Where do you buy hand and car tools-- not in sets

[Ruperto Mendiones]

Where do you tool-shop now that Sears is fading away?


I have always shopped at Sears when I needed a hammer, pliers or the odd size socket, extension bar. or other tool not part of a set.


Now all I find is a meager--but expanding— selection of auto tools at the big box stores. But if they have the requisite tool, it is only available in a set. My local hardware stores seldom have the item. Where does one shop when you want to physically handle the tool before buying?

[Adam Herman]

local places here, McGuckins Hardware and JAX ranch and home supply. if you are ever in Denver or Boulder, McGuckins is one of the best hardware stores ever conceived by man. though, i think they stopped selling sawstop, so it went down a notch or 2 for sure... still has festool, fein, woodpeckers, powermatic, jet, and a few other well loved ( or hated) brands.

[John Lanciani]

Flea markets and yard sales.

[Gordon Eyre]

Ace Hardware is where I usually go.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Ace sells Craftsman tools now. They can get any tool you want. Both Sears, and K-Mart still sell Craftsman tools. We have a local farm supply store (AgriSupply) that sells it's own store brand (King Tony) wrenches and sockets. Pawn shops, and flea markets are also a source for a single socket, wrench, along with yard sales. Habitat often has loose tools.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Please don't stone me to death......

Harbor Freight - for the vast majority.
My tools all seem to get lost or grow legs and walk away from the job site a long, long, long time before they get a chance to wear out or break.

I do have a bag of "special tools". like real Vice Grip vice grips and real Channel Lock channel locks and decent screw drivers, but, more often than not, I reach for an orange handled HF slip jaw pliers or nail puller.

[julian abram]

I agree with Rich on this. In my younger years I purchased hand tools that had names like Craftsman, Snap-on, Crescent, some Stanley, etc. In my older years if I need a specific hand tool I find myself stopping by Harbor Freight. Name brand doesn't matter much any more. If I was a young auto tech at a dealership, I would have one of those $20-30,000 Snap On set up so I looked professional doing my work.

[Matt Day]

Please don't stone me to death......

Harbor Freight - for the vast majority.
My tools all seem to get lost or grow legs and walk away from the job site a long, long, long time before they get a chance to wear out or break.

I do have a bag of "special tools". like real Vice Grip vice grips and real Channel Lock channel locks and decent screw drivers, but, more often than not, I reach for an orange handled HF slip jaw pliers or nail puller.

+1.0000000

[Jim Koepke]

Many auto parts dealers also carry tools.

These days it is seldom my work needs a new tool, but occasionally when working on a different vehicle something is needed.

Bought a fuel pressure gauge at HF for one job. It now rests in my cabinet waiting for some possible future use.

jtk

[Mac McQuinn]

Royal Supply out of Ohio w/ online presence. I've owned my Wright hand tools since 1973 and when something is needed, I give them a call or just order on line. Also available on Amazon to some degree.
Mac

[Steve Peterson]

I often use Ebay when I need a single wrench for a specific job and don't want to break up a set.

For example, the spindle on my CNC router did not come with a wrench. I had the size in the tool chest, but wanted an extra to keep near the router. I could have bought a single one at Lowes or Home Depot for $8-10. Harbor Freight would have been slightly cheaper, but is a bit further away for me. It was easy to find on Ebay for less than $3 including shipping. I just had to wait a few weeks for it to get here from the country that most tools seem to be made.

Steve

[michael langman]

Cripe Didtributing.