Good set of tools for the boy?

   / Good set of tools for the boy? #11  
I found the mechanics tool sets didn't have the tools I needed, and put together assortments of sockets, wrenches, etc. once I got the rolling cabinets with drawers. Run out of space ? Get another cabinet.
I did find the household tool sets valuable. I can do most any repair with the tools in the set. My suggestion - get a good (kobalt or Husky) hard case household set. It'll run you $200-$300, will a nice presentation box, and he'll use it for years in apartments and then his first house for doing repairs. Once he's into construction or heavy auto repair, he'll buy what he wants.
 
   / Good set of tools for the boy? #12  
I started working for myself in the mid '80s. My first 1/2" drive socket set was Britool, still have it, everything else is Snap On. Yes it cost tens of thousands to build up but I still have all of them, still look and work great after nearly 40 years of daily use. If you can find some used sets (I've seen them on CL and ebay) they would be worth the investment. Plus if he breaks anything, Snap On will replace it (or at least, that used to be their policy)
 
   / Good set of tools for the boy? #13  
I would second checking local yard sales and Craigslist. Like @ultrarunner, I have picked up a number from guys retiring and happy to know their tools will be used and respected.

Then there is always surplus;
www.govplanet.com

(4) General Mechanic's Tool Kits

A complete inventory of all parts was not conducted. <br><br>
www.govplanet.com www.govplanet.com

All the best,

Peter
 
   / Good set of tools for the boy? #14  
When I was setting up the tool box for the shop I built I decided I was going to start with better than the random junk I'd acquired that I had in the garage... At christmas time I got one of the $100 Husky sets, they're actually pretty decent and complete other than the wrenches but at the same time they have the $20 metric and standard wrench set... and the $50 ratcheting wrench set, then throw in the $20 ratchet accessory thing and you're pretty well set up :). My traveling kit that sits in the rear seat of my F350 is the Kobalt $100 kit cube thing, about equal to the Husky kit...
 
   / Good set of tools for the boy? #15  
Way back - when God made dirt - I purchased my first set of sockets. They were cheap - did not last long. I decided, then, that I wanted something that would last my entire life.

If your son will be using these tools his entire life - buy him something that will last. Fifty years from now - as he picks up that socket wrench - he will have fond memories of his father.

You don't have to buy him "the whole boat". A good socket wrench and set of sockets. He will fill out his needs as he moves thru life.
 
   / Good set of tools for the boy?
  • Thread Starter
#16  
Thanks for the feedback.

End of the day, Just wanted to make certain that there wasn't "garbage" out there to stay away from. Reality is it's getting to the point where who knows what is made where and what kind of warranty manufacturers honor anymore.

Because he's 18, and most likely will be traveling, just looking for something that is manageable carrying.

His grand dad on his mothers side has a garage full of tools that sooner or later he'll have dibs on (that grand dad passed away 2 years ago and his heavier powered stuff was already picked up by family). He was a hardcore craftsman guy, but that was 30 / 40 years ago. I'm just looking for something that he can call his own at this point in his young life. He can build on top of that if he wishes to do so.

I have no doubt he'll be doing the yard sale stuff on his own when he gets older. Being cheap he got from my dad LOL

He surprised me when it comes to hands on work. Him and his buddy spent a day at various junkyards finding parts for his buddies volvo, and apparently they had a blast from dusk to dawn on his day off.
 
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   / Good set of tools for the boy? #17  
FWIW, I have the $99 larger Husky set, but the one I typically use is the smaller Dewalt suitcase set because it has most everything I typically use, is easier to carry, and the case has metal latches. Many of the tool set cases have plastic latches that aren't going to last in use. The larger Husky set is nice to have around the shop because there are times when it has a socket size I need that isn't in the smaller sets, but the DeWalt would be my choice for carrying in the car.
 
   / Good set of tools for the boy? #19  
I started out with Craftsman tools. I remember day dreaming about buying those big kits they had in there catalog back in the 80's. I really enjoyed those catalogs!!!

Today I'm pretty much just buying the Kobalt brand tools from Lowes. I've never had one break on me, and they all work flawlessly. I retired my Channel Lock set of plyers because the long nose broke on my and the pliers always bind up on me. The Kobalt are smooth and flawless.

For big wrenches, which you probably don't need to get him until he buys his own tractor, I've found that they all work the same once you get over one inch. Tractor Supply has a good selection to choose from, and I have all of them up to 2 inches.

I have a few Proto sockets for brush hog blades. They are too expensive, but they where the only brand I could find when I needed that size.

I won't buy anything Craftsman anymore. They have gone full Chinese junk and what I did buy when they started selling them at Lowes, all failed quickly.

I also don't like anything Harbor Freight. I tried them awhile ago, and it was too expensive to spend the time to buy their stuff, to have it fail, and then to have to spend the time to go buy a better quality tool in order to fix what I need to fix.

If Home Depot is closer, I think their brand of hand tools is just as good as the Kobalt at Lowes. I have a few of their sockets and they have held up without any issues.

The older I get, the smaller I want my toolbox to be. I'm more into specialty toolboxes now, with the tools to do that task in each toolbox. For my hand tools, I use a small fishing tacklebox from Walmart that's bright blue, about a foot long, and able to hold exactly what I need. I refuse to put any extra stuff in there, so it's it's always light and easy to carry into a job. I have bigger toolboxes with bigger tools, and extra stuff like bolts and odd sizes screws in it, but I rarely take those boxes into a job.
 
   / Good set of tools for the boy? #20  
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