Tool box recommendations for future A&P mechanic

Ed Haywood said:
Ace Hardware still sells individual craftsman tools and has a good selection, though I don't think they carry individual sockets.

When Lowes bought the Craftsman brand, it created a big legal mess. Sears sold the brand but was still trying to sell the tools. Sears is basically a dead company living on the fumes of its decaying corporate corpse. Quite a fall for those of us who can remember the Sears catalog being the ultimate wish list as kids. But Lowes has reinvigorated the Craftsman brand as a competitor to Ryobi.

I read somewhere that the parent company for Craftsman (Stanley?) tried to bring hand tool production back to the US, and built a factory in Texas, but they failed and shuttered it without ever producing a single wrench or socket.

Edit: news story on Craftsman factory in Texas here
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Sad and interesting reading. Thanks for the news link.
 
Ed Haywood said:
After reading this thread, I went and replaced my cheapo screwdrivers with old school craftsman clear handled ones. Maybe not the best but a step up from the garbage I was using.
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What matters the most is the bit. Most of the time I use an inexpensive HF ratcheting screwdriver, but I buy good quality ACR bits to use with it and replace them when they're worn.
 
I like the long shank on a phillips tip screwdriver. It gives me more leverage and gives me a speed driver as I spin the shank when the screw is loose. You become very good with it after a while.
 
Magman said:
I have a torque wrench comparator/ calibration device.

On several occasions many folks in the class would bring their

Torque Wrenches in to compare.

The Harbor Freight version agreed with all the rest.

The 1/4 version is quite handy.
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:yeahthat:

I have a couple of HF torque wrenches and check the calibration before I use them. They're always accurate and repeatable.

I used to use Craftsman torque wrenches. I had one fail and when I took it back to Sears they told me it wasn't a "hand tool" and therefore not under warranty. I replaced it with a HF. When I did have a HF fail a couple of years ago, I took it into HF, the young lady at the register took it and tossed it into a box, then told me to grab another one. No muss, no fuss - just the way Sears used to be.
 
Just visited a HF store, Lowes and Home Depot. I was most impressed with the HF toolboxes for quality and price. Full disclosure, I have the A&P but never really used it professionally. Snap On boxes are too expensive, full stop. Buy good tools and cry once. I can't stress enough the need for good organization of your tools and the importance of having a system that allows for inventorying them at the end of the day. I've spent way too much time looking for a tool because of a lack of organization and you don't want to leave a tool rattling around in an airframe or engine cowling after finishing a job because you lost track of it.
 
Back in the 80s I mail ordered plenty of stuff from HF like a drill press, hydraulic press, porta power and other equipment.
I followed in my old boss's footsteps as he had the same equipment from HF or what was the other Japan/tool importer?
I think back in those days we thought it was coming from Japan? Pretty sure it was not china in those days.
It has served me well, no complaints with the old equipment.

Now that stuff is a step or 2 better than what you can get today from HF? IMO

10-20 years ago we got our own HF store 1/2 mile from the house and work. There is another one 1/2 mile from the airport.
I don't go there anymore, tired of the cheap crap.
Like disposable rubber gloves that rotted in the box before I could use them all. Plus they split too easy even when they were fresh.
IMO do not buy anything electric from them if you want something to last.

The only thing I haven't regretted buying from them in the last 20 years is the General tool boxes. Mine are 15 years old now and I bet today's boxes are not as good as they were 15 years ago?
 
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Gary Ward said:
...The only thing I haven't regretted buying from them in the last 20 years is the General tool boxes. Mine are 15 years old now and I bet today's boxes are not as good as they were 15 years ago?...
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I bought the 57 inch one 3 or 4 years ago and it's a pretty good rollaway. Better than the Kobalt or Craftsman ones at Lowes.
 
With a HF rolling chest, make sure all the drawers are closed and latched before moving, having a 72” tip over makes a hell of a mess!
 
Bought the Rollcabs brand triple bank top, sides and bottom, it's a ton of storage for the buck. Everything seems to be high quality and just as good as Snap On and MAC but at an actually decent price. The 72" toolbox for $3600, that would be just one of many payments on a snap on box.
Sunex makes some good, sturdy sockets and back them up with a warranty.
 

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That is a beautiful tool box and who hasn't dreamed of owning one like it?
That would take up 1/4 of my 2 car garage!
Congratulations on a awesome tool box.
 
And now, for a different perspective. A neighboring farmer told me that Snap-On is great for bolts, etc., that you loosen and tighten regularly, but a lot of bolts on farm equipment are so rusty the Snap-On tolerances are too tight to get the wrench on. I wouldn't know about that, as Dad and Grandpa had Craftsman tools, and we never had a problem getting the wrench on over rusty bolts.
 
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NHproequip said:
Bought the Rollcabs brand triple bank top, sides and bottom, it's a ton of storage for the buck. Everything seems to be high quality and just as good as Snap On and MAC but at an actually decent price. The 72" toolbox for $3600, that would be just one of many payments on a snap on box.
Sunex makes some good, sturdy sockets and back them up with a warranty.
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What, no coffee maker? ;)

Looks like a REALLY nice box! Far more than I'll ever need, but for pro mechanic it's a great box.
 
NHproequip said:
Bought the Rollcabs brand triple bank top, sides and bottom, it's a ton of storage for the buck. Everything seems to be high quality and just as good as Snap On and MAC but at an actually decent price. The 72" toolbox for $3600, that would be just one of many payments on a snap on box.
Sunex makes some good, sturdy sockets and back them up with a warranty.
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Nice first post. Was there a special on the side boxes? Seems the basic box + hutch runs $360”.
 
I found this rolling box at a flea market for $50, filled with tools and bicycle parts. It was rough but I cleaned it up and painted it and found the NOS STP sticker on fleabay that was an exact fit in the embossed oval on the front, the box was obviously a gas station STP promo from back in the day. Nice and solid, the slides still work great. The box on top was free, found next to a dumpster, similarly rough and also repainted. On the left is Dad's Craftsman box, also a good solid box.

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I wish I had a picture of the rolling toolbox my A&P had (probably still has). The side car to the ginormous box was bigger than most of the boxes shown in this thread. They were connected and it was almost as long as one wing of my chereokee.
 
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