Armstrong Smokin Deal . . .

[Teken]

I have been slowly but surely replacing my home set over to my main line tools of Armstrong.

I saw a few adds on the internet and thought no way this stuff can't be going for these insane prices!

Regardless, I always wanted a set of these for my home tool chest, but might reconsider and use them for daily work . . . I will update you guys with the other Armstrong haul that I also got!

Ooooops, the other one is clearly a Channellock, but I got that for a smokin deal too!

Regards

EVIL Teken . . .

 

[arkangel06]

Mhhh those look nice.

 

[lbgradwell]

Please define "smokin' deal"...

 

[Teken]

The best thing about the Eliminator set is that you can still use the ratchet as a standard ratchet with the adaptor.

Could have really used this set last week, as there was a long aszz bolt and I couldn't get past it with deep well socket.

Didn't have the correct sized wrench on hand either because it was at a friends house . . .

You know those friends: Hey Bobby you got all the tools we need right? Ya mang, I gots em all . . .

What a weiner . . .

 

[Fedwrench]

The only drawback to the eliminator set is that it isn't made or supported anymore. It was a nice idea though. Many people opt for a flex head Gearwrench these days or the Gearwrench Vortex drive pass through system when there isn't enough room for a Gearwrench boxed end.

Oh yeah, and if it was a "smokin deal" what did you pay? It might only be a smoldering deal instead.

 

[Teken]

The only drawback to the eliminator set is that it isn't made or supported anymore. It was a nice idea though. Many people opt for a flex head Gearwrench these days or the Gearwrench Vortex drive pass through system when there isn't enough room for a Gearwrench boxed end.

Yes, that's what I was told up front. Armstrong does state that they do provide lifetime warranty support for the item though. I sent them a e-mail to confirm just in case I had to cash in on it at some later date.

The vendor was getting rid of them because as far as he was aware it was end of life, and that was a sore point for anyone looking to use them for daily wrenching.

I just made him a offer *high lighting* all the negatives of no support!

It's all how you phrase things to people, and some will bite, and he did . . . Guess when someone is flashing you some green backs, its the ultimate talker!

 

[Teken]

The only drawback to the eliminator set is that it isn't made or supported anymore. It was a nice idea though. Many people opt for a flex head Gearwrench these days or the Gearwrench Vortex drive pass through system when there isn't enough room for a Gearwrench boxed end.

You wouldn't happen to know first hand if the Gearwrench brand would fit into this unit would you? Because that would be fantastic if it could . . . This ratchet / drive is a 36 tooth unit . . .

 

[Mickey O]

You wouldn't happen to know first hand if the Gearwrench brand would fit into this unit would you? Because that would be fantastic if it could . . . This ratchet / drive is a 36 tooth unit . . .

It does not, they are not splined like the Armstrong. Have a look on eBay there are some cheap new sets that have standard sockets, a ratchet, the 3/8" drive adapter and two extensions, you'll want those extensions. You can also find some deals on SAE/Metric eliminator hex bits.

I have the same set you bought, the hex bit set and one set not pictured that has the extensions and the other stuff listed above.

 

[Teken]

It does not, they are not splined like the Armstrong. Have a look on eBay there are some cheap new sets that have standard sockets, a ratchet, the 3/8" drive adapter and two extensions, you'll want those extensions. You can also find some deals on SAE/Metric eliminator hex bits.

I have the same set you bought, the hex bit set and one set not pictured that has the extensions and the other stuff listed above.

Mickey O,

Thanks for clarifying that for me . . . What did you do with the cases?

 

[Teken]

Are Amstrong distributors hard to come by up there, is it the exchange rate, shipping from US, etc? Just curious, I've seen you've been looking for Armstrong tools lately.

We have Grainger here and where I live, but was recently just told that the Canadian side of the company no longer carries Armstrong tools.

This was two fold, one for work where I was asked to purchase a master set for the facility. I was given a 14K budget, and wanted to use something that was different but yet as bullet proof as the other main line tool vendors.

That fell through because there is no immediate support for Armstrong, so I gave the dollars to the local Snap-On, Mac dealers to dual it out for the best quote and what was all in for the price point I asked for.

On the personal side I have had Armstrong tools for many years, and wanted to expand on my the offerings I have now. Wrenching has not been my first line of profession, but more and more it seems to be the case . . .

So, therein lies the delima . . . Because the Canadian dollar is near parity, I have decided to buy as much of the Armstrong tools that I can with out breaking the bank . . .

If the major purchase could have went through I could have received my personal set pretty much free, but that went to hell . . .

The last 8 vendors I have dealt with regarding shipping has been first rate! Can't say enough about their quality service, and fair pricing, and look forward to doing more business with them in the near future.

I hope that clarify's some of the information for those wanting to know more.

 

[GearWrench Brand]

Teken -

Try Fastenal - they carry the full line of Armstrong.

Thanks for your support!

Steve

 

[Mickey O]

Mickey O,

Thanks for clarifying that for me . . . What did you do with the cases?

I put the cases in storage. Matco has/had ratchets that fit the Armstrong eliminator (they're a bit nicer, length, flex), don't know if they still have them or if they made sockets and other accessories under the Matco name but it might be worth looking into and keeping an eye out.

 

[Teken]

I put the cases in storage. Matco has/had ratchets that fit the Armstrong eliminator (they're a bit nicer, length, flex), don't know if they still have them or if they made sockets and other accessories under the Matco name but it might be worth looking into and keeping an eye out.

Ohhhhhhhhhh Mickey you're such a tease! I have the 1/4", 1/2" set coming down I hope next week.

I missed out on a 3/8" Eliminator Torque wrench two weeks ago, went for a smokin deal too, I forgot to link to it for a expire time . . .

Wasn't I suppose to ignore you, because of that awesome haul last week?

As always I appreciate your insight and feed-back one and all . .

 

[Teken]

Teken -

Try Fastenal - they carry the full line of Armstrong.

Thanks for your support!

Steve

Steve,

Do this company ship to the 51 state?

 

[Teken]

If you could get any Armstrong tool for $5.00 piece does that sound like a good deal guys?

 

[Teken]

Look what Mr. Post man just dropped off at the Teken house hold . . .

GJ Member states they are used, but I'm telling you they are like new, and don't seem to have been used much are at all . .

Hollow shaft will come in handy when I am working on PCB boards . . .

Now I only need the 7 piece metric set . . .

 

[SCscoutguy]

I bought one of those Matco flex head ratchets last year at the flea market. When I asked the Matco truck guy if I could buy the 1/4" and 1/2" heads for it he told me that they were discontinued and he could no longer get them.

 

[arkangel06]

Nice klein nut driver

 

[JB740i]

Still didn't see what ya paid.

 

[Teken]

This is what Mr. Post man brought to the Teken house hold this AM . . 1/2" torque wrench 10-150 lbs I can't even begin to explain to you how heavy and precise the machining of this tool is . . . This unit was made and calibrated only two months ago from the factory!

This is going to match the 1/4", and 3/8" coming next week . . .

Look at the beautiful blue anodized knurled handle . . .

This and the other two models use the sealed pawl design, so I won't have to worry about **** getting into the mechanism. But then again I take good care of all my tools, and most of them still look brand new from even from the 70's

 

[Major Ramifications]

I still don't see any smoking deal, and what the hell is the 51st state? We need prices, man!

 

[Teken]

I still don't see any smoking deal, and what the hell is the 51st state? We need prices, man!

51st State = Canada, the Armstrong 1/2 drive torque wrench costs me $35.00 shipped!

The Armstrong 3/8" Eliminator SAE / Metric set cost me $25.00 shipped!

The Armstrong 10 piece fractional driver set cost me $19.00 shipped!

The Channellock 9.5 linesmen pliers, cost me $4.00, all brand new all American made, and all to the 51st State . . .

Wait till you see the sockets and wrenches!

 

[volpster31]

where did you get them???? i wanna see the members here crash a website the second you tell us

 

[Teken]

where did you get them???? i wanna see the members here crash a website the second you tell us

If I did that then I would lose out like I have been on this sites classified section!

I swear some of the guys have a script or something to tell them something good is for sale, because some of those bastages are so quick!

I probably missed out on 15 deals last month because the hawk eyes on this forum are so freaking fast!

So nope . . .

 

[Vinko]

Harry Epstein has a 6" or 8" Armstrong needle nose for cheap. I got two. Good stuff.

 

[Teken]

I swear the post man is getting tired of seeing me for the last 3 weeks in a row!

This is the partial SAE set I received. The vendor didn't have all the deep sockets in all sizes on hand but said he would give me a shout when they came in so I could complete the set.

Some more Channellock tools that also arrived with the posty!
This set came with all 3 ratchets so now I have not only duplicates but in some cases these will be the 5th, 6th ratchets in the set. I never had their pliers before because I have always been a Channellock guy along with Klein etc.

 

[Teken]

These 1/2" Eliminator socket set came last week.

Sorry for the crappy pictures the battery was running out.

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

He may wanna keep those prices to himself...

 

[Teken]

Posty strikes again . . .

This is a 1/2" metric shallow 12 point set along with the breaker bar, extensions, and flex joint. All of them are the laser I.D. style as these old eye's are getting tired trying to read the little print on these sockets.

Enjoy some of the eye candy . . .


This is a group shot of the metric set.

Direct shot of the laser etching I.D. writing for those curious as to how it's imprinted from Armstrong.

Top view of the internals of the sockets, very clean no sharp edges, or poor tooling inside.

Just a shot of the ends of the handles and the extensions.

And the opposite side of the extensions etc. . .

Now if the other six packages arrive all next week I will have about 65% of all my tools for my new home set up!

 

[Teken]

This weeks posty drop off . . . Armstrong 1/4" Eliminator set SAE / Metric, Along with a 1/4" Eliminator Torque wrench, and pliers. The three just next to each other.

Warranty card with calibrated test sheet dated for this year.

I don't know why this set doesn't have the metric Eliminator sockets in this unit?

All the protective foam that comes with the tool set.

This case has the old style rubber logo. I haven't seen that style in almost 10 years, but I like it a lot better than the cheap silk screened type.

Now if only the other fracken tools that I really need would show up I might be able to do some real work this week end!

 

[superautobacs]

I seem to remember playing on a set that's very similar to the Eliminator at one of my local tool stores--it wasn't an Armstrong though, and I can't remember the brand. Of the top of my head, I can't remember how securely the attachments/sockets were held on the ratchet. My question is: can you forsee the sockets/attachments detaching from the ratchet when working on a nut/bolt (especially a rusty/cruddy one)? Or how about if you were to put one of those extensions and a socket onto the ratchet, and wiggled the thing: would the attachments fall off?

 

[Teken]

I seem to remember playing on a set that's very similar to the Eliminator at one of my local tool stores--it wasn't an Armstrong though, and I can't remember the brand.

The Gearwrench brand makes a similar socket tool like this.

Of the top of my head, I can't remember how securely the attachments/sockets were held on the ratchet. My question is: can you forsee the sockets/attachments detaching from the ratchet when working on a nut/bolt (especially a rusty/cruddy one)? Or how about if you were to put one of those extensions and a socket onto the ratchet, and wiggled the thing: would the attachments fall off?

Last week I had the chance to try all the different drive sizes from 1/4". 3/8", and 1/2" sizes. All of them work exactly like a standard socket set, even the extension is the same.

The only visual difference to the average person is that there is a big hole for a potential bolt / thread to be seen coming through the socket itself.

All three sets are firm in their retention, and no wobble, slop, or any other behavior was seen.

The only thing I noticed different is that this style of driver has a plastic sleeve that pops out when the socket is engaged. It is there to pop out the socket or extension. First time it was odd seeing it there, as I expected to have all the tools flush. But once you got used to it, it wasn't any different.

 

[BB26]

I like that 1/4'' drive torque wrench. It will allow great access to tight spots when used with the eliminator sockets.

 

[quattrojon]

Teken,

That's a great Armstrong collection that you have put together.

 

[cdrewferd]

Those are some good looking tools. Wish I could find some at those prices.

 

[Teken]

Like I said earlier this is my first time in almost 25 years that I am actually buying any brand new tools.

I figured after all these years it was time to be treated! At work I use Armstrong as well and that set is almost 25+ years old, a lot of them still look brand new.

But I wanted some of the new styles, with the new tech that is being offered now such as the X-Beam, Maxx drive styles, and the extra added teeth in the new style ratchets.

All of mine are 36 teeth, but it would be nice to have a 5' arc swing, instead of a 12' radius for those tight areas.

I never had the need for any 3/4" sockets, but for what ever reason will be buying a huge SAE / Metric set just because!

Most if not all of the remaining tools should arrive in the next 3 weeks. So then there will be a grand finally of the whole family grouped together!

I don't know what I am going to do with ten 1/2 rachets, more than likely sell them here having a few spares is always good, but noone needs ten of the exact same ratchet in my mind!

 

[Teken]

What does $41.00 USD buy a guy in this day and age of a recovering recession?

I don't know why it's so hard to find Metric 6 point sockets in 3/8" on the open market. So if anyone has 3/8" Metric in standard lengths from 5 mm to 27 mm please let me know!

Never owned a Armstrong fiber glass hammer, so just had to ask . . .

Snap ring pliers to match and finish that set that was missing . . .

The hammer was feeling lonely, so he scooted over to Mrs. Snap ring for some TLC . . .

I have no clue where I will ever need to use a 5/8" hex bit, but hey better to have and not need. Than to need and not have, right!

1/2" Universal joints to fill in the blanks in the set at home . . .

1/2" Joints were tired and just fell down for a nap on the counter. It was a long journey from Texas, and gather the fracken heat just tired these guys out. So worry not U joints lots of time to rest until this week-end!

In this day and age where it seems all the small stuff is made abroad. I was taken aback and quite happy to see that Armstrong continues to make even the clips and rails in the USA, impressive!

I know quite a few GJ members are concerned about COO (Micky O) and I am sure if the need arises in the future he too will be happy to know that armstrong has even gone so far as to make these in the USA!

Group photo of the 3/8" socket set, 3/8" & 1/2" flex joints, fiber glass hammer, and snap ring pliers, socket clips & rails, 3/8" hex bits . . .

 

[Mickey O]

What does $41.00 USD buy a guy in this day and age of a recovering recession?

I don't know why it's so hard to find Metric 6 point sockets in 3/8" on the open market. So if anyone has 3/8" Metric in standard lengths from 5 mm to 27 mm please let me know!

Never owned a Armstrong fiber glass hammer, so just had to ask . . .

I've got that hammer, older version, steel head fiberglass handle, one of my favorite tools, tips (you can get a whole variety of them) are a bit pricey but it's a great hammer. I'll post a pic later (my gf has the camera).

 

[Teken]

That's great to know there Sir! I would love to see the one's you have so I can tell what is missing so I can keep a look out.

Right now I am waiting for the different hammer faces to arrive because they were not in stock at the time of shipment . . .

If anyone wants to give me a lesson 101 on the different material as to their true intent and application please do chime in . . . I am receiving 5 different types of head faces, some are nylon, rubber, some sort of glass injected style, and a few metal don't know if its brass?

 

[filtered]

Wow that is a lot of Armstrong stuff. You got 10 1/2" drive ratchets? Are they all 12-972? If they are I might take one off your hands to fill in for this beat up pos I got from egay.