Introduction:
I spent my youth with cheap tools.
B&D jigsaws that shook so badly you couldn't focus on the line because it was moving so fast.
Japanese ( in the 1950's, now Chinese) sockets that wouldn't fit, and ratchets that would only ratchet one way after the first use.
Screwdrivers that twisted the shaft putting screws in pine and bent the shaft when trying to change my bicycle tire.
The list goes on, of course.
When I finally got old, and could afford to throw down $160 for a Bosch
1587, I thought they had found a way for the blade to track the pencil lead on the surface. WOW.Anyway,
Since I'm enjoying my "later years" in the woodshop, my wife and kids want to buy me woodbutcher stuff for Christmas. And I want to keep them OUT OF Sears and Wal-Mart, at least as far as tools go. For paper towels, I don't care.
Here's my dilemma. I don't know some of the arcane brand names of quality for various things. For example, I'd love to pitch my set of HF brad-point bits and Forstner bits. But I don't know what brand is among the top in quality and utility with which to replace them.
Some things are easy for me, such as Forrest or Freud for cabinet saw blades, or CMT and Whiteside for router bits. Others are more difficult. How do I know my holesaw will stand the test of time?
So here's my request to the wreckers who have spent a lifetime working with these things.
Reply with brand names that, in your experience, are top quality. I don't mean the most expensive and best ever, just names that provide reliable, above average quality stuff. When I tell my second-born son I want brad-point bits, and DON'T go to Wal-Mart or Sears or the BORG, what brand names (note: names! plural... maybe more than one) should I tell him to select from.
Keep it simple. Limited words. Here's a perfect response:
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Holesaw: Lennox Straightedge: Starrett or Veritas
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AND, although we Americans think there are no skilled people living beyond our shores, the internet encompasses the globe, and vendors sell world-wide. So, don't disparage any Kiwi suggestions, because you can probably buy a quality tool via internet from anywhere in the world that it may be made.
AND, please don't turn this thread into a "mine's bigger" argument. If you had a bad experience with a brand name, keep that to yourself and reply with what worked for you. If only one person names "GoodStuff" wrenches and 100 people suggest SK tools, we'll get the idea. No Craftsman bashing.
So, have at it. Neander tools, Normite tools, general hand tools, blades, files, screws (McFeeley's is good), razor blades, 36" lathes (for those whose wives won Powerball), benchtop drill presses, you name it, but remember, it's all about quality and the items should be currently available. It doesn't matter that NimBor made the finest hacksaw blades in the world if they closed their doors in 1934.
Thanks. I'll monitor the replies, and put together a synopsis of top quality equipment, to be posted just before Turkey Day.