SPDRacer

I been looking for tool sets for my newly acquired ride. I want something that fits correctly on my Porsche. Any suggestions are welcome

J.P.

Snap-On Tools work best for my P-rides and my business. They are expensive but make the job easier.

Bill Gregory

I find for most tools, that Sears works well. They have a pretty good selection of metric tools. And the once or twice something has broken, there's been no question, no hassle about replacing it.

JR Indy

I second the craftsman brand, relatively inexpensive and a great warranty. Another alternative is Husky from Home Depot. Same warranty.

ZAMIRZ

snap-on if you can swing the price, but for just a home mechanic who works on his own cars, craftsman gives the best bang for the buck imho.

later,

amir

ledyard

Try a Snap-On screwdriver and you will never go back to Craftsmen. Much more precisely engineered and much better metal. Much less wear and tear on the screws, especially if the screws are not perfect (e.g. screws which are old or made of soft metal). I love the convenience and price of Craftsmen, but I have found that there is a noticeable and meaningful difference. I have not tried Snap-On wrenches, but I understand that they have a thinner profile but are just as strong, if not stronger, than Craftsmen because they are made from higher quality metal. No affiliation whatsover, just happy to report that there is a clear difference.

Has anyone tried Facom?

Lew

Alan Herod

I am happy with Craftsman for the most part - but have been through quite a few rachets, which are replaceable in theory.

On the other hand - Craftsman does not warrant their torque wrenches for more then a year and there is no reasonable service to calibrate them. I know that most are not aware of this requirement, and most hobbiest users even store them at whatever the last setting was. From what I have seen at the track, this value tends to be 94 lbs. Folks this is a bad deal. The Craftsman representative told me that I could buy a new one and return/exchange it within one year, no questions asked -- but this is somewhat of a hassle -- perhaps no more then sending it in for calibration and testing. (for me this is something like the 30 day free trial telemarketing offer which I never return, forget where it came from, and get to pay for) I noticed from the Griot's catalog that they have a service.

SPDRacer

I have been leaning towards craftsman because of the price, but i didn't know if they would be okay for the job. I know snap-on tools are great, I used some at a friends. I don't think I can afford the price of those tools, so I think Im going with craftsman.

drcollie

I'm a huge tool junkie! Have been for years. Some guys collect fine Swiss watches and I collect tools. I have primarily a 90% Snap-On collection in a big Snap-On box, with the remaining 10% being Facom, Stahwillie, Mac and some Crapsman tools (the latter I've yet to give away).

I'll tell you that there *IS* a difference in tools. Premium tools simply fit better with tighter tolerances and better steel. To a large degree, the brand of premium tool can often be a personal preference for finish and feel. How so? Well, for example a Stahwillie fits a German fastener probably better than any other brand, but they just look plain lousy with their raw castings. I lean towards the feel and look of the nickel-plated Snap-Ons, myself.

This is not to say that every tool in your box should be a premium tool. You can rack up a lot of money - well into the thousands of dollars - if you build an all Snap-on box for example. Some of their tools, slip joint pliers for example, are really not that superior to less expensive makes. But where you really want to get the good stuff is in sockets, open end wrenches, TORX dockets and Hex Sockets. Also, their # 2 Phillips screwdrivers last about 5x longer than anyone elses.

Once you have a premium socket, you'll never round off a fastener head again. As another example, I was installing a roll bar in my BMW M3 a few years ago, requiring the removal of a large inset TORX bolt holding on the shoulder belt in the B-pillar. All I had was a set of Sears Crapsman TORX sockets at the time. Knowing that I had to get on that fastener just right to prevent stipping it out. Well, despite plenty of patience and coming in at a perfect 90 degree angle, I stripped it.....Damn! So then that required welding a nut onto the outside to get hold of the fastener - and that tool a lot of time and welding blankets to take care of. Before I tackled the other side, I tossed the Sears stuff in the trash - called my Snap-On dealer and went and got that set. The other side came off neat and clean with minimal effort. That little story is the rule, not the exception.

You may save a little money with cheap tools, but when you round off that brake line nut trying to put stainless steel lines on, you'll wish you'd ponied up the extra dough for the good stuff!

-Duane Collie

VELOCE

RE: SNAP - ON vs. CRAFTSMAN vs. FACOM.
D.C. said it BEST! There is a difference. SNAP-ON TOOLS are made to higher standards than any other tools on the market. CRAFTMAN hammers pliers and the like are fine but when it comes to WRENCHES SOCKETS RATCHETS SCREWDRIVERS TORQUE WRENCHES it is SNAP-ON # 1 then MAC MATCO and the rest. Snapon has the best selection and quality. I repair cars for a living and after 30+YEARS and putting a BOATLOAD of Snap on DEALERS' KIDS through 4year COLLEGES ,I have Snap-on tools that I bought new when NIXON was in office and they still perform today! My point is BUY HIGH QUALITY TOOLS and they will last a lifetime and cause the least amount of FRUSTRATION. The GERMAN TOOLS HAZET STALLWILLIE are good but the finish quality is lacking. But they make some tools that Snap on does not make or the GERMAN tool is better suited for the task. The best thing to do is review your needs , obtain tool catalogs and start $aving ! And ALWAYS set your TORQUE WRENCH to ZERO or the lowest setting possible. It will stay in CALIBRATION for YEARS. As for FACOM they and SK I believe are the same company. As for comparing FACOM and SNAP-ON [I have two FACOM WRENCHES SETS ]IMO,FACOM using sports parlance "COULDN'T HOLD SNAP-ON's JOCK"! FACOM is not terrible quality and they have some UNIQUE TOOLS, but to put them at the SAME as or HIGHER LEVEL than SNAP-ON is LUDICROUS. But HEY the FRENCH make GREAT WINE. JUST MY 2.4 CENTS WORTH. ALAN

Jim Michaels

I recommend that you don't buy any tools. All Porsches come with all the tools you need. There is much empirical evidence demonstrating that people who buy tools try to use them. Once you buy tools, things just seem to start going wrong with your car. Nothing ever seems to go wrong with the cars of people who don't buy tools.

They say that once you buy Snap-On, you'll have the urge to use them almost every week. That's why I bought Craftsman (NOT Champion) at Sears. Thus, I only screw my car up about once a month.

lostinatl

Ex aircraft mech. used Snap-On only. My favorite. Now no longer do aircraft stuff and when I talk to Snap-On driver/owners now I get the cold shoulder and they basically refuse to honor their warranty. So, I have switched to Crapsman also. Not willingly.

Filip

This is probably a stupid question... considering the above discussion. But...

I'm still a senior in college so Snap On is out of my league in terms of price. I can't afford to pay a few hundred for a *small* socket set. Hehe even Craftsman is up there. I know places like Harbor Freight sells tons of low-quality tools, but some of the higher end (although relatively-less expensive tools) are still made of decent metals and also have a lifetime warranty. Any thoughts? Or do I just buy the good stuff and make do with a smaller variety?

lostinatl

I think it is kinda like one of the guys said above about collecting tools. I am the same and like the look and quality of the Snap-On tools, same reason I bought a Porsche. But, in answer to your question "a" tool does the job. Some make it slightly easire