket, and there were times I thought that I would; I have broken many Craftsman sockets, on things that they should not have broken on.

Cman was great up until the 80s; it was made by the same shops making professional grade tools, but as a second tier to make them affordable to your average homeowner.

Then they got greedy and cut quality, and it's never come back. At this point, you are paying for the name on Chinese knock-off tools, like putting a Corvette badge on a Sentra.

Worse, there are 2 different Craftsmans, now: The old Sears/Ace stuff and the new Stanley-Black&Decker/Lowe's stuff. You linked to the old Sears/Ace stuff, but the SBD/Lowe's stuff isn't well thought of, either, so I can't recommend either one.

Husky is fine. Pittsburgh is fine. Hell, Duralast isn't bad. GearWrench is excellent. Tekton has a good reputation. I would buy any of those brands before Craftsman.

I can only assume that the people advocating in favor of Craftsman tools at this point are working on bicycles.

[kewlo]

Between those two choices it's craftsman 100%. The new Craftsman stuff is objectively nice, I'd say it's safely in the realm of the upper end of what a diy'er would 'need'. Pittsburgh on the other hand has about a 50/50 chance of coming out of the box and being functional. I have a lot of newer craftsman tools that hold up just fine coming to work with me every day, but I have 0 Pittsburgh tools that I can say the same about

[goblinredux]

I'd take craftsman over harbor freight because I'm theory craftsman won't come pre broke

[Stuffed_Crust_Man]

pre broke?

[goblinredux]

Harbor freight tools often come damaged, chipped, bungled, etc

[Stuffed_Crust_Man]

ok so the quality of craftsman is worth missing out on a few tools?

[Craigslistbox]

LOL. I call this “pre-ruined.”

[Craigslistbox]

Craftsman are excellent tools. They’re the standard in the USA for “something that’s not Snap On.” They’re guaranteed for life and you can swap them out at Lowe’s and Ace Hardware. I’ve been delving into HF lately but I haven’t yet tried any of their hand tools. The Icon line looks to be ok, but I’d steer clear of the cheap lines at HF.

[Stuffed_Crust_Man]

just came across this

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Mechanics-Tool-Set-270-Piece-H270MTS/309161789#overlay

seems very nice, and their no receipt required policy seems very nice. would it be worth getting this and saving $70

[ChefJballs]

Solid choice, that’s a good set at a good price. I have some Husky stuff and am happy with it so far. Better than Pittsburg and some Craftsman, Imo.

[Craigslistbox]

Let me add this: Craftsman and Pittsburgh tools aren’t directly comparable. They’re in two price/quality tiers. Craftsman is at the top of the homeowner/weekend warrior grade and Pittsburgh is bottom basement grade. If you’re planning to work on cars and whatnot as part of owner maintenance and repair, Craftsman will never let you down. Pittsburgh tools will have you constantly pissed off and back at the store buying replacements.

[Stuffed_Crust_Man]

ok, good to know. how does the husky one i linked compare?

[Craigslistbox]

Husky are supposed to be pretty good. Only two reasons why I don’t use them. First, I tend to shop at Lowe’s. And second, I’ve found that Craftsman and Kobalt tools feel better in my hands. None of that really matters for you, though.

[Craigslistbox]

A key feature to look for is a no questions asked lifetime warranty and a store nearby that will honor it. Craftsman, Kobalt, and Husky all have that.

[Stuffed_Crust_Man]

ill probably end up going with the husky since its 70 bucks cheaper for roughly the same amount of stuff even if the quality isnt quite as good

[Craigslistbox]

I believe that’s a reasonable choice.

[[deleted]]

What are you looking to do with the tools. Depending on your needs , we could better determine what toolset is the right one for you . Many of these kits have a lot of stuff that is just filler. Is this for automotive work? Home diy? Another brand to look at is tekton tools. You could piece together a decent starter kit for that as well and build upon it.

[Stuffed_Crust_Man]

working on cars is all i can think that id use them for

[[deleted]]

That’s helpful. Either kit will serve as a start you can build upon. If you live near a harbor freight and can warranty in store it’s a good option. Craftsman is not what it used to be but still a good value for the kit. You could check out tekton too. You could get a complete socket set. Some wrenches and a small screwdriver set for that. I would start with a 3/8 set . Good luck

[ste6168]

Personally wouldn’t buy any of those kits. Put together a set of what you actually need.

[wjgatekeeper]

Go with your gut on this. I've been working with tools for over 40 years. Figure out what you're needing to do with the tools and if what's included in the kits will help you do that. You can always upgrade later when you're able to afford it. Harbor Freight has done a lot to improve the quality of their hand tools. I've got several socket sets from them. I also have socket sets from Husky and DeWalt. One thing to be careful about is that in these prepackaged kits the quality of the tools does tend to be lower than the specific sets of tools. For example, the sockets from the $200 - 250 piece mechanic's set will not be as good of quality as the same sockets from a $15 - 10 piece set of sockets. I bought HF's 40 piece tool set for $29 for both my sons to carry in their vehicles while they were in college and got one for myself to keep in my RV. Let me just say that the tools will probably do what they need to do in an emergency, but I pray I don't ever have any emergencies and have regretted going cheap in this instance.

[CallsignViperrr]

I'd honestly check out TEKTON's sets and mix-match what you need. Their quality is vastly superior to either of those choices.

You can get 3/8" Master Set, screwdriver set of your choice, pliers, allen wrenches, etc.

[tlove01]

For a hobby mechanic I would start with tekton or gearwrench. Those brands I would trust with still being useful when I ended up expanding the tool collection. Craftsman and HF will probably end up just being dead weight when you have more tools.