Page 22 - KCRPCA Sept Oct 2020

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on, Matco, etc), Mid (Craftsman, Husky, Kobalt, etc), and crap (no name stuff like Clap on, Smatco, or Cruftsmen). I won’t get into the made in US thing, because very few tools are made in the US anymore, but there are definitely different level of quality the Chinese plants will sell the manufacturer. Made in US means a certain % of the tool is made here, such as slapping the printing the label on the tool. Kind of like American cars built overseas that come into port with no driver seat; they install the seat on the dock after it comes off the boat, and now it is Made in America.
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#1: No matter the quality,
tools can break. In other words, even the expensive stuff breaks on occasion. Especially when you use the wrong tool for the wrong job, etc, not that anyone would be caught doing that. Most tools now have lifetime warranties so you should
be covered no matter what you buy. Some oddball tools from Craftsman
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for instance, like torque wrenches, are immune from their lifetime warranty, but those tools are few and far between. Usually tool replacement is a fairly painless hassle for most brands that I have seen.
#2: The tools you use the most should be the highest quality tool you can afford. Things like screwdrivers and wrenches, ratchets, and especially pliers should be the best you can afford. For instance, the teeth of ratchets are typically much stronger and a finer count with a high grade tool, meaning less angle of swing before the next click which comes in handy in a tight spot and being able
to handle more torque. Most off the shelf ratchets are around 35-40 teeth, where as many of my snap on ratchets are 72 teeth, more teeth means less distance the ratchet has to swing to catch the next tooth. Cheaper tools like Craftsman/Husky/etc will strip
a fastener in poor condition in a heartbeat when it starts to fight you. Now your job involves drills, ez- outs, and a lot of time you shouldn’t have to waste removing a broken
or stripped fastener. If you have a fastener with a slightly rounded edge,
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Der Sportwagen