Tool Set- Facom tools?

Right, Waterloo makes no tools (that I am aware of), only toolboxes.

 

Facom makes some pretty good quality tools and owns USAG, SK, and a bunch of other tool companies. The folks at SK were looking to reduce a bunch of inventory for year end and I was able to help them out.

Here are some good deals including the #2 and #3 Ferrari collectors kits. Might be something of interest for some of you guys in time for the holiday season. Free shipping on the Ferrari sets (48 state only). See http://www.ultimategarage.com/qs120204.htm for details. A Ferrari dealer just made an offer on 15 sets but I'd rather see you guys get them before the markup.

Steve (PS - sorry for the commercial content....I'll host a tech session for you local guys in the Spring to make up for it...free dyno time)
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Herre's my .02.

Sockets - impact and regular all sizes and points Craftsman
Wrenches, pliers, crows feet, screwdrivers - Craftsman
Torx and hex - Craftmans

Flex head socket - Snap On. As I recall SO has a hex bolt so one can tighten the "swivel" holding power.
Rachet and extensions - Snap on or Falcom. To each their own on feel with these.

Torque wrench - debatable. As a proffesional I like that Snap on will tune it for free on their truck - regularly. Craftsman one has to mail in but inexpensive.

Special tools - snap ring pliers, air guns, blowers. magnets, lights etc....which ever is highest quality and air rachets one should get the smallest/ thinnest available.

Tool box - Anything branded by Jack Daniels or Paris Hilton . Snap On I think is the best here. Expensive, but strong and long life. Plus the Snap On guy will help move your box if you change employment.

 

Lets forget about brand right now and I'll go on record that the tools are only as good as the person using them.... but , if you're starting out, pick up the basics....

1. good set of combination wrenches
2. 1/4" drive and 1/2" drive sets...6pt unless you're an aircraft mechanic and have a lot of 12pt fasteners. 3/8 drive is ok but you're kind of limited to how much torque you can apply through the typical 3/8 fastener and a fairly short 3/8 ratchet
3. Basic screwdrivers.... 3-5 slotted sizes (4mm tip, 5.5mm, 6.5mm, 8mm, and occasionally 10mm....bigger sizes typically get used as pry bars) and 3-4 phillips sizes (#0, #1, #2 and occasionally #3)
4. Basic pliers...cutters, linemans and a set of needle nose....a few lockgrip pliers are handy too

I could go on with the list but I have a meeting in 5 minutes....others will surely comment. SD

 

i was just looking into buying a good set from snap-on, but with my fathers recent passing i aquired over 200k in snap-on tools from his shop. still sifting through them.
i'll never need to buy another tool again-ever. or so my wife says. side note though i have a number of craftsmen sets from the 30's&40's and man were they built to last, rebuildable and heavy! got those from a grandfather who passed a few yrs back, he worked the train yrds before the war and then became a fireman after. i've got more pipe tools than any human should own.

 

Here's a posting from the old board that I saved in my e-mail file.

"Good blurb on tools:

On March 26, 1999 Greg Hutmacher wrote:

> I'm not the final word on tools by any means, but since I work in the
business, I've learned a little bit about it. Okay, here's more than you
ever wanted to know. As someone pointed out in a previous post, Lowes now
(as of earlier this year) is selling a line of Mechanics Tools called Kobalt
which is made by Snap-On. They are good tools. Home Depot's Husky brand is
made by Stanley Mechanics Tools, a division of the Stanley Works. Husky are
also good tools and have a good lifetime warranty (they'll even replace your
broken Craftsman with an equivalent Husky). Until 1994 or so, Stanley also
made Sears Craftsman tools. Sears Craftsman is now made by Danaher Tools.
They beat out Stanley on the contract
over price. Danaher also manufactures MatCo Tools, the third largest player
in the Mobile Automotive industry (behind MAC and Snap-On). Odds are, if you
own any Craftsman tools that are older than about five years ago, they were
made by Stanley in plants in Dallas, Texas, Wichita Falls, Texas, and
Sabina, Ohio. Stanley also owns MAC Tools and manufactures MAC tools in the
same plants. Now here's the kicker: MAC Tools, Proto Tools (a very expensive
industrial brand), Husky Tools, and, (prior to five or so years ago)
Craftsman Tools are all made from the same forgings in the same plants.
Proto is unique because it goes through additional testing and certification
because it is used by NASA, the military, and industrial customers
(including General Motors). There are three MAJOR players in the USA
mechanics tool business: Stanley, Danaher, and Snap-On. Stanley and Danaher
(almost identical in sales revenue at about $28 billion each) are the
biggest followed by Snap-On. Each of these three manufacture and sell tools
under a variety of brands (there are many other brands that Stanley makes
that I haven't even named). The quality between these three manufacturers is
roughly the same. I know its a bit of a let-down to hear that, but its a
simple fact. Then there are a hand full of other minor players (Vermont
American, etc) and an endless list of Taiwanese import tool companies (some
of which Stanley own as well as Danaher to serve the lower end consumer
import brands at WalMart, etc). How do I know all of this? I work for
Stanley Mechanics Tools, specifically with the Proto Industrial brand. I
personally do not think that MAC, MatCo, or Snap-On branded tools are worth
the extra markup since they use the same forgings and manufacturing
processes that make Husky and Kobalt and pre-1994 Craftsman. Where you need
to pay attention are things like ratchets and torque wrenches. There are
different specifications of ratchets and you do pay for the difference. Some
mechanics require a finer, more precise ratcheting mechanism than guys like
me who just bang around in the garage on the weekends. By the way, Metwrench
is basically considered a "gimmick" infomercial tool brand that is not
considered as a serious competitor to Danaher, Snap-On, or Stanley. Then
again, IBM once didn't see Microsoft as a serious force in the personal
computer business. Hmmmm.... Regards, Greg Hutmacher (now back in lurk
mode)

 

Sometimes you just have to be at the right place at the right time. When the Home Quarters chain of stores went out of business a few years ago, I knew that most every bargain scrounger in town would be at their two local stores during the multi-week sell off. Just as I suspected, the amateur bargain hunters were going after the big ticket items. After a week or two, I went to each of their stores and eyeballed the remaining leftovers. They sold individual sockets that were American made by their house brand. Sockets that originally sold for several dollars each were marked down to about 25 cents each. I bought two of every size that they had left; one set for me and another for a friend. That's the best tool buy that I've found: brand new American made sockets for a quarter apiece!
The only thing better is an estate sale. Many people overlook the old grungy tools which were made 40 or 50 years ago and are still in fine working order. You can't do much to harm those old Craftsman and Snap-On sockets.