Quality store brand tools

My 17yr old son wants to buy some basic tools to keep in his vehicle and to have for life stuff down the road. I want decent quality and over the counter warranty if possible for convenience. Home Depot, Menards, harbor freight, Napa etc. I make my living using my tools so I have Mac, matco, and snap on. Also have a variety of their tools for home use so I need some recommendations for him as I don’t have much experience with the store brands and their warranty process.

i’ve been happy with the tools from Menards! and you get an 11% rebate!!!!

i have bought some stuff from harbor freight…..not impressed.

I can’t help much with brand recommendations, but great idea to get the boy some tools. My uncles got me a nice complete set of Craftsman tools (sockets, wrenches, drivers, etc) for my HS graduation that I keep in my truck and have been put to good use over the years for many different repairs/projects.

For what he’s looking for, I’d spring for Harbor Freight stuff. Both lines ( Pittsburgh and Icon) are decent stuff for the money. The thing I like about the Icon line is they don’t skip any sizes in any of the sets they offer. On par with the brands you mentioned you use for work? No, but a decent value.

They’ve honestly come a long way from what they were in their hand tool dept. The couple things I have had to turn in for warranty was as simple as bring it in, set it on the counter and walk out with a new one (as long as they have it in stock). I do still have and like my craftsman stuff, but more often than not I’m reaching for my Pittsburgh or Icon ratchets

Icon is one of the better off brands, Lowes still carries Craftsman also.

Does Craftsman still have a lifetime warranty? Otherwise Harbor Freight with an extended warranty might be a good option. I barely ever use my truck tools on the road, I usually end up needing them because a friend has no tools. I started out with rummage sale tools, my grandma and mom would give me a call or just buy them. I think I have 5 drywall holesaws because of this, but I still have most of the rest of the stuff too.

I have an awesome 3 drawer socket set from craftsman that I got when I was 15 and still use today. Good on him to be thinking about that

glenn57 wrote:

i’ve been happy with the tools from Menards!

x2. No problems with the Masterforce brand there. Price is right.

-J.

I will probably stay away from craftsman now because I have yet to find a store to warranty their stuff since sears closed. Even stores that sell it like FF won’t warranty it. I have some old craftsman stuff and it’s great just not what it used to be when it comes to warranty ease.

I have heard good things about the icon line at harbor freight and he asked if we could go look at it this weekend since the have a sale going on.

If their not a professional Ryobi has a lot of different tools that are nice for household things. If your not in a hurry they also have large 7+ tools w/batteries packages on sale all the time. Keep an eye on directtoolsoutlet .com for big sales. Bet they’ll have one for laborday.

I’m a DIYer and have done whole kitchen/bath remodels and banging on autos with my Ryobis for 10+ years now. Been satisfied for the price.

Rockwell, Ryobi, Masterforce, Ridgid for battery powered tools.

I’d go to Harbor Freight for any hand tools if he’s not using them daily. They will last and he could lose/damage/wreck them multiple times over and replace them and still be ahead financially over paying top dollar for something else.

Dewalt set

Is an easy button option . Generally impressed with my harbor freight stuff though for the price .

Icon and Pittsburgh are life time warranty’s, the Icons are not far off of my Snapon tools. Craftsman has turned to crap their wrenches are more like clubs thickening them up to make up for cheap steel.

Kobalt used to have a really nice set at Lowes that was perfect for a spare/in vehicle set. The box was really nice as well. But I believe they may have changed up a lot of their sets in the last 5 years, but something to look at. Had both metric/SAE in sockets and wrenches.

Just be sure to get 6 point sockets, 12 points are pointless and more prone to rounding off difficult bolts.

Thanks for the recommendations. That dewalt set looks nice. Can that be warranted over the counter? I could always have Mac warranty it but it would easier for him to just go to a store.

Lowe’s honors Craftsman warranties and will replace tools if they have them in stock. If Lowe’s doesn’t have the product, you can call Craftsman customer service at (888) 331-4569.

Mills Fleet Farm is carrying Craftsman now too.

I have a variety of brands for garage and work. Guys vans have husky, masterforce etc, can’t recall a time I thought any of it was junk. All works, just gets lost more often than not

For portable tool kit u run a old craftsman and now in the work truck I have husky. The husky have impressed me and the warranty is simple at home depot

Brittman wrote:

Mills Fleet Farm is carrying Craftsman now too.

I asked an employee at the Waite park location about the warranty and was told they only sell them and can’t warranty them. I have a ratchet I need to replace. I don’t have a Lowe’s close otherwise that would be an option.

I think ACE also sells and warranties Craftsman hand tools.

Stanley wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Brittman wrote:</div>
Mills Fleet Farm is carrying Craftsman now too.

I asked an employee at the Waite park location about the warranty and was told they only sell them and can’t warranty them. I have a ratchet I need to replace. I don’t have a Lowe’s close otherwise that would be an option.

If it’s an older USA made one I’d see if you can find a rebuild kit, maybe even a New Old Stock from the glory days. I definitely wouldn’t try and warranty it just to get a POS China made one.

It’s a china one. I have a 1/2 ratchet from my grandpa that is USA made that I would rebuild if needed.

munchy wrote:

If it’s an older USA made one I’d see if you can find a rebuild kit, maybe even a New Old Stock from the glory days. I definitely wouldn’t try and warranty it just to get a POS China made one.

My FIL was a retired diesel mechanic. He had Snap-on and 1950’s vintage Craftsman tools. At his estate sale the used Craftsman wrenches with Made in the USA stamped on them, in popular sizes, were going for as much as the full retail price for the China made ones.

Farm and Fleet sells Craftsman and sends you to Ace for warranty.
Milwaukee warranty is all online line/send in or go to a Certified Service Center.
Not sure on Dewalt.

I can’t see how you’d go wrong with Harbor Freight tools for this scenario. The quality of Harbor Freight tools has dramatically improved over the last 10 years. I would put them on par with any other Big box store brand. And in some cases they’re significantly better.

I buy a lot of Harbor Freight tools for specialty purposes simply because there is no other cost effective option. I can’t recall a Harbor Freight tool that I’ve ever been dissatisfied with. But there current offerings are even better.

I bought my first socket set in 1977 and bought it from a local catalog house. I was proud and showed it to my dad who was a machinist at Western Electric. He just shook his head and said we’ll see how these hold up. Sure enough it wasn’t long that the case fell apart, and chrome started to come off the sockets. He then gently told me a cheap tool will end up being the most expensive as you’ll end up replacing it again.
After that incident, I became a big fan of Craftsman tools. I always bought on sale and took care of the tools. These will end up being passed down to my #1 son. The Craftsman corded electric drill is 38 years old and running strong!
I have bought some basic tools from Harbor Freight – pry bars, rubber mallet, etc. Been happy with these, but I don’t use them a lot.

16 years ago my wife and had a carrier change. I had to buy a complete set of tool for a new tools for a new job. I went shopping at northern tool. All the tools but the screw drivers have the a life time warranty. The only tools that I have had to replace are some of the impact sockets. Very impressed with the wrenches they have shown much wear after being on the other side of the of the impact.

Stanley wrote:

My 17yr old son wants to buy some basic tools to keep in his vehicle and to have for life stuff down the road. I want decent quality and over the counter warranty if possible for convenience. Home Depot, Menards, harbor freight, Napa etc. I make my living using my tools so I have Mac, matco, and snap on. Also have a variety of their tools for home use so I need some recommendations for him as I don’t have much experience with the store brands and their warranty process.

I’d be shopping FB marketplace or other sites for used craftsman tools. The warranty still applies and you can usually buy basic tools very cheap.

I have a few extra sets of wrenches, sockets, etc that are all Craftsman and in great shape. If he’s interested I’d give him a good deal.

I bought my son a couple of basic socket sets that are Milwaukee. 1/4″ and 3/8″ set that have both standard and metric sockets in shallow and deep. Both sets come in cases with a tray that lifts out to go in a tool box drawer or back in the case for road trips.