JSM Posted September 15, 2010 Share Posted September 15, 2010 (edited) So I'm doing brakes on my 280z and of course I didn't have the 10mm 6 point flare wrench, anyway, I had the english standard size to show the Sears clerk what I was after and he points me to the section where they are at. $18.XX for one wrench! After I picked my jaw off the floor, I walked up and hand the clerk the wrench. He says do you want to exchange for the american one? I was like I can do that? He said as long as it's some what close they don't care. I never use the english standard wrench so I walked out with a new wrench that I could use for free! I never knew this. I always thought you had to trade exactly what you had. Thought I would share. Edited September 16, 2010 by JSM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoov100 Posted September 15, 2010 Share Posted September 15, 2010 (edited) Amazingly the harbor freight tool selection has tremendously improved in quality the past couple of years and now offer lifetime warranties, do I am never going back to sears except to exchange stuff I broke. Edited September 15, 2010 by hoov100 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted September 15, 2010 Author Share Posted September 15, 2010 (edited) I do enjoy my Craftsman set. My dad bought an $800 set for me as a high school graduation present. The quality in 87 far exceeds what they have now in my opinion. I used this HF slide hammer to pull 3 sets of 280z Stub axles. I barely managed to get the last one out when the main peice disintegrated. No swap out on the main peice by HF. http://www.harborfreight.com/17-piece-heavy-duty-slide-hammer-kit-5223.html Edited September 15, 2010 by JSM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonix_digital Posted September 15, 2010 Share Posted September 15, 2010 (edited) Amazingly the harbor freight tool selection has tremendously improved in quality the past couple of years and now offer lifetime warranties, do I am never going back to sears except to exchange stuff I broke. I noticed this as well but my harbor freight does not carry flare nut wrenches. Also, for flare nut wrenches i would never in my life use a sub standard brand ever again. Being turned off by the $20 price tag of the 10mm craftsman flare nut wrench I decided to go to PepBoys and pick one up for $6. Worst thing I've ever done. The wrench would, ever so slightly, flex outward when turning causing it to strip and ruin my brake line fittings. After that I went out and bought a legitimate set of Craftsman flarenut wrenches ($39.99 for the whole metric set) and every single fitting popped of like it was no big thing. And an aside to JSM, they just redesigned their Flare nut set to include a much beefier head and handle then they used to. I was lucky enough to get the new design when I bought them Lifetime warranty is one thing, but if the tool is no good to begin with then they are just guaranteeing that it will be no good forever. Edited September 15, 2010 by xonix_digital Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy 77zt Posted September 15, 2010 Share Posted September 15, 2010 i have worked in the past as a ford dealership mechanic.if you go into a sears store with a dealership shirt on they wont warrenty thier tools.why?they say they are for home use only.sears bought orchard supply hardware(west coast home hardware store)so osh sells craftsman tools.but they would exchange an old 1/2" drive ratchet handle because the could recognize the part# on the handle.had to goto a sears store to get a new ratchet.harbor freight-if you use it 1 time and it works it was cheap enough so you dont care .if it makes it past 3 times you are lucky.snap-on-some dealers seem kind of arrogant.if they dont have your broken tool on thier truck they have to order it-if they remember.i prefer thier box/open end wrenches though.mac dealers are the most helpfull Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodoldjam Posted September 15, 2010 Share Posted September 15, 2010 Pawnshops guys, I know my local shop has a better selection of tools than most stores it just takes some digging. Snap-on and Macs are still priced a little high but craftsman is dirt cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoov100 Posted September 15, 2010 Share Posted September 15, 2010 TBH I have had more snap tools break on me then any other tool brand minus matco and pitsburgh. (I don't want to know what kind of quality it is now that snap on is made in china) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeatrpi Posted September 16, 2010 Share Posted September 16, 2010 now that snap on is made in china Ouch! Can you substantiate that claim? Sears on the other hand - be careful. More and more of their hand tools are being made in China. Dogbone? China. Polished flare nut wrenches? China. Tap and die sets, spline wrenches... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonix_digital Posted September 16, 2010 Share Posted September 16, 2010 I love china. I bought my headlights from china for $ 3.50. Jokes aside though that's really sad. All we have to do to fix the economy is to heavily tax outsourcing. Bam... problem solved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoov100 Posted September 16, 2010 Share Posted September 16, 2010 Ouch! Can you substantiate that claim? Alot of the newly manufactured snap tools I have come across say made in china on them, while the packaging says made in the USA.. I'm talking newly manufactured within the past 3-6 months, not the new stuff that has been collecting dust in the snap on truck/warehouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted September 16, 2010 Author Share Posted September 16, 2010 Lets try not to make this about politics. My reason for posting was for an FYI if you didn't know Sears exchange policy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi303 Posted September 16, 2010 Share Posted September 16, 2010 I love china. I bought my headlights from china for $ 3.50. Jokes aside though that's really sad. All we have to do to fix the economy is to heavily tax outsourcing. Bam... problem solved. NZ has no chainsaw factories, so no jobs lost and I felt zero guilt in buying a cheap Chinese chainsaw for $57 USD plus shipping, in my hands it cost me $134 USD, or less than $200 NZD, while the cheapest local hardware stores sold the equivalent units for over $400 NZ. So far after a month use, it's working out better than the Husqvana 350 it replaced used to work, and which would have cost over $300 for repairs after it spat the dummy... Just got to see what long term reliability is like in 3 or 4 years time. As to taxing outsourcing... The WTO would call that tariff barriers 'nuff said on that topic before it gets political. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted September 16, 2010 Share Posted September 16, 2010 Snap-On started outsourcing to China 5 years ago. I used to weld their specialty automotive hand tools before they shipped that to mainland China. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 I do my best to support my TAIWAN namesake company: "King Tony" For King Tony, there's only one tool that is fit for a King: "KING TONY TOOLS" "It don't got yer name on it...er...waitaminit, I guess it IS your tool, your Majesty!" Google it up if you think I'm FOS, there are guys at ZCar that would melt down if they saw my tool roll! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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