First of all, I am a young auto mechanic who has spent quite a good deal of money on tools of nearly every remotely respected brand. Usually, If you are not intending to use a steel tool(Wrenches, Sockets/Ratchets, Screwdrivers and so on) on a daily basis for a number of years to come, the quality, fit, function and price(as well as warranty) of name brands such as: Craftsman, Kobalt, Husky, Pittsburgh, and Northern are great for the do-it yourselfer. The only fault(as a busy mechanic) that I find with these five brands is that you must take them to the store to get them warrantied. For the shadetree this is great. Sears, Lowes, Home Depot, Harbor Freight, and Northern tools and equipment all warranty their own tools fairly readily under most any circumstance of breakage. Caution to the consumer that many of these stores also sell other brands of the same kind of tools that may or may not have a "lifetime warranty" claim printed on the packaging. Depending on the store, staff, tool, circumstances of breakage, and whether or not the employee authorized to warranty such product, that is whether or not they "KNOW" you are a frequent customer, you may experience difficulty getting other brands warrantied. Napa (for the most part) sells quality tools(and they carry ALLOT of specialty tools you can't find in the other stores) also Carquest carries many of the very same tools. Lisle tools ARE guaranteed for life and are sold @ Napa, Carquest, Sears, Snap-on, Matco, Mac, Cornwell, so on, and are of the highest quality that is possible for everything they make, and in many cases they are the only one who makes it. When it comes to PLIERS, there is no doubt that KNIPEX(GERMAN MADE) IS the KING of pliers! Challellock makes a different product, but can no doubt come in handy in their own right. Of Coarse The Name, "VICE-GRIPS" speaks for itself, But if you want to depend on it, Make Sure it IS "VISE GRIP" as imitations will often disappoint you! Klien Makes GREAT CUTTERS of all kinds! DeWalt cordless products are indispensable! AS FOR THE BIG FOUR, Snap-on, MAC, Matco, and Cornwell... IF YOU KNOW A DRIVER(and he is reputable, established, and trustworthy) and are in a position to see him(or her) when you need to, TREAT THEM WELL and THEY WILL TREAT YOU WELL! Keep in mind that they are in the business of making money, IT IS NOT A HOBBY, DRIVING A TOOL TRUCK, AND NO ONE DOES IT FOR FUN! Snap-on tools(just about across the board of their product line) are of the absolute highest quality!!! Keep in mind that air/power tools usually have only a limited warranty on them, and sometimes this applies to the blue point brand hand tools as well. Matco also makes a very fine product, as long as i have a driver, i will own and buy Matco tools as well. Matco (to a certain extent), MAC, and CORNWELL HAVE all experienced an extreme shortage of drivers and have therefore become considered less reliable suppliers in the industry. I have never found a place that will warranty SK without a receipt except a mac dealer that sold it to YOU. Some people I have known have had better luck. Without a doubt MAC and Matco both make certain tools that snap-on just doesn't make exactly the same(example.... Matco Sells Semi-deep Swivel Impact 1/2" drive metric sockets, I have done extensive looking and find NO ONE else that sells this set. As for diagnostic equipment, Anyone who knows anything about multimeters knows fluke sets the standard(HINT: Craftsman, Sanp-On, Matco, and MAC ALL sell FLUKE, only Matco's actually say Fluke but don't be fooled here, you can't go wrong with the names preceding. In closing, A tool that is guaranteed for life(as stated above) Holds Its Value! Unfortunately the whole industry has become very political and company's have merged(for instance Stanley owns MAC) but this has also seemed to have certain advantages as they all become more competitive sometimes tool dealers will seem to do almost anything to gain a customers loyalty. Thanks 4 Reading...Americanautomobile PS!!! PLEASE VOTE! And please look at my other guides! Please check out my store at www.AmericanAutomobile.biz