Wal-Mart tools

[KC10Chief]

I've been looking around at tools for my upcoming skoolie project. What do you guys think about the tools they sell at Wal-Mart? Mainly Black and Decker and Skil Saw. I need a circular saw, a couple new drills and a few other items. Will these tools last me a while? At least long enough to finish a skoolie project. Thanks! Matt

 

[lapeer20m]

I'm not opposed to junk made in china tools. Certianly i prefer my milwakee or dewalt electric tools, but for no more than the amount they will get used to build a bus, you could get away with using cheaper stuff. Besides, a skoolie isn't the tag mahol.

 

[the_experience03]

I have a host of Crapsman....I mean Craftsman tools as well as some other "good" brands. I also have some cheap ones.

Quick anecdote...Last August I cut all the independent suspension off the front of my Toyota and instead mounted up a rather custom suspension utilizing a solid front axle, etc. We put the last bead of weld on on a Monday night. The Wednesday of the very same week my buddy Shane and I climbed in it and drove it all the way to the Pacific Ocean and Sutherlin, Oregon to mud race it. Yes, that did take some faith and a whole lot of patience since a 4 cylinder trying to push those big bias ply tires is in a losing battle. Anyway...anytime you do suspension work such as that you NEED to retorque EVERY bolt down about 500 miles after everything has had a chance to set in place. Of course I didn't bring any tools (that's the faith thing again) so we just pushed on. By the time we made it to Missoula, Montana it became QUITE apparent that everything needed to be tightened down. Unfortunately the only place open was Wal-Mart at 3:00 am. I bought a set of Stanley sockets to do the job.

While that little Stanley tool set has become my FAVORITE. It lives in the truck all the time now except when I need to use it elsewhere. My "good" rachets can't hold a candle to that thing. If I recall correctly though, Stanley is made by one of the big tool companies...MAC perhaps?

Anyway...the point is that you CAN get good tools at a reasonable price. Go for it and get the Wal-Mart stuff. Just be prepared to maybe have to replace something somewhere down the road. You'll still be money ahead on it

 

[busone]

We just recently moved into our house and I did not know where my tools were. We were going to head to Portland to buy a new furnace for the house. The price was right and visiting family was not a bad thing either.

I wanted to replace the PS belt before making the trip. I broke a couple of my no name sockets not to mention the busted knuckles. I finally got sick of trying to do the job with the wrong tools. I went over to WalMart and bought a set of the Stanley sockets. I came home and got the job done in no tiome. These are the best sockets I have ever owned. My crapsman stuff is going in the junk box. They also have a lifetime guarantee. I might just get a second set to keep in the bus.

 

[suzy_F_homemaker]

My favorite place for El Cheapo tools is Harbor Freight:
http://www.harborfreight.com/

I typically buy nice tools only when I think that I'll be using them for a long time, or that precision is in order. I really like my Bosch 4000 table saw, and that Gravity Rise stand is very slick. I built all the cabinets for my kitchen with it:
http://bosch.cpotools.com/saws/table_saws/4000-09-rt.html

Circular saw-wise, I've been enjoying my DeWalt 18V cordless. I thought that I'd use it strictly for cutting panel, but now I rarely use my old beast of a worm-drive Skilsaw:
http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/tool_detail.asp?productID=8235
I got it with the drill/driver at Home Depot (older models), and they are the most used power tools in my arsenal! I was able to use the cordless drill to remove the seats in my skoolie!

 

[the_experience03]

If you're looking for expensive tools, check your local DeWalt supplier. I know we are running a promotion right now where we will take any old cordless in on trade for a $100 discount on a 36 volt cordless drill or $50 on an 18 volt. For that price it would pay to go buy a $15 cordless from Wal-Mart just to trade it in.