I've recently gone back to school after many, (too many to say) years of work. I'm studying HVAC and thought it was time to replace some of a lifetime of tools that I have. I've used tools all my life, so I know what I want. Although I like the 'made in the USA', I'm trying to be completely objective here.
We were give some very expensive tools for school, most of which were Klein. After using the Klein phillips screwdriver for only a few weeks, it began to cam out of screws easily, making it a pain to use. One day after school I stopped by HF and picked up the Pittsburg Pro screwdriver set and a bunch of extra size singles they had, making a very complete set. I figured for around $20, I'd see how they fared. Well, I gotta tell you, they're pretty darn good. After three months of use, they work like new and are some of the best I've used for worn screw heads, and their handles are perfect. So good, in fact, I gave all my Craftsman screwdrivers away to the kids, and neighbors. I was simply amazed. The guys at school have been using them and can't believe it either, we've yet to destroy one. On a whim, I was at HD and saw a set of Milwaukee screwdriveers that have the wire stripper and hole for bending wire, so I bought them to. They are fantastic also, and remain in my tool bag for service.
I was so surprised at the lack of quality metal in the Klein drivers, they just don't hold up at all.
My tools also came with nutdrivers from Klein, and I added some magnetic Klein nutdrivers to the kit. I love them, and they work great, but in the end it's hard to screw up making a nutdriver. I mean hollow shaft, and hex on the end is pretty hard to screw up. But they do work well. I messed with some of the new Milwaukee magnetic drivers, and they're not so hot, the magnet is so far up inside the socket, that it won't hold a screw at all, which is the whole purpose of a magnet, so I guess you can screw up a "magnetic" nutdriver! A lot of the other drivers that are magnetic are not hollow, so Klein wins here by a huge margin.
The Klein crecent wrench in the kit was junk too, not a wide mouth version, and no more well made than a Craftsman of a much cheaper price. Not junk, but certainly a waste of $30. I gave it away and bought a Husky from HD, with wide mouth and very well fitted jaws. A lot of adjustable wrenches have jaws that are not parallel, usually narrower at the tips, and when you try to pull the wrench off for another turn, it jams. The Huskys are very parallel indeed, and no slop in the moveable jaw. I also liked the Channellock wrench, but couldn't find one when I wanted one.
As for pliers, Klein is a good bet, they're made well and you pay for it. Some of the HF stuff is ok, IF you look it over and get a good one, but really hit or miss. I think I'll stick with Klein here. If you want a set of long nose pliers for electrical work, Klein makes what they call the All Purpose pliers, which are long nose, with wire strippers built into the jaws, and spring loaded handles. They are EXCELLENT, and I use them every day. There is another variation, without spring loaded handles, but with a wire crimper, which are on my list to buy.
So, I guess all this is to say, you have to pick and choose, look around and don't write off cheap as junk until you've tried it. Look at it this way, a Klein phillips screwdriver at HD is around $13, and I've heard Klein is not good about replacements. A HF is $8.99 for the set on sale, and singles are usually less than $3, if you break one, or wear one out, or simply just get mad at it, they hand you a new one. Not bad.
We were give some very expensive tools for school, most of which were Klein. After using the Klein phillips screwdriver for only a few weeks, it began to cam out of screws easily, making it a pain to use. One day after school I stopped by HF and picked up the Pittsburg Pro screwdriver set and a bunch of extra size singles they had, making a very complete set. I figured for around $20, I'd see how they fared. Well, I gotta tell you, they're pretty darn good. After three months of use, they work like new and are some of the best I've used for worn screw heads, and their handles are perfect. So good, in fact, I gave all my Craftsman screwdrivers away to the kids, and neighbors. I was simply amazed. The guys at school have been using them and can't believe it either, we've yet to destroy one. On a whim, I was at HD and saw a set of Milwaukee screwdriveers that have the wire stripper and hole for bending wire, so I bought them to. They are fantastic also, and remain in my tool bag for service.
I was so surprised at the lack of quality metal in the Klein drivers, they just don't hold up at all.
My tools also came with nutdrivers from Klein, and I added some magnetic Klein nutdrivers to the kit. I love them, and they work great, but in the end it's hard to screw up making a nutdriver. I mean hollow shaft, and hex on the end is pretty hard to screw up. But they do work well. I messed with some of the new Milwaukee magnetic drivers, and they're not so hot, the magnet is so far up inside the socket, that it won't hold a screw at all, which is the whole purpose of a magnet, so I guess you can screw up a "magnetic" nutdriver! A lot of the other drivers that are magnetic are not hollow, so Klein wins here by a huge margin.
The Klein crecent wrench in the kit was junk too, not a wide mouth version, and no more well made than a Craftsman of a much cheaper price. Not junk, but certainly a waste of $30. I gave it away and bought a Husky from HD, with wide mouth and very well fitted jaws. A lot of adjustable wrenches have jaws that are not parallel, usually narrower at the tips, and when you try to pull the wrench off for another turn, it jams. The Huskys are very parallel indeed, and no slop in the moveable jaw. I also liked the Channellock wrench, but couldn't find one when I wanted one.
As for pliers, Klein is a good bet, they're made well and you pay for it. Some of the HF stuff is ok, IF you look it over and get a good one, but really hit or miss. I think I'll stick with Klein here. If you want a set of long nose pliers for electrical work, Klein makes what they call the All Purpose pliers, which are long nose, with wire strippers built into the jaws, and spring loaded handles. They are EXCELLENT, and I use them every day. There is another variation, without spring loaded handles, but with a wire crimper, which are on my list to buy.
So, I guess all this is to say, you have to pick and choose, look around and don't write off cheap as junk until you've tried it. Look at it this way, a Klein phillips screwdriver at HD is around $13, and I've heard Klein is not good about replacements. A HF is $8.99 for the set on sale, and singles are usually less than $3, if you break one, or wear one out, or simply just get mad at it, they hand you a new one. Not bad.