Being a mechanic has taught me what I like in a tool. I like Snap-on hand wrenches because they are smaller around the box end (and open end) and allows them to go around bolt heads that are in tight spaces. The handles are thinner and easier to maneuver. They are strong. I also like the Snap-on sockets and ratchet wrenches. They also are thinner in the head and come in different gear ratios. I like craftsman pliers. The grips generally stay on and they seem to last. I like my Cornwell tool box because it is built well and cost me half as much as a Snap-on. I like cheap chisels and hammers (you just beat them). I like Snap-on and Craftsman screwdrivers. Snap-on has some real nice precision screwdrivers that I like. After all my years wrenching, I never cared for MAC tools. The chrome kept peeling and they were just too fat. Craftsman wrenches are fat also, but now that I am retired from wrenching, I have several sets of them too. I like to shop for and use many cheap tools also. There are so many small tools that an be found that are nearly identical to the stuff you can buy off the trucks. Snap-on does have some nice tools for the professionals.
I don't need large sockets much, so I bought one of those made in china sets for use when I need one.
Craftsman work well and I use many of them. I only get name brand happy about specific tools. Many times in the shops I worked in, guys needed to borrow my tools because they only bought off the snap-on trucks and couldn't afford the tools they really needed. They all had pretty shiny toolboxes. I had a lot of tools and a crappy box. I actually didn't get a shiny box until after I retired. HA!
