Craftsman tool set under $200

snakester14 said:
Alright guys what do you recommend the 260 craftsman http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...Featured+Items&prdNo=7&blockNo=7&blockType=G7
Or this 301 piece Harbor Frieght which looks more complete but I dunno I'm a noob when it comes to tools.
http://www.harborfreight.com/professional-301-piece-mechanics-tool-kit-45951.html
Need to pick something up today as my Jeep is in pieces and I keep breaking my crappy old sockets.
thanks,
Jake
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I have the same Craftsman set, and its my go-to set here at home. 99% of the work I do now I use that set for it. I have had good luck with HF impact grade stuff, and have some pliers and screwdrivers from them, but cant attest to their regular sockets or ratchets. That particular HF set does have a fair amount of specialty sockets which are nice to have.

Duane
 
I have used sears tools since I can remember. I have also used HF, Northern, Lowes and Home Depot. The one thing I think is great about Sears is they are mostly everywhere. If you break a tool you can almost always get a replacement at the local Sears. The same can not always be said of the other stores. I have had no problems with my Craftsman but I do find that some HF tools can sometimes easily be disposable after a few uses. While Northern Tools seem to be of better quality than HF neither brand is as reliable overall as Craftsman. For a starter set you should not be trying to figure out what pieces are good and which pieces will be trash, all the pieces should be reliable within their intended limits. So I say go with Craftsman for your first set and try to find one that has less small tools, to increase tool number, and more necessary tools. Sometimes a higher tool number will actually have less necessary tools and more "filler", as was the case when I was looking for mine.
 
Figured I'd update and say I did pull the trigger and get the 260 piece craftsman kit and love it so far.
 
Speaking of Craftsman and replacement - does anybody know if they wil lreplace the plastic cases the tool sets come in?
I have an old100-something pc set, maybe 15 years now. Everything has held up great (although iI'm on about the 5th ratchet). The plastic clips that snap the twohalves of the case together have broken off, so now it wont stay closed at all...
 
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