Any *good* parts store tools (sockets, wrenches, etc.)

I travel every few weeks for my job and stop at pawn shops in the industrial side of ever city or town I happen to be in. Some good deals to be had on almost new tools. Especially in oil refinery towns.

I have said it before, Many of my real Good old tools I bought at pawn shops. Some Sears Craftsman tools are manufactured in America, in Arkansas, I think.

Agreed, and I have. My question was more thinking of what do I do when I need one specific tool right away. My understanding is that a LOT of the Sears Craftsman hand tools are made in China today, although most of mine were purchased back when they actually were made in the USA.

nate

my store stocks junk sockets too. They even have warning labels stating they can cause cancer, and to wash your hands after use.

we do have some Lisle brand stuff too which is a little better.

we also have two tool warehouses not too far from our store, so we can at least get the name brand stuff if we need it.

Hah. I actually was organizing my tools yesterday (out of necessity, as my tool box literally fell apart, apparently the latches couldn't stand up to the 300 lbs. of crap in there... bought a new top chest for use as a mobile tool box, should be much sturdier as you lift those from the sides, that's what I used to do ages ago until I found a roll cabinet base and was given this tool box... but I digress...) and have a more specific question. I managed to find a set of metric tappet wrenches at Goodwill a while back and was very happy (they're handy to have, and I'd wanted a set for years) but the set is missing the 10/11mm size. Probably the 2nd most often used one after the 12/13mm. I actually have a 13mm homemade tappet wrench because I needed one to adjust the sunroof on an old daily driver of mine long before I found this set and everyone at Sears, auto parts store, etc. looked at me like I'd grown a second head when I asked if they had a 13mm tappet wrench. Don't know what brand they are, they're marked "Chrom Vanadium" on one side and stamped "West Germany" in small letters on the other. Kinda look like old Heyco wrenches (think BMW tool kit) but aren't marked as such and there's enough subtle differences that I think they really are different - probably never will know origin of these wrenches.

After searching all over it appears that my best bet is to order a Facom one off Amazon for the missing wrench for about $12? Only other source I could come up with was Snap-On for 3x the price. Back the last time I looked I didn't find a source for the Facom wrenches (less stuff was on the interwebs than today) and I wasn't about to pay $400 for a set of Snappys... but I don't have a problem paying a few bucks to replace one missing wrench.

So are Facom wrenches generally regarded as high quality, or should I pay the $30-something for the Snap-On wrench? My memory says that one of the snooty upscale garage equipment catalogs (Griot's maybe?) used to sell Facom tools but I've never actually used one or known anyone that did.

nate

I did a Google for, tappet wrenches Grainger sells them.

Google,,, History of Facom tools

not *metric* ones though. I just walked into Sears years ago and bought a set of SAE tappet wrenches. (forget what for - I think maybe an old Studebaker Commander Six?) When I found that I needed metric ones though they seem to be scarcer than hen's teeth. Hence while I'm in the groove I might as well track the missing one down so I have it if/when I need it.

Of course, in a pinch, a "cone wrench" intended for a bicycle mechanic (to assemble/adjust wheel bearings) will work, so long as you don't need too much torque - they're even thinner than a typical tappet wrench - and I have a set of those as well (which I didn't back when this first came up for me.)

nate

A bunch of years ago I did some grinding on one of my old wrenches because it was too thick for what I needed to use it on. ...Clint Eastwood... You have to adapt, you have to improvise...

Yup, got a cheap 13mm combination wrench suitably modified :)

just trying to stay ahead of my future needs, it took a surprisingly long time to thin it down on a bench grinder.

nate

The way I groun mine down, I clamped it down and hit it with my angle grinder.

Well, there's always Snap On, our preferred vendor:

Never cheap but fast delivery and they last.

If you win the lotto, just buy the whole set:

I was given a Snap On tappet wrench about 35 years ago. Pretty, nice shape and finish, used as a pedal wrench for the travel box (we use forged German pedal wrenches for everyday work).

I have a Snap On socket wrench I bought at a pawn shop. That slick smooth t apered (knuckle buster) handle on it, I never could get used to it. I don't use it. I prefer the kind that have a straight knurled handle, much better to hang on to with grimey greasy oily hands.

Now there is a statement of truth right there!

If I win the lotto, I'm going to buy a bigass garage with a little apartment attached to it, the Snap-On man is going to be my new best friend, and y'all will never hear from me again :)

nate

Never cheap but fast delivery and they last.

I was given a Snap On tappet wrench about 35 years ago.

Diff'rent strokes I guess. I have some Craftsman ratchets from the mid-90s, the unpolished ones, a really old S-K round head ratchet, and some newer Kobalt polished ones which look like a bargain-basement version of Snap-On. I probably use the Kobalt ones more than any of the others, although the S-K is nice (has a knurled handle like you describe.) Probably I'd use the S-K more if it weren't part of a set of old SAE sockets which I hardly ever use, because I already had some by the time I inherited it so it's more of a backup set.

nate