Tools.... whole lot of tools..!

[parb]

My last toolset is coming up on 25 years. I think i'm at the point where i have less than half the sockets the toolset came with.
It was a craftsman 384 piece mechanics set in 3 plastic drawers that a bought at sears in mountain view 25 years ago.. Man time flies, none of those brands are really around anymore...
That set also included wrenches, this was of course way before ratcheting wrenches so i have these really old wrenches that i've been using.
a few years later i bought one of the craftsman tool carts which i still have.

I am now doing more and more mechanical work and i find myself missing sockets, i used my friends ratcheting wrenches which i really enjoyed.
It's beyond time for an upgrade.

I bought a huge set of sockets. Probably not the best quality but the reviews suggest they aren't awful either.

Amazon.com

I got them and i have to say i hate the socket organizers. no labels and you have to hunt for the right socket.
the organizers i've used in the past don't perfectly fit a set with no-skip socket sizes so i went for it and ordered a whole tool organizing system.
Huge socket set:

Toolgrid™ System Official Distribution Partner | Olsa Tools

The Olsa Toolgrid is a series of patented tool holders and boards that revolutionize organization. Transform your workspace with modular storage for ultimate efficiency.

olsatools.com

Not cheap, but i think this will work well for me.

While at it i ordered the ratcheting wrench set, its time for an upgrade.
Wrenches:

Amazon.com

Wrenches:

Amazon.com

And i also got a set of torx and allen bits.
Torx & Allen:

Amazon.com

Some of my old stuff will go into toolkits i'll keep in my car. I'm likely donating the other tools to my church which is having an annual donation drive and rummage sale. They usually like tools, they go like hotcakes.

That big set it really big. The package was 70lbs... a whole lot of sockets...
Sharing because i find myself doing a decent amount of wrenching on my grenadier, more than i expected, and i'm enjoying it.
How is your tool situation?

 

[Mudnut]

I too purchased a Craftsman set from the Mountain View Sears, almost 55 years ago. Was impressed when I destroyed my 3/8 ratchet by putting a pipe on it for more leverage. Wanted to keep the set all the same, so went back to buy a new one. The tool sales person looked at it, and handed me a new one. I even admitted I abused it. He just shrugged, and said life time warranty. Have tried to contact Sears recently, as I have a ratchet that is skipping. Seems they don't honor overseas warranty. Heading over to the states in a few months, so if I remember to bring it, will try and swap it if they are still around!

 

[GN4HIR]

Lowes home improvement stores will honor the Craftsman warranty, no proof of purchase required.

 

[Mudnut]

Lowes home improvement stores will honor the Craftsman warranty, no proof of purchase required.

Thanks for that. Now just have to find the ratchet.

 

[Jiman01]

I’m working on a tool roll for the truck with tools/sizes that work for the grenadier. At home i’m pretty good with a mixture of old craftsman, and newer Wiha and Wera wrenches, ratchets, sockets, torx & hex.

As for socket holders, I prefer this style now because indivdual sockets are easier to ID, grab and replace since there's no detent. Downside depending on how you close your drawers or how mobile you are (I.e rolling carts), if the socket tray gets knocked/kicked over, the lack of detent will spill your sockets. For me, the ease of use is more of a benefit than the rare times I spill a tray.

Mine are metal but below is just an example:

https://www.harborfreight.com/tool-storage-organization/tool-storage/tool-organizers/socket-trays-rails/peg-type-metric-socket-tray-3-piece-blue-58937.html

 

[Krabby]

I bought a big Craftsman kit when I graduated college in the late 90s and have managed to not lose any sockets (even my 10mm)! My wish, however, is to replace them with the really easy to read ones etched with the sizes (see below) - the old-school stamped sizes are getting harder and harder to see. I just can't justify spending the money to do so.

I have also been fortunate enough to have acquired things from my dad (who's a retired mechanic) so I have Snap-on ratchets, wrenches, screw drivers, etc. Thankfully Dad is still with it and with us.

I'm certainly a tool hoarder and admittedly a bit of a snob, but I subscribe to the buy once-cry once philosophy that you get what you pay for.

 

[parb]

one of the reasons why i got the tool grid system is because it comes with labels so you can see the socket sizes from above without having to pull out the socket and see it sideways. I used the harbor freight style socket holers with poles sticking out of the centers with the socket size on them. That actually worked really well -but they don't have extended sizes and i wanted a system that worked for all my sockets.

But in general i really like those laser etched sockets, they seem pretty good. The sockets i used are stamped with their sizes but its easier to read than the craftsmen, more oversized.

 

[INEOS OG]

No. You must replace like for like. Replace your missing Craftsman for NOS craft$$$man on ebay.

 

[twosixthrees]

The lexivon torx bit master set fits perfectly under the rear seat on top of the battery. It fits so well that I could swear it was designed for it. Don't waste room in your tool roll for torx bits because they should sell these lexivon sets as factory accessories.

 

[255/85]

Heading over to the states in a few months, so if I remember to bring it, will try and swap it if they are still around!

I haven't been impressed with the quality of the current Craftsman line-up. There may be metallurgical improvements that I'm not aware of though. Somewhere I read that they use smaller but more numerous pawls to shorten the swing but I haven't checked that out. Some current issue Craftsman don't seem to feel as comfortable in my hand. Maybe it's just a familiarity thing.

I rebuilt my original 50 year old 3/8" and 1/2" drive Craftsman ratchets with rebuild kits off ebay. Takes about 10 minutes. You'll have to get the correct kit for your wrenches as there were several design changes through the years. I did have one kit that chipped a pawl pretty quickly so maybe they're not all created equal.

No. You must replace like for like. Replace your missing Craftsman for NOS craft$$$man on ebay.

I purchased my Craftsman back-ups off FleaBay. Most of my travel kit is "old" and was sourced on line. Look for excellent condition, lightly used tools - not the cheapest. One of our trucks has a good selection of vintage S-K tools in the kit. Can't go wrong there either. S-K invented the round head ratchet. Just avoid the later Chinese versions. Look for examples made before 2010 (2005 if you're picky).

 

[AndyT]

I posted today on a recent purchase of a tool kit from Red Dog Tools. I have not wrenched on the tools yet, but generally satisfied with it. Steelman Pro and Titan seems like reputable tool brands. It came with the claim that it has all the tools I need to work on the Grenadier and no extraneous tools/sizes that I dont need. Since I dont want to purchase and bring a whole redundant set of tools to keep in the truck, I thought that this was the path of least resistance.

 

[INEOS OG]

I haven't been impressed with the quality of the current Craftsman line-up. There may be metallurgical improvements that I'm not aware of though. Somewhere I read that they use smaller but more numerous pawls to shorten the swing but I haven't checked that out. Some current issue Craftsman don't seem to feel as comfortable in my hand. Maybe it's just a familiarity thing.

I rebuilt my original 50 year old 3/8" and 1/2" drive Craftsman ratchets with rebuild kits off ebay. Takes about 10 minutes. You'll have to get the correct kit for your wrenches as there were several design changes through the years. I did have one kit that chipped a pawl pretty quickly so maybe they're not all created equal.



I purchased my Craftsman back-ups off FleaBay. Most of my travel kit is "old" and was sourced on line. Look for excellent condition, lightly used tools - not the cheapest. One of our trucks has a good selection of vintage S-K tools in the kit. Can't go wrong there either. S-K invented the round head ratchet. Just avoid the later Chinese versions. Look for examples made before 2010 (2005 if you're picky).

Every tool I update comes from 40+ year old stock or nearly new Craftsman bits from Fleabay.

 

[Jiman01]

As for tool cabinets, unless you have Snap-On or Matco money, Harbor Frieghrs ICON line of drawers and cabinets are better in pretty much any metric than anything you can get at Lowes, Home Depot, or other big box stores.

The stuff is so heavy (well built) that they require home delivery. The 72” roll cab I got for as my first piece weighted @900lbs!!

I always thought Harbor Frieght was Chinese junk. The ICON line is still made in China but quality is closer to Snap-On/Matco than Craftsman/Huskey, for a fraction of the price.