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Quality Construction Tools
- Thread starter Baggsy
- Start date
Mad Mike
Well-known member
I have no real brand loyalty, I tend to pick tools based on past experience and the type of use. I buy one of my kids tools each Christmas - he's trying to build a basic set.
My old standby for ratchets, sockets, wrenches and screwdrivers is Craftsman. I have tools from the 70's that are can be replaced over the counter at any Craftsman reseller -- no proof of purchase required. I used to swear by Craftsman power tools however today they are aimed at hobby use.
For cordless dril and driver I prefer Rigid (Home Depot), again for the lifetime warranty that includes batteries. BEWARE OF THE FINE PRINT ON RIGID TOOLS - you must register the warranty and you must keep your original receipt. Even though HD keeps this stuff on file, they absolutely will not honor a warranty unless it's been registered to you AND you have original proof of purchase.
I've had good luck with Ryobi woodworking tools. I'm not building houses or furniture - they have served me well for decks, and the odd household job like flooring and trim work. They are economical and I have always found them to be powerful.
DeWalt - Never. I keep a Dewalt 18V cordless drill and impact driver lag bolted to the wall in my shop -- reminds me 'never again'. I've had several that could not be repaired and their warranty sucks.
My old standby for ratchets, sockets, wrenches and screwdrivers is Craftsman. I have tools from the 70's that are can be replaced over the counter at any Craftsman reseller -- no proof of purchase required. I used to swear by Craftsman power tools however today they are aimed at hobby use.
For cordless dril and driver I prefer Rigid (Home Depot), again for the lifetime warranty that includes batteries. BEWARE OF THE FINE PRINT ON RIGID TOOLS - you must register the warranty and you must keep your original receipt. Even though HD keeps this stuff on file, they absolutely will not honor a warranty unless it's been registered to you AND you have original proof of purchase.
I've had good luck with Ryobi woodworking tools. I'm not building houses or furniture - they have served me well for decks, and the odd household job like flooring and trim work. They are economical and I have always found them to be powerful.
DeWalt - Never. I keep a Dewalt 18V cordless drill and impact driver lag bolted to the wall in my shop -- reminds me 'never again'. I've had several that could not be repaired and their warranty sucks.
Like most things in life you get what you pay for. CTC tools in the Maxim line are pretty good , Snapon is stupid money if your not in the trades, Mac tools are good but also not cheap. The new Craftsman line at Lowes does not seem as nice as the old product .
The first question is what does he want to do?? If he just wants a toolset and he's not a tradesman CTC value is hard to beat.
The first question is what does he want to do?? If he just wants a toolset and he's not a tradesman CTC value is hard to beat.
For hand tools, you'll find most of the affordable stuff comes out of the same factories. Personally, I have some mastercrap pro/maximum and a big set of craftsmen I bought almost 20 years ago. It all works decent. I have a snap-on ratchet I got as a present that is really nice, but not nice enough for me to wish I has spent 10 times as much to get tools off the truck. A lot of mac tools are rebrands with a big markup to cover the truck, name and support. If you look around you can find other brands stamped onto the identical tools for at least 50% less.
As far as kits vs pick and choose. Almost always kits. Even if you put half of it in the spares drawer, it was still cheaper than trying to buying in smaller quantities.
I'm with MM, I have had bad luck with Dewalt cordless (normally stripped low gear, but also premature battery death [I have a 12V that has been relegated to a coffee grinder because the battery only has 15 minutes of life]). For the past decade or more, the vast majority of my cordless has been Milwaukee. I have nothing bad to say about it. For the vast majority of people, 12V stuff is more than enough. It really has come a long way. I only pull out the 18V stuff a few times a year. I have a makita 12V driver that is great for low torque (good feel, light clutch) but terrible for construction. Their 18V stuff is great for construction, but like I said, most people don't need 18 (unless you are making money using them). Cordless stuff has come so far that for most projects I just use the cordless circ saw and don't even bother pulling out the corded ones.
For corded stuff, most of the collection is Makita. Some were specifically chosen as they were the best choice for me at the time (7.5" sliding CMS, 8 1/4 circ saw), others it just happened that they were the cheapest decent quality version of a tool I needed. For a portable table saw, I got dewalt because their fence was imo the best at the time.
Like CC said, what is he trying to do? How much space does he have? For limited space, a 12V drill/driver, bit set and a blowmold case of ratchets will probably do >90% of what most people need. I intentionally left off impact driver. I hate them and rarely use them. They are better for a few things (partially stripped screw heads, screwing off a deck as quickly as possible) but for most things they are just loud and give you very little feel as to how tight things are and when you are on the edge of stripping.
Lowes/Rona/Reno-Depot is having another round of blood-letting. There may be deals there but be careful. The last round, even when marked down 30% many of their tools were higher than HD daily price. Great time/place to buy fasteners though.
Edit:
CT sale ending today has a Stanley ratchet set for sale at $120 (absolutely crazy and probably fake original price of $550). Given the insane mark, maybe they are high tooth ratchets. If so, it's not a bad set for 120 (no annoying cover on the lid that results in dumping the kit half the time). It's missing 21 deep which many cars use for lug nuts, but you can always grab the tire iron from the trunk. For what it's worth, I find the wrenches included in all of those kits to be useless and normally take them out to save weight. The want to get the count up so they include the smallest sizes.
Stanley Professional Black Chrome Socket Set, 229-pc | Canadian Tire
As far as kits vs pick and choose. Almost always kits. Even if you put half of it in the spares drawer, it was still cheaper than trying to buying in smaller quantities.
I'm with MM, I have had bad luck with Dewalt cordless (normally stripped low gear, but also premature battery death [I have a 12V that has been relegated to a coffee grinder because the battery only has 15 minutes of life]). For the past decade or more, the vast majority of my cordless has been Milwaukee. I have nothing bad to say about it. For the vast majority of people, 12V stuff is more than enough. It really has come a long way. I only pull out the 18V stuff a few times a year. I have a makita 12V driver that is great for low torque (good feel, light clutch) but terrible for construction. Their 18V stuff is great for construction, but like I said, most people don't need 18 (unless you are making money using them). Cordless stuff has come so far that for most projects I just use the cordless circ saw and don't even bother pulling out the corded ones.
For corded stuff, most of the collection is Makita. Some were specifically chosen as they were the best choice for me at the time (7.5" sliding CMS, 8 1/4 circ saw), others it just happened that they were the cheapest decent quality version of a tool I needed. For a portable table saw, I got dewalt because their fence was imo the best at the time.
Like CC said, what is he trying to do? How much space does he have? For limited space, a 12V drill/driver, bit set and a blowmold case of ratchets will probably do >90% of what most people need. I intentionally left off impact driver. I hate them and rarely use them. They are better for a few things (partially stripped screw heads, screwing off a deck as quickly as possible) but for most things they are just loud and give you very little feel as to how tight things are and when you are on the edge of stripping.
Lowes/Rona/Reno-Depot is having another round of blood-letting. There may be deals there but be careful. The last round, even when marked down 30% many of their tools were higher than HD daily price. Great time/place to buy fasteners though.
Edit:
CT sale ending today has a Stanley ratchet set for sale at $120 (absolutely crazy and probably fake original price of $550). Given the insane mark, maybe they are high tooth ratchets. If so, it's not a bad set for 120 (no annoying cover on the lid that results in dumping the kit half the time). It's missing 21 deep which many cars use for lug nuts, but you can always grab the tire iron from the trunk. For what it's worth, I find the wrenches included in all of those kits to be useless and normally take them out to save weight. The want to get the count up so they include the smallest sizes.
Stanley Professional Black Chrome Socket Set, 229-pc | Canadian Tire
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For ratchets and sockets, SK makes high-end stuff in the US for not that much money: https://www.amazon.ca/ProsKit-SK-42601M-Drive-Socket-Piece/dp/B00AF1BKBM/
For widely-available Asian-made tools, I like Milwaukee. Their power tools are generally excellent and things like bit sets, hand clamps, etc. are nice and sturdy.
For widely-available Asian-made tools, I like Milwaukee. Their power tools are generally excellent and things like bit sets, hand clamps, etc. are nice and sturdy.
Define construction tools???
Are we talking power tools (battery or corded) that you use to build stuff (construction) or general hand tools (wrenches, hammers, whatever).
For true powered construction tools...
If you are rich... Hilti, Festool.
If not and you still want very good: Milwaukee, Makita, Dewalt, Bosch (no order implied)
Mid to lower grade DIYer stuff: Black and Decker, Mastercraft, Craftsman (of today), Ryobi, etc.
I see Porter Cable somewhere in between the above two points, been really hit and miss for me.
I am sure I missed some... With the exception of Festool I have something of all the above, depends on the need, all have served the intended purpose.
Construction hammers: Estwing and nothing else...
Rest of the hand tools, really comes down to what you need, Mastercraft, Craftsman, Stanley.... usually gets most people where they are going. But obviously there are much better brands...(Snap-On, MAC, S-K....).
Are we talking power tools (battery or corded) that you use to build stuff (construction) or general hand tools (wrenches, hammers, whatever).
For true powered construction tools...
If you are rich... Hilti, Festool.
If not and you still want very good: Milwaukee, Makita, Dewalt, Bosch (no order implied)
Mid to lower grade DIYer stuff: Black and Decker, Mastercraft, Craftsman (of today), Ryobi, etc.
I see Porter Cable somewhere in between the above two points, been really hit and miss for me.
I am sure I missed some... With the exception of Festool I have something of all the above, depends on the need, all have served the intended purpose.
Construction hammers: Estwing and nothing else...
Rest of the hand tools, really comes down to what you need, Mastercraft, Craftsman, Stanley.... usually gets most people where they are going. But obviously there are much better brands...(Snap-On, MAC, S-K....).
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I'm think along the lines of a wood butcher, with possible some metal work and welding.
Mostly, manual hand tools, I think.
I'll ask him tonight to make sure. I think he's in the construction engineering technology program whatever that is.
Some of the decent quality brands I'm familiar with from 40-50 years ago: Stanley, Crescent, Milwaukee, Craftsman etc.
But I'm not sure if they've kept that up ove the years.
Mostly, manual hand tools, I think.
I'll ask him tonight to make sure. I think he's in the construction engineering technology program whatever that is.
Some of the decent quality brands I'm familiar with from 40-50 years ago: Stanley, Crescent, Milwaukee, Craftsman etc.
But I'm not sure if they've kept that up ove the years.
Nothing on your list is the same as you remember. All are still decent (I'd probably put new craftsman at the bottom of that pile though).
I graduated from George Brown Construction Engineering Technology in '92. It was a good course back then, mainly aimed at graduates becoming estimators. I was previously a licensed welder, who primarily worked on structural steel buildings. After graduation, I got into carpentry, eventually working my way up to ICI Site Supervisor.
I still have some of the tools that I started with.
For a present, I would recommend getting him a worm drive "skilsaw" 7 & 1/4". The quality is still there. The best hammers seem to be Stilletto brand, but you'll never go wrong with an Estwing. A good pouch would be a good idea for a present too, don't get one that is all joined together, individual belt and side pouches is the way to go
Cordless technology seems to fluctuate every few years (Hiliti has always been a top runner with all tools), a couple years ago Makita seemed to be back on top. Most guys are going with Millwaukee these days, simply because of their battery selection 5ah, 9ah, 18ah,( "ah" being "amp hours").
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Those are all the same company now; Black and Decker... along with Dewalt, Mac, Bostitch
Brands
Honing our craft since 1843, we know a thing or two about making great tools. We stock your toolbox, shed and truck bed. The ones you’ve come to rely on to make that repair, nail that renovation and landscape like a pro. But that’s just part of our story. We help build the roads you drive on...
...while I'm on the subject... watch out for the cordless tool kit deals. The cheapest kit may be $50 cheaper BUT it has crappy small capacity battery(s), cheapo chuck, lesser motor.
... and if he is only going to use the thing every 6 months get corded tools.
I'm glad someone said this.
If you're actually going to USE a hammer, any tool actually, get the best one you can afford.
I got my idiot little brother a job at a shop I knew. He had no tools, I lent him a tool box.
In the time he worked there he lost my BluePoint (Snap On) ball peen hammer. I told him to replace with "what ever". At the time a 16oz Snap On ball peen hammer was $86... almost $100 for a thing that is basically the equivalent of a ROCK.
It was about a week later I had a 16oz Snap On ball peen hammer. The piece of crap he bought at Home Depot is in the welding cart.
While that is an excellent saw, it is a bit much for most people. Personally, if I was going for a worm-drive, I would get the mag to save a few pounds of weight. For most homeowners with limited tool budgets, I don't think the worm-drive is worth the extra $100+ (and in many situations it's worse as it is also 5+ lbs heavier than a sidewinder). Makita's hypoid is worth a solid look too if a worm drive is in the cards.
Stiletto hammers fall in the same bracket for me. It's hard to argue against their performance, but price vs performance just isn't there for most homeowners. Estwing strikes a great price/performance level (if you don't lose it or put a pipe on it as a cheater, you'll never need another 16 oz hammer). I also vastly prefer the straight(ish) puller on most estwing vs the huge curve on cheap crap.
Unless you go cordless. Most of them have the blade on the visible side. Obviously more expensive than a corded equivalent (but approximately the same as a worm drive). I tried them back in the Makita 4" (?) days and laughed about how they were useless at everything. With the current crop of brushless li-ion with 6.5"+ blades, they are quite remarkable.
Boo
Still boo
Big thumbs up
With all cordless tools, keep an eye out for the specials at real tools stores (atlas, IHL etc.). I am pretty sure I got the saw for free when I bought a drill/impact kit (that I didn't need but it was about the same price as buying the saw). Over the years, milwaukee bogo deals got me a free bluetooth speaker (sounds meh, works quite well), M12 radio (sounds meh, works quite well), fuel circ saw, 2x2 ah M12, 2x4ah M18,M18 led light stick (meh).
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Mad Mike
Well-known member
If I didn't already have a few coded circ saws I might try. I like the fact they fixed the handle location. How many 8'rips on 3/4 ply do you get on a charge? Also, is it much harder keeping the 6.5" blade straight?Unless you go cordless. Most of them have the blade on the visible side. Obviously more expensive than a corded equivalent (but approximately the same as a worm drive). I tried them back in the Makita 4" (?) days and laughed about how they were useless at everything. With the current crop of brushless li-ion with 6.5"+ blades, they are quite remarkable.
Boo
View attachment 41403
Big thumbs up
I don't know exactly. Enough that it doesn't bother me. I'm not normally doing 8' rips. The last time I was building a deck, working by myself, I would normally get through the day on a 4ah battery.
Here is a ridgid test where they cut 157 linear feet of 5/8 OSB with a 4 ah battery. That seems plausible for the competition as well.
It is a little harder to keep it straight (partly due to the smaller blade, partly due to the top handle, a worm drive puts you way behind the blade so your pivot point is more than a foot from your hand). If I am doing something I really care about (like cutting the end of a deck) I grab the biggest saw I have, otherwise I find them all good enough. The built in light helps immensely if you are trying to get things done after work and probably more than compensates for any unintentional wobble by letting you see what you are aiming for.
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