Others have covered 6 vs 12 and impact vs non quite well.
What Dan says about Snap-On's feel is right on the money. I have mostly
Craftsman tools - they give good bang for the buck, and Sears is handy
to me for replacements and emergency purchases. But I have two Snap-On
combination wrenches in my tool box, 1/2 and 9/16, which between them
fit more than 60% of the fasteners I touch. They are finished so much
more nicely and are so much better balanced that I am glad to have paid
double the Craftman price - all the edges are smooth, the finish is a
high polish, the numbers are nicely engraved. There isn't a rough edge
anywhere. This is in marked contrast to the Craftsman wrenches I bought
five to 10 years ago, when I was building up my basic tools - they're
heavy, the finish is rough, there is a thick raised center section that
has a sharp edge that is only there to display the Craftsman name. (I
think that newer Craftsman wrenches have strayed from this design to a
smoother one.)
SK, Proto and Husky all make good hand tools, reasonably priced, with a
lifetime warranty. SK wrenches are very close in quality and feel to
Snap-On, last time I looked. Home Depot carries one of those brands,
offers a lifetime warranty, and will honor it on other brands as well -
bring a broken Craftsman wrench, get a new Husky (or whatever). If Home
Depot is closer to you, than Sears, it might be a deciding factor.
(I have a third Snap-On tool that I use an awful lot and am glad I
shelled out for - their 3/8" drive palm ratchet. It's a triangular
shaped handle with a ratchet mechanism inside. It fits the hand just so
and is much easier to use to speed fasteners on and off than a normal
ratchet handle. I can apply enough torque for most jobs - drives nyloc
nuts easily, will pull and install spark plugs.
Cost me $35 and well worth it.)
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