no offense, but i will have to disagree. i personally own snap-on and matco tools and feel these the are probably the best hand tools made. i preffer matco tools mostly because of the local distributor.
My votes: Stanley 55 and core box planes for the most outrageous planes Lie Neilsen and Norris for bench planes (kind of a hard call) Ibex for violin planes Pfeil for carving chisels Snap-on for auto tools (sockets, wrenches and the like)
I've worked on about everything from Porsches to Ducatis to chainsaws and the building trades too. Rating tools really depends on what you're using them for. For vehicle mechanics you can't go wrong with Snap-On*, MAC, or MATCO. Cornwell is almost as good. For carpentry Stanley is about as good as anyone overall, but certain things other stuff is better. If the tool you use gives you what you want, the rest is in the price. Some of my best wrenches are old made-in-India cheapos that have taken abuse(Not reccomended)that broke Snap-ons and MAC's! The newer India stuff is junk though. I'm also a great fan of Bluegrass tools which have been out of production for decades, Especially their building trade tools.
For whatever you're doing, just start with what competent people in that business use and in time you'll either find it good enough or find something else. For occasional work at home anything decent will usually do. My first real tools were a cheap socket set given to me by a friend with this advice: "As you wear one out or break it, replace it with good stuff. You'll hardly ever use the odd sizes so the cheap stuff will do for that. It's the cheapest way to get a set of good tools." He was right, but he didn't realize he was creating yet another tool nut!
*Trivia: Snap-On was the first to market a successful interchangable socket/ratchet tool, hence the name "Snap-On"
Faves: Craftsman 16oz curved-claw hammer(26 yrs); Snap-On 3/8 bent handle flex-head ratchet(22 yrs); MAC long-handled 10mm wrench(18 yrs) ; Henry Disston signature 10 pt Handsaw(older than me!)
I am new to wood working I have only been doing it for about a year now and have caught the must have tools to do this new thing virus. My tool box and garage have literally vomited new tools. Stanley I have noticed is a major cause of the symptoms. For the price I have found you can’t go wrong with Stanley hand tools especially chisels and hand planes. It is also hard to beat Stanley quality the proof is in the auctions their old hand tools will usually sell for more than many of their newer counter parts.
As far as mechanics tools, Snap-on and MAc without a doubt. Matco and Cornwell close second. There are opinions and will vary here.. But, some of my best tools are lesser brands. Such as: Thorsen(USA),Blackhawk,Proto,Stanley,Easco,S-K,Blue-point,KAL(Japan made),Challenger, and Sears of course (ca. 1980s,90s). Some of these can be had at bargain prices here. I have sets of expensive tools, (Snapon, MAtco) but when i have to seriously abuse a tool, i use the off brands and they hold up well.. funny.
For woodworking, carpentry, framing etc. Stanley is very good, but I have had really good luck with Craftsman chisels, they can take a lot of abuse and all you have to do is sharpen them.
For my money Snap on are the best, expensive but quality. i still have almost the complete set I bought while attending trade school in 1970. I use them every day as an auto technician. I have Mac, Matco Cornwell & some Craftsman, but in my opinion you cant beat the Snap on.
I do a lot of woodworking and usually try to find whats cheap to use in my shop. I also collect a lot of planes and other hand tools. The collectables are usually Stanley and Sargeant with a few others here and there. As for shop tools, just about any manufacturer is good if the tool is tuned up and sharpened properly. I'm just as comfortable with a Dunlop as I am with any other brand of the same type (no matter how much you spend on it). If you don't know how to sharpen, it doesn't matter how much you spend.
I own a Stanley 2101A bit brace with a North Brothers 2 jaw chuck, composite handles, nickel plated, "Made in USA", it was probably made in the 1940's or 1950's. The chuck will hold square shank, round shank and suprisingly 1/4" hex shank bits without slipping, even 1" paddle bits. I recently purchased a new Stanley 02-715 bit brace. 4 jaw chuck, hollow plastic Mattel toy Co. handles, chrome plated, "Made in England". The chuck holds square shank bits excellantly in the square socket at the bottom of the chuck but because it is a 4 jaw chuck it will not hold any hex shank bits and round shank bits slip in it no matter how tight you sock the chuck down. Stanley quality has dropped.
You know its not just Stanley quality that has dropped, many new tools don't hold up as well as the older ones. I have managed to kill two Ryobi reciprocating saws in just thae last two years. I didn't even work them that hard. My dad's old saw (don't know the brand) on the other hand has held up like a champ for years. Tools seem to be becoming as disposable as everything else!
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