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What's Your Favorite "Hand" Tool Brand(s)


DerekTheToolGuy

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I'm sure this comes up often but not a thread for it so here we go let's here what you guys like Snap on, Mac, Matco, Sk, Proto ,Cornwell, hazet, facom, beta and so on if you don't have pro tools it's okay whatever you have and it's your favorite or favorites let it be known, should be no shame in anyones game lol.

 

It's a tough one for me as on own all the top brands in every basic tool as I was to taste them all and compare them as well as use and enjoy them.

Right now I have been on a Cornwell binge as they are different over the usual Snap on or Matco or Mac.I really don't have a favorite but also like Mac and Sk the TK Tuff 1 ratchets are so smooth , smoother than my Snap on Dual 80s, Mac Axis 90t's, Matco 88s and Cornwell 73t's I love ratchets and have just about any pro brand you can think of in older and newer styles but have no Proto nothing wrong with them I just haven't got into them as I prefer more Mechanic based brands but do have a some Wright and Williams. Enough about me let's hear what you guys like.

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I like Knipex for pliers, Gedore is great too. Engineer is fantastic for their screw removal pliers, I need to pick up more of those. Tronex is damn nice and NWS ergo get a nod too. Channellock is solid for the cost. Pro America is also pretty good.

 

Locking pliers: Knipex followed by Grip On(OEM for Snap On, Proto, Urrea). Knipex is super smooth, just a hair smoother than Grip On.

 

Cutters: Knipex, Lindstrom, Tronex

 

Screwdrivers, Gedore is probably my favorite. I like PB Swiss a lot too. Felo is probably my favorite grip. Wera's lasertip, specifically on the slotted screwdrivers are a must have. I think Snap On screwdrivers are overrated, I have the Instincts and they're maybe my seventh favorite brand(not counting Matco because it's made by Witte, which was already counted).

 

Precision screwdrivers; Felo and Wiha are awesome. I have some Wera but I don't love them.

 

Ratchets. I like my Gearwrench 120xp ratchets and have a soft spot for the Williams low tooth count ratchets. Those Williams are some of the smoothest ratchets I've ever used. I haven't owned SnapOn or Cornwell and many of the others you mentioned though.

Wrenches, I like Gearwrench ratcheting but if I had the money Wera Joker. Toptul is another brand I've been wanting but I have a thing for having matching SAE and Metric sets and SAE are hard to come by in Toptul.

 

Adjustable wrenches: Channellock...though Knipex pliers wrench have made adjustable virtually obsolete.

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Ha. Saw hand tools and thought wood working. You mechanics!!!!! I guess I really like my Wera's and my new Gedore tools but I'm also a big fan of all of my NWS tools and my Klein's. Fantastic tools and my Klein linesman pliers are the ones I always reach for. 

 

If any of you mechanically inclined people wish to be immersed in true culture, art and other Gentlemanly pursuits... my answer would be Lie Nielsen and Veritas.

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Right now my favorite hand tools would be lie Nelson chisels they are awesome 

 

as for mechanic tools I have all husky tools they are not the best but they do the job and they are cheap so I guess they would be my favorite for that

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My favorite full line hand tool brand is Proto by a wide margin. Great quality, no frills, a very interesting history, and one of the higher percentages of American made tools in their line. They aren't always the flashiest, but they're truck level quality at a fraction of the price. I'm also a fan of Bonney when it can be found. 

 

I am also quite fond of Mac, SK, and Blackhawk for certain items. Pliers are all Channellock and Estwing for my pounding needs. I avoid Matco, Gearwrench, Armstrong and anything under the Danaher/Apex banner, though mostly on principle.

 

Store brands? Can't say I care much for any of them anymore. Never been much on Snap-On either. Great tools, just rediculously priced.

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It's so hard for me to pic a favorite as I like and appreciate the differences in all the brands I have. I like to buy the same tools in all the brands I like just to compare and enjoy using different brands really. I avoid rebadged tools from the truck brands and don't buy store brand tools I do like the old williams made kobalt and buy them when I find them as I get them cheap a lot of people confuse them with the junk Danaher carp they made, I do have a lot of older USA craftsman but don't use any of it and hate Sears and refuse to enter one and look at craftsman as disposable at least the ones I own.

 

I have nothing against proto it's I just developed the taste for truck tools and now I have so many tools getting into another brand does me no good as I'm out of room. I own a 100+ piece blue point socket and wrench set in a case I keep in the trunk of the car and aside from my Euro tools and power tools I have pretty much all USA tools minus small things I've had to get from harbor freight or it has been rebadged or out sourced. For pliers my vote goes to Snap on which makes up most of my collection of pliers as I love the talon grip styles and then fact I can get green I have a fondness for green tools all other truck brand pliers are rebranded channel lock and knipex it seems.

 

I do plan to buy a couple pairs of knipex, the pliers wrenches and cobras which are not something snap on has and gotta try them. I'm not crazy about anything else snap on has really as I like to walk a different path I guess it seems snap on is pretty much like white cars it's everywhere lol.

The snap on stuff I do have is like special edition atleast screwdrivers and power tools really just the colors are different but I'm a firm believer in snap on sockets and wrenches but like Mac wrenches as well I like the square beams on macs. I own all brand sockets and like cornwell impacts best and Mac second snap ons are too soft.lol wrote a book it seems but so much to type it's tiff not to. No shame in store brand tools I'm just ocd I guess with tools now but used to not care what brand the tool was just thought of them as a tool just to fix something instead of a collection or an investment and I wrenched for a living at a junk yard. Nice replies guys.

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You're a true enthusiast, @DerekTheToolGuy nice going. I used to be in a shop and bought all snap on tools and I loved them until I could get just as functional tools at fraction of the price 

 

On 3/2/2017 at 0:14 AM, BMack37 said:

I like Knipex for pliers, Gedore is great too. Engineer is fantastic for their screw removal pliers, I need to pick up more of those. Tronex is damn nice and NWS ergo get a nod too. Channellock is solid for the cost. Pro America is also pretty good.

 

Locking pliers: Knipex followed by Grip On(OEM for Snap On, Proto, Urrea). Knipex is super smooth, just a hair smoother than Grip On.

 

Cutters: Knipex, Lindstrom, Tronex

 

Screwdrivers, Gedore is probably my favorite. I like PB Swiss a lot too. Felo is probably my favorite grip. Wera's lasertip, specifically on the slotted screwdrivers are a must have. I think Snap On screwdrivers are overrated, I have the Instincts and they're maybe my seventh favorite brand(not counting Matco because it's made by Witte, which was already counted).

 

Precision screwdrivers; Felo and Wiha are awesome. I have some Wera but I don't love them.

 

Ratchets. I like my Gearwrench 120xp ratchets and have a soft spot for the Williams low tooth count ratchets. Those Williams are some of the smoothest ratchets I've ever used. I haven't owned SnapOn or Cornwell and many of the others you mentioned though.

Wrenches, I like Gearwrench ratcheting but if I had the money Wera Joker. Toptul is another brand I've been wanting but I have a thing for having matching SAE and Metric sets and SAE are hard to come by in Toptul.

 

Adjustable wrenches: Channellock...though Knipex pliers wrench have made adjustable virtually obsolete.

 

Amen to that about the obsolete adjustable wrench comment

 

On 3/2/2017 at 3:51 AM, ChrisK said:

Ha. Saw hand tools and thought wood working. You mechanics!!!!! I guess I really like my Wera's and my new Gedore tools but I'm also a big fan of all of my NWS tools and my Klein's. Fantastic tools and my Klein linesman pliers are the ones I always reach for. 

 

If any of you mechanically inclined people wish to be immersed in true culture, art and other Gentlemanly pursuits... my answer would be Lie Nielsen and Veritas.

sNBM6Xi.jpg

..

 

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37 minutes ago, KnarlyCarl said:

You're a true enthusiast, @DerekTheToolGuy nice going. I used to be in a shop and bought all snap on tools and I loved them until I could get just as functional tools at fraction of the price 

 

 

Amen to that about the obsolete adjustable wrench comment

 

sNBM6Xi.jpg

..

 

Holy crap! That's the same get up I wear in the wood shop!!!!

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4 hours ago, comp56 said:

I figured it was something velvet....

Well clearly you were not wrong. I'm a renaissance man. I pulled up to Starbucks in my cruiser for a Venti ice Caramel Machiatto n the way home. Sometimes....sniff....coffee just won't do....sniff....

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Don't have one favorite hand tool brand.

Knipex wins out as the pliers wrench being my all time favorite hand tool, along with their other plumber related wrenches.

I'm loving the Klein Journeyman series pliers ever since I won one from TIA many moons ago haha

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2 hours ago, KnarlyCarl said:

Don't have one favorite hand tool brand.

Knipex wins out as the pliers wrench being my all time favorite hand tool, along with their other plumber related wrenches.

I'm loving the Klein Journeyman series pliers ever since I won one from TIA many moons ago haha

 

Klein Journeyman is also very good. The pair I won from giveaway week in 2015 were nice enough that I picked up a second pair for home, I leave the ones I won at the shop.

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My favorite brand I own would be Stanley. DeWALT and Milwaukee make some good hand tools as well. I haven't really gotten to experience the luxury brands you guys use. A lot of my stuff is Stanley; decent quality for the price: Hammers, tapes, prys, and knives. I may upgrade my Stanley ratcheting screw driver to a DeWALT version at some point. It feels a bit weak low quality. The DeWALT felt more solid to me. The one I seen looked really nice. I also have the cheap brands I find at Menards as well.

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My favorite brand I own would be Stanley. DeWALT and Milwaukee make some good hand tools as well. I haven't really gotten to experience the luxury brands you guys use. A lot of my stuff is Stanley; decent quality for the price: Hammers, tapes, prys, and knives. I may upgrade my Stanley ratcheting screw driver to a DeWALT version at some point. It feels a bit weak low quality. The DeWALT felt more solid to me. The one I seen looked really nice. I also have the cheap brands I find at Menards as well.

I prefer Stanley/dewalt over Milwaukee hand tools, at least you can find so,e stanley USA tools where the Milwaukee metal tends to be softer than a lot to brands


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