How do you feel about Gearwrench Ratcheting Wrenches?

[joshboogie]

I'm just wondering how everyone feels about Gearwrench Wrenches? Quality? Reliability? Personal story? Anything. Right now Sears has and additional 40% off all their gearwrench ratcheting wrenches and I'm eyeballing them.

Just so you know I mainly do stereo work and car electronics. I do occasionally do suspension work and have been known to swap an engine.

[wilbilt]

I only have a few and really haven't stressed them yet. I know they are not designed for high-torque applications, and seem pretty weak.

The action is smooth, though.

[joshboogie]

How do you think they compare to Craftsman? I have a set of Craftsman metric ratchet (non-flex head) wrenches and they have never failed me. I'm a firm believer in "you get what you pay for".

[wilbilt]

I am not convinced they are any different than the Craftsmans. I know the Craftsmans state "USA" (don't they?), but the patents are Asian, and I believe the parts are, too.

[joshboogie]

I guess this is a re-post......

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11540&page=4


I swear I searched the site an did not see this thread. Found it through google. :)


So am I to understand that the Gearwrench ratchet wrenches and the Blue Point ratchet wrenches are both made in Taiwan? Thats interesting.

From what I read no one can find a difference between the Craftsman, Gearwrench, or Pittsburgh ratchet wrenches. Other than price. If Sears will warranty these wrenches just like the Craftsman ones I can't see a real reason to not get them......hmmm.......

[PoorOwner]

I bought a lot of gearwrenches last sale, some of them do not make the same clicking sound, the head is a bit oily on some. Others reported flaking chrome, in other words QC isn't that great. Craftsman felt more solid, they are made in USA. But can't justify to fork out for the craftsman when Sears will warranty the gearwrenches.. I havn't broken any but I try not to abuse the ratchet end.

[joshboogie]

I'm starting to feel the same way about these wrenches. I literally work across the street from Sears.

http://www.gearwrench.com/warranty.jsp

[Stanger]

I love my Gearwrenches. They are my go-to wrench. I've even torqued 'em a bit and they are fine. Well worth the money IMO. I couldn't afford this many ratcheting wrenches if I wasn't buy the Gearwrenches at 50% off.

[Jay H 237]

I love them too and have 2 sets at work. Building and maintaining industrial equipment they're great, I just don't break anything loose with them.

[joshboogie]

I just took a ride to Sears to get a hands on feel for them and I think I'm going to pull the trigger. Compared them side by side with the Craftsman and there virtually no difference. Same feel, weight, and the ratcheting gear feels the same. Only difference I found was that the Craftsman wrenches were slightly longer. Well at least in the 5/8 and 3/4 they were. That's not a huge deal to me. I'm looking at the Flex-Head (metric/standard) and the stubbys (metric/standard) in the shopping cart and the total is $154.04 (with tax) This might be too good to pass up.

[nollan]

Haven't had any experience with gearwrench, but I do have a set of Craftsman ratching ones. Those ones sucked. They slip on you when you really need to pull on anything. I have since upgraded to Snap On ones, and haven't looked back. In fact those are my go-to wrenches because they have the flank drive plus feature as well. They haven't slipped on me or anything =)

[billymade]

At Sears I talked to a Harley Davidson tech and Gearwrenches are all he uses all day long; he said he has only broken one but had it warranted without any problems. He is very happy with his wrenches and recommended them. I was impressed because he uses them way more then I ever will and has had good luck. We do warranty these in the store now but I haven't seen anyone return one for warranty yet! I just bought some when they were 50% off and have been happy so far.

[reversegear]

The Gearwrench single direction ratcheting wrenches are made in China, and there are more quality problems compared to the reversible model that is made in Taiwan. All types of Gearwrench brand ratcheting wrench (flex-head, stubby, etc) are "high DIY" for quality and price.
Having said that, I think that the 40% off or 50% off sales at Sears make Gearwrench the best value out there for most users. If you're going to use them every day and use them hard, then go with Craftsman, Blackhawk, or SK. Surprisingly, Duralast ratcheting wrenches are very good, but for the prices they charge I'd probably go ahead and buy one of the professional brands.

[ImportTuner]

The Gearwrench single direction ratcheting wrenches are made in China, and there are more quality problems compared to the reversible model that is made in Taiwan. All types of Gearwrench brand ratcheting wrench (flex-head, stubby, etc) are "high DIY" for quality and price.
Having said that, I think that the 40% off or 50% off sales at Sears make Gearwrench the best value out there for most users. If you're going to use them every day and use them hard, then go with Craftsman, Blackhawk, or SK. Surprisingly, Duralast ratcheting wrenches are very good, but for the prices they charge I'd probably go ahead and buy one of the professional brands.

I have a set of single direction ratcheting Gearwrenches that says Taiwan on it ...

[reversegear]

I have a set of single direction ratcheting Gearwrenches that says Taiwan on it ...

They were originally produced in Taiwan, and moved to China a couple of years ago. I've heard that some of the single direction wrenches made in China are sent to Taiwan for packaging, and end up with the Made in Taiwan label. I'm kind of skeptical about that claim, because I don't think Danaher is the kind of company to dick around with false country of origin.

[ImportTuner]

They were originally produced in Taiwan, and moved to China a couple of years ago. I've heard that some of the single direction wrenches made in China are sent to Taiwan for packaging, and end up with the Made in Taiwan label. I'm kind of skeptical about that claim, because I don't think Danaher is the kind of company to dick around with false country of origin.

I bought the Taiwan set when they first came out ... the last set I bought from thetoolwarehouse.net were suppose to be KD's but ended up being Gearwrench from China ...

BTW ... the reversible ratcheting Craftsman say "Made in USA" on it ...

[reversegear]

BTW ... the reversible ratcheting Craftsman say "Made in USA" on it ...

Yep. Craftsman is the only made in USA ratcheting wrench. All the rest are imported.

[wrenchr]

Very nice!! Buy them.

[biggsean]

I've been using their products for a couple of years now, and I've been thoroughly impressed so far. Best bang for your buck, especially when Sears has ridiculous sale prices on them.

Here's my metric gearwrench drawer, don't mind the gratuitous picture whoring. ;)

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d14/BiggSean/tools/gw.jpg

[ImportTuner]

[QUOTE=biggsean;215480]I've been using their products for a couple of years now, and I've been thoroughly impressed so far. Best bang for your buck, especially when Sears has ridiculous sale prices on them.

Here's my metric gearwrench drawer, don't mind the gratuitous picture whoring. ;)
QUOTE]

Very nice ... what do you use the half moon Gearwrenches for?

[biggsean]

I didn't know what I'd use those things for, until I worked on a friends car. I had to loosen up some strut nuts, and this wrench was just the trick to get up and over the rotor to get a grip on them.

[nissan_crawler]

I only have a few and really haven't stressed them yet. I know they are not designed for high-torque applications, and seem pretty weak.

The action is smooth, though.

Bull. I have beat the living hell out of my gear wrenches (non-reversing) professionally for 6 years. I've returned one 9/16" one, and I had my feet braced against a plane yanking on it when it locked up.

I'll pick up my gear wrenches every time over my Snap-On ratchets, giving the chance.

[JayL]

Which one do you think is a better purchase if I can choose only one set. The S-Reversibles or the Half Moon Reversibles.

[reversegear]

Bull. I have beat the living hell out of my gear wrenches (non-reversing) professionally for 6 years. I've returned one 9/16" one, and I had my feet braced against a plane yanking on it when it locked up.

I'll pick up my gear wrenches every time over my Snap-On ratchets, giving the chance.

If you locked up a 9/16" by over-torqueing, you're either a really strong guy or you just got a flukey bad wrench. It's not high torque that kills Gearwrenches, it's low torque with heavy use. If you cut one open and look at the gear wheel, you'll see that the teeth are curved. The pawl teeth are also curved to mesh with the gear wheel. If the tolerance is off by just a bit, they don't mesh right and the tool locks up.

Blue Point ratchet wrenches are much better in this part, but they have a lower maximum torque capacity than the Gearwrench. I don't remember by how much.

[nissan_crawler]

If you locked up a 9/16" by over-torqueing, you're either a really strong guy or you just got a flukey bad wrench. It's not high torque that kills Gearwrenches, it's low torque with heavy use.

Dunno, I bet I use a gearwrench an average of 10x per day at least.

figure50 weeks a year, 5-6 days a week, for 6 years

That's 15,000-18,000 times, most of which would be on about 4 sizes for my uses. None have failed from wear. At this point, if they all failed tomorrow, I would be buying another set the next day. if I had to buy a set every year, I would still do it, no problem.

[eschoendorff]

I love my Gearwrenches. They are my go-to wrench. I've even torqued 'em a bit and they are fine. Well worth the money IMO. I couldn't afford this many ratcheting wrenches if I wasn't buy the Gearwrenches at 50% off.

None of my GearWrench branded ratcheting wrenches have given me any problems. I have, however, had to warranty a Craftsman branded ratcheting wrench (full polish 13mm, IIRC).

I would definitely buy the GearWrenches...

[eschoendorff]

The Gearwrench single direction ratcheting wrenches are made in China, and there are more quality problems compared to the reversible model that is made in Taiwan. All types of Gearwrench brand ratcheting wrench (flex-head, stubby, etc) are "high DIY" for quality and price.
Having said that, I think that the 40% off or 50% off sales at Sears make Gearwrench the best value out there for most users. If you're going to use them every day and use them hard, then go with Craftsman, Blackhawk, or SK. Surprisingly, Duralast ratcheting wrenches are very good, but for the prices they charge I'd probably go ahead and buy one of the professional brands.

If you are gonna look at Blackhawk, save yourself some money and just go buy the Husky version at HD. I have a Husky set of reversible SAE and I really like them...

[joshboogie]

Thank you guys for all the feed back.

[reversegear]

Dunno, I bet I use a gearwrench an average of 10x per day at least.

figure50 weeks a year, 5-6 days a week, for 6 years

That's 15,000-18,000 times, most of which would be on about 4 sizes for my uses. None have failed from wear.

Ok, so you've got 5 data points, 4 good wrenches and one bad. The 9/16" should withstand 140 ft-lbs. Like I was saying, if you pulled more than that without a cheater or extension, then I'm going to remind myself to be real polite to you if there's ever a GJ meetup. But I suspect the the wrench locked up because of the gear curvature I mentioned.

At this point, if they all failed tomorrow, I would be buying another set the next day. if I had to buy a set every year, I would still do it, no problem.

No argument from me on the value. If I lived near a Sears, I'd stock up on extra sets every time they did one of those 50% off sales. It's a total loss leader, and I don't know who eats the cost. Sears or Danaher?

If you are gonna look at Blackhawk, save yourself some money and just go buy the Husky version at HD. I have a Husky set of reversible SAE and I really like them...

Good point. They are both made by a Taiwanese company called Hi-Five, to the same specs. Does HD ever put 'em on sale?

[SpiderGearsMan]

how bout the ones at harbor freight ??

[DavidtheDuke]

Yep. Craftsman is the only made in USA ratcheting wrench. All the rest are imported.

Matcos are USA. Snap-On's wrenches are forged in USA, and the ratcheting mechanism is from Taiwan.

[OldCarGuy]

I owns eight sets of Craftsman’s gear wrenches. Is it just me; but more times than not they are too bulky to get into tight places. And I have to swap it out for a standard combination wrench.

[Uncle Buck]

how bout the ones at harbor freight ??

I have some of the Harbor Freights as well as some Gear Wrench branded ones and cannot tell any difference whatsoever. I have been totally pleased and would highly recommend them. :thumbup:

[billymade]

On closer inspection the two brands almost look identical aside from the brand markings; I wonder if Danaher designed these or someone else did? Funny, I never thought of going to HF to find wrenches; I haven't ever bought any hand tools there but when I was first starting out I did get some of their air tools. I still have them and they are still working; I have since upgraded to Snapon/Mac/Matco/IR/CP. The pricing structure is such, that if you get the Gearwrenches at 50% they are the pretty much the same price if not a little cheaper at Sears. Now if the HF went 50% off the normal price; that might be something to consider but I still have psychological issues with putting HF stuff in my mac tools rollaway! LOL! There is something anticlimactic about opening a rollaway and seeing Pittsburgh branded tools in there! Ahh, cool rollaway...ooh, whats in there? (pull open a drawer) Uhhhh, Pittsburgh? Bummer....
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/94300-94399/94316.gif
7 PC. SAE COLOR RATCHETING COMBO WRENCH SET
ITEM 94316-2VGA $32.99
http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00991302000?qlt=90,0&resMode=sharp&op_usm=0.9,0.5,0,0
GearWrench 7 Pc Combination Ratcheting Wrench Set Inch
Sears item# 00991302000$62.99

[keywestjack]

:lol:On closer inspection the two brands almost look identical aside from the brand markings; I wonder if Danaher designed these or someone else did? Funny, I never thought of going to HF to find wrenches; I haven't ever bought any hand tools there but when I was first starting out I did get some of their air tools. I still have them and they are still working; I have since upgraded to Snapon/Mac/Matco/IR/CP. The pricing structure is such, that if you get the Gearwrenches at 50% they are the pretty much the same price if not a little cheaper at Sears. Now if the HF went 50% off the normal price; that might be something to consider but I still have psychological issues with putting HF stuff in my mac tools rollaway! LOL! There is something anticlimactic about opening a rollaway and seeing Pittsburgh branded tools in there! Ahh, cool rollaway...ooh, whats in there? (pull open a drawer) Uhhhh, Pittsburgh? Bummer....
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/94300-94399/94316.gif
7 PC. SAE COLOR RATCHETING COMBO WRENCH SET
ITEM 94316-2VGA $32.99
http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00991302000?qlt=90,0&resMode=sharp&op_usm=0.9,0.5,0,0
GearWrench 7 Pc Combination Ratcheting Wrench Set Inch
Sears item# 00991302000$62.99



Not to mention the bad rap on Pittsburgh LOL

[reversegear]

Matcos are USA. Snap-On's wrenches are forged in USA, and the ratcheting mechanism is from Taiwan.

Good point. Matco is also Danaher, so maybe I should just say only Danaher manufactures ratcheting wrenches in the USA. What other brands do they have that I missed?

how bout the ones at harbor freight ??

I scanned the HF website real quick.
These: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94316 are made by a TW company called Infar

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=42684 TW company called Kabo.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93790 TW - Infar

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95552
and
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96423 TW- Don't know. Probably should.

Quality level for all those is low-mid DIY. At those prices, you can't really complain. Buy 'em for the boat, or wherever they might get trashed or stolen or whatever.

[musgofasta]

I have 2 sets -

Standard sizing, fixed head, reversible (flip-tab) head -- love them, my go-to's. No complaints at all. Bought at new at a swap-meet, so great deal too!

Metric, nom reversible, pivoting head - HATE them. Can't feel the "grooves" with gloves on, pivoting head prevents putting any leverage on the nut/bolt. Necks are too thick because of the hinge to fit well in my sort-a-trays.

Going to sell them and get some like my other set. NO QC issues with either set though. Rachet action is tight, no finish issues either.

[DavidtheDuke]

Good point. Matco is also Danaher, so maybe I should just say only Danaher manufactures ratcheting wrenches in the USA. What other brands do they have that I missed?

It's possible Armstrong has racheting wrenches, if they do, I'd imagine they'd use the USA ones.

[Uncle Buck]

Good point. Matco is also Danaher, so maybe I should just say only Danaher manufactures ratcheting wrenches in the USA. What other brands do they have that I missed?



I scanned the HF website real quick.
These: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94316 are made by a TW company called Infar

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=42684 TW company called Kabo.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93790 TW - Infar

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95552
and
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96423 TW- Don't know. Probably should.

Quality level for all those is low-mid DIY. At those prices, you can't really complain. Buy 'em for the boat, or wherever they might get trashed or stolen or whatever.

Say what you will, I have both the Gearwrench brand and the HF versions shown above. If you ground the names off of the sides and placed them next to one another I would defy anyone to discern any appreciable difference between the HF version and what everyone else is selling, not to mention I have used both and find one works as well as the other, and as to paying the extra for Blue-Points too me is just silly, paying for the name. They all come from across the pond! BTW, I would not buy the multi colored ones, they are too Damned ugly for me! :thumbup:

[wilbilt]

Mine say "GearWrench" on one side and "ACE Professional" on the other.

As I have said, I haven't used them much, but they seem flimsy.

Maybe it's due to the seemingly excessive axial play in the ratchet mechanism. Maybe they are all this way, I don't know.

Good point. Matco is also Danaher, so maybe I should just say only Danaher manufactures ratcheting wrenches in the USA.

I've heard they do that in Texas. I wonder whose trucks are picking up at that plant...

[T56 Impala]

I have the Craftsman reversing and the GW non reversing. As I stated in another thread, I just do like these thing. They done exude confidence too me. The have been useful, more for the open end, and have never let me down. If the HF ones weren't so....umm.....girlie, I might just get some for the boat. Then again, who cares on the boat! I might as well pick up a set this weekend!!!!

[SpiderGearsMan]

hf sells them without the rainbow colors
I own blue point angled box ratchetting , I am not happy with them

[reversegear]

Say what you will, I have both the Gearwrench brand and the HF versions shown above. If you ground the names off of the sides and placed them next to one another I would defy anyone to discern any appreciable difference between the HF version and what everyone else is selling

If you're going to grind the names off, hand me the grinder when you're done. I'll open them both and show you immediately where they are different.

not to mention I have used both and find one works as well as the other,

You can't make these huge generalizations based on one or two personal experiences. If Gearwrench ships 100,000 pieces from China, and Blue Point ships 100,000 pieces from Taiwan, and Craftsman sells 100,000 pieces, then more Gearwrenches will fail than Blue Point, and more Blue Points will fail than Craftsman. And even then the percentage differences are not so big. With the exception of a couple of Chinese knockoffs, nobody is making garbage.

BTW, I would not buy the multi colored ones, they are too Damned ugly for me! :thumbup:

"Ugly" is not the word I think of when I see those. Too... swishy, if you get my drift.

[Uncle Buck]

You can't make these huge generalizations based on one or two personal experiences. If Gearwrench ships 100,000 pieces from China, and Blue Point ships 100,000 pieces from Taiwan, and Craftsman sells 100,000 pieces, then more Gearwrenches will fail than Blue Point, and more Blue Points will fail than Craftsman. And even then the percentage differences are not so big. With the exception of a couple of Chinese knockoffs, nobody is making garbage.




You just flat lost me on the above, but I refuse to believe there is a lick of difference under the skin between any of these import jobs! To each his own though. :beer:

[reversegear]

You just flat lost me on the above, but I refuse to believe there is a lick of difference under the skin between any of these import jobs! To each his own though. :beer:

What kind of evidence would you need to see?

EDIT: Ok, I'll try this way: All of the designs below are for single direction ratchet wrenches. The wrenches will all look the same from the outside, and all can use a six-point, 12-point, spline, etc. drive.

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/2448/20nai133703mz2.th.jpg (http://img233.imageshack.us/my.php?image=20nai133703mz2.jpg)
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/2599/h130756do1.th.jpg (http://img186.imageshack.us/my.php?image=h130756do1.jpg)http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/904/k130702fx8.th.jpg (http://img128.imageshack.us/my.php?image=k130702fx8.jpg)

Those are from three patents held by three different companies.

[tite681]

To me, Gearwrenches are like baseball cards. I just want them all.

[biggsean]

To me, Gearwrenches are like baseball cards. I just want them all.

I'll drink to that!

:beer:

[billymade]

LOL! I like that response! :lol_hitti
"which one would you like sir? Ummm, I'll take 'em all!":)

[tite681]

And I thought I was the only one. I feel so much better now.
I haven't come across a Gearwrench sale in the last couple weeks but I did come across their 4 piece polished flexhead ratchets at Amazon for what I think is a pretty good deal. Now I have to find a use for them Monday.

[Uncle Buck]

What kind of evidence would you need to see?

EDIT: Ok, I'll try this way: All of the designs below are for single direction ratchet wrenches. The wrenches will all look the same from the outside, and all can use a six-point, 12-point, spline, etc. drive.

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/2448/20nai133703mz2.th.jpg (http://img233.imageshack.us/my.php?image=20nai133703mz2.jpg)
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/2599/h130756do1.th.jpg (http://img186.imageshack.us/my.php?image=h130756do1.jpg)http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/904/k130702fx8.th.jpg (http://img128.imageshack.us/my.php?image=k130702fx8.jpg)

Those are from three patents held by three different companies.

Alright, based on your post I will concede that obviously more than one design for these wrenches exists though I am still not convinced based on the patent pics that one of those designs is necessarily any better than the other two. I still think that most of those wrenches regardless the brand not only look alike, but will give like performance as well. :pimpflash

[wilbilt]

maybe I should just say only Danaher manufactures ratcheting wrenches in the USA.

reversegear, what do you make of this?

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k37/wilbilt/proto1-1.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k37/wilbilt/100_2712.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k37/wilbilt/proto3-1.jpg

I can tell you that it is an interesting wrench. Full polish on the ratcheting end, satin finish on the rest.

Very crude and rough flex end. Larger and rougher opening on one side of the ratchet for the "cover plate".

The ratchet action is quite coarse, and very stiff.

I wonder if it may be a one-off or a prototype.

[Uncle Buck]

reversegear, what do you make of this?

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k37/wilbilt/proto1-1.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k37/wilbilt/100_2712.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k37/wilbilt/proto3-1.jpg

I can tell you that it is an interesting wrench. Full polish on the ratcheting end, satin finish on the rest.

Very crude and rough flex end. Larger and rougher opening on one side of the ratchet for the "cover plate".

The ratchet action is quite coarse, and very stiff.

I wonder if it may be a one-off or a prototype.

That looks like a handsome wrench, too bad it performs crudely according to your description! :pimpflash

[wilbilt]

That looks like a handsome wrench, too bad it performs crudely according to your description! :pimpflash

It is rough beyond description. The old riveted "flat ratchets" are silky-smooth in comparison.

I don't think this was ever a production design...has anyone else ever seen one?

[tite681]

I have a question for GearWrench users. Have you ever come across a situation where the box end of your GearWrench was too big and you needed to use a standard box end instead?

[PoorOwner]

I have a question for GearWrench users. Have you ever come across a situation where the box end of your GearWrench was too big and you needed to use a standard box end instead?

Yes I need to get the standard non-ratcheting wrench for it's thinner box end alot of times. Other members on their board will tell you the gearwrench works all the time,
but they are probably working on bigger or older cars.. usually more sparsely spaced parts and more room between engine components.

[eschoendorff]

I have a question for GearWrench users. Have you ever come across a situation where the box end of your GearWrench was too big and you needed to use a standard box end instead?

Yes... it does happen, but most of us have plain-jane combo wrenches to deal with that.

[ni[x]it]

They are very handy wrenches to have and go on sale pretty regularly at 40 to 50% off at sears. You just need to keep an eye on sears.

I keep a handful of bookmarks to sears products on my thumb drive, and if I feel like checking on something I throw em into a browser, and see if they are on sale. Sometimes I add them to the cart to see if any additional savings pop up.

Too many elitests here arguing the finer (and duller) points of pointless details.
Just go get a set or two and enjoy them!

[Jononon]

I think any quality differences between the major brands are so slight as to border on irrelevant, particularly where there's strong warranty support. I recently bought some Facom ratcheting wrenches. They're good, very good, but the difference between them and GearWrenches is so slight that I couldn't honestly recommend them over the GWs, given the higher price.

I have a question for GearWrench users. Have you ever come across a situation where the box end of your GearWrench was too big and you needed to use a standard box end instead?

Yes, although it's fairly infrequent with the non-reversibles.

FWIW - the GearWrench standard wrenches are also of very good quality. So good that, import concerns aside, they also make me wonder why I should spend more on a different brand.

[Uncle Buck]

I think any quality differences between the major brands are so slight as to border on irrelevant, particularly where there's strong warranty support. I recently bought some Facom ratcheting wrenches. They're good, very good, but the difference between them and GearWrenches is so slight that I couldn't honestly recommend them over the GWs, given the higher price.



Yes, although it's fairly infrequent with the non-reversibles.

FWIW - the GearWrench standard wrenches are also of very good quality. So good that, import concerns aside, they also make me wonder why I should spend more on a different brand.

That is exactly what I have been trying to express! :)

[tite681]

Thanks for the feedback. Now I know to put plain jane combo wrenches in my budget.

[Mike83]

I have a question for GearWrench users. Have you ever come across a situation where the box end of your GearWrench was too big and you needed to use a standard box end instead?

That has happened to me lots of times with ratcheting box wrenches. A regular box wrench or socket wrench is often necessary. That is why I am hesitant to buy lots of these tools!

[PoorOwner]

Thanks for the feedback. Now I know to put plain jane combo wrenches in my budget.

It's not a big deal, if you are on a budget just pick up the craftsman raised panels..they are cheap at Sears and even cheaper on Ebay.. about $10-$15 for a regular set shipped.

[tite681]

It's not a big deal, if you are on a budget just pick up the craftsman raised panels..they are cheap at Sears and even cheaper on Ebay.. about $10-$15 for a regular set shipped.

Good suggestion. I have the Craftsman raised panel that came with my Mechanic's Tool Set. I actually HAD the SK made Craftsman pro about 10 years ago and accidently gave it away. After experiencing those, I can't go back to the raised panel. There is a little bit of tool snob in me.

[PoorOwner]

I actually HAD the SK made Craftsman pro about 10 years ago and accidently gave it away.

How did you do that :shocking:

[tite681]

How did you do that :shocking:

Long story. Over ten years ago, I used to work on my Mazda as a hobby. One day I was under my car and I got a back spasm. I was then strung out on painkillers and muscle relaxers. I was also going to have my son soon. I thought my health and fatherhood was more important than working on cars so I stopped working on cars. My Uncle who is a broke car enthusiast (I know. Broke, car, and enthusiast do not belong in the same sentence) asked me if I was using my tools. At the time, the tools were sitting there collecting dust for years. I mean he is my favorite aunt's husband and I would have looked like a prick if I didn't let him "store" it at his house which is literally down the street. So, I let him "store" it at his house. Fast forward a few years. Then I got sciatica and discovered the chiropractor. The chiropractor was the answer to all my back and nerve problems. I didn't have to stop working on cars. So, now I'm toolless. After years of storing my tools, I'm sure my uncle became emotionally attached and it would just break his heart if I took them back. So, I'm starting all over. It's cool though because I can afford better tools even on a budget. The SK made Craftsman Pro was the highlight of my old set of tools. I got them at 30% off with my Bob Vida card. Remember the Craftsman Trading Cards with Bob Vida?

[vjquan]

I got them at 30% off with my Bob Vida card. Remember the Craftsman Trading Cards with Bob Vida?
Bob Vida?? You mean Bob Vila? :lol_hitti

[ImportTuner]

Bob Vida?? You mean Bob Vila? :lol_hitti

No, Bob Villa ... :)

[tite681]

No, Bob Villa ... :)

My bad. Yeah, that guy.

[64merc]

No it's Bob Vila.

I am not old enough to remember this, but I remember my uncle telling me that the guy has actually changed his last name over the years. It has been both "Vila" and "Villa" IIRC. I guess he thought it made a difference.

[wilbilt]

No, Bob Villa ... :)

Pancho's brother?


;)

[reversegear]

reversegear, what do you make of this?

I can tell you that it is an interesting wrench. Full polish on the ratcheting end, satin finish on the rest.

Very crude and rough flex end. Larger and rougher opening on one side of the ratchet for the "cover plate".

The ratchet action is quite coarse, and very stiff.

I wonder if it may be a one-off or a prototype.

Man, I stared at those pics for 5 minutes straight wondering 'WTF is that'?

Asked around, turns out that not only did some other guys know about that tool, but we even have a sample in the office. I checked it out.

Shocking. It's Proto, it's made in the USA, and it is probably the worst ratcheting tool I have ever seen. A while back Eschoendorff and I were squabbling over what makes a quality wrench. I said 'torque and endurance', he said 'fit and finish'. Looking at this abomination, I gotta mentally add some credibility to the 'fit and finish' argument. 'Cause I don't care how strong this wrench is, I wouldn't want to use it.

I couldn't find it on the Proto website, but a Google of "1214-RF" found this page (http://protoolsdirect.com/mfg_dept.asp?dept_id=1314&mf_id=77). So It looks like it was a production run of some kind. I've always had respect for Proto tools, and I really don't know what to make of this.

As to my original claim, I guess the latest revision is: Only Danaher and Proto manufacture ratcheting wrenches in the USA unless there is some other company I don't know about.

Let me know if you guys see any other Made is USA ratchet wrenches. Wilbilt, where did you get that one?

[eschoendorff]

Shocking. It's Proto, it's made in the USA, and it is probably the worst ratcheting tool I have ever seen. A while back Eschoendorff and I were squabbling over what makes a quality wrench. I said 'torque and endurance', he said 'fit and finish'. Looking at this abomination, I gotta mentally add some credibility to the 'fit and finish' argument. 'Cause I don't care how strong this wrench is, I wouldn't want to use it.


I don't recall ever saying this. As I remember, the squabble centered around the idea that Reversgear was making blanket statements without offering any real data to back them up. I have never, to my knowledge, put fit and finish over strength and endurance.

I understand that Reversegear cannot reveal his sources due to his job, but then he must also accept the skepticism that comes with such claims.

[Merkava_4]

I don't recall ever saying this.

That's because you didn't say it; Lyaec350 did. He answered a question posed to you by reversegear:

Gearwrench is not even close to being top of the line tools. On what information do you base this claim?

Fit and finish. They're some of the nicest Taiwanese prodcuts out there.

Nobody was saying that Blue Point stuff is low quality, just that it is not a good value. There are much better US made choices available for the same or lower price (S-K, Proto, Blackhawk, Craftsman). If you do your research you will find out that even Snap-on doesn't make the best tool in every category, mixing and matching really is your best bet for quality vs price.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16823&page=3

[wilbilt]

Man, I stared at those pics for 5 minutes straight wondering 'WTF is that'?

Asked around, turns out that not only did some other guys know about that tool, but we even have a sample in the office. I checked it out.

Shocking. It's Proto, it's made in the USA, and it is probably the worst ratcheting tool I have ever seen. A while back Eschoendorff and I were squabbling over what makes a quality wrench. I said 'torque and endurance', he said 'fit and finish'. Looking at this abomination, I gotta mentally add some credibility to the 'fit and finish' argument. 'Cause I don't care how strong this wrench is, I wouldn't want to use it.

I couldn't find it on the Proto website, but a Google of "1214-RF" found this page (http://protoolsdirect.com/mfg_dept.asp?dept_id=1314&mf_id=77). So It looks like it was a production run of some kind. I've always had respect for Proto tools, and I really don't know what to make of this.

As to my original claim, I guess the latest revision is: Only Danaher and Proto manufacture ratcheting wrenches in the USA unless there is some other company I don't know about.

Let me know if you guys see any other Made is USA ratchet wrenches. Wilbilt, where did you get that one?

I don't think I ever Googled the part number (duh), but I did look up the patent number on the wrench. The patent has to do with the "Anti-Slip Design" of the open end.

I got the wrench in a lot of Stanley-Proto-Blackhawk tools I bought from an eBay seller. I bought a few lots from the seller mainly to fill in some holes in my wrench sets.

I think the design might have been Proto's attempt to produce a domestic ratcheting competitor to GearWrench. If that is true, they failed terribly IMHO.

The page you linked to appears to be a few years old. I wonder if these were actually ever available, but I'm not dropping $20 on another one to find out...:beer:

[sjotis]

It's possible Armstrong has racheting wrenches, if they do, I'd imagine they'd use the USA ones.

Yes, Armstrong does have USA ratcheting wrenches.

www.armstrongtools.com (http://www.armstrongtools.com)

Danaher is the only MUSA ratcheting wrench manufacturer - unless you count the old style "Laminate wrench" which is still manufactured by A&E.

[Uncle Buck]

It would be nice to see some domestic tool manufacturer produce the USA version of the Gearwrench type wrench and have it operate as smoothly as the imports everyone has. I am sure it would have a stong audience with those wrenching for a living even at a higher price point! Just a Damned shame!

[wilbilt]

Danaher is the only MUSA ratcheting wrench manufacturer - unless you count the old style "Laminate wrench" which is still manufactured by A&E.

Have you read the previous posts about the Protos?

[sjotis]

Have you read the previous posts about the Protos?

The Protos are made by A&E

[sjotis]

It would be nice to see some domestic tool manufacturer produce the USA version of the Gearwrench type wrench and have it operate as smoothly as the imports everyone has. I am sure it would have a stong audience with those wrenching for a living even at a higher price point! Just a Damned shame!

They exist NOW - Armstrong tools...

www.armstrongtools.com

[sjotis]

http://gearwrench.com/catalog/wrenches/ratcheting/groupshot.jpg

Gotta love all the GearWrench options...

[wilbilt]

The Protos are made by A&E

So you are saying that the Proto pictured in previous posts, and marked "USA" is not made in the USA?

[sjotis]

No, I'm not saying that. Those Proto (A&E) wrenches ARE made in the USA, but they are laminated style Piece o S*. They aren't in the same league as forged ratcheting wrenches.

A lot of brands rebadge those A&E wrenches - Proto is just one of them.

[sjotis]

http://armstrongtools.com/images/catalog/cat_images/lviews/28-900.JPG

Here are the Armstrong forged ratcheting wrenches.. MADE IN THE USA.

I've found them at Fastenal or MSC

www.fastenal.com

www.mscdirect.com

[wilbilt]

No, I'm not saying that. Those Proto (A&E) wrenches ARE made in the USA, but they are laminated style Piece o S*. They aren't in the same league as forged ratcheting wrenches.

A lot of brands rebadge those A&E wrenches - Proto is just one of them.

It's not a laminated wrench. Did you even read the thread? Did you view the photos?

Respond when you have a clue.


http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k37/wilbilt/proto1-1.jpg

[sjotis]

It's not a laminated wrench. Did you even read the thread? Did you view the photos?

Respond when you have a clue.


http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k37/wilbilt/proto1-1.jpg


Chill out dude.... here's the answer:

The Proto forged ratcheting wrenches are MADE IN TAIWAN

The Proto laminate wrenches are MADE IN USA by A&E.

[sjotis]

Wilbilt - Here is a laminate ratcheting wrench - also referred to as stamped. NOT FORGED


http://protoolsdirect.com/images/product_images/medium/proto/1112.jpg

[eschoendorff]

Chill out dude.... here's the answer:

The Proto forged ratcheting wrenches are MADE IN TAIWAN

The Proto laminated wrenches are MADE IN USA by A&E.


You need the clue.

Care to back that up? :wtf:

The wrench that Will was talking about is NOT a laminated wrench and it DOES specify USA. Being a prick is not going to get you very far on this forum...

[reversegear]

Chill out dude.... here's the answer:

The Proto forged ratcheting wrenches are MADE IN TAIWAN



No they are not. Both of Stanley's Taiwan sources for ratcheting wrenches (Chiro and Hi-Five) make better tools than that. That monster is Made in the USA somewhere.

Or maybe was made in the USA somewhere. I can't imagine they would keep cranking those out.

[sjotis]

http://toolmonger.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/post-sprw.jpg

These are the Proto ratcheting wrenches I am referring to - Made in Taiwan.

[sjotis]

Care to back that up? :wtf:

The wrench that Will was talking about is NOT a laminated wrench and it DOES specify USA. Being a prick is not going to get you very far on this forum...

Sorry - not meaning to be a prick .. just trying to get my point across.

Specifically - what Proto ratcheting wrenches are you talking about Will - I think I missed the post?

[jhn9840]

Took me awhile to start using my gearwrenches. Once I got used to them I grab them all the time.

I got a set of Proto SAE combo wrenches and SAE 1/2 drive deep well sockets that are very high quality IMHO. It's hard to imagine that Proto's quality has dropped off that much, my set is older so maybe that's the reason.

jhn9840
John

[paramudduck]

Start at post 51. Then read 71.

[sjotis]

Ahh - that's the problem... the pictures are from Photobucket and are blocked by my work server in post 51...

my apologies.. Can someone post in the thread?

[MAD]

Ahh - that's the problem... the pictures are from Photobucket and are blocked by my work server in post 51...

my apologies.. Can someone post in the thread?

Here they are:

[sjotis]

Thanks - the patent stamped on that wrench dates to 1993 - it's a David Baker open end design - known in the tool industry.

That line of wrenches is not in production.

[wilbilt]

Thanks - the patent stamped on that wrench dates to 1993 - it's a David Baker open end design - known in the tool industry.

That line of wrenches is not in production.

I looked up the patent as well. I also know what laminated wrenches are, as I own a few.

I was not aware you could not see the photos.

There was a link posted by reversegear showing those wrenches for sale somewhere. I did not contact the vendor to see if they are still available.

My thought was that the design was never a production item, but I guess I was mistaken.

[reversegear]

Thanks - the patent stamped on that wrench dates to 1993 - it's a David Baker open end design - known in the tool industry.

That line of wrenches is not in production.

That line of wrenches only started production 2 - 3 years ago. I came to this thread (and this board) stating the same thing you did: Only Danaher does Made in USA (forged) ratcheting wrenches. Everyone in the industry knows this, except... somewhere along the line Proto started producing their own. What you and I knew to be true quietly became untrue without anyone telling us.

[reversegear]

And it is still on the Proto website- just found it (http://www.stanleyproto.com/default.asp?TYPE=PRODUCT&CATEGORY=STD+BOX+WRNCH&PARTNUMBER=J1224-RF&strSiteName=PROTO&strDefaultCatalog=PROTO). Not sure if that means it is still in production.

[64merc]

Well, the Proto's ratcheting end can't be any worse than the ratcheting end on the C-man wrench I looked at the other day. It had the funny speed wrench type open end on one side and a horrible ratcheting box end on the other. But it was made in the USA!! :rolleyes: It was probably made in the same place that Proto was made.

[CodeRed]

Haven't had any experience with gearwrench, but I do have a set of Craftsman ratching ones. Those ones sucked. They slip on you when you really need to pull on anything. I have since upgraded to Snap On ones, and haven't looked back. In fact those are my go-to wrenches because they have the flank drive plus feature as well. They haven't slipped on me or anything =)

Nollan - were these the panel wrenches or the full chrome ones? They sound different to me.

[c130herc]

Just picked up the gearwrench stubby's from sears for 30 bucks at 50% off. After I gave them a close inspection I'm going to say that they aren't worth any more then that. Just from the feel of the ratcheting mechanism and the finish on the inner side of the open end they make me nervous about putting them in my box. I will be putting these to work in the coming months in the aircraft maintenance field and will report back on how they hold up.

[Sunrise]

how are matco pro-swings compare to GW's?

[wrenchr]

how are matco pro-swings compare to GW's?

Same gear, they are both a danaher company, the only difference between the two are the open end's.

[joshboogie]

Just picked up the gearwrench stubby's from sears for 30 bucks at 50% off. After I gave them a close inspection I'm going to say that they aren't worth any more then that. Just from the feel of the ratcheting mechanism and the finish on the inner side of the open end they make me nervous about putting them in my box. I will be putting these to work in the coming months in the aircraft maintenance field and will report back on how they hold up.

Thats odd to me because I have the stubby's to and they are dead on with my craftsman ratchet wrenches.

Now I have had a chance to used some of the flex head wrenches and I'm not too sure about them. I don't know if I would use them in any high torque applications. I'm still going to put them to the test to see if they give out.

[wilbilt]

And it is still on the Proto website- just found it (http://www.stanleyproto.com/default.asp?TYPE=PRODUCT&CATEGORY=STD+BOX+WRNCH&PARTNUMBER=J1224-RF&strSiteName=PROTO&strDefaultCatalog=PROTO). Not sure if that means it is still in production.

Strange that it is listed under "Box Wrenches - Standard" instead of under "Ratcheting".