Popular Hand Tool Brands

Not just a popularity contest

Craftsman Tools

Sears Craftsman brand has offered professional grade hand tools to the consumer market for years. For most of that time, Craftsman tools were the only well-crafted socket sets and wrenches available to people not in the trades. Other brands have emerged, but Craftsman is still considered a great buy.

Many of their tools, like ratchets and wrenches, have a lifetime guarantee; this means that you can take the broken tool into your nearest Sears to receive immediate replacement.

Stanley Tools

Stanley offers a wide range of carpentry hand tools to the do-it-yourselfer that are both high quality and inexpensive. These offerings include, but are not limited to, hammers, levels, utility knives and measuring devices.

Stanley's Anti-Vibe line of hammers set the standard for feel and protection from injury. Stanley spent years working with acoustical physicists developing a hammer with an internal tuning fork device that would insulate the hammers user from repetitive injuries. The most common injury suffered by those who use hammers often is tennis elbow, which can be very painful and debilitating.

Northern Tools

Northern Tools is a comprehensive manufacturer, with a line that ranges from air tools to winches. They manufacture and market a number of brands that have become synonymous with the jobs they perform, tools like Wilton Vises, Channel Lock Pliers, and Allen Hex Wrenches. Northern Tools also make the house brand tools for many home improvement stores such as Lowes' Kobalt Brand.

Irwin

Irwin is number one in clamping and holding tools. Irwin makes the Vise Grip brand of clamps and clamping pliers, and innovates ways to make many jobs much easier to perform than with conventional tools. Their line of clamps slide easily into position on the stock you wish to clamp and then are easily adjusted for the level of pressure you wish to apply. The Vise Grip pliers have helped many a mechanic and carpenter straighten out a problem that other tools couldn't handle. From pulling nails whose heads have been sheared off, to clamping down and loosening nuts and bolts that have been rounded, Vise Grips have a niche all their own.

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