JDon99
Well-known member
I really need to put myself together a set of good tap handles, who makes good ones? I'd prefer USA, or European.
Good Tap Handles
- Thread starter JDon99
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zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Starrett, period. Hands down the best tap handles I have ever owned.
Mike.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I have some others but had always wanted a set of Starrett. Last year I splurged and bought three different sizes. I can't believe I waited so long. Should have purchased them first rather than last.
Mike.
Mike.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Yes, I believe they are. Their ratchet ones are nice as well. I have Blue Point ratcheting ones and they have been great. I have owned them for about 15 years now.
Mike.
check out lisle tap drivers they fit the end of ratchet or extension.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002SRFOE/?tag=atomicindus08-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002SRFOE/?tag=atomicindus08-20
kazlx
Well-known member
Starrett. Actually the General ratcheting ones are really nice too. I don't have one, but a buddy has a couple. I plan one getting one at some point.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I have the Lisle set of tap sockets. I don't use them as much as I thought I would when I purchased them, but they have their place. Sometimes nothing else will reach/fit.
Mike.
MattVette89
Well-known member
I also have a Starrett handle and it is great. Mine is probably 30 years old, though, so I can't comment on the newer ones.
bczygan
Well-known member
Has anyone used the HF ratcheting one?
http://www.harborfreight.com/t-handle-tap-ratchet-wrench-97633.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/t-handle-tap-ratchet-wrench-97633.html
Wamsutta
Well-known member
I prefer General sliding T-handles. Non-ratcheting.
pendragon1998
Well-known member
How about old made in USA Morse brand? Anyone like those?
Tdubyac
Well-known member
Slightly off topic but are tap handles necessary for thread restorers?
Mr. T
Well-known member
In a tight spot I've used an adjustable wrench to chase threads but, if it can fit, a good tap wrench gives a much better "feel" for what the tap is doing. So, no; but I highly recommend them.
454ragtop
Well-known member
GTD, Greenfield Tap and Die are on par with Starrett. Morse are very good also.
Jim
Jim
warweapon762
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2013
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Has anyone used the HF ratcheting one?
http://www.harborfreight.com/t-handle-tap-ratchet-wrench-97633.html
I have, works awesome and once you get adjusted to the selector (works like a manual impact driver does) you can tap FAAAAAAST. A couple of guys at work use this model and just absolutely wizz through projects where they have to tap threads in aluminum CNC parts.
My only complaint is they should make a smaller sized version aswell, this one is pretty big and not very useful in tapping in weird confined places (like automotive work).
I have a ratcheting one similar to this Schroder 40074:
http://www.angloamericantools.com/tool_manufacturers/schroder/ratcheting_tap_wrenches.html
http://www.angloamericantools.com/tool_manufacturers/schroder/ratcheting_tap_wrenches.html
davethorik
Well-known member
I have Starrett 91 B & D that I bought as a set at a gun show. Bought a brand new Starrett model 174.
I pieced together Starrett T-handle models 93 A, B, and C buying them all on the cheap without handles and using drill stock as a replacement, except C which is complete.
As mentioned earlier in another thread, the 91D is the heaviest hitter with what I mentioned. It can go up to 1/4 NPT taps, and I forget offhand what size regular tap. However, I need often to step up to 3/8, 1/2, and 3/4 where I work now. I wanted to find and still want to find a Greenfield #7 is about 19" oal and can handle 3/4 NPT taps. I found an equivalent SW Card #11 however I'm not entirely happy with how the frame flexes under load, caused in part by a design flaw of the jaws that hold the tap. GTD tap handles hold the tap dead centered which is why they're good like Starrett. Don't get me wrong I got this SW Card cheap and it works. It has a large thru hole in the handle like an old school t handle breaker bar so you can crank on it with a cheater and it will hold the tap under adverse conditions.
I also stumbled across a massive GTD #8 which is like 41" long has tubular steel handles on a forged head so you can carry it without getting winded. It works great if you have the room. I have seen even bigger like 6' + usa made
I pieced together Starrett T-handle models 93 A, B, and C buying them all on the cheap without handles and using drill stock as a replacement, except C which is complete.
As mentioned earlier in another thread, the 91D is the heaviest hitter with what I mentioned. It can go up to 1/4 NPT taps, and I forget offhand what size regular tap. However, I need often to step up to 3/8, 1/2, and 3/4 where I work now. I wanted to find and still want to find a Greenfield #7 is about 19" oal and can handle 3/4 NPT taps. I found an equivalent SW Card #11 however I'm not entirely happy with how the frame flexes under load, caused in part by a design flaw of the jaws that hold the tap. GTD tap handles hold the tap dead centered which is why they're good like Starrett. Don't get me wrong I got this SW Card cheap and it works. It has a large thru hole in the handle like an old school t handle breaker bar so you can crank on it with a cheater and it will hold the tap under adverse conditions.
I also stumbled across a massive GTD #8 which is like 41" long has tubular steel handles on a forged head so you can carry it without getting winded. It works great if you have the room. I have seen even bigger like 6' + usa made
Monkey Milk
Well-known member
Greenfield and Morse, no experience with starrett
catalytic
Well-known member
Careful with Starrett. Search on practicalmachinist.com or other machinist forums, and you'll find that while the older tap handles are indeed excellent quality, people have recently experienced poor quality control (esp. with the hardening of the tap holder/jaws that causes it to mushroom when used).
I vote for vintage starrett OR vintage greenfield.
I vote for vintage starrett OR vintage greenfield.
Nicely made tool for $15, but I never use the ratchet so I wonder how much smaller or stronger or cheaper it could have been.
My feeling is there are no bad tap wrenches, just bad tap wrench owners.
Tinner
Well-known member
I have that one and the larger one that goes up to a 1/2" tap. Mine are around 25 years old, I've had no problems with them. I prefer my non ratcheting Starretts when I need a real precise feel, but the Schroders are fine to quickly tap holes or chase threads. The small Schroder doesn't really hold #4 and smaller taps very well. I always go to my Starrett 93A for those.
bob from indiana
Well-known member
I have the schroder ratcheting tap handles. They are excellent. irwin makes one that looks similar, they are china made and lower quality. The schroders are a joy to use, with a very smooth mechanism. The irwins feels like they are junk.
dede2897234
Well-known member
Does anyone own the Lisle tap drivers and used them with metric taps?
I am curious because I saw the following user review on Amazon:
<< Really loose tolerance on metric taps. Lots of play making it difficult to start tap straight, and also prematurely wearing out tap. >>
Has anyone had a similar experience with the Lisle drivers?
Thanks,
Dave
sometoyotaguy
Well-known member
Has anyone used the HF ratcheting one?
http://www.harborfreight.com/t-handle-tap-ratchet-wrench-97633.html
I have one of those and it works quite well. The fit and finish are pretty good for the price.
senlow
Well-known member
I prefer General non-ratcheting for the T-handle style. The Starrett T-handles are just as good if you want to spend more money. I have a set of the Schroder ratcheting T-handles. I find that I seldom use them, since I prefer the feel of a non-ratcheting tool.
Greenfield is my top choice for straight tap wrenches. The Starrett is high quality, but the lack of symmetry from side to side ruins the ergonomics.
I also like to use the Lisle sockets with a sliding T-handle and appropriate length extension.
Greenfield is my top choice for straight tap wrenches. The Starrett is high quality, but the lack of symmetry from side to side ruins the ergonomics.
I also like to use the Lisle sockets with a sliding T-handle and appropriate length extension.
dede2897234
Well-known member
senlow,
Do you use the above Lisle sockets sold on Amazon by chance with metric taps?
I am curious because I saw the following user review there:
<< Really loose tolerance on metric taps. Lots of play making it difficult to start tap straight, and also prematurely wearing out tap. >>
Thanks,
Dave
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Starrett, period. Hands down the best tap handles I have ever owned.
Mike.
I bought one of these Starrett for $1. I thought the design is not as good as the Greenfield. Does not look as strong.
Starrett, period. Hands down the best tap handles I have ever owned.
Mike.
I bought one of these Starrett for $1. I thought the design is not as good as the Greenfield. Does not look as strong.
slodat
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I'm partial to my Greenfield tap wrenches, straight and ratcheting.
How do you break the thread with a ratcheting tap handle? Do you have to keep reversing the selector?
FWIW, a good tap handle has a sliding removable handle. When you are tapping close to something else, you can often just slide the handle out of the way.
I'm not sure if the OPs question is about thread restoring or tapping new threads.
senlow
Well-known member
That's an interesting question. The short answer is, yes, I use metric taps in them. I have not had issues with the fit of metric taps.
There are standards for tap shank size and square drive size. So, if the taps are made to the standards, they should fit correctly. Well, maybe. See there are several standards for tap drive dimensions. There are standards dictated by ANSI, ISO, DIN and JIS, and of course they don't always agree with each other. DIN has seven different standards that I'm aware of. The bad news is that all these different standards seem to complicate things a bit. The good news is that many of these different standards use the same (or very similar) drive sizes. I found 37 different standard drive sizes for taps up to 1/2" and 12mm. However, several are within .005" of each other. A size difference this small is insignificant in this application. Lisle makes 8 sockets to cover the same range of tap sizes. This set covers the ANSI standards.
Now, we should get back to the practical side of the issue. Just for fun, I measured the square drive about 50 of my taps. All were within +.002/-.007" of the ANSI standards. As far as I'm concerned, this is not a problem.
espyking83
Well-known member
Starrett or Hanson. Im slowly getting out of the tap handles and onto sockets though.
Dave455
Well-known member
I'd add another voice advocating Starrett, but I'm sorry to hear the quality of the new tools isn't what it was. The same applies to Eclipse / Moore and Wright here in the U.K.
In both cases I'd suggest picking up second hand. Tap Wrenches, especially the larger sizes, don't really pick up much wear so there is every reason to buy used! Other than the smaller sizes, I don't think I've ever bought a new one!
I've never quite got my head around how you would use a ratcheting tap wrench. Unless you are using some uber clever spiral point/spiral flute machine tap you will need to turn the thing backwards once in awhile to break the swarf!
I've recently bought a KoKen tap socket and this is awesome. Unlike some of the T type tap wrenches where the jaws taper and don't always fit the tap that well, these have parallel jaws (like a miniature brace chuck) and work superbly well! Just add your own sliding T handle and extension as required!
In both cases I'd suggest picking up second hand. Tap Wrenches, especially the larger sizes, don't really pick up much wear so there is every reason to buy used! Other than the smaller sizes, I don't think I've ever bought a new one!
I've never quite got my head around how you would use a ratcheting tap wrench. Unless you are using some uber clever spiral point/spiral flute machine tap you will need to turn the thing backwards once in awhile to break the swarf!
I've recently bought a KoKen tap socket and this is awesome. Unlike some of the T type tap wrenches where the jaws taper and don't always fit the tap that well, these have parallel jaws (like a miniature brace chuck) and work superbly well! Just add your own sliding T handle and extension as required!