Brand Of Tools

[Wiggins]

I started buying Snap-on stuff when I first started turning wrenches in 1968. They've served me well, especially in the bush when I couldn't afford a tooling break-down. They're expensive but sometimes there is no substitute for dependability. Plus the warranty is exceptinal.

 

I beg to differ. Snap on is very good but getting warranty replacements can be a bit of a pain in the arse. Mastercraft have come a long way in quality. When you need a replacement Canadian tire which is every where in the big .ca will replace over the counter with no questions asked. In the early 80's I spent every pay check building up my snap-on collection but was allways accused of abusing my tool (no comments from the peanut gallery) when it came to getting a repacement. The big allure with Snap-On was the lifetime warranty and some poor ******* who was trying to eek out a living visiting the hanger once a week. I would imagine even Cool Tools have a life time warranty these days. Just my 2 cents.

[new guy]

I started with a little of everything Craftsman, Mastercraft, Mac, Snap-On, & SK. They all work and are all good tools, now some things are done better by others. On the whole though I am starting to replace my tools with Snap-On more because he comes to my door. The other thing is Canadian Tire/Sears is 2 hrs away, I pay a little more to have him come but I will pay.

 

I have found that the Snap-On sockets are not as thick as the rest and can fit into a smaller space, and handel the torque

[212wrench]

snap- on deep 12 point 1/4 drive sockets should be avoided. They are not cut all the way down the interior of the socket. for example the 5/16 with a MS21042 nut will not work all the way down the stud it will hit the stud. Might be hard to imagine but if you look at the inside of the socket you will see what I mean. Gray, SK don't have that problem.

[Heli500]

snap- on deep 12 point 1/4 drive sockets should be avoided. They are not cut all the way down the interior of the socket. for example the 5/16 with a MS21042 nut will not work all the way down the stud it will hit the stud. Might be hard to imagine but if you look at the inside of the socket you will see what I mean. Gray, SK don't have that problem.

 

Proto makes 1/4" 12pt deep sockets are cut all the way down on the interior wall. They also sell a 1/4" 12 pt swivel set. Both are about 1/2 the price of snap-on.

 

If you need machinest wrenches try www.bosstoolsupply.com the cheapest place I have ever seen them 3/4 up to 1 5/8. Less than a $100 bucks and free shipping.

[CECO]

I like Gray (warranties can take a while sometimes)but good tool$, also I have been buying more JET simply for the price and warranty. I still buy the good stuff though, like Snatch-on and Mac though.

[helimat]

If working on an Astar only the 7mm and 9mm are required in the harder to find 12-point, the rest of the 1/4" sockets 6-point will do. One could safely get by with a 7mm universal in 12-point from Snap-On, and use a box end wrench for the rare time 9mm is required. Get the rest of the 1/4" 6-point socket set from Sears or Canadian tire or what have you to save money, you might catch them on sale, they seem to have great warranties these days, and the products are decent. One day one might want to upgrade to Snap-On, but when starting out it is pretty expensive.

When I started working on Heli's I was told that all my 1/4" drive sockets would have to be 12-point, but I believe that is a fallacy. I prefer to use 6-point, and carry the few 12-point sockets for when it is required, mostly universal as well. (IE 7mm, 1/4", 5/16".) That being said, back at base I have a $100 SK 12-point set that came with metric and standard, both in shallow and deep. Not the highest quality but it is a good back up for the price!

I guess what I am trying to say is one doesn't have to buy a $300 Snap-On set right away for just a couple of 12-point sockets. Maybe this will help out someone fresh out of school save some money on tools at least at the outset!

Helimat

P.S. I hope this qualifies as a contribution for those holier-than-thou types.

[TwistedSpar]

I'm with helimat on this....after years in the bush, you realise you're wasting your money buying sets....I only buy single items now as required.

[Heli500]

Proto makes 1/4" 12pt deep sockets are cut all the way down on the interior wall. They also sell a 1/4" 12 pt swivel set. Both are about 1/2 the price of snap-on.

 

If you need machinest wrenches try www.bosstoolsupply.com the cheapest place I have ever seen them 3/4 up to 1 5/8. Less than a $100 bucks and free shipping.

 

 

opps I meant service wrench set or what ever you want to call them. :punk: A must if your going to work on anything MD makes

[helimat]

opps I meant service wrench set or what ever you want to call them. :punk: A must if your going to work on anything MD makes

 

I have heard them called a 'Bonney' wrench as well! I don't have a whole huge amount of 500 time, but do I know that one is pretty handy for the heater bleed air line on the front of the 250. 1-1/4" I believe... I was in KMS Tools in Coquitlam a few years back, (A great resource for tools, at great prices, for those who haven't been there!) and they had a BIN of Armstrong 'Bonney' Wrenches, size 1-1/4" only, for $12 each. I am still kicking myself for only grabbing one!

I also bought the same 'Grip Tools' wrench set Heli500 found at Boss Tools. Heli500 has found a great bargain, I paid quite a bit more on eBay, I think about $125 with shipping if I recall, mind you it was 4 or 5 years ago... Not as nice as the Armstrong wrench, not nearly as thin either, but the set went from 3/4" all the way to 1-5/8", and has come in handy quite a bit, especially when I was working on Bell Medium rebuilds.

Helimat

[Lunchbox]

Trying to build up my current toolbox.

 

For a starter set go cheap and simple, then buy job specific items. You'll end up modifiying many of your sockets and wrenches, and you won't be sheading tears when you have to grind that Snap-On socket. I started with Craftsman USA socket/wrench sets, and years later there's still certain sizes I hardly (if ever) use. A lot of my other stuff is Mastercraft, supplemented by specific MAC/Snap-On items. My ratcheting screwdriver was bought for $10 in the clerance bin at a local hardware store. Still works fine years later. Despite much of my cheap junk, the only tool I ever broke so far was a Snap-On screwdriver. I'd think that if you have problems with tools breaking (even cheap tools), either A: You're doing something wrong, or B: the helicopter has bigger problems.