Kawi2strokes.com Forum

Yeah, my "first" real mechanics job was at a Lincoln Mercury dealership. Being just out of high school I didn't have a lot of money, so I came in with my brand new Craftsman Universal tool boxes, which they they all snickered at. The MAC guy though he had a bonanza when he saw me, but he found out very quick, I wouldn't be buying his stuff. I did buy a few specially tools. but that was it.

About 3 months in, the guys were still giving me a hard time, and I finally said "hey I don't owe a dime for tools, and I'm doing the same jobs as you guys are." That pretty much shut them up about it. It was the same, many were 1000's into the MAC guy.

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Twist the throttle, tilt the horizon, and have a great time. What triples are all about...........

i still have the same tool set (craftsman) that i had when i was 17.. for the ASE program. well, most of it.

I do have some other really nice stuff, including 5! various sets of gearwrench wrenches and soem snap on, mac, etc tools. but the craftstmans have been kickin it good for 23 yrs. hell, i even have the original tool box, but i def need to upgrade that. it is getting worn out.

If you are looking for or need a professional grade tool box look on craigslist for a used one. You can also find out who your local snap-on, mac, matco tool dealer is and ask them what they have in used or to let you know if they get something. They do take trade ins on used boxes. I know the local CL around here has a lot of these boxes for sale but the guys are asking big dollars for them. I do see some good deals on them though.

On a side note, there are craftsman tools I would rather use over the big name players. There are some craftsman tools that I out equal and then there are some snap-on tools that are pretty much the best. If you ever have to use a wrench in a everyday setting the snap-on flank drive plus is hard to beat for performance(you also pay $300+ for a set).

Harbor Freight sells a lot of cheap stuff, but these boxes are actually pretty good:

http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools ... 67681.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalog/pr ... gory/1242/

I have the second one (plus the top box) and it is very sturdy. Sometimes I wish it was a little deeper but other than that it is great box.

claudio

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1995 Ducati 900SS-SP
1976 Kawasaki KZ400
1974 Kawasaki H1 (in pieces)
1966 Honda CB77
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I have read decent things about the Harbor Freight US general boxes as well. I keep meaning to get to the store and check them out as I am needing a new in-expensive box for at work.

I actually did a lot of research before buying them. I stubled upon another forum which is very interesting and has a detailed thread about the HF boxes:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/show ... or+freight

claudio

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1995 Ducati 900SS-SP
1976 Kawasaki KZ400
1974 Kawasaki H1 (in pieces)
1966 Honda CB77
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I guess I shouldn't even chime in about my Craftsman (fishing tackle) TOOLbox! Seriously, a VERY good topic and posts (and truth is, I have TWO of those boxes, yeah !!

I still have my craftsman box (the grey carry around with the tray) from when I was 18 and its still in one piece, still has the tray, and not rusted out.

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74 H2B with reeds and 34mm carbs
75 S3A Ram Air with reeds and 30mm carbs
73 S2A (wife's bike)
71 Yammi RT1B
83 HD Sportster
03 Yammi R1
06 Kaw 750 Vulcan (wife’s bike)
12 Yammi vstar 250 (wife’s bike)

Ive been spinning spanners for 30yrs or so and have some cheap tools and some very expensive ones, I like German stahlwille spanners they are 1/2 the price of snap on , and i feel better quality , my large boxes are White international (made in china ) as most , look for ISO9001 assurance ,there are a lot of cheap boxes around down here that are pritty good you just have to look at them . the rough replacement cost of my tools ,for insurance is $25,000 , and it is like a drug addiction ,I love tools .

Thanks for the recommendations guys. I'll keep my eyes peeled for some better boxes. All of mine are Craftsman boxes. Some are better than others. The one I'm having trouble with doesn't have full length slides. The crappy stamped sides keep bending down and the drawers sag. Thinking of welding some flat stack underneath to reinforce it.

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They always run best right before they stop for good...and it was just running great...