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Had to choose between my uncle's old tools and new budget stuff
Honestly, my uncle gave me his 1980s Craftsman socket set after he passed, and I thought it was junk compared to my new $80 set from the big box store. Three weeks in, I stripped a bolt with the new one while the old sockets held up perfect on a seized caliper bracket. Has anyone else gone back to vintage hand tools over modern ones just for the metal quality?
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miller.avery13d ago
Old Craftsman stuff was made with better steel back then, that part is real. But I have a hard time blaming new tools across the board, because a lot of the cheap sets today are just built to a price and the good modern stuff still holds up fine. The issue there was probably the $80 set, not every new tool on the shelf. A lot of those budget kits skip the heat treat steps that matter, so the sockets round off or crack under real torque. My dad's 70s ratchet still works but it also slipped teeth and chewed up knuckles more than once. Vintage metal was denser, sure, but the ratchets and tolerances were not always better. What brand was the $80 set that failed on you?
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