Fasteners: Metric or SAE?

I think I have five Crescent wrenches and two pairs of Channel-Lock pliers. So far, that's about all the metric tools I've needed.

I am 77 years old and I have few things that bring me great joy, aside from my family and sometimes they are a pain. I am a Tinker, I fix stuff, sometimes, just to fix it, it does bring me great satisfaction to save $600 by repairing something like the drivers door inside panel with scraps from years of collecting stuff.

Los Angeles is not a place where places like HFT opens stores, property values are artificially high here and it's not viable to open up stores. Well HFT opened a store in Pasadena, CA a few years ago and I love it. Sears was my go to store for screwdrivers and wrenches and even power tools. Now Sears is almost gone and they carry a lot of C#&P whereas HFT now is all over near here and some of their stuff is fantastic.

To me the big draw is the extremely wide variety of tools that they carry. While repairing the aforementioned door panel, I used some POM rivets to assemble a replacement holder for the power window and door lock switch assembly. I paid $16.99 for the tool and some rivets. I use it mostly for missing auto panel fittings, a kid my DD and DGKs know has worked on the DD's van and DGDs Mustang and borrowed the tool to make repairs. It's paid for itself. The buffer, right andle grinder, battery powered drills and a dozen other tools were purchased just to have a spare or to loan out have been cost effective.

Looking at wrenches, I have a set of SAE and Metric 1/4" drive sockets, their combo box end wrenches and their impact sockets are fantastic.

I do not think much of their cutting tools and drill bits but many of the others beat Snap On, Craftsman(of old) and HFT digital micrometers are great.

Their pneumatic stuff not so good, uses too many CFM and their compressors can't keep up.

You cannot beat their prices especially with a 20 percent off coupon and free this and that.

Oh yeah, I should mention that I am using a lot of tools that were purchased by my Grandfather and my Father, some are over 100 years old, I also have Bridge City Tools measuring tools, Starett Micrometers and rules that I have purchased along with tools that both men made because the tools they needed were way too expensive and hard to find or not even made. I appreciate really great tools but that doesn't always equate to being cost effective.

Therir tools are inexpensive enough to carry both SAE and Metric socket sets.

Hey Old Man, (wow, it is neat to be able to say that to someone else)

My coach is 45 years old, and there was NOTHING that was metric when it was made in Pontiac.
No Matter, I carry both SAE and Metric wrenches and sockets because I never know who I might need to help. I have good tools too, but Hazard Fright is most of what I carry onboard. They work.

Matt

Look on Craigslist or eBay and you can find high quality USED tools for less than what you would pay for low quality **** at Harbor Freight. You may eve find your tools that were stolen. :B

BurbMan wrote:
Agreed, I have found the Pittsburgh brand of hand tools to be very sturdy and decently made for the price. HF also came out with a new line of OBD-II scanners that are worth looking at. I always bought Craftsman at Sears, but since finding out they are all made in China now, I may as well get the Pittsburgh tools at HF for 1/4 of the price.

HF also sells torque wrenches for $9.99 when you have the coupon, and folks that have posted test and accuracy results say that they compare favorably to SnapOn and others. I have all 3 sizes, including a 1/4" drive in/lb.

ALL OBDII scanners are made in China as far as I know. Mine is. I like it. Does the job.

I have a torque wrench (3/8" drive) for the bigger stuff. Pittsburgh brand. Pittsburgh tools are now made in China.

I used to think "buy American." Until my job got shipped to India five times, the last layoff forcing me into involuntary retirement. Now I don't care. I do right by my family, If that means buying Chinese, I will sleep well at night, thanks.

I saw shiny metric and SAE wrenches at HFT for nine bucks (sold separately). Well, an ad for them. I will buy the metric set. My scanner is a new one, my second (first was stolen) and unlike my first, on this one, the code readout comes a brief description of the issue. I always do reading and repair anything that needs it before I take it to get smogged. One time I had to replace the cat, and I went ahead and replaced the O2 sensors in the tailpipe. Scanner was $35 from Amazon.

I'm not a pro. I don't need Snap-On any more. I haven't been a pro since about 1975. But good, easy-fitting tools are good. The Pitt ones are good enough for me.

Or to put it another way, close enough for the girls I date.

X2 on Harbor Freight. It's not the best quality stuff but, it gets the job done for a low price.

As others said, the chassis bolts will be metric, with very few if any exceptions (like possibly some lug nuts).

What bolts and nuts are on the appliances and other house parts are more likely to be SAE, I suspect, if only to make life difficult.

My favorite wench is from my uncle and has “UPRR” engraved on the handle.

Agreed, I have found the Pittsburgh brand of hand tools to be very sturdy and decently made for the price. HF also came out with a new line of OBD-II scanners that are worth looking at. I always bought Craftsman at Sears, but since finding out they are all made in China now, I may as well get the Pittsburgh tools at HF for 1/4 of the price.

HF also sells torque wrenches for $9.99 when you have the coupon, and folks that have posted test and accuracy results say that they compare favorably to SnapOn and others. I have all 3 sizes, including a 1/4" drive in/lb.

Auto mfgs pretty much switched to metrics years ago. Umless you need high end stuff Harbor Freight has some decent stuff. You could aford both there.