I have a few really good tools. I also have a few Snap-On tools. Not all my really good tools are Snap-On and not all my Snap-On tools are really good tools. I tend to lean more toward trying to decide which tools will work for me and buying them.
We all would love to have a complete set of Snap-On tools. But I get the feeling that not all of us have the money to buy them. I love Snap-On tools. They work, feel good, tend not to rust out, and do not break (usually). Most of the Snap-On tools I have I purchased at swap meets or used tool shops. I like to search these places for Snap-On stuff and hopefully get a little discount on them.
The majority of my tools are Craftsman tools. In the last few years Craftsman has really upgraded their line of tools. The Professional Series of hand tools are really good quality tools. The best thing about Craftsman as most of you know is the return policy. Basically if the tool breaks, you bring it in, and get a new one.
I also have (as do most A&P mechanics) a few select Cheap-O tools. The old Made in Taiwan or China stuff. These come in handy for doing jobs that may require a tool that can be modified, bent, ground down etc. On the rare occasion you find one of these tools that is actually better that the Snap-On or Craftsman variety. One such tool that I carry is a large flat blade screw driver. It has a square shank, and the shank goes all the way through the handle and ends outside the handle in a large mushroom shaped end. I have owned this thing since 1988. I have overhauled engines, broken frozen galley sections loose out of L-1011s, hammered, scraped,and chiseled many airplane pieces and parts and I carry it every day. It is simply one of the best tools I have and it is Made in China.
I was wondering, what kind of Cheap-O tools do you have that are indispensable to you?
Hey, how ya doing? That's great!
ReplyDeleteNow, as my great friend Joe Patroni always told me as he took me under his wing back at Laguardia, he said, "Anonymous, always have crap tools and never, ever put your name on them. That ways when you get your screwdriver sucked in to the intake of a Boeing 707, no one can put the blame on you and you don't don't lose much in the way of cash buying yourself a replacement". I took Ol' Joe at his word and to this day I own nothing but crap! If I can't find the tool I want, then I make it outta an old fax machine, maybe a couple of bev cups and a piece of shoe shank, or maybe I whittle it outta a piece flight line!
Good tools have their place in my box, but those oldy-but-goody tools will pull you through every time. Just don't tell Joe I said so.