Tekton

Why r/BuyItForLife recommends Tekton

6 mentions from real owners

• #1Dec 5, 2025

  Is there anything you're convinced is "the cheaper the better"?

  It's stupid because cheap tools actually damage fasteners and make an easy job hard. There are good mid range tools today. Better than ever before. Tekton, Toptul or the industrial brands like Williams... They perform as good or better than your old snap on/matco/sk but maybe slightly fall short on some features of the latest and greatest top end stuff. The old hand tools did not use off corner engagement and sometimes had more crude mechanisms and screwdriver standards may not fit into modern screw heads as well (JIS and ISO vs phillips... looks similar but is different enough to cause issues).

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• #2Sep 6, 2025

  Please recommend a screwdriver set before I lose it on these curtain rods.

  I think some of the people in the comments haven't experienced *just* how shitty a screwdriver can be lol. A month or so ago someone handed me their brand new junk dollar-store screwdriver to do a task for them, and the tip crumbled within two screws. I finished the job with my multi-tool, bent the screwdriver in half (yes, it was that cheap) so it couldn't hurt anyone ever again, and bought them some new tools. Wera or Wiha (different brands, similar names) are both solid choices, especially when looking for smaller sizes. Here in the US market, Tekton has become my favorite recently for hand tools - check their Outlet section and you can get good US-made tools for very reasonable prices. Also US market, find your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore and you can probably find some vintage Craftsman or Stanley for a few bucks. Handle design is very much a matter of personal taste. If you're looking to spend big money on tools, there may be a tool store in your area that caters to professional tradespeople that carries all the premium brands and you can try them in person. And yep, your curtain rod probably came with screws made of recycled bubblegum and cheese, cheap screws get cheaper every year. Unfortunately it means you either need to maintain a whole hardware store of good-quality screws or use very careful technique.

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• #3Aug 2, 2025

  What products used to be well built back in the day but now are low quality?

  I would actually argue that this is one area where globalization benefited the consumer. Taiwanese tool steel and manufacturing has basically increased in quality to the point where the differences with American and German brands is almost negligible. Torque Test channel just did a video basically acknowledging that Icon’s new G2 ratchets are virtually indistinguishable from Snap On, with an easier and better warranty. Agree with others that Wera, Wiha, Knipex, and Gearwrench, and Tekton are all solid brands. The biggest issue in tools is that the premium market has gotten out of hand. Companies have learned that there is more profit up market and have really accelerated leaving the middle-class buyer behind. Premium tool brands have popped up left and right to fill this market; they’re often the companies I look at and find cheapening practices. Say what you will about Harbor Freight, but lines like Hercules have really approached the value of the bigger names like Milwaukee, Dewalt, and Makita for a third or less of the prices. Milwaukee’s prices have grown astronomical in several territories.

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• #4Aug 1, 2025

  What products used to be well built back in the day but now are low quality?

  Still plenty of good stuff out there. Tekton, Gearwrench, Icon, Wera, Wiha... All super solid without being too pricey

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• #5Feb 3, 2025

  Which tool brand ecosystem would you invest in for 2025 and why for the occasionally frugal DIYer?

  tekton for diy/homeowner  proto for professional  I'd like to recomend gearwrench but their quality has sunk below their price point unless you shop the sales. ratchets, hazet hp all day long box end wrenches, id go with carlisle from napa, there's always a sale on their real deals. screwdrivers, klein when on sale, vessel is expensive but the quality is superb and the price is still lower than tool trucks. I repair a lot of tools at my job so I appriciate not buggering screws. torx/hex drivers, gearwrench has an 84piece set for 60$ that i recommend

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• #6Jan 5, 2025

  Has everything we buy reduced in quality over time? Has anything increased in quality or stayed high quality and durable?

  I haven’t seen tools mentioned. I get 98% of my tools from Harbor Freight, I can afford the Icon line of stuff and it’s really good quality and it’s relatively well priced. The power tool technology is vastly improved and it’s cheaper. I got a dewalt 14.4v drill probably 20 years ago and it was like $120 buck for a drill and battery, maybe a charger. I can get a 20v system for under $100 bucks now and it’s much better quality. I’ll spend 40-50 or more on a good ratchet because I know it’s likely to outlast me, has a lifetime warranty, so the manufacturer has an incentive to make it last, and it’s nice to use. Craftsman used to be good when it was made in USA, now they are slightly worse than a ton of other brands that are sold everywhere. Icon, Milwaukee, Kobalt, Quinn, Duralast, Gearwrench, and Tekton all make super good tools and I’d buy any of them and not be concerned with them not lasting many years.

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