I am looking at three different mechanic sets that were about evenly priced and I was trying to go with the one that is of the best quality. They are the Husky 230-piece Mechanic (H230MTS0) Tool Set from Home Depot, the Stanley 201-piece Black Chrome Mechanic (STMT75402W) Tool Set from Walmart on clearance, and the Dewalt 173-piece Mechanic (DWMT41019) Tool Set from Costco. Quality-wise, which would be my best bet?
I have a dewalt impact mechanics set that is all half inch and it is very high quality. I have an older husky 1/4 set that is pretty solid but doesn’t see much use anymore. I looked into the stanley set at wal mart in the past but couldn’t find many reviews. I would go with the dewalt as it is made in taiwan, or look at Tekton, another qulity brand in the same price range. I have a 3/8 set that I use more than any other set. You can find them on amazon or buy directly from them, free shipping.
Of what you posted the Dewalt is most likely the higher quality with the husky probably a close second.
However as the other poster I would strongly encourage you to check out Tekton for at least the sockets and wrenches - use some of your saved money to get ratcheting wrenches maybe. in metric for auto work.
I have a few Tekton items specifically their ratchets and they were great. And I would put them higher than either of those in terms of quality - also made in Taiwan. But they don’t pull punches about it.
Both the Stanley and DeWalt sets should be of similar quality and likely from the same plant. I would however recommend against the Stanley set because the sockets are laser etched, which over time becomes difficult to read. I have a DeWalt set and it has served me well for a few years, though I don’t use it more than a few times a month. I don’t have much experience with Husky other than my father has a set I used once while visiting him and they seemed fine.
I’ve noted most of the stanley branded items are from China where the dewalt items all seem to be from Taiwan. Seem to be haven’t looked at all of them.
But I also note that the dewalt ratchets tend to run smoother and cleaner than the stanley ones - again I suspect due to more care taken as they cost more. OH and usually they are more comfortable to hold.
But I will once again say - get the Tekon instead.
I’d go with whichever set has better sockets. Ratchets seem to be easier to upgrade.
When I started turning wrenches on helicopters, I went with Craftsman mechanics set, that’s how I discovered Toolguyd, after my purchased, and learned they were very cheaply made in China. So I sold the wrenches, and found Made in USA craftsman on eBay to replace, but kept all the sockets. I still can’t find a single source of a very wide range of sockets. So in my journey of learning and delving deeper, I’ve gone with a simple rule that seems to work, if it moves (ratchets, ratcheting wrenches… et al), go with Snap On. I know those prices are crazy, but if you’re doing any serious work, it’s worth it. I love Craftsman combos, they’re tough and seem to fit helicopter fasteners pretty well. The sockets are from the original set I purchased, and they’re holding up great. (Most interesting, my tools were at the airport hit by a tornado in Nashville, and they all survived… so that’s some good marketing right there…LOL).