If your tools are important to you and you put them away and keep them clean and oiled then it is worth it to spend more money on them because they will last a lifetime. They are usually missing the sockets they need or they are rusty and don't work well anyway. I've seen many people using tools and I always chuckle when I see a craftsman or other cheap set of tools in someone's trunk. I would rather use Duralast or Husky than Craftsman. Their professional line is better but almost as expensive as other brands. I use the life out of it and it's a life saver when changing plugs and header bolts.īasically craftsman is junk and I don't like it. I also have a 1/4' Snap-on ratchet that I paid $50 for and I love it. It has the nice plastic handle and the wratchet action is smooth. I have a MAC ratchet that I paid $50 for and I look for that wratchet among my collection every time. I've noticed that they make the handles short and uncomfortable so that you can't put a lot of torque on them. I've had several 1/2' ratches fail on me and I hate their 1/4 wratches. I also don't like the way that the chrome tends to flake off their sockets after moderate use and I hate the ratchets. Basicly, if my job depended on my tools, I'd still buy Snap-On, they make great tools and some handy gadgets that make simple work of some time consuming jobs, but since my work is limited to around the house and my garage in the back yard, I buy Craftsman. Craftsman tools are great, especially around the house and shop- I have more Craftsman than I do Snap-On, but I've cracked a couple of sockets and have had times when a thinner Snap-On wrench would fit where a Craftsman wrench wouldn't go. Beat the end of a wrench with a hammer, put a cheater bar 3 feet long on the end of a ratchet while changing a C-130 tire, the tools stood up to anything. When I worked as an aircraft mechanic in the Air Force and as a auto mechanic when I got out, I swore by Snap-On tools(generally the same over-priced tools sold to professionals off of a truck). Thats what the Mac Tool guy would tell you anyway. What you're looking at, supposedly, is the difference between tools made for the general public, and tools made specifically for professionals.

Mac tools expert socket set