Discounts on tools! ??

[2007ShelbyCobra]

Recently I have been accepted into a Mechanics class for my highschool. For the class I will need a few hundred dollars worth of import tools. However, as the main teacher/instructor of the class has said, it would be a great idea to buy advanced mechanics tools now, so that in the future you would have less to purchase. I am looking into working on automobiles in my future anyways, both as a career and hobby. So buying some quality tools now would payoff in the future. The point of this thread is to see if anyone on the SBZ board may work for one of the major tool companys, and would be able to get me a slight discount. I could always go through craftsman, and save some cash, but my parents were thinking of stepping up to Mac, Matco, Snap On, etc... I would appreciate any help. Also, im sure some people on here work in garages or in professional shops. And I was wondering if Craftsman cuts it. As my instructor for next year said, sometimes in the high end shops, people look down upon craftsman as if they have cheaper lower quality tools. Do you think this is true? Do employees in your shops use craftsman or only top end tools. Thanks for any help.

[tcorns]

i am assuming you will be doing some sort of vocational school? if so then this applies...
when i did oaks they offered a small tool set that was a reasonable price. once the program began we were offered discounts by all of the major companies (some were up to 50%). i never took the deal as i really did not have the money. but they did offer us s&k tools along with some proto stuff in the tool kit that they sold to us. almost 15 years later everything is still in perfect shape.
if you have to buy everything on your own... craftsman will get you started. after spending some time in the field you will know what you need and don't need. at that point you can start to replace the ones that you really need.
i spent 10 years working on commercial aircraft and have had my hands on every different brand of tool that you could imagine.

[mustangrfast88]

all the tools i use are craftsman i mean they get the job done and yes the high dollar stuff is beeter but all my craftsman stuff has held up and if breaks take back and have new the same day

[Blkcobra01]

Craftsman is good to start out with cheap and if it breaks take it back. I like Mac and Snap on as well they are comfortable and work out well. I got a discount on the snap on stuff when I was at Great Oaks, and bought Mac when I worked at the dealer didnt get a discount but was on a payment plan $20 a wk and the tool guy I had was very good to deal with a great person. Some people do look down on craftsman in the field but most say cause of comfort atlest when I worked at the dealer. The main reason also when you work for a shop is Mac and Snap on etc. Come to you, you dont have to take time out of your day to go to sears. But craftsman are good and to start out with. If you want I could give you the Mac guys number who I had he is local to Dayton and Miamisburg area. Dont know about a discount but he is good to deal with and you might be able to get one depending on the school or if he has paperwork for your school to fill out I believe they offer somthing doesnt hurt to ask.

[thecollector]

If you have cash and don't have to work from Credit buy second hand. Most tech's look down at craftsmen stuff but still have it themselves. I could go either way myself but lately have preferred Craftsmen as my snap-on guy has turned into a flake (no show for 10 weeks). Many tool distributors are kinda flaky. In my box in the shop I have Snap-on, mac, and matco. In my field service rig I carry craftsmen, Proto, SK, Kobalt and rigid. If I loose anything in the field it is cheaper to replace that way.

I spent about $3,500 when I graduated vocational school and got a huge discount. I ordered a box upon graduation and traded it in two years later and got $400 more than I paid towards a Demo box with two scratches on the back side that was discounted 40%. Craigslist is chock full of tech's/ex-techs going broke or getting out of the business wanting to get rid of their tools/boxes. Buy air tools new and everything else used. Sears has some awesome sales but they do occasionally discountinue products and haggle you over service replacement.

Your school should have more info on programs available that help you out with discount tool programs. The companies right off the sale at cost as a tax deduction and use the school to do so. Good luck in the biz.

[Timido]

I aggre with Collector 2nd hand tools work great. keep an eye on craigslist. I started shopping for a new Impact and I have found Amazon.com has good deals on them. I have used Ingersaw Rand Impacts and air tools for a long time. They work and they last. Check out this one. I think this is the newer version of the one I abused for about 15 years. http://www.amazon.com/Ingersoll-Rand-2130-2-Inch-Heavy-Duty/dp/B0002UNR6W/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1245108305&sr=8-24

[Timido]

Oh yea pay cash do not start accounts or charge up credit cards. You might not get it this minute but you will be much better off.

[rmracing]

I have been a tech for 15+ years and the majority of my sockets and ratchets that I use every day are craftsman . I have broken only about 5-6 over all those years . Now I do use the snap-on or mac swivels but I would recomend buying lots of craftsman tools and them use the tool trucks for more specialty stuff . Also keep in mind alot of tool guys come and go in this business and then instead of the truck coming to you , you may be looking around town for another dealer to replace your broken tools .

[thecollector]

I aggre with Collector 2nd hand tools work great. keep an eye on craigslist. I started shopping for a new Impact and I have found Amazon.com has good deals on them. I have used Ingersaw Rand Impacts and air tools for a long time. They work and they last. Check out this one. I think this is the newer version of the one I abused for about 15 years. http://www.amazon.com/Ingersoll-Rand-2130-2-Inch-Heavy-Duty/dp/B0002UNR6W/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1245108305&sr=8-24

Those are great guns. I still have the first impact I ever purchased and it is still as powerful as the day I picked it up (it is one generation older than this one). Oil it once a week and your golden.

I rock a 2135ti in the field. Some hydraulic cylinders I service require 1380 ft. lbs of torque to tighten. While this gun wont always break them loose it keeps pace with my 3/4" CP gun and weighs less than 1/2 as much.

[Timido]

I think I am going to get a 2135Ti I need more power than my old one has. I might even get a 3/4" IR.

I was sugesting the lower powered one for Auto work.

[Dirtyd0g]

IR impacts are the best IMO. I am not a huge fan of craftsman, especially the junk ratchets, but their professional series wrenches are top quality. You can't beat Klein sidecuts. Anything from harbor freight should be viewed as disposable, but they will replace the stuff. Snap on is way overpriced for decreasing quality, but their swivel sockets are second to none. Don't lean to hard on any cheap tool. I took 12 stiches down my forearm from a cheap wrench breaking while trying to break a tie-rod loose on a cavalier.
Alan

[Sparky]

Tool accounts are a slippery slope. Twenty bucks a week becomes 100 bucks a week very easily. The tool truck guys will prey on young techs. When I was eighteen, I couldn't get a 200 dollar credit card, but I could walk on the snap-on truck and get a 3500.00 dollar starter set at 19% interest in 5 minutes...which had everything but what I needed. Or, I could go to Sears and buy the same starter set with more useful stuff for 350.00.( I went to Sears) Craftsman sockets,hand wrenches,and screwdrivers are great. Buy better ratchet wrenches though, if you value your knuckles. Ingersoll makes a lot of tools for other companies. Nobody that I know of offers a warranty on air tools for more than a year. Its a crap shoot in my opinion. Except for the really cheap chinese crap. The longevity of a tool also depends on how well you take care of it.

[facemelter71]

I cant stand Craftsman.And they always have some thing to say when you bring crap back to the store.
I had a very large snap-on account,untill they decided that they wouldnt give me a 400 dollar scope on credit.I told them that I would never buy any thing from them again.And still have'nt.
Matco REALLY works with me.My rep is pretty awesome.Bought a tool box and tons of tools.Ive just never got into Craftsman,I usually break most of there stuff and bleed,so I quit buyin it.