For the most part the maximum stuff is great but their ratchet sucks ass. The switch on mine would wear out really fast and then start jamming and reversing directions on its own. It was so annoying. I've probably warrantied mine like 5 times in one year and I got fed up and moved on to something else.

sounds like you has some serious badluck with craftsman. I have a mix of snap on CT and craftsman. In all the years i've been pulling wrenches, i don't think i've have problems with sears. At least the US made ones anyways.
Their unfinished wrenches are abit bulkier, but i find that makes them stronger and not flex as much as other wrenches.

yeah i agree, the craftsman wrenches i bought in the states are tough. i have 2 sets of wrenches (not including "specialty" wrenches), i use the craftsman ones for double wrenching and they've held up for the last 2 or 3 years. a lot of the old guys swear by the US craftsman stuff. and snap-on.

didn't have enough wrenches so i bought the mastercraft maximum set for $60, compared to $400+ for a snap on set. was looking at husky wrenches too at home depot, but only had 12 in the set, the MC one i picked up has 16. also bought the snap-on 8pc screwdriver set(which i regret buying) for $175after tax(reg $250+tax) came with a free ratcheting screwdriver.

I like Facom OGV sockets.. especially with rusted in stuff.. my gf got me the F1 cart set and I have been hooked ever since. They are distributed by Stanley in North America. Griot's sells them too.

Lomac if you want variety in rachets.. check out Facom's catalog.. there has to be one that suits you! http://www.facom.com/com/F08/download.php

^^^ Show us some pics! :)

why? A wrench is a wrench in pictures.. it is the weight and the mechanics that sets each of them different. Something that pictures don't convey well at all.

i need to get a decent torque wrench, but i'm not going to pay snap-on prices

proto i've been told is over priced (not as much as snap-on), and was told that gear wrench was a good quality USA made torque wrench

about $170 at KMS (they are out of stock for another 2 weeks).....is there anyone else that sells Gear Wrench locally?

Why, because I'm curious. :)
If a wrench is a wrench in pictures, why should manufacturers spend all the time making the myriad of different styles?
I understand the last point, but I would think that the majority would like to see pictures of a new tool before they even think about buying it.
What made you end up going with the Facom set in the first place?

So saturday I hurt my credit card.

snap on came around and had 'the best deal I've ever seen as a dealer' and I had to take advantage.

I picked up a 10-19mm + 7 american sizes that I don't really care about, flank drive plus wrench set for $400 after tax.

it was a buy one get one free set basicly and I know I'd eventually end up with them anyways, so may as well do it now while I can still kind of afford it and it's 2 for 1.

first impressions.
They're hot. I'm very pleased with the fit and finish on them, it's like a lexus interior but on a wrench. They do sound different when dropped, I read about that somewhere and it's true. It's a great feature.
the flank drive plus is cool, it does grip a fastener better than a usual wrench, for that .5% of the time when you for whatever reason need to use the open end.... and yes it does mark the fastener, just to let future mechanics know someone with too much money has worked on the vehicle. they are all shorter than my mastercraft maximum set I donated to a friend that day, but length is still pretty damn good.
They do have a pretty low profile to them as well, but as I found out today trying to do front brakes on a 03 echo hatch, they aren't as low-pro as the mastercraft ones. I had my ratchet and socket on the caliper bolt but the slider 'nut' was spinning, so I had to put a wrench on it..... however the 14mm snap on provided me with was too fat in the open end to fit, so i looked for a mastercraft to do it with.... oh wait I donated them.... I'll try my mastercraft ratchet wrench set!!!!!! yay! it fit! so.... snap on got put aside and a cheap but just as good if not better canadian tire wrench did the job for me



I know I usually come of as sarcastic and overly opinionated, but I was hoping for the best with this snap on wrench investment, and it was a pretty big hit, even on sale with buy one get one.... but I still had more luck with the mastercraft maximum set.

on the plus side, I'm keeping some american worker from killing himself.... i guess...

anyone?

1990TSI,

Thanks for the post and ouch, that's a big hit on the wallet for a set of wrenches! It's a good thing you had those MC ratcheting wrenches (same as GearWrench) to get the job done. Otherwise, you may have regretted the donation of that MC combo set, eh?

anyone have experience with the USA craftsman punches and chisels? i'm considering buying a set when i'm in the states next next week, unless someone knows of another decent brand for a good price?

i am a mechanic
my tool box is full of everything not just 1 brand
of course if you are using lots of impact sockets, you might concider snap on.
but for screw drivers set, i will rather buy crasftman or canadian tire, the reason, WE usually use some of the screw drivers as punch, and we break them quite often.
all brand are lifetime warranty, but i found out that snap on guy, gives you hard time if you dont buy from him often. as for can tire or sears, they dont care just gives you new ones.
dont get me wrong i love snap on stuffs, like my best investment is the impact guns
1/2 inch and 3/8 inch drive, also love their rachets
but these are so expensive stuffs.

IIRC, Mayhew makes the punches and chisels for Craftsman USA, so go for whichever is cheaper when shopping down South. I think Sears also sells Dasco products (USA-made) as well.

Well, I think you ought to be using the right tool for that. That's clearly tool misuse there. ;)

of course i know that is misuse
but you are telling you never done that?
if that is true, then you are not a full time mechanic

specially the flat head screw drivers are good to separate the transmission from the engine, they are thinner than chisel and longer too

Yup, I've done that exact thing before in the past, using a screwdriver or even a scribe; whatever it took to get the job done. It's a good thing that I had some cheapo Chinese screwdrivers at my disposal. Now I have a chisel driver, pry bars (curved and straight) to handle such jobs.

...and no, I'm not a full time, nor a part time mechanic. :)

Holy fuck, this just happened to me today. Wasn't my set, but was helping a friend work on his car and the fucking thing did exactly what you described. The switch, switched over and started to go the other way.

The guy said he had it replaced a year ago. It's really annoying. Canadian Tire/Mastercraft tools suck ass..................

yea snap on or mac both really great, ofcourse you gonna pay more, but its worth it for tools.

you forgot these brands

http://www.canadiantire.ca/media/ima...9830961736.gif
http://www.canadiantire.ca/media/ima...9830964429.gif
http://www.canadiantire.ca/media/ima...9830961735.gif
http://www.toolcachecanada.com/media/tc_logo.gif

I prefer the jetstuff

Haha. How could I forget Mastercraft!? It'be safe to say that 100% of their stuff is all imported from either China or Taiwan, rebranded to the MC name. Their Maximum or Professional line would be the stuff to look for.

Jobmate....now that's total garbage. I would refrain from using some of those tools just from a safety perspective.

Stanley....a company with such a rich history as a tool maker is now a corporate company producing some really horrific stuff. I wouldn't touch it myself.

Tool Cache--never heard of it.

stanley makes Proto which is nice stuff...i just got a Proto torque wrench

never heard of tool cache?? WTF?