3 at 8
Well-known member
How do the quality, fit and finish compare between Toptul chrome sockets and Gearwrench sockets?
Toptul and Gearwrench sockets?
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T56 Impala
Well-known member
Read the reviews of Toptul. I would say they are better quality than Gearwhench and Craftsman. I would even say they are very close to, it not as good as SO. You can't beat the prices either.
speed bump
Well-known member
The Fit and Finish on TopTul stuff is excellent. Trust me, I compared a SO roto head to the Toptul roto head and the finish was just as good if not better, the build quality was excellent and if I had to choose I would probably 9/10 buy the TopTul instead of the SO.
speed bump
Well-known member
Yep, Mikes a great guy to deal with. I would still buy from him even if 10 TopTul dealers showed up around the country.
CatfishXpress
Well-known member
I have nothing against Gearwrench sockets, however I feel they are way to expensive for a made in Tawain socket.
The fit and finish on Toptul is impressive, and they are MUCH cheaper than the Gearwrench. The Toptuls are also holding up very well, I have not heard a complaint yet from somebody that actually has bought tools from Mike. Most of the people making noise about Toptul are the ones that don't own them.
The fit and finish on Toptul is impressive, and they are MUCH cheaper than the Gearwrench. The Toptuls are also holding up very well, I have not heard a complaint yet from somebody that actually has bought tools from Mike. Most of the people making noise about Toptul are the ones that don't own them.
Chris Adams
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I've bought from two other guys who sell TopTul on E-bay, but I've bought twice as much twice as often from Mike.
I've got two socket sets, lots of random sockets, speed handle sockets (Got a shipment somewhere in UPS land right now with other types of tools) and it's all good stuff.
Way better than Craftsman.
Is it as good as SO? Well on the sockets, the finish inside mine are as good as my SO sockets. The external finish may be better. My Satin finish wobble sockets from Mike are better than my Craftsman and my SK.
He's got good products there.
And Taiwan is an ally, a friend nation and a Major buyer of American products.
By the way, on all the buy American only threads, ever notice the posters buy chrome tools?
No chromium in the US. All the chrome on the SO, etc. comes from countries that do not like us.
I've got two socket sets, lots of random sockets, speed handle sockets (Got a shipment somewhere in UPS land right now with other types of tools) and it's all good stuff.
Way better than Craftsman.
Is it as good as SO? Well on the sockets, the finish inside mine are as good as my SO sockets. The external finish may be better. My Satin finish wobble sockets from Mike are better than my Craftsman and my SK.
He's got good products there.
And Taiwan is an ally, a friend nation and a Major buyer of American products.
By the way, on all the buy American only threads, ever notice the posters buy chrome tools?
No chromium in the US. All the chrome on the SO, etc. comes from countries that do not like us.
CatfishXpress
Well-known member
Chris,
How are the wobble sockets holding up?
Have you used them much?
Any chance you could post some pictures? The pictures in the catalog leave a lot to be desired.
That will probably be my next Toptul purchase.
How are the wobble sockets holding up?
Have you used them much?
Any chance you could post some pictures? The pictures in the catalog leave a lot to be desired.
That will probably be my next Toptul purchase.
I also have bought from Mike and recommend him, also got a nice Christmas card, I thought it was really touching because he didn't have to. Also I have pictures of some of the ratchets I bought taken apart, if you want to seem them, they are on another posting here on the site. I also bought some sockets from ebay, and the are nice, but I would rather buy from Mike, knowing that my money is going to a straight up guy. I gave my dad most of the stuff I got from Mike, and he is way harder on his tools and they are working great. When Mike gets the new shipment in, I will be buying a few hundred dollars of tools. Great guy with great prices and tools.
nissan_crawler
Well-known member
My only Toptul gripe is lack of sets. I.E. I want 1/2" deep sockets, but their set only covers 1/3 of what they offer. Why not have a set of every single one for sale?
krusty the clown
Member Emeritus
ok......where does snap on, danaher, etc buy their chromium? where does toptul buy theirs? inquiring minds want to know.........
This is a problem Ive noticed with alot of manufactuers; theres allways a few peices that you want that are missing from the set. FWIW Toptuls socket sets are pretty comparable to Gearwrench in quanity of peices. They have: 1/4" deep with 13 pcs., 3/8" deep with 13 pcs. and 1/2" deep with 11 pcs. They also have a 37 pc. deep set with all mentioned above.
Doesn't matter what...studied the cataloug of the,...and yes they are just re-labeled tools. But the quality is similar to SO.
How can I say that?
In Europe we have Britool, Ks-Tool, Genius, BGS, CONDOR, Kraftwerk and lot more companies which selling labeled tools. They are 1:1 the same. I've some KS-Tools here and stuff from Genius...they are working fine, and I had broken SO tools or marks of wasting....
Not at the cheap stuff. SO has some really nice innovative tools, but only for some years, before another one offer the same.
Sure, I love my Snap-On tools and I keep my opinion about their Tool Cabs...
But it's not necessary to buy everything from Snap-On. Who is able to read german???
Or want sb. just look some pictures of a nation wide shocking test???
Write a PM to me...and I'll give anybody the Evidence!
How can I say that?
In Europe we have Britool, Ks-Tool, Genius, BGS, CONDOR, Kraftwerk and lot more companies which selling labeled tools. They are 1:1 the same. I've some KS-Tools here and stuff from Genius...they are working fine, and I had broken SO tools or marks of wasting....
Not at the cheap stuff. SO has some really nice innovative tools, but only for some years, before another one offer the same.
Sure, I love my Snap-On tools and I keep my opinion about their Tool Cabs...
But it's not necessary to buy everything from Snap-On. Who is able to read german???
Or want sb. just look some pictures of a nation wide shocking test???
Write a PM to me...and I'll give anybody the Evidence!
krusty the clown
Member Emeritus
i'm having a hard time following. evidence of what? you can post the info as far as i'm concerned surely someone can translate it!
Chris Adams
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Do a Google search. It ALL comes from SA. That's not the point. The Chrome, Steel, packaging, oil to deliver, etc. used by Snappy, and EVERYONE else is imported.
People who post about jobs going overseas never consider jobs in America that are supported by people overseas.
In the 80's everyone complained about how the Japanese wouldn't buy American.
The **** were puzzled.
The average American household bought 300 bucks worth of Japanese stuff a year.
The average JAPANESE household bought 550 bucks worth of American stuff a year.
The people complaining could not do simple math. 95 million Japanese, 285 million Americans.
Thus a 'trade deficit' which led to the predicted collapse of the American economy by 1986 uh 1989, uh 1990 uh 1991 uh, wait a minute Japan's economy collapsed and now we buy from other countries...
Do some research and not on sites run by people with math deficiencies. Or ridiculous isolationist ideas.
The US is an ‘Island nation’ without trade we are dead.
No matter how proud of the US you are, or how much you hate the US we are not selfcontained.
We tried to be in the 30’s. That’s where the great depression came from. Not the market collapse or even runs on banks. We killed the jobs by passing tariff protection bills, then punishing anyone that wanted to make money.
It took WWII and fear of being destroyed to break it.
Taiwan is a good ally, a good friend, a good country with a LOT of very good people. I never mind buying from my friends. Oh yeah, and they buy a lot from us.
@Krusty (made I grammatical mistakes?)
I've a link to an article of a german magazine, that testet 2 years ago different wrenches from different brands. In this test (nice pdf with pictures) you can make your own opinion about Snap-On and other high-priced brands...don't want to put it here (is it allowed?) If you are interested, then write a PM.
I've a link to an article of a german magazine, that testet 2 years ago different wrenches from different brands. In this test (nice pdf with pictures) you can make your own opinion about Snap-On and other high-priced brands...don't want to put it here (is it allowed?) If you are interested, then write a PM.
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krusty the clown
Member Emeritus
thats all i asked...............and i am guessing that SA means south africa?
krusty the clown
Member Emeritus
krusty the clown
Member Emeritus
ok so i did a search and found this.........not all of it comes from south africa although they are the leading producers.
http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1167/ofr2007-1167.pdf
http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1167/ofr2007-1167.pdf
krusty the clown
Member Emeritus
i feel the POINT is that we need a manufacturing base..........have we forgotten the lessons of the civil war?
Merkava_4
Banned
Taiwan needs a manufacturing base more than we do -- we gotta take care of the Taiwan dudes first.
krusty the clown
Member Emeritus
Taiwan needs a manufacturing base more than we do -- we gotta take care of the Taiwan dudes first.
yep.......your right. massive layoffs and unemployement here in the states be damned
speed bump
Well-known member
Dang I just learned something new, the company that most of the Chromium produced in the US is by the same company that produces most of the Platinum in the US ( Stillwater ) and despite the best intentions (I'm sure) of the USW its all owned by the Russians. Also Chromium typically needs to be alloyed with something, guess where most of the Moly comes from? (i'll give you a hint look up FMC, BHP Billington, Rio Tinto and then take a guess). Also the Russians have most of the Nickel as well which is another critical component in the production of stainless and various alloys I believe we are rather beholden to the Russians for most alloys. Also given the fact that our metals processing industry has dried up so completely it doesn't matter where it came from because we have so little processing capability because of 2 factors. 1.) being power is freaking expensive and no one is going to build more coal fired power plants despite the massive coal reserves we have or breeder type reactor nuke plants because it looks like we could be building weapons and it freaking expensive to mine Uranium in this country (the only uranium mine I can think of was in WY and I think they might of shut down). 2.) Regulatory pressure, over the last couple of years MRI made enough money that they could of built a smelter for the Copper and Moly they produced and after the pay period would of been incredibly cheap to produce Copper and Moly but the permitting is nearly impossible to get despite it being something that would create 1000+ jobs to build it and probably 100-200 50k+ a year jobs. Instead they ship the concentrate from the mine to Washington for smelting and then it is loaded onto a boat to China where it is refined.
Between the lack of cheap power (refining these raw materials uses 5% of the worlds electricity, the Aluminum industry by itself uses another 3% of the worlds electricity) and environmental protectionist idiots as well as idiots in government who have no idea the implications of what they are passing into law. Judging by the last elections in general we don't want to fix this problem either.
Taiwan needs a manufacturing base more than we do -- we gotta take care of the Taiwan dudes first.
Says the man who loves over priced Chinese tools. The Toptul guys came up with some great tools and have built them very well and can sell them at a very competitive price. Why in the world for my mostly home use do I want to spend the $10+ a piece for SO extensions when I can buy 2 very well made Taiwanese ones for $5-10 and then not only am I not worrying about finding the SO guy to warranty one, I just grab the other one and finish the job and worry about warranty later (if I am buying more stuff anytime soon why bother the new one is cheaper than the postage).
Chris Adams
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I studied a lot about the lessons of the Civil War in college, but perhaps you mean the lessons from 'Gone with the Wind' the great Clark Gable cannon factory speech.
Great speech but not actually true.
We are in no danger of becoming a 19th century slave based single crop agricultural country anytime soon...
At the beginning of WW2 we had virtually nothing in the way of functional heavy industry.
By the second year of our involvement we set records in production that have never been equaled or even approached by anyone except the Germans.
The Germans did it in the thirties, starting with virtually no surviving industrial base because of WW1 and an economy that made the great depression seem like a tiny recession.
If you want to make this country a great manufacturing center again it’s no problem.
1. End the EPA. No country can remain competitive with that over their head.
2. Emasculate Unions. They did it in Germany and production went up 5000 percent, (um, and it led to a war, but that was coming anyway) and in the US by basically shooting, or imprisoning any striker or organizer during the war era. Never gonna happen as long as unions control the vote.
3. Lower benefits. Never gonna happen in a socialist country, till suddenly everyone’s benefits drop when the effects of the ‘free lunch’ syndrome kick in. I think that will be about 36 months from now.
4. Seriously automate. Can’t do it with the unions, can’t do it in a socialist country, make work jobs are the way government ‘fixes’ things. Lots of those coming soon.
I’m not saying these things would be good or bad, just the only way possible to get what you want Krusty.
speed bump
Well-known member
Back to tools. To the op and Merkava 4: try them you'll like them.
krusty the clown
Member Emeritus
i have never seen gone with the wind.........so save the BS........
with your 4 step approach we will outscource more from third word countries.......
as far as the previous post of why you think we went into the great depression, thats a matter of debate still today.........
are we done with politics yet????????????
wrenhandtools
Well-known member
Just wanted to say a quick thanks to those of you who are customers! You humble me.
After the first of the year will be meeting with some folks about a little bit of financing to really build out the inventory in the new year. It REALLY bugs me when I don't have a tool that someone wants.
Also wanted to say that if any of you who are my customers belong to some sort of automotive or cycle related club, just let me know if you would like for me to try to be an advertiser in your club newsletter or sponsor of some event. It is the way I will be branching out to advertise without doing the same ole same ole and trying to buy space in the very expensive magazines. I feel the club arena is way more intimate and the enthusiasts are MUCH more fun to deal with. Also, they along with members of this site tend to be the "Alpha" consumer. A very nice group to try to serve well.
Merry Xmas!
After the first of the year will be meeting with some folks about a little bit of financing to really build out the inventory in the new year. It REALLY bugs me when I don't have a tool that someone wants.
Also wanted to say that if any of you who are my customers belong to some sort of automotive or cycle related club, just let me know if you would like for me to try to be an advertiser in your club newsletter or sponsor of some event. It is the way I will be branching out to advertise without doing the same ole same ole and trying to buy space in the very expensive magazines. I feel the club arena is way more intimate and the enthusiasts are MUCH more fun to deal with. Also, they along with members of this site tend to be the "Alpha" consumer. A very nice group to try to serve well.
Merry Xmas!
I would say the original topic is inconclusive. Neither brand has yet proven, long time durability. Gearwrench is readily more available for warranty. I have seen alot of Gearwrench warranty scrap at the Advanced Auto commercial desk. Don't forget Craftsman, they have very good sale prices, with unbeatable warranty,great price,convenient,still hard to beat.
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krusty the clown
Member Emeritus
here's the link that hawk321 was talking about
http://www.file-upload.net/download-1328236/Test_OM_04_2007.pdf.html
http://www.file-upload.net/download-1328236/Test_OM_04_2007.pdf.html
kartracer55
Well-known member
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I'd never buy a gear wrench tool other than actual gear wrenches, simply because they make the best gear wrenches. I am not impressed what-so-ever with the experiences I have had in the past 2 weeks, however, with their non-ratcheting box end wrenches.
I'll share in a new post.
I'll share in a new post.