We've had nothing but issues with Sonic at our 147, the shadow foam is great for inventory management but the tools are terrible quality, multiple people have destroyed the punches, 2 duckbills had jaws snap in half, the safety wire pliers are the same ones I found for $7 at harbor freight, the hammers came with already cracked handles, the only part anyone has been happy about is the box itself.
I started with the old school Craftsman set from the 80's but found out in the field that they are too big and bulky and would not fit into certain spots or on certain nuts and wrenches (tolerance). A buddy I worked with said I needed a real wrench and gave me a Snap-On that went right into that tight spot and got the job done. I was addicted from that moment on and the tool box is full of high dollar stuff.
I have a friend that drives for a high-end race team in Europe. They concentrate on endurance series racing of 12hrs or more. I was walking the paddock at the Nurburgring about a month ago with him, and we were chatting casually with all of the different teams and I observed that one team had row after row of Sonic toolboxes. When I remarked that it was a pretty impressive display of tools, my friend laughed and pointed out that ALL of the teams were now using Sonic. He personally felt that SnapOn had slightly better torque wrenches, but that Sonic(s) approach to "tool control" with the foam trays, and tool identification was superior to SnapOn. Most of their stuff is made in Germany and Holland, and seemed like a really good quality for the money.
I am also an instructor at a 147 school, and have seen all kinds of tools. I have had good luck with the Icon line from Harbor Freight, stay away from Pittsburgh except for tools to cut, grind, and weld. I also really like Tekton tools. They are very nice tools at a very reasonable price, and also offer a discount for students. In my opinion Tekton is about 90% the quality of Snap-on, often at less than a quarter the price. However they are a bit limited in what they have, so you still can't buy everything from them. I always tell my students to spend the money on really good tools where it matters, like specialty tools for a specific reason, but for everything else that name is really just a status symbol, any decent quality tool will work fine. Agree that U.S. General tool boxes are great, especially the new Gen 3.
When I was in school in 2000 the brands to own were Snap-On and Bluepoint. I got away with Maximum (Canadian Tire brand) but all the fancy shit like Pneumatic vacuums, telescopic magnets and automatic wire twisters, etc came from Aero Industrial Tool. Measuring tools from either Starrett or Mitutoyo. My early pneumatic tools were all Chicago Pneumatic.
The longer you’re in this industry you will get the nicer tools overtime. It’s just gonna happen lol. Everybody likes nice things and the longer you’re here the more you’re gonna want them and eventually your going to get them. When it’s all set and done you’re gonna have some of the nicest tools that they make. 25 years in now and I’m still buying. It’s just fun and adds to the adventure aviation is 😂
I didn't say it, but I do have a 1/4 ratchet from snap on and thin wall sockets. I forget how many teeth are in it, but I barely have to move it. So many times, it's come in handy in tight spaces.
Hey, Bryce Builds It All, I have a question to ask if you would be so kind as to consider answering. I am going to go to school soon and I've been looking through the Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook FAA-H-8083 32A, can you say that the information from that book is a good or close match to the material taught in class? Thanks for your time, I look forward to your answer!
