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Costco carries big sets of brand name wrenches and sockets and so on. It’s very difficult to beat their price even if you get a discount on Stanley tools. If you need production quality tools a few years from now, you can buy them as you see fit and you’ll know what you want. Good quality tools may not be production quality, but you’ll get your money out of them and when they eventually become your secondary tools they’ll continue to earn their keep.
Theres nothing wrong with using tools such as Craftsman to start with.
Do not go into debt over tools right away. You will regret it.
Also, MATCO tools offers between 25 to 75% off there tool line IF your college qualifies and is listed on the student discount program on there website.
MATCO, Last December they were offering us students a 60% off versus the regular 50-52% for example, I purchased a brake tool set from matco for $50 can’t beat that anywhere else I guarantee you it was normally $60, and its REAL easy to sign up. When I signed up with snap-on’s SEP program.
I had to wait a few days before the rep confirmed us as students. With MATCO you could pretty much get a discount on anything they sell, snap-on’s selection is limited to what you could get a discount on. Nothing against Snap-on they’re great, it’s just I’ve been picking matco more and they have decent customer service.
As far as tools, I would recommend Craftsman, Kobalt, Harbor Freight, Duralast, to start off… Stanley is good but a lot of their items now are 2 year or 3 year warranty.
Places to buy tools, Craigslist, ebay, swap meet/flea markets, pawn shops, yard sales.
Just start small and then build it up from there. Basically since you work at wal-mart I would buy the biggest stanley mechanics set they offer, if memory serves me right i believe it was $80? And then just build up on that set.
Quoted From dreamer2355:
Theres nothing wrong with using tools such as Craftsman to start with.
Do not go into debt over tools right away. You will regret it.
Also, MATCO tools offers between 25 to 75% off there tool line IF your college qualifies and is listed on the student discount program on there website.
Could not agree more with dreamers post. I own many craftsman tools ( some over twenty years old ) they have served me very well. as far as a tool box- harbor freights 40” unit is very good and they have some nice shop carts ( 4-5 drawers ) also stated – do be afraid to check craigs list , pawn shops , swap meets and eastate sales ( I have bought many ” pro ” quality tools this way – and saved much money ) I would however suggest getting a really good 1/2 impact gun ( btw – I think snapons impacts are overrated- ingersoll rand is an excellent brand and I have been looking into the aircat line and have read many good things about aircat )
I have been using Craftsman, SK, and Facom hand tools. The nice thing about it is when you break Craftsman, you can drive down to Sears and get them replaced. I started out with Stanley but was really having bad experience with their 12 point sockets so quickly move on to Craftsman and have been using Craftsman tools since 1999. Choose tools wisely – there are tools in my box that I never get to use and is just waste of money.
Quoted From 671tamuning:
MATCO, Last December they were offering us students a 60% off versus the regular 50-52% for example, I purchased a brake tool set from matco for $50 can’t beat that anywhere else I guarantee you it was normally $60, and its REAL easy to sign up. When I signed up with snap-on’s SEP program.
I had to wait a few days before the rep confirmed us as students. With MATCO you could pretty much get a discount on anything they sell, snap-on’s selection is limited to what you could get a discount on. Nothing against Snap-on they’re great, it’s just I’ve been picking matco more and they have decent customer service.
As far as tools, I would recommend Craftsman, Kobalt, Harbor Freight, Duralast, to start off… Stanley is good but a lot of their items now are 2 year or 3 year warranty.
Places to buy tools, Craigslist, ebay, swap meet/flea markets, pawn shops, yard sales.
Just start small and then build it up from there. Basically since you work at wal-mart I would buy the biggest stanley mechanics set they offer, if memory serves me right i believe it was $80? And then just build up on that set.
Just so you know, Stanley=Mac Tools. A few years ago, I was an on site industrial tire tech (forklifts up to earth movers). I went to a Stanley factory, and imagine my surprise when I saw they were cranking out Mac Tool boxes. I asked for a factory defect, because the box in the back of my press truck was literally crumbling, but no dice.
Tough to beat the ‘bang for the buck’ aspect of Craftsman especially when they run a sale on stuff…which is like every week. Then there’s Craftsman Pro which is a step up. I also really like anything GearWrench makes, though that can be a bit pricey. IMO any name brand should serve you well for now.
I’d try not to get yourself thousands into debt even before you enter the trade.
+1 on craftsman and harborfreight.., Thats where i buy most of my tools at.
I have not had any problems with harborfreights stuff.I like craftsman. if it breaks or doesn’t work you can take it back and get another no questions asked. sometimes you have to wait for things to go on sale
at sears.Craftsman for sockets, and ratchets. Harbor Freight for things like pliers, hammers, punches and such.
Harbor Frieght is ok, but their impact sockets explode. Get a good set of shallow, & deep metric sockets, in both 3/8″, & 1/4″ Drive, Some 3/8″ Metric allen, and Torx sockets (The evolve ones from Sears are good for 10 bucks a set.)
a 3/8″ universal joint, a 1/2″ to 3/8″ reducer, some good fine tooth ratchets, particularly a long 3/8″ with a flexi head. Also a basic set of 1/2″ Metric impact sockets
at least a 17, 19, 21, 22, and 24mm. Get a GOOD 1/2″ impact gun, DO NOT cheap out on this, I made this mistake the first time. I have a IR 2135Ti, but a IR 231 will be ok.
The 2135 is nice because the composite body absorbs shock, and its MUCH lighter than the 231. I’ve used both when I was a lube tech. It makes a BIG difference when all you do is tire rotations all day. The Snap-On ones are overpriced, and I think the IR’s are a better product, but that’s just my opinion.
You will need a couple ball/pien hammers, a DVOM, and finally some prybars. Also, don’t forget a basic set of Metric combination wrences. This should be a good starter set for you, that will help you do most things.Quoted From justinc25:
Craftsman for sockets, and ratchets. Harbor Freight for things like pliers, hammers, punches and such.
Harbor Frieght is ok, but their impact sockets explode. Get a good set of shallow, & deep metric sockets, in both 3/8″, & 1/4″ Drive, Some 3/8″ Metric allen, and Torx sockets (The evolve ones from Sears are good for 10 bucks a set.)
a 3/8″ universal joint, a 1/2″ to 3/8″ reducer, some good fine tooth ratchets, particularly a long 3/8″ with a flexi head. Also a basic set of 1/2″ Metric impact sockets
at least a 17, 19, 21, 22, and 24mm. Get a GOOD 1/2″ impact gun, DO NOT cheap out on this, I made this mistake the first time. I have a IR 2135Ti, but a IR 231 will be ok.
The 2135 is nice because the composite body absorbs shock, and its MUCH lighter than the 231. I’ve used both when I was a lube tech. It makes a BIG difference when all you do is tire rotations all day. The Snap-On ones are overpriced, and I think the IR’s are a better product, but that’s just my opinion.
You will need a couple ball/pien hammers, a DVOM, and finally some prybars. Also, don’t forget a basic set of Metric combination wrences. This should be a good starter set for you, that will help you do most things.I have the same 1/2″ impact form IR, and I have a 3/8″ from them as well. I’ll never buy anything else. As to impact sockets, I bought a huge kit from IR that came in a blow molded case. It has both 3/8″ and 1/2″ drive, and most every size you can imagine. It was under $200 with shipping from amazon.com. I know that’s a fair bit of scratch, but I couldn’t pass it up for the 80 some sockets I got. My only complaint is that they have the sizes ‘painted’ on, and not engraved, so after some heavy duty use, some of the paint has worn off. I’ve had to remark them with an engraver. But I agree, I wouldn’t cheap on impact sockets from HF.
http://www.amazon.com/Ingersoll-Rand-SK … 566&sr=8-2
This is the set I bought. It was about $40 cheaper when I bought it. Good ol’ inflation. But I like that I can take it to on site jobs with my battery powered impact with me.
As has been said, start off with Stanley, or Craftsman, or Kobalt, or any other brand that you can get in a store. I’ve been fixing cars professionally for 10 years and I still use most of my Craftsman stuff. Granted, a lot of it has been supplanted by Matco, but that’s mostly due to me breaking my Craftsman tools and needing a replacement right away. The Sears that’s more or less near my house isn’t very convenient, and most of the staff has a tenuous-at-best grasp of the English language, and since I only speak enough Spanish to order a beer, getting my Craftsman stuff replaced is an exercise in frustration. Don’t let my griping put you off of store-bought tools though. Before I moved to my current location, all I’d use was Craftsman, since I had a ready source of replacements when I broke them, and the price is about a third of what you’ll pay on a tool truck.
I say stay off the tool trucks (Matco, MAC, Snap-Off, Cornwell, etc) for at least the first year you’re fixing cars professionally. Make damn sure that you want to be a mechanic before you go spending thousands of dollars on tools. I know more than a few people who went on a tool truck while they were still going to school, ran up several thousand dollars worth of debt, and then, after being a mechanic for all of 6 months decided that they hated fixing cars and were now stuck with several grand worth of tools they didn’t want and still had to pay for. Also, some of the tools that you can get on a tool truck are just rebranded versions of tools available in stores.
Quoted From 3SheetsDiesel:…Make damn sure that you want to be a mechanic before you go spending thousands of dollars on tools. I know more than a few people who went on a tool truck while they were still going to school, ran up several thousand dollars worth of debt, and then, after being a mechanic for all of 6 months decided that they hated fixing cars and were now stuck with several grand worth of tools they didn’t want and still had to pay for. Also, some of the tools that you can get on a tool truck are just rebranded versions of tools available in stores.
Good point
Generally speaking, while you are a Tech School student, you get a pretty nice discount from Matco, Snap On, etc. This is the time to buy tools from them! Don’t be silly and sign away your soul to the Snap On man, and I would say also don’t buy their “student kit”, because it has some things I think are retarded to buy from Snap On, like a tape measure.
I would go to a pawn shop and get a decent used Craftsman box (make sure it has roller bearing drawers or you will be hating life), and get some Craftsman/Kobalt/Stanley/whatever tools to start. Once you have been there (school) for a year, and know your way around working on vehicles, and are sure its something you want to do for a career, spend the money and get quality tools from one of the tool truck brands with your fatty student discount.
Nothing wrong with Craftsman or any similar brand at all, and in fact, in my experience the new guys who roll their box into the shop on their first day, and its a big ass Snap On or Macsimizer, etc., the first thing we think is that they don’t know shit.
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