The Torque Wrench Broke And So Did The Warranty

Snap-on may be the headline brand, but it’s not the only way to build a serious mechanic tool setup. We walk through the tool brands professional mechanics reach for when they want strong build quality, fair pricing, and a warranty that actually helps when something breaks. Along the way, we talk about what “premium tools” really means in a working garage, and why availability and easy replacement can matter more than status.

We also get honest about the kind of buyer pain that never shows up in a catalog: the lifetime warranty that turns into a dead end. From a torque wrench that won’t lock to the reality of ownership changes and manufacturing shifts, we share why researching warranty process and support is part of smart tool buying. If you’re searching for the best Snap-on alternatives, best mechanic tool brands, or how to build a toolkit on a budget, this segment is built for you.

Then we switch gears into pure car culture and driving destinations with seven national hot rod events to put on your calendar, from Goodguys shows and Pigeon Forge to the Woodward Dream Cruise. 

We close with a detailed 2026 Chevy Equinox EV review, covering trims, styling, interior tech, MPGe efficiency talk, range expectations, and how it stacks up against rivals like the Tesla Model Y, Mustang Mach-E, and Hyundai Ioniq 5.

 If you enjoyed this mix of tools, road trips, and real-world car reviews, subscribe, share the show with a fellow car person, and leave us a rating and review.

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Transcript

Pro Tool Brands Beyond Snap-On

Don Armstrong 0:04

All right, time now for Jeff's Car Culture. Tool brands that the mechanics choose over Snap-on.

Jeff Dziekan 0:10

There you go. But uh just because Snap-on is the top brand used in the field doesn't mean that it's the only one. There are several other companies that manufacture premium tools that have plenty of professional mechanics using them in their garage. There are multiple reasons why people choose or recommend different names over Snap-on, including brand loyalty, accessibility, personal preferences, and another big reason is that uh just filling out the budget, uh filling out your toolkit too expensive, some cases depending on the tool itself. So here we go. One of the tools we have is uh Sunex. These tools have been around for 50 years, and the American brand has built a strong reputation for its itself in the automotive and repair industry. The company makes all kinds of mechanics tools, hand tools, shop tools, hydraulic presses, simple socket sets, and useful things and fittings. Sun X also makes air tools, lifting equipment, some stores gear stuff, and uh they even make knives. For a professional grade brand, Suntech's tools are modestly priced, they're widely available. Mechanics can easily order many of these things, products online and from different retailers. That's Sun X. That's correct. Uh the next one is Gear Wrench. Uh one word. Many different gear wrench tools, products, and mechanics can use every day. When mechanics list their favorite tools, many of them list gear wrench. Technician Garage, which is a company, built a starter mechanics toolkit, included many of the brand's products, including most of the socket sets, uh, saying that the gear wrench quality, pricing, and warranty and availability are big points in its favor. Other tools from the selected brand uh for the mechanic sets include uh flex head ratchets, mini combination sets, a whole myriad, right down to oil change wrenches and things of that nature for your super serp serpentine belt. So they have a vast variety of that as well. The next one, we all know this one as well, uh Mac tools. Uh these tools are owned by uh Stanley Black and Decker. Uh other brands are offered under the same name, umbrella like Craftsman and DeWalt, uh which are also good brands there as well. Also Chinese made, by the way. Very good. Uh professional mechanics also recommend Mac tools for similar reasons. Uh they at least one of them calling out it might be overpriced for some mechanics, but they use Mac tools specifically for their host cutters, radiator clamps, uh, radiator lines, calipers, pistons, and things of that nature for uh different specifics on that repair. Uh the next one we've got, Michael, is called Tekton. Tecton Tools is a family-owned business based in Michigan that's appreciated by many mechanics because of its provides plenty of detail about where each products are made, uh certain specifications about the materials they use in those tools as well. The company focuses on hand tools, making ratchets, wrenches, screwdriver sockets, and many more things that you use on a daily basis. Uh these tools, uh more notable brand uh than anything is an acceptable warranty. Uh the users claim that the professional mechanics saying the Tekton tool products are are easily replaceable thanks to their lifetime warranties. And the last one we've got is called Gray Tools. Mechanics emphasize the durability of gray tools also by adding that they still use their grandfather's gray wrenches from the 60s. I can attest to that. Uh which uh continue to work like they're just came off the uh box, right out of the box in the in the store. They strongly recommend the brand, though concede that it they can be expensive for some of the products. Others note that the high quality of gray tools, while others are less enthusiastic about the brand. All of these that we're talking about, they are options for you. If you don't want to uh spend a whole lot of money and you want a quality tool, check some of these out so they'll you can mix and match as well. So very good stuff to look at.

Craftsman Warranty Gripes And Origins

Don Armstrong 3:51

So um Craftsman used to be sold at Sears, American Made and all that. You got a torque wrench? They ticked me off so bad that uh I swore I would every chance I get would put them down. Because you know, they were sold with an unlimited forever lifetime warranty. They lied. They did. And uh good luck in getting your forever lifetime warranty fulfilled if you have a problem with one of the tools, like for instance, a torque wrench, which I did. It was a you know a hundred dollar torque wrench back in the day, and uh it wouldn't lock on. And so they're out of business. Somebody else bought the name and uh it's now Chinese and don't buy them ever.

Jeff Dziekan 4:39

Well, there's my brother-in-law was on a ship in the Navy for uh a long, long time. They couldn't go, they couldn't take their tools into certain ports because of where they were made. It was a religious thing because of Japan, you know, Chinese, Japanese, uh Israeli, and things like that. But depending on what port they went into, they couldn't use certain tools.

Don Armstrong 4:54

So at the dealership we had the Cornwell man that came by uh every other week, I think. So I bought my stuff from him. A dwell meter, uh a timing light, and those things they were expensive at the time, but quality stuff. I still have them and they still work.

Jeff Dziekan 5:11

And and like I said, I've got I've got hammers, I've got wrenches and things from my dad.

Don Armstrong 5:15

Yeah.

Jeff Dziekan 5:15

From you know, like back in the 60s, they hand me down because they're just that quality of a tool. And they're not craftsmen or they're not snap-on. They're one of these other brands.

Don Armstrong 5:24

Uh Mr. Mars. Driving destinations, Mr. Mars. Let me take it, Mike. Yeah, buddy, yeah. Jeff, if you would. And the subject uh today is going to be seven national hot rod events to put on your calendar. Hopefully the summer.

Mike Marrs 5:45

Yeah, exactly. Now they start pretty quick, but the idea is these are all over the country. And if you want to make one of these that's not necessarily in your region, you might want to have to plan a little bit to get it in there. So we're going to start with the Good Guys Del Mar Nationals. Now, this is in Southern California. Now, the good guys do have several events across the country, but this kind of starts it off, and it's in California, and it's important because they have a big turnout of Southern California cars, you know, the whole car culture that's down there and the weather. So it's a great place. They do a lot of cruising, there's a lot of showing, but you just it's not really a formal show, but apparently it's a pretty informal show, and it's someplace to plan if you want to go to California for a car show. Then the next one we're going to look at coming up in April is the Pigeon Forge Spring Rod Run. Now, of course, this is in Tennessee, and you're going to get thousands of classic cars and street rods and customs coming in, and the whole town becomes this rolling car show. I've seen a lot of pictures of it. I've never made it up there. Uh to cruise the parkway to check out some of the vendor um places, the swap meet. It's just there's a whole lot of stuff.

Don Armstrong 6:55

It's coming there in three weeks. Yeah.

Mike Marrs 6:57

Three weeks, yes. It's coming up pretty quick. Then uh from there, and the next one would be the Hot Rod Tour of Texas. I picked this because I like it, and and it's intentionally a smaller event so that it can be a little more um personalized, I guess you would call it.

Don Armstrong 7:12

Yeah, but it's considered 300 cars a smaller event.

Mike Marrs 7:16

Well, compared to these other ones where you're talking thousand plus cars, it's it's a pretty big deal. So uh, but it is uh it's really about driving and cruising with a lot of people that you know or or that you've met, and it's that car camaraderie as you go through the event for three days. And uh it's great fun. We've been a couple of times and uh love it to death. Then the next one coming up in June 8th through the 12th is one you've probably heard a little bit more about the Hot Rod Power Tour. Now, this the power tour, it's kind of part road trip and it's kind of a national gathering because there's thousands of vehicles, and you travel across multiple states with each each stop, actually, it becomes its own event because there's so many vehicles there, uh, and they move into the cities with the smoke muscle cars and customs and classics, and it's just uh uh a big rolling car show, if you will. Now, the next one is back to the good guys, and I picked this one because it's different. This is a good guys summit racing nationals July the 10th through the 12th, and it's often called the big one because it's one of the largest muscle and hot rod gatherings in the country. It's at the Ohio Expo Center, they bring in 6,000 plus cars, including classic muscle street machines, lost in the crowd. Absolutely, but this one they they do more, uh they get more things going on. They do autocross, they got the swap meets, and of course they do major awards like the street machine of the year that they have out under the good guy branding thing. And uh, so it's a really big deal, and that would be the I guess what you would call the keystone event of them for the good guys. Now, the sixth one that we have is the NSRA Street Rod Nationals. This is August 6th through 9th. Now, this is very specific. Um, it is the crown jewel of the NSRA calendar, and it runs up, it's in Louisville. They have over 10,000 cars. Now, this is part show, part reunion, they got a parts marketplace, and it's really got uh a lot of vehicles to do a lot of things. A lot of cars are driven, there's a lot of opportunities to drive them and share stories with a lot of the other people that are there. Now, the um Woodward Dream Cruise is one that I've always liked. I've always wanted to go. We've talked about a lot of times, trying to figure out a way to get up there. August the 15th, this is the third Saturday day of August, which traditionally is when it happens, and it's considered America's largest one-day automotive celebration. Historic Woodward Avenue becomes a rolling museum of horsepower and heritage with all the manufacturers having setting up displays on the sidelines. And from what I'm told, you can't see it all in a day. There's multiple cities across there. I think Jeff's got some information about how that all began in 1995. It was just a fundraiser, and it's really become the soul of the motor city car culture.

Jeff Dziekan 10:08

It is a big event, and it's it's more of a sponsorship thing where you've got maybe this five city blocks are are by Ford, or the next three city blocks are by whatever vendor, uh, some of the sports drink things. It's all it's a big circus. Yes, you do need more than just a day. It actually starts like about a week ahead of time and then it kind of trickles off after that. Uh it's a huge event. Um I got a friend of mine, uh Todd Sheldon, grew up with him. He's actually going back to Detroit, lives in Colorado, going back to Detroit for this event, possibly, and he was telling me I need to meet him there. Uh, but we'll we'll see what happens. But uh it's it's fun, it looks like a fun thing to do.

Mike Marrs 10:45

Oh, I think it would be great. I was on Woodward Avenue once. I was a passenger in a mini, a little mini club car, and uh we were dreaming about what it would be like to be there. Actually, got into a drag race with another mini down Woodward Avenue, and we thought it was cool. But anyway, that's some things that you can look at for the rest of the year to kind of make some plans if you really want to get out and about and go to some of these big events.

Jeff Dziekan 11:08

All right, sir, some of the all right.

Next Week Vehicle Preview

Don Armstrong 11:16

Uh time now for this hour's car review. I had a chance to drive the 2026 Chevy Equinox EV. Available trim levels, the LT1, the LT2, and the RS. I had the RS. This is considered a small SUV, but boy, I'll tell you what, that's precedent to say small. Anyway, five seats in this, including the driver, all new in 2024. So uh all new design, it really does look sharp. Sharp looking exterior design with slit lighting up front. Uh RS had a blacked-out Faux grille. Well, it doesn't need a grill because it's electric, you know. Big 21-inch wheels, sharp rear hatch with sunshade over the back glass. What I liked about it, it gets high marks for styling, I think. What could use improvement? Not a fan of two-tone paint. That's an option that you can get. When do we go back to two-tone paint? Let's go back to two wood panel. Well, yeah, real wood. Um, ours did not have the two-tone, I'm glad to report. Um, I've seen, especially the blue one with the white top. All I can think of is the old Houston Police Department paint scheme. Uh, interior highlights, color options, enhance the interior bling on this RS. Um layered two screens are unique and are good. Um column shift is great. I loved it, and it opens up the center console for other stuff. Infotainment controls work great and are easy to understand. Cargo trunk room, well, adequate for most, I would say, for a small SUV. What I liked the Evotex seating surfaces. It seems they seem industrial in black, but you can get some highlights in different colors that really makes it pop. Evotex. That's one of those kind of like uh name one of those old school plastic things that they came up with. Plastic seats. Oh, yeah. But they came up with names for them. It was always very interesting in the names that they like pleather. Yeah, this is Evotex. We could use improvement, nothing. Uh drivetrain. Uh electric motor works great. Two motor options give 300 horsepower and 355 pound feet of torque. Horsepower, 0 to 67.8 seconds, adequate for most. Not a rocket ship by any means. Direct drive, transmission, obviously, the electric motors connected to the wheels. Uh tow rating, 1500 pounds. Not a lot, but what do you need? This is uh electric EV SUV. So 117 miles per gallon city is what it's rated. It's called MPGE. Uh highway is 100 miles combined, 31 kilowatts per 100 miles. You do the math. I've tried, I failed. I got 2.9 kilowatt hours over 387.6 miles. Do you get that? Um EPA rated at 319 mile range. What I liked, front or all-wheel drive is available. It's nice to have the option. One-range version would be a nice improvement, I think, in a bigger battery. Um, what I liked about it, riding handling, nice and smooth. What could use improvement? Steering wheel mounting controls were a little confusing. They team seem to have uh uh all of the manufacturers have a pension for putting things on the steering wheel that you're not quite sure what they are until you hit the button. Yeah. And your viewing has probably got the same thing. I'll tell you a story when you're done with your review. Okay. Um so there's that. A base trim price, 44.2. Price is tested, 52,945. You can get in this thing for as little as$35,100. Good luck in trying to find one of those. Competitors, the Mustang Mach E for$37,795. Hyundai Ionic 5 starts at$35,000, and the Tesla Model Y starts at$39,990 miles. Wow, I'm sorry, miles. Dollars. Dollars, thank you. I'm looking at uh other things. I know I was doing that earlier. Uh next week I'll review the Kia Carnival. Don't laugh, don't make fun. It's a nice vehicle.