I have never bought any Kobalt tools, however they look pretty good for the money,probably comparative to the Craftsman tools.As far as Craftsman and the others are concerned,I still have the original set of Craftsmans I bought in 1957. They are still under a lifetime guarantee,after 51 years.No pawn shops in this part of the country,and the Price of new Snap Ons is rediculous.So I will continue using my Craftsman tools,and I do mean using them.Craftsman power tools are another story,they have really slipped in the last few years. I have heard some guys say that Craftsman tools hurt their hands,probably cause they dont use them often enough.