Tools of Japan

[tamaraw]

and an extra long with a polished finish.

I can’t quite see the part number for the extra long polished ones!

The shiny ones are ratcheting, looks like Taiwan manufacturing. Each wrench is one size, ratcheting on one end and fixed on the other.

MR15L series:

超ロングラチェットめがねレンチ（首振りタイプ）

●ラチェットめがね部とヒンジ部とのスパンを短くし、また厚さも薄型フラットに設計されているので、狭い...

ktc.jp

The KTC website is a bit hard to navigate, as there isn’t an English language version.

The web catalog is really easy to navigate and way better laid out than any American or European manufacturer I have seen. Just click the google translate button in the upper left of the page:

製品情報

製品情報 | ＫＴＣツールオフィシャルサイト

ktc.jp

The pdf catalog is a little more difficult to navigate but it does have extra info like dimensions.

 

[Dave455]

just use your browsers auto translate feature and it will convert site to all English.

Sadly - it doesn’t!

 

[Dave455]

The shiny ones are ratcheting, looks like Taiwan manufacturing. Each wrench is one size, ratcheting on one end and fixed on the other.

MR15L series:

Ahh, thanks for that, and for the links. I couldn’t see the ratcheting end, so that all makes sense now.

I think the “Made in Japan” fixed ends are of more interest to me, although there is probably a role for both!

With all the leverage you can get from that length of wrench I can see the ratcheting version working at it’s limit.

I suspect that’s what the yellow sticker is warning about.

 

[rick carpenter]

Snap On in a regular store? Very interesting.

It's a sign of the end times.

 

[rick carpenter]

Hello, first ever post in the forum, with some amazing tools from amazon Japan

Welcome aboard. Extra points scored for the toes!

 

[HannibalLecter]

Thank you kindly, well some people are into toes, who would have thought

 

[The_Inspector]

Got this nice Tsunoda pliers in the mail today. Doing most of my bike maintenance myself this comes in handy, especially on my older bikes, new ones got electronic shifting. Tried it on some old brake wires I have and works really easy.

 

[HannibalLecter]

Got this nice Tsunoda pliers in the mail today. Doing most of my bike maintenance myself this comes in handy, especially on my older bikes, new ones got electronic shifting. Tried it on some old brake wires I have and works really easy.

The same exact reason I got mine. I can't yet afford electronic shifting

 

[The_Inspector]

The same exact reason I got mine. I can't yet afford electronic shifting

I got a pretty good deal on the new Sram Rival set on my Trek Checkpoint. Bought the frame separately.

 

[Reed Prince]

 

[Fedwrench]

According to the 2023 SEMA Floorplan, TONE Tools will have a booth at this year's show.

Perhaps Tone will expand their presence in the USA.

Ko-Ken will also be there as in years past.

 

[Vicks]

Shinwa has quality rules. You just need to be careful to get one made in Japan since that's your preference. The Shinwa catalog indicates Japan COO when made in Japan (not real sure but maybe no COO mentioned for China-made?). Then go to Amazon or Amazon Japan to buy. Mitutoyo has rules made in Japan and USA.

I suggest Niigata Seiki

新潟精機(Niigataseiki)

新潟精機は適正品質、適正価格のモノ・サービスの提供を通じて、便利さ・楽しさを追求し、社会に貢献します。

www.amazon.co.jp

 

[midorix]

Found a tool shop 12 minute walk away. Factory Gear. KTC, Deen, Hazet, Nepros, Vessel, Koken. Even Snap-On. It took a lot of reserve to stop myself from buying a bunch of things.

I bought a Nepros NMH2-1214 and NMH2-1315. And two Deen flat profile wrenches, DNSS-1315 and DNSS-1012.

Woooo…I will visit Factory Gear one day when I’m in Japan.

Surprised to see a cartoon police officer sign “Stealing is a crime”. Wonder if stealing in Japan is more common now.

 

[JWC86]

A few weeks ago I asked the fine people of this thread for suggestions on a 150mm rule.
I ended up ordering a Mitutoyo 182-105.
It came from Amazon in the standard bubble mailer, I had concerns right away that it might have gotten bent but once I opened it I saw this wasn't really a concern as it it very thick.
Seems really nice in general and well made.

 

[Jack_K]

Sounds like she doesn't know what an impact driver is and maybe he doesn't either.

 

[ladea]

Those screws for the pan's handles could be very rusty sometimes so the impact driver is not entirely out of place

 

[rick carpenter]

Which 18mm Olfa knife feels better in hand to a right-handed person, the roto-lock or the auto-lock? I like my 9mm auto-lock because it is so slim and easy to deploy/retract, but sometimes I feel as if the auto-lock isn't as secure as I'd like it. I dunno if the roto-lock knob would feel uncomfortable though.

And are there other Japanese utility knife options besides the snap-off blade knives?

 

[tincanoe]

Which 18mm Olfa knife feels better in hand to a right-handed person, the roto-lock or the auto-lock? I like my 9mm auto-lock because it is so slim and easy to deploy/retract, but sometimes I feel as if the auto-lock isn't as secure as I'd like it. I dunno if the roto-lock knob would feel uncomfortable though.

And are there other Japanese utility knife options besides the snap-off blade knives?

Not a big fan of the roto-lock, awkward, takes too much time to deploy and retract the blade, which is a two handed operation. My favorite is the XH-AL 25mm, the larger body offers a more secure and comfortable grip over the 18mm.

 

[F-22]

The ones with the screw-on knob are the most secure and they don't allow the auto-lock variety in some factories here in Europe. Once you get used to it you can twist the knob with your thumb easily (at least for me). While olfa is probably good, I've seen some cheaper auto-lock retract when you don't want it.

I think the Japanese came up with the snap-off blades and they mainly focus on making those cause ultimately they make the most sense in most applications for such a blade. In case you want a solid one, you can order the Olfa L-SOL blades which are basically just a solid one piece razor blade that goes in the utility knife in the same way as the snap-off designs.

 

[The_Inspector]

Which 18mm Olfa knife feels better in hand to a right-handed person, the roto-lock or the auto-lock? I like my 9mm auto-lock because it is so slim and easy to deploy/retract, but sometimes I feel as if the auto-lock isn't as secure as I'd like it. I dunno if the roto-lock knob would feel uncomfortable though.

And are there other Japanese utility knife options besides the snap-off blade knives?

I got a few Olfa knives and the top one is my favourite. Never had an issues with the knife not being secured. I really like the non slip surface.

 

[Vicks]

This one has been absolutely reliable wrt the blade lock aspect even during heavy handed usage (wood shavings for starting a camp fire, sawing through rubber hydraulic hoses etc).

 

[Vicks]

Kakuri Saw

While doing some ametuer woodworking roject at home, i needed to trim the length of a block of pine wood and was impressed by how thin a slice the Kakuri saw was able to take off...

For over more than a year, I have used this poor saw to cut off some fibre glass boards as well as other kinds of plastics apart from the regular wood work but it continues to stay sharp.

 

[F-22]

My genuine old Olfa and some knock off.

 

[JWC86]

Which 18mm Olfa knife feels better in hand to a right-handed person, the roto-lock or the auto-lock? I like my 9mm auto-lock because it is so slim and easy to deploy/retract, but sometimes I feel as if the auto-lock isn't as secure as I'd like it. I dunno if the roto-lock knob would feel uncomfortable though.

And are there other Japanese utility knife options besides the snap-off blade knives?

I REALLY like the roto lock myself, maybe it's just what I'm used to. With experience this are very easily operated with one hand and 95% as fast as a auto lock but more secure.

 

[CR888]

Interesting, any testing on how durable 1/4" bits are in the attack driver?

I have the 1/2" version, would need to buy a 1/2 to 1/4 bit adapter. But it's a pretty beefy setup for everyday use. Is there a lightweight impact driver with a bit holder? Something closer to the Vessel Impacta screwdrivers.

This is the Anex 1903. It has a 1/4" square anvil and a 1/4-1/4-hex bit adapter. Nice tool for the price. They sell it by itself or with one special damaged fastener hex attachment OR in a bigger set with multiple damaged fastener attachments.

 

[CR888]

I've always been happy with Olfa knives. But I do prefer paying the little extra for the metal frame ones coated in like a rubber coating. Maybe limited edition, I dunno. Another good brand from Japan is NTCutter, they make some nice ones too. A self healing cutting mat can be a good idea if making precision straight cuts on a bench etc.

 

[Odd-job]

Seems like Amazon Japan shipping has come back down to earth where it pencils out (with enough volume) vs the Amazon US. There is still a $2 charge approximately for each item so it still makes sense to buy more expensive items.

 

[rick carpenter]

I got these in this weekend, an 18mm Olfa L-5 and a bent nose Tsunoda FR-150. The Olfa feels decent in hand with the knob, not great, just decent. But I'm not at all worried about the blade feeling like it's going to pull out when it gets caught on rough cuts and not as concerned with premature snapulation as with my 9mm in the warehouse. I'm relegating it to the warehouse, keeping my SVR-2 for EDC office use, and will prolly get an auto-lock LA-X for the garage. The 'gap' at the bend on the FR-150s is due to the angle of the pic rather than any jaw surface defects. It is right at the bend which straddles the transition from the flat jaw section to the serrated jaw section. When the cutters fully engage, the tips touch... just as it should be.

 

[HannibalLecter]

My Anex collection. I believe the magnetic catch is Taiwanese, the rest is made in Japan

 

[Stubby1743]

Recent purchases from Amazon Japan.

Asahi Lightool stubby combos 5.5, 7, 8, 10, 12 &13mm.

Asahi Lightool DOE 10x8mm.

KTC 3.2mm combo.

Very impressed with all of them.

 

[F-22]

Do they come ******* in that way? I used a rope to tie mine together (to not scratchet them), and looped it through the holes so that they're actually usable while being tied together.

 

[Stubby1743]

No. Sets of three are sold with a sort of split ring, but I already had a few of the wire screw together key rings and so I am using one.

 

[bpwoodworking]

Couldn’t help but pickup a 3/8” KoKen zeal ratchet recently. I have some KoKen stuff but until today no zeal ratchets. I bought it to compare it to the Stahlwille and Nepros ratchets.

This seems to be the general consensus and my experience agrees. Stahlwille is the brick ****-house, Nepros is super slick, trim and extremely light back drag and KoKen zeal is the best of both worlds, it comes extremely close to nepros is back drag and is slimmer than Stahlwille by a lot.

The back drag on stahlwille starts very high but after some use it comes down a lot, I’ll be curious to see how the KoKen and nepros feel after some mileage.

 

[Chrome Vanadium Cody]

This seems to be the general consensus and my experience agrees. Stahlwille is the brick ****-house, Nepros is super slick, trim and extremely light back drag and KoKen zeal is the best of both worlds, it comes extremely close to nepros is back drag and is slimmer than Stahlwille by a lot.

The back drag on stahlwille starts very high but after some use it comes down a lot, I’ll be curious to see how the KoKen and nepros feel after some mileage.

I got a zeal ratchet and my theory is some of the backdrag comes from the detent ball holding the socket so close against the ratchet that it rubs as it turns. Still quite low backdrag in spite of this and I'm happy with it overall. I'm curious whether this is still true when using the zeal sockets that are designed to go with it.

 

[bpwoodworking]

It’s amazingly tight even with other brands sockets. Doesn’t seem to change between the zeal sockets and stahlwille.

 

[jmf535]

Couldn’t help but pickup a 3/8” KoKen zeal ratchet recently. I have some KoKen stuff but until today no zeal ratchets. I bought it to compare it to the Stahlwille and Nepros ratchets.

This seems to be the general consensus and my experience agrees. Stahlwille is the brick ****-house, Nepros is super slick, trim and extremely light back drag and KoKen zeal is the best of both worlds, it comes extremely close to nepros is back drag and is slimmer than Stahlwille by a lot.

The back drag on stahlwille starts very high but after some use it comes down a lot, I’ll be curious to see how the KoKen and nepros feel after some mileage.

I find the back drag on my z-series to be far lighter than that of my Nepros...while both blow my Hazet out of the water (love that ratchet though).

The shape, balance, finish, and feel of the Nepros is second to none, however.

 

[bpwoodworking]

I’m waiting on a 1/4 drive nepros that I plan to use mainly as a bit ratchet. I went back and forth between that and the zeal since that is one area where back drag is a big concern.

The German tool makers don’t seem to concern themselves at all with back drag.

 

[Reed Prince]

I find the back drag on my z-series to be far lighter than that of my Nepros...

I've found that my 1/4" and 3/8" z-series are lighter than the same sized Nepros too.

 

[eas311]

Has anyone successfully used a Koken spark plug socket like this on a modern BMW engine (B58, N55, etc)? It needs to be a thin wall, and according to the Koken catalog this has an OD of 19mm. Not sure if that is too large of a diameter

Koken model # 3300C.180-14

 

[HannibalLecter]

Has anyone successfully used a Koken spark plug socket like this on a modern BMW engine (B58, N55, etc)? It needs to be a thin wall, and according to the Koken catalog this has an OD of 19mm. Not sure if that is too large of a diameter

Koken model # 3300C.180-14

I believe you need a triple square, socket for newer bmw engines, not a simple hex. Someone will have more details