Craftsman's $8600 everything toolkit

This $8600, 1470 piece Craftsman toolset contains more pieces of precision metal than I could possibly use -- but it sure looks purdy all laid out there, doesn't it? Link (via Dvice)

[#1 posted by bitworksmusic , May 7, 2008 2:32 PM]

I would SO lose half of these in 3 weeks, tops. I'm more of the bargain crappy tools for $20 guy.

[#2 posted by sorghum , May 7, 2008 2:46 PM]

I thought that picture would make a nice wallpaper so I reverse-engineered the URL to get a 2000x1817 version of the image:

http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/009H0259000?qlt=90,0&resMode=sharp&op_usm=0.9,0.5,0,0&scl=1.2&fmt=jpeg

[#3 posted by Thinkerer , May 7, 2008 2:47 PM]

Three wrenches and 1467 hacksaw blades if Craftsman is true to form...

[#4 posted by mwells , May 7, 2008 2:50 PM]

Feel bad for the cat from UPS that has to deliver it.

[#5 posted by toxonix , May 7, 2008 3:24 PM]

Compare to MAC's automotive svc set (MS500) for similar price:
http://www.mactools.com/Mac/Mac+Products/Catalog/Hand+Tools/Master+Sets/MS500#

I cant' find anything comparable from Snap-On, but it's likely that you'd be able to get about 1/4 as many tools for the same price.

Back when I was a mechanic, MAC tools was the best alternative to snap-on. With snap-on, you tend to buy tools as you need them, instead of all at one time.
We usually would have a lot of old craftsman stuff that we could modify for specific tasks. Snap-on and MAC tools are too expensive to grind into new shapes. And craftsman are usually easier to shape, since they are generally made from lower quality steel.
This set looks pretty high quality though. Seems like a lot of stuff for the price.

[#6 posted by Taniwha , May 7, 2008 3:25 PM]

I call 'Rule 34'

[#7 posted by HorsePunchKid , May 7, 2008 3:28 PM]

I had the same idea as Sorghum above. Their image server maxes out at 2000px in either dimension, but the original is 2400x2192 or thereabouts. So I got the necessary quadrants and stitched them together. If only I'd had this earlier today when I was trying to change my bike pedals...

[#8 posted by Marshall , May 7, 2008 3:32 PM]

That's some serious tool porn right there.

[#9 posted by JSG , May 7, 2008 3:54 PM]

Nice pic, imagine the poor bastard(s) that had to unwrap and lay that out just so.

[#10 posted by Fnarf , May 7, 2008 4:07 PM]

This just makes me think I'd be spending an hour and a half trying to find the (*&%&*^$# No. 2 Philips head screwdriver.

[#11 posted by Haldor , May 7, 2008 4:08 PM]

I so wish I could afford to buy this as a Christmas gift for a friend or relative. Watching the shear bewilderment of the individual receiving the gift and then trying to figure out where to store the tools would be a riot.

[#12 posted by Antinous , May 7, 2008 4:34 PM]

What a bunch of tools.

[#13 posted by anthropomorphictoast , May 7, 2008 4:53 PM]

@ #8: A tool orgy, even. This is the kinda thing a guy with a five-car garage would own (and probably never use.)

[#14 posted by mashei , May 7, 2008 4:58 PM]

Is there such thing as a toolgasm?

[#15 posted by InvisibleBuddha , May 7, 2008 5:15 PM]

If you are going to buy that then you need the $7599 Tool Chest: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_009H0006000B?keyword=tool+chest

Oh #2 & #7, thanks for the new wallpaper!!

[#16 posted by arttoys , May 7, 2008 5:21 PM]

Oh, Nick you're such a tool!

[#17 posted by PeerB , May 7, 2008 5:42 PM]

Perhaps the most impressive thing is that the tools are laid out in such a way that they form a square from exactly where the picture was taken!

[#18 posted by Vanwall , May 7, 2008 5:46 PM]

You oughta see the huge custom tool sets they will deliver for a price well beyond this - frightenin'. MAC, Snap-on and Craftsman among others will even customize the roll-aways with color-coded foam that's precision cut to match the shape of each tool and attachment - that's a tool porn threeway. I always liked Craftsman's quick-release ratchets; sometimes the shiny, shiny, Snap-ons can be hard to grip when you're wrenching on a greasy old un-restored engine.

[#19 posted by Vanwall , May 7, 2008 5:48 PM]

#16 - Betty Joe Bialowsky?

[#20 posted by Cupcake Faerie , May 7, 2008 6:05 PM]

Wow, that has got to be worth 50 steaks and blow jobs.

[#21 posted by strider_mt2k , May 7, 2008 6:24 PM]

...Betty Joe Bialowsky...

I hadn't heard that name since college.
(everyone knew her as Nancy)

Then it all came rushing back to me like the hot kiss at the end of a wet fist...

[#22 posted by notatoad , May 7, 2008 7:05 PM]

who would want 1400 craftsman tools?

[#23 posted by Doug Nelson , May 7, 2008 9:43 PM]

1470 tools and not one hammer?

[#24 posted by Nasty , May 7, 2008 9:46 PM]

So awesome looking. Thanks for the images, Sorghum and Horsepunchkid.

[#25 posted by Mike Smith , May 7, 2008 9:50 PM]

@ #23 - I count six hammers (top left)

[#26 posted by bollocks , May 8, 2008 12:48 AM]

@-#25 ah, but where's waldo?

[#27 posted by Spork , May 8, 2008 1:45 AM]

Er, seven adjustable wrenches? What for?

Unless of course, it includes both metric and imperial...

[#28 posted by Piper , May 8, 2008 5:04 AM]

If this is tool porn, it's the kind of porn you'd find at Sears. Sorry guys call me a snob, but I just can't get that excited over Craftsman.
Can you imagine dragging 1,470 defective tools back to the store for an exchange?

[#29 posted by Patrick Austin , May 8, 2008 6:49 AM]

Craftsman is no longer (never was!) the greatest tool manufacturer in the world. Matco, Snap-On, Mac, S-K, etc all make undeniably better stuff. For critical things like torque wrenches and other 'precision' equipment, you buy the premium brands or you'll regret it eventually...

However, I've got a big craftsman socket wrench set that has been through the wars. In twelve years of doing all my own car repairs, I have broken exactly one socket (17mm, 1/2" drive being beaten to death in an impact wrench) and it was replaced for free. Their basic tools are _completely_ adequate for anyone who is not using hand tools to make their living.

Plus, their stuff is cheap enough that you don't feel too bad using it in off-label applications. :)

[#30 posted by adam , May 8, 2008 7:06 AM]

Snap-On:

US (fractional)
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/tools.asp?Group_ID=2294
(More than 1000 pieces, $7253)

Metric add-on
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=&item_ID=66988&group_ID=2299&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog
(More than 175 pieces, $6259)

Plus, you need somewhere to store all that stuff
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=storage&item_ID=79150&group_ID=20685&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog
$18,395 (but it's a whole truck, basically)

(wow. And though I believe that Snap-On is definitely superior, Mac Tools are an acceptable, less expensive alternative. Craftsman are... um, available at Sears ... their only real advantage.)

When I was a mechanic, a very experienced, older mechanic mentor gave sage advice: Buy good tools, you'll soon forget how much you paid for them, they're a joy every time you use them, and they'll last forever. Buy cheap tools, and you'll soon forget how much you paid for them, hate them every time you use them, and you'll re-buy them frequently.

[#31 posted by airship , May 8, 2008 8:00 AM]

When I worked on construction equipment, I owned wrenches that were three times bigger than the biggest ones in this set. Trust me: no matter how many tools you own, you'll never have exactly the right one for the job you have to do right now.

[#32 posted by cartufer , May 8, 2008 8:48 AM]

u call that a tool kit and u ain't got a punch press, rivet squeeze or taps?

[#33 posted by ill lich , May 8, 2008 10:56 AM]

Craftsman gets no respect from most tool nerds, but they have a lifetime warranty (or at least they used to, I believe they modified that warranty in recent years) -- I had a friend whose Craftsman tools were literally fused into a mass of molten crap when his car caught on fire. There was enough recognizable as Craftsman product that he got a new set from them for free.

[#34 posted by Saisumimen , May 8, 2008 11:17 AM]

I'll take the old "made in USA" Craftsman tools over this cheap Chinese garbage any day.

Back in the early 90's I used to think my dad was weird when he'd buy old Craftsman tools at yard sales and flea markets. Now that I've bought the Chinese-made ones, it looks like I'll be doing the same.

[#35 posted by Haldor , May 8, 2008 11:44 AM]

It depends on what you use the tools for. If my career was in construction by all means would I get the best stuff, but for my occasional use I have been very happy with this brand.

[#36 posted by Antinous , May 8, 2008 12:25 PM]

If my career was in construction by all means would I get the best stuff

My best friend is a contractor. He probably replaces all of his tools every six months because the workers and subs disappear with them.

[#37 posted by Thorzdad , May 8, 2008 12:59 PM]

There's no shame in buying Craftman tools. Their main-line tools are priced right and are perfectly acceptable for damn near any job. And, of course, there is the lifetime guarantee on the handtools.

They're an especially good choice for someone just starting out and needs a viable box full of tools but hasn't the cash flow yet to go the MAC or Matco route. Most of the guys I know who have big sets of Matco tools have accumulated them piece-by-piece over many years. They started with Craftman tools and always advise new guys to do the same.

One caveat...Sears recently introduced a budget line of tools that gets stocked along-side the regular tools. Made in China. Avoid.

[#38 posted by Thorzdad , May 8, 2008 1:05 PM]

The pic also reminds of why I always loved doing table-top shots in the photo studio. It's so darn fun arranging a bazillion items like that, while taking into account the keystone effect of the camera angle.

Honest!

[#39 posted by rox09 , May 9, 2008 8:36 AM]

I know the guy that shot this. Tom Eipert. He's a photographer in Chicago.