USA Made ratcheting wrenches?

[cderalow]

Any besides Armstrong & SnapOn?

For obvious reasons (being a weekend warrior) I don't want to spend $300 to get the SO set or the $170ish on the Armstrongs.

I know a lot of folks swear by the gearwrench ones, but after playing with a set in sears today, I'm not overly impressed.

Trying to get into the habit of buying USA made hand tools at this point if I can for a reasonable price.

 

[Pro-Painter]

Any besides Armstrong & SnapOn?

For obvious reasons (being a weekend warrior) I don't want to spend $300 to get the SO set or the $170ish on the Armstrongs.

I know a lot of folks swear by the gearwrench ones, but after playing with a set in sears today, I'm not overly impressed.

Trying to get into the habit of buying USA made hand tools at this point if I can for a reasonable price.

Thats is about it for USA made. However their are better (than gearwrench) quality Taiwan made ratcheting wrenches out their such as JH Williams (same as blue-point), Blackhawk (mac/Stanley), GM Goodwrench (same as blackhawk), Westward (made by gearwrench but better quality), etc

It is also worth noting that the Gearwrenches sears sells are NOT the same quality as Gearwrenches other retail stores sell.
For example,
I purchased the 20pc Gearwrench set from sears last month and 8 out of 20 did not work and the quality of the rest was very poor. A couple of weeks ago I purchased an 8pc reversible set from NAPA and the quality was outstanding.

 

[iroc409]

I've seen some open-stock Craftsman at Sears, but they run $20 or so per wrench.

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

air ratchet

 

[porphyre]

For example, I purchased the 20pc Gearwrench set from sears last month and 8 out of 20 did not work and the quality of the rest was very poor.

In November, I purchased a 20 piece set and 20 out of 20 worked and the quality of the rest were fine. Same as about 10 other people who posted in your GW trashing thread. "And now you know.... the rest of the story."

I've seen some open-stock Craftsman at Sears, but they run $20 or so per wrench.

True, but those are 36-tooth pieces of junk.

 

[chris142]

I've got some USA made Matco ones. But I bought them a few years ago and things may have changed since then.

 

[ishiboo]

In November, I purchased a 20 piece set and 20 out of 20 worked and the quality of the rest were fine. Same as about 10 other people who posted in your GW trashing thread. "And now you know.... the rest of the story."



True, but those are 36-tooth pieces of junk.

I bought the 20-piece set, and 6 of the individual sets (two reversible SAE and metric, two flex SAE and metric, and two stubby SAE and metric) and they're all flawless.

However, out of the two Vortex sets one ratchet was DOA, one or more sockets are messed up right out of the package, and the chrome on most of the vortex sockets is spotty at best.

GW quality (/control) is definitely lacking.

 

[iroc409]

True, but those are 36-tooth pieces of junk.

These were polished ones, looked like old USA Pro wrenches kind of, not like the RP ratcheting wrenches. Are the polished ones junk too? They are reversible models.

 

[Jim85IROC]

These were polished ones, looked like old USA Pro wrenches kind of, not like the RP ratcheting wrenches. Are the polished ones junk too? They are reversible models.

Not in my opinion. I've had a polished USA-made set of Craftsman ratcheting wrenches for years and I've never had one fail.

 

[porphyre]

These were polished ones, looked like old USA Pro wrenches kind of, not like the RP ratcheting wrenches. Are the polished ones junk too? They are reversible models.

I don't own any, but my understanding is all the current polish style wrenches are foreign. Except, I think the elbow-flex and/or the regular flex.

If they're actually USA and longer than a regular RP wrench and a 60-tooth mechanism, that would score as "good" in my book. The USA CMan ratchet wrenches I was talking about are 36-tooth, satin finish, raised panel models. Short, clunky, stiff, yuck. USA made, though....

 

[Obie]

The Craftsman reversible ones are basically shorter Armstrongs without the non slip open end. I own all sizes from both companies, and actually received an Armstrong with the Craftsman selector switch installed. Both are great, but if you receive defective ones from Armstrong, good luck with warranty. It's really hit or miss.

Edit: Should add that these are the USA made Craftsmans, not the new china ones. Completely different. If you can find USA made sets, ****** 'em up.

 

[SiGmA_X]

I don't own any, but my understanding is all the current polish style wrenches are foreign. Except, I think the elbow-flex and/or the regular flex.

If they're actually USA and longer than a regular RP wrench and a 60-tooth mechanism, that would score as "good" in my book. The USA CMan ratchet wrenches I was talking about are 36-tooth, satin finish, raised panel models. Short, clunky, stiff, yuck. USA made, though....

My polished Craftsman ratcheting wrenches are stamped USA. I assumed they were USA made. Purchased 11/2005 IIRC. I'm pretty happy with them, but with the price Crapsman wants now, I'd go look at Armstrong. USA made with the (hopefully) future products also being USA made. I don't like supporting outsourcing companies if I can help it, and CM is one of those.

The satin finish ones are the non-reversible ones, and they ******** ****! I do not own any, but one of my last coworkers did, and when I had to use his for some reason, it was never a good time.

 

[Pro-Painter]

In November, I purchased a 20 piece set and 20 out of 20 worked and the quality of the rest were fine. Same as about 10 other people who posted in your GW trashing thread. "And now you know.... the rest of the story."



True, but those are 36-tooth pieces of junk.

Although my case is an isolated case of extremely poor quality control, their was still many others who where unhappy with the quality of the sears Gearwrenches.
It is a well known fact that the gearwrenches sears sells differ from other retail stores. Many part numbers, sets and features are sears exclusives. The 20pc set, and most of their sets have different part numbers. The "capstop" feature has always been a sears exclusive

The point of my thread was not to trash the gearwrench brand. I wanted to see if anyone else had similar issues, and if I was better off returning my entire purchase and going with a different brand. Because of that thread, I swapped out all my sears GW's with ones from Advance auto, and I could not be more happy with them.

To portray me as "trashing gearwrench" in my thread is completely false.

 

[glenmore]

Not USA but the BluePoints are really nice, probably Taiwan.

I got a gently used 12 pc set from ebay for $135.

They seem to come up regularly.

 

[powertrip]

These were polished ones, looked like old USA Pro wrenches kind of, not like the RP ratcheting wrenches. Are the polished ones junk too? They are reversible models.

The fully polished usa made flat and reversible craftsman ones are great quality.

 

[MattT]

I've got some USA made Matco ones. But I bought them a few years ago and things may have changed since then.

AFAIK the Matco ratcheting wrenches are still USA made re-badged Armstrongs.

Both are great, but if you receive defective ones from Armstrong, good luck with warranty. It's really hit or miss.

How are you supposed to get Armstrong warrantied? I just bought a set of their ratcheting DBEs. You've also got me a little worried since ratcheting wrenches are something I expect to need warranty service on at some point. What problems have you had with their warranty?

 

[yjWrangler]

Not USA but the BluePoints are really nice

This

 

[Obie]

How are you supposed to get Armstrong warrantied? I just bought a set of their ratcheting DBEs. You've also got me a little worried since ratcheting wrenches are something I expect to need warranty service on at some point. What problems have you had with their warranty?

In a nutshell: (And this is just my experience, not everyones) Grainger doesn't even know that Armstrong is in their own catalog and thinks they stopped carrying them. Fastenal is just, well, special. NAPA wants me to pay for both shipping them out of the store and back to the store. And Armstrong customer service just keeps telling me to try again.

This might sound bad, but I basically am resorting to defrauding another large retailer that sells open stock Armstrong. I'm ordering replacement wrenches, and then I'm gonna return the bad ones. All this because I can't just ship my damn tool straight to Armstrong and get them replaced. Oh well, this other large retailer got ten grand of my money last year, so I doubt me wasting eighty of theirs is gonna hurt them.

Some people here have already said that if you get a screaming deal on something, that warranty shouldn't even be allowed. I say ********, these tools should have worked from the damn factory. And Armstrong already got their money when the set was purchased by the place that sold it. Plus, with all my other hundreds of dollars in Armstrong tools I own, I'm still gonna hafta go through the same pain in the *** routine if one (not that I'm expecting it) breaks.

 

[alan camby]

AFAIK the Matco ratcheting wrenches are still USA made re-badged Armstrongs.



How are you supposed to get Armstrong warrantied? I just bought a set of their ratcheting DBEs. You've also got me a little worried since ratcheting wrenches are something I expect to need warranty service on at some point. What problems have you had with their warranty?

I broke the selector switch on one of my Armstrong ratchets. Called Armstrong customer support and they told me to call a distibutor and if I had any trouble call them back. Found out (from Armstrong) the Fastenal about 2 miles down the road was a distributor. Told them over the phone I had a broken ratchet. They ordered in a new ratchet. Two days later I had a brand new tool. Was expecting a rebuild kit but this was fine by me.

 

[Scout Driver]

If you decide you can't find a USA option that suits you, I also recommend the Blue Points.

Scott

 

[skeletonizer]

Any word if SK is going to bring a ratcheting wrench to market?

 

[kippieland]

Heres an SK set I found on Amazon....I'm not saying Amazon is the cheapest place, just that SK still makes them. I would try Tooltopia.com for SK. Other then that, I would look on Ebay for awhile. Might be able to find a nice SO or Matco used set for a good price. I have been purchasing a lot of SO and Matco used tools lately, some good stuff for good prices....just have to be patient.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007LXULI/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Obie]

Those aren't actually produced by SK anymore. They were rebranded (Taiwanese?) tools. Other, more SK knowledgeable members know who the OEM was, but I'm tempted to say Kabo. The new SK doesn't seem to have any imports in the line-up.

 

[glenmore]

I would try and keep the price point around $10 per wrench. I am a shade tree mechanic also so a premium set is not justified. A used BluePoint is perfect: enjoy a nice set of tools, best warranty, take care of them and your cost of ownership is just about nil.

I do a fair amount of cruising CL for tools, garage and estate sales. What prompted me to get a set of these wrenches was that in the toolboxes I've been thru, whenever I came across a set of ratcheting wrenches, the owner had used the hell out of them.

 

[Fedwrench]

You could consider this set from a closeout place.

http://www.unclesamsretailoutlet.com/Armstrong-USMC-Tool-Drawer-Set-5180015536556.html

The SK G Pro ratcheting wrenches mentioned earlier in the thread were rebadged Kabo made in Taiwan. Great wrenches but, no longer available from SK.

There are few US made choices for fine toothed ratcheting wrenches and aside form NOS Craftsman, none are a bargain.

Have you considered Blackhawk? Not US made but, a quality Taiwan made choice, shop around for the best deal.

 

[Pro-Painter]

You could consider this set from a closeout place.

http://www.unclesamsretailoutlet.com/Armstrong-USMC-Tool-Drawer-Set-5180015536556.html

The SK G Pro ratcheting wrenches mentioned earlier in the thread were rebadged Kabo made in Taiwan. Great wrenches but, no longer available from SK.

There are few US made choices for fine toothed ratcheting wrenches and aside form NOS Craftsman, none are a bargain.

Have you considered Blackhawk? Not US made but, a quality Taiwan made choice, shop around for the best deal.

Have you (or anyone else) ever ordered from that site before? It looks kinda shady. It's a fantastic deal

 

[kippieland]

Good to know!

 

[buco]

proto!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QONE8Q/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Fedwrench]

Have you (or anyone else) ever ordered from that site before? It looks kinda shady. It's a fantastic deal

No, but, I'm guessing that some people from here have. When the link was first posted in the hot deals section there were 58 sets available. It dropped to 40 last week, and now it's at 30. Shipping and tax raise the set price to $175.15 for my location and since I already have most of the contents, I passed.

Aren't the Protos made in Taiwan? Pretty expensive wrench set.

 

[Obie]

I bought a set from there. 62 left when I first saw it. Bought, down to 61. I paid with PayPal, so it was secure, and shipping was fast.

I'm happy with 92% of the set. The other 8% is three defective ratcheting wrenches that I've been force to resort to defrauding a company just to get swapped out.

As much as I love my Armstrong tools, this warranty experience has made it hard to recommend them.

 

[thetreshon]

I remember last year Lowes in Canada was selling USA made sets for around $60-70 - can't remember how many per set, but was surprised to see USA made.

Now I believe it's ALL Taiwan, China stuff in there, following the USA LOwes stores.

 

[cotjocky]

I bought a set of blue points 7-8 years ago. I've used the **** out of them. I've broken loose some really stuck bolts with them. I've even stacked another wrench on some of them a few times. I've never had to warranty a single one. They are Chinese/Taiwanese, (whatever), but they have been worth every penny I paid for them.

If you must have USA made, watch eBay, Craigslist or the buy/sell section here. That's your cheapest and best bet.

Never be afraid to invest money in a good tool. If you are worried about cost, try paying someone else to fix your car, house, etc... You'll find that the money you paid for the tools was well worth the money.

 

[diesel research]

proto!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QONE8Q/?tag=atomicindus08-20

They are not made in USA.

Only 2 choices, (fine tooth only, don't want to see some kastars mentioned)

That's it as far as I know. No other mainstream brands that I am aware of. May be some obscure small custom outfit, but those 2 are it. (well some matco fit in with the 2nd listed wrench)

 

[kippieland]

I try to stay US as well, but I was very impressed with the Genius tools ratcheting wrenches. They are Taiwan but seemed really good quality. Not a cheap import...there price shows that!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I5J454/?tag=atomicindus08-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I5HPXC/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[RoadTraveler]

snip... Found out (from Armstrong) the Fastenal about 2 miles down the road was a distributor. Told them over the phone I had a broken ratchet. They ordered in a new ratchet. Two days later I had a brand new tool. Was expecting a rebuild kit but this was fine by me.

I hope that is my experience as well. I'm tempted by the Uncle Sam's Retail Outlet deal for the Armstrong ratcheting wrenches (don't really care about the extras). I called my local Fastenal, confirmed they can/will warranty Armstrong tools. They answered yes and offered me an Armstrong catalog if I wanted to drop by.

Seems a good gamble for the price.

 

[ActAppalled]

You won't be disappointed. I haven't used my set yet because it's a birthday gift from my fiance, but I did handle them and I was very impressed. They seemed nicer than my Gearwrench set I have for work.

 

[RoadTraveler]

You won't be disappointed. snip....

Thanks for the encouragement, you might help push me over the edge. I have an older set of Craftsman brand gear wrenches (7 years old?) that I like and use all the time.

I was placing my oder and balked when shipping and tax drove the price up to $176. Still seems like a good deal... I might think about it overnight, hope I don't miss out if I decide to buy them. Shipping & tax added $40.00 to the price.

 

[907arcticcat]

Don't discount eBay! I bought both Armstrong (metric and SAE) reversible sets in very good used condition for $95 and $65! It took me a few weeks of daily looking, but good deals are out there.

 

[shoturtle]

I actually saw a set of US made craftsmen ratcheting wrenches today at my local sears. They are still some out there.

 

[JayL]

Did the winner get a good deal? I lost by $1. Look closely at the wrenches.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170777171750

I could have bid a bit more but have seen the auction at it's closing stage already and did not have chance to ask the seller if the wrenches had any owner markings.