Estate sales/auctions are a great place to get amazing deals on quality older tools.

Take a wad of cash. Stand around bullshitting with a bunch of good ol' boys. Pick up bombproof, last-two-lifetimes, USA-made tools for a few dollars a pop.

Not a bad way to spend a few hours on a Saturday morning. My best haul was from a retired railroad mechanic, who had a whole 3-bay freestanding garage just jam-packed with decades of tool accumulation.

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
If you just need to fill some holes, hit the pawn shops. You should be able to find plenty of older Craftsman, SK etc. You'll probably be able to find everything but that damned 10mm

Concur. I have a basic Craftsman set of sockets and wrenches I got new in the early 80's. By digging through the tool bins of my favorite pawn shops I've inexpensively expanded this set with quality pieces from the smallest wrench to several sockets over 1". A great Saturday morning for me is spending time at the gun counter, guitar rack and the tool bins.

quote:

Originally posted by BlackTalonJHP:
Tekton, or wait and see what the new Craftsman plant in Fort Worth is putting out.

This. The plant is supposed to be online this year.

Icon from Harbor Frieght look to be a good option.

SK, NAPA, Carlyle and Sears.