Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 21:26:22 -0500
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: vwbus@TCPBBS.COM
Subject: Re: 12-point tool
KE>K-D is the brand I broke three of, before I got my SnapOn.
KE>K-D may work for some folks, if their vehicles weren't assembled by
KE>orang-utans. I have quite a few K-D tools I am happy with but the
KE>triple-square driver is NOT one of them.
KE> --berry
Funny we got 3 different K-D triple squares, 2 8mm one 10mm, one
of the 8's is older than I am (lost it for a few years and bought
another
at Montgy Wards oddly enough in the 80's) I've really torqued on some
impossibly frozen CV bolts on buses that have sat in muck abandoned
for 10 years and have never broken any of them. The older once wore
to much to fit tight so I carefully ground a bit off on a water cooled
grinder but it has seen a lot of CV bolts on a lot of VW's come and go.
BTW to the horror of all, I have broken a Snap-On socket once believe
it or not, broke a Craftsman on the same bolt prior to the Snap-On in
all fairness. Was trying to break loose a very solidly set lug nut on
a parts bus to get to the calipers. It eventually took the 3/4 drive
socket from my Harbor Freight set with about a 10' pipe extension
and my 200+ pound frame to loosen, and amazingly it loosened and
did not shear the stud. Calipers were rusted and useless of course.
Snap-On is not the end all and be all IMHO, they are likely the best
available today but I'd put any Craftsman made before the mid 70's
in the league of current Snap-On. Old Crafsman has a finer feel
better forging and a leaner but much stronger design than the current
stuff. And of course when you break it (still rare) you take it to
Sears
and don't have to flag down the Snap-On truck. Those 2 sockets were
the only hand tools of either of those brands I have ever broke
excluding one of the new design 1/4" drive Craftsman tear drop shaped
ratchets. They are pure crap FWIW IMHO. A tip if you ever have one
of the old ones go bad, get the rebuild kit and rebuild it don't
exchange
for a new one. Particularly if you have the ones will the little ball
bearing
oil port on the top. Of course the rebuild kits are likely of dubious
quality
as well but at least it still looks like quality
John
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