Trustworthy hand tools

Marketing has taken over the world. Over the years companies have found a way to squeeze advertising into virtually every aspect of our lives. Let me help you out. Needless to say, marketing is big business. Companies spend enough on ads every year to cure all or most of the worlds problems, but instead they spend it just to get you to notice them for a few seconds between the Evening News and American Idol….

These companies or the agencies they hire are good at what they do. The key to effectiveness is getting the product in front of people who are apt to buy the product. There are a number of reasons for this. In this list I tried to focus on companies have significant product lines, and sell a good portion of items unique to their line. If you have any of your own picks or you have a problem with mine feel free to come over to our forum and talk about it.

Williams has been around since To put it into perspective, Chester A. Arthur was in the White House, there were only 38 U. In all cases, this bodes well for the consumer as marketing costs only drive the cost of the tools up.

Be aware however, there are 2 Williams lines. Carlyle is the premium house brand for NAPA. They have a budget Evercraft line, but Carlyle is a step up. In the city and county garages of America, as well as many other places where tools are provided, Carlyle is a regular fixture. They are mostly imported tools, but the quality is good and prices are reasonable.

Carlyle does have a lifetime warranty on all but torque wrenches, but last time I checked it did require a receipt. I hope to see some Carlyle tools for review in the future. Channellock is another company thats been around since the beginning of measured time.

DeArment, it is still owned by the DeArment family to this day. Through the years Channellock pliers have maintained their true colors. Simple, high quality, American made, pliers. I have 20 different pairs of them and wish I had more. Check them out HERE. I routinely profess my unconditional love for Proto. I got my first Proto ratchet from my dad when I was 15 and it was old then. He immediately picked up one of my numerous Proto ratchets and commented that Proto made great tools, but you just never see them anymore.

He asked me how old it was and when I told him I bought it new last year, he looked at me like I was crazy. For the majority of the 20th century Proto Known as Plomb until was a widely known and trusted brand in the auto shops of America, but in they turned their focus almost entirely on the industrial market and never looked back.

They are predominantly USA made and import items are very few and far between. In some cases a Proto item will be near or completely identical to a Mac item in all but color, for half the price.

You can view their lineup HERE. Armstrong is another old brand thats still thriving. Founded in Chicago in as Armstrong Bros. Armstrong was rolled into Apex Tool Group in while Matco was retained as sole property of Danaher, but the 2 lines still share many traits. Armstrong is known for their very unique looking ratchets which are excellent quality, but when you mention Armstrong, a lot of times you realize many people have forgotten they exist.

Blackhawk has a rich history and their mid-century stuff is some of the most sought after collector tools out there. But while they days of being a mainstay in the auto part stores of the country may be gone, Blackhawk is still around and still making some great tools.

Founded in , Barberton, OH based Wright Tool is a privately owned company that focuses on the industrial market. They produce very high quality tools on par with other high end industrial brands, but unlike most of the other industrial brands which operate as an arm of the big boys, Wright is a smaller, stand alone company. Known primarily for their quality pliers, chisels, and pry bars, Wilde offers a wide range of items.

They sell products they make in house, as well as rebranded items made by others, but all are USA made quality. Affordable too. Their online catalog is worth a look. The most unloved, yet deserving of love, company on our list is Lang Tools.

They owe a little of their obscure nature to themselves though. They previously operated 4 brands, a lot of branding for a small company to handle. The best known of these was Kastar, while the other 2…. Last year they wised up and consolidated all 4 brands under the Lang banner which I feel will help boast their brand recognition.

Remember those old school ratcheting box end wrenches everyone had before the ratcheting combos came out? Lang invented them, and while they seem a little antiquated now, they were hot sellers at one time.

Conductor great write up on all these tool brands. Thank you for pointing out some of these companies to the TIA community. Their design is unique from the rest of the brands, and also among the best models you can find. They have protective layers that prevent rusting and any other elements that may corrode your tools. Wilde tools also sell their tools in trusted stores. Therefore, you may not find them stocked in your local store.

Another prominent manufacturer in the hand tools industry is the Lang tools. They make the best quality tools, especially if you need Wrenches with an excellent grip. Their Wrenches come with grips that look more like screwdriver grips and not wrench grips. That helps to make sure that you can hold the tools with some comfort. Lang tools are popular in several industries. However, you can find them mostly in the auto mechanic industry. Many people that do repairs and also machinists are familiar with this brand.

They are of good quality and can serve you well if you need a tool for home use. Specializing in one product type is one of the best things to do in any industry.

Knipex tools are among the few that do that in the hand tools industries. They mainly focus on making pliers. If you need a good pair of pliers that will make your work easier, then you should buy from this brand. Since the s, Knipex has been in the pliers manufacture business. Over the years of specializing, they have succeeded in making the best quality pliers. However, many people go for other brands due to the higher price that they may need to pay for Knipex products.

It is important to note that Knipex products may cost you more because of their quality; it matches their pricing. For many decades, DeWalt has been one of the best manufacturers of hand tools. Although they make both power and hand tools, their quality has been consistently good. One of the best DeWalt made hand tools you may ever use is a socket driver. Since , DeWalt has been providing workers with hand tools assembled from different countries.

It has since become among the best hand tool brands that people in the construction industry go for. Auto mechanics are some of the people who enjoy Tekton made tools.

They manufacture socket sets that will help you finish your work efficiently, especially for people that change sparkplugs by themselves. Also, they are famous for making offset oxygen sensor sockets. It is another household name when it comes to hand tool manufacturers. First began in but rebranded to Channellock tools in They mainly manufacture adjustable tongue and groove pliers. You can easily adjust their pliers to a size that you desire.

Most of the people that use their products are craftsmen and people that work from home. Also, you can find Channellock products in industries and big factories. Although they focus on making adjustable pliers, you can also find the regular pliers and other specialty tools made by Channellock tools. You can buy these products online through their website or some hardware stores locally.

In olden times, people used to make hand tools from rocks and wood. In modern times, technology has changed the hand tools manufacture industry.

That has had a significant impact on the quality of hand tools in the market today. However, it is very easy to buy poor quality hand tools now if you do not take time researching the various brands in the industry.

This list can help you understand the best hand tool brands that you can invest in. Therefore, you can refer to the list always when you want to make a purchase decision. Save Saved Removed 0. If we had to pick just one tool to have from this list, it would likely be duct tape. Everything else is extraneous. With enough creativity, duct tape might actually be the ultimate tool. Whether you need to smoothen some sharp angles or clean up a botched soldering job, you can make it happen with this metal file.

This age-old tool is an absolute necessity when it comes to woodworking. Just about any kind of handyman task you can think of is going to require some measure of… measuring. This one has a self locking mechanism for reliable usage, has a durable nylon-coated blade, and has an impact-resistant case — because you will inevitably drop it now and again.

Perhaps you want to start a hobby of carving bear statues out of tree stumps or maybe you just need to do some precision woodwork. The also come with a limited lifetime warranty, so you can trust their quality. Same goes for a respirator. However, your eyes are always vulnerable. Avoid losing your sight by always wearing a pair of safety glasses. You might not always shoot sparks or splinters into your face, but is it worth the risk?

This one features comfortable rubber grips, comes with one blade, but also has a hideaway space inside to store up to six replacement blades inside. And this one from Vaughan is the best of the best. Made from tempered steel and featuring a total of three different nail slots, this is the ultimate pry bar.

Second only to perhaps the hammer, a screwdriver is an absolute must have for any tool box. And Stanley makes some of the absolute best. This set comes with both phillips and flathead, features handy magnetic tips, and has comfortable rubberized grips.

Its biggest benefit is almost certainly its speed and convenience. The claw hammer has an extra benefit of being able to extract, as well as drive nails. Even if you just use it to put up Christmas lights, like Chevy Chase in the Christmas Vacation comedy flick , a staple gun is still a wonderful thing to have. The new feature is available across a wide array of Pelican Air Cases and is sure to keep you and your tools grounded wherever the job may lead.

Making seams between pipes water tight takes a lot of torque. It takes the same amount to loosen them up again. Just as we believe everyone should carry a pocket knife with them daily, we believe a utility knife should be present in every single tool box.