In need of tap and die set.

[jorp_porp]

Hi, I'm looking for a tap and die set. I'd like to stay under $100, and I'd rather buy a decent used set than a cheap new one.


These look okay to me aside from a bit of surface rust, but I'm interested in hearing what you all think. Otherwise, open to suggestions.

https://ebay.io/m/cN3r8M

 

[cgrutt]

Do you need SAE, metric or both? Pretty sure the set that you linked to is made in China, which isn't necessarily bad but quality may be hit or miss. Personally I'd look for an older set that is made in USA.

That said you can buy a new 60 piece set from Harbor Freight that is both metric and SAE for $42 ($29 if you're a member). I'd give that a shot before a used set from ebay.

 

[JuncleJohn]

If you buy used, look at the individual pieces for chipped taps etc.

John

 

[Punkinhead]

I've never heard of that brand so I can't comment on their quality but most sets are garbage so there's a good chance those ebay ones are. It looks like that set is SAE so I'd ask if that's really what you work on most. I suggest buying individual taps and dies from an industrial supplier like McMaster Carr. Much better quality and sharper so you're less likely to break a tap off in a hole. If you mostly do metric then M3, M4, M5, M6, and M8 in standard (coarse) pitch will cover 99% of what you do. From there you can buy individual taps and dies as you need them. Buy the tap and die handles from ebay or a flea market.

 

[Wamsutta]

Irwin-Hanson is pretty much the standard of quality when it comes to taps and dies. Anything below that is going to be Taiwan/China.

 

[Callelle]

As much as I hate Gearwrench, their big set with ratcheting handles is pretty slick, and they come with bigger tap sizes than most from what I've seen.

 

[mikey03]

I was thinking about picking up a set just in case and I’ll tell you what happened here. I read through a buttload of old threads where people discussed it.

Every thread is honestly the same

half the people say buy a set it’s good to have if you need it you can tap something right then and there

half the people say buy one tap at a time from a machinist supplier like McMaster Carr since the sets **** and will brake and dont work good.

then the first half respond saying they aren’t machinists and they cant wait a week for a tap to show up if they need one in a emergency because something broke

then a handful of reasonable people come in and say bro why you need taps as a mechanic anyway just get thread restore kits that’s prob what you need. And why you need dies just buy threaded rod.

so from those threads I got the idea to buy a few high quality taps from McMaster to have on hand in common sizes like m6 and m8 but then which thread? Okay I guess the most common one offhand I think it’s m6x1 and m8x1.25

okay great but which tap? Oh turns out there’s at least 4 types of tap designs. Since some taps can tap threads all the way to the bottom of a blind hole and some can’t and some taps are better for A or B but not C. Then some taps got drill bits built in for a single pass and some require drill bits. On and do you got the right drill bit for the tap? Since each one require a very exact size hole drilled and if your off by more than maybe 0.1mm it won’t work. maybe the metric ones require metric drill bits and maybe a 1/64 sae increment is good enough maybe it isn’t.

so here I am with no taps and no dies and a thread restore kit that I use every time I work on a car and I never had any issues. I’d like to eventually get some helicoils to keep on hand since that would be the most likely needed situation for a tap and could be resolved with those instead.

hope that helps save somebody $100+ on a Chinese tap and die set they will never need.

 

[Vinny]

I suggest buying individual taps and dies from an industrial supplier like McMaster Carr. Much better quality and sharper so you're less likely to break a tap off in a hole.

Agree with this. No tapand die set at your price range will be any good.

 

[RoninB4]

- You haven't stated your intentions/applications for this. Would advise against buying a complete set due to quality/cost concerns. Buying used will get you dull taps. Buying taps/dies that are NOT made from HSS will get you inferior steel. Best bet for cutting NEW threads is to buy individual taps/dies in the sizes you most often use from a recognized, industrial grade brand. Ask for industrial grade brands if you want to know. For just repairing existing threads that are damaged a re-threader shouldn't remove material, it just re-aligns the thread form and pitch. Irwin-Hanson is NOT the standard of quality, they seem to use only plain carbon steel. That may be barely useful for cleaning crud out of a thread but not for cutting new threads.

 

[Punkinhead]

half the people say buy one tap at a time from a machinist supplier like McMaster Carr since the sets **** and will brake and dont work good.

then the first half respond saying they aren’t machinists and they cant wait a week for a tap to show up if they need one in a emergency because something broke

I don't know about other places, but here in the midwest McMaster Carr delivers next day.

 

[jorp_porp]

What got me looking in the first place is that I'm restoring a Delta jointer, and I was dumb and didn't tape off the threaded holes before painting. Someone mentioned that I could clean the threads up with the correct-sized taps, which I don't have—and there are probably four different thread sizes involved.

To make matters worse, I also managed to mash the threads on a 7/16" threaded rod while removing it. So I figured a tap and die set might be a good thing to have and would cover all my bases.


But maybe I should be looking into thread repair instead.

 

[JuncleJohn]

Don’t hesitate to buy a used set, just look them over. Most of the time you will probably just be chasing (restoring) existing threads. Used will be sufficient for most of this type of work. You can always replace individual pieces as needed.

JMHO

John

 

[jorp_porp]

Don’t hesitate to buy a used set, just look them over. Most of the time you will probably just be chasing (restoring) existing threads. Used will be sufficient for most of this type of work. You can always replace individual pieces as needed.

JMHO

John

95/100 times, i'll be chasing threads (a term I learned 5 minutes ago). I have yet to get into metal fabrication.. but i'm sure it's a direction i'm heading

 

[four.cycle]

Every thread is honestly the same

half the people say buy a set it’s good to have if you need it you can tap something right then and there

half the people say buy one tap at a time from a machinist supplier like McMaster Carr since the sets **** and will brake and dont work good.

then the first half respond saying they aren’t machinists and they cant wait a week for a tap to show up if they need one in a emergency because something broke

then a handful of reasonable people come in and say bro why you need taps as a mechanic anyway just get thread restore kits that’s prob what you need. And why you need dies just buy threaded rod.

so from those threads I got the idea to buy a few high quality taps from McMaster to have on hand in common sizes like m6 and m8 but then which thread? Okay I guess the most common one offhand I think it’s m6x1 and m8x1.25

okay great but which tap? Oh turns out there’s at least 4 types of tap designs. Since some taps can tap threads all the way to the bottom of a blind hole and some can’t and some taps are better for A or B but not C. Then some taps got drill bits built in for a single pass and some require drill bits. On and do you got the right drill bit for the tap? Since each one require a very exact size hole drilled and if your off by more than maybe 0.1mm it won’t work. maybe the metric ones require metric drill bits and maybe a 1/64 sae increment is good enough maybe it isn’t.

so here I am with no taps and no dies and a thread restore kit that I use every time I work on a car and I never had any issues. I’d like to eventually get some helicoils to keep on hand since that would be the most likely needed situation for a tap and could be resolved with those instead.

hope that helps save somebody $100+ on a Chinese tap and die set they will never need.

^ nailed it, buddy.

To the OP: What are you really needing to do?

Do you really need to TAP new threads on objects?
Or just clean up old cruddy threads that are full of gick and possibly a bit buggered up?

(Speaking of which... I gave my buddy my thread restoring kit a couple weeks ago, and now I'm going to have to drive over to his place so I can use it to fix a thread on a widget!)
If "thread chaser" is all you need, then that's all you need. Don't run a cutting tap into an existing threaded hole - you'll screw it up.
The one in the photo below I scored off a CL ad for $20 bucks. Chinese (PRC) made. Does the job: cleans threads. No more, no less.
Metric and SAE.
Looks like Harbor Freight only carries tap and die sets.
Here's a low-end "VEVOR" thread chaser set for $56 at Home Depot
Just a wild guess, but if you plug that into Amazon.com, put it in your "cart" and wait 30 minutes, you'll have all kinds of cheaper ones pop up in your feed ... happens to me every time.
Amazon.com $50 bucks. (Can't wait to see what else comes up... maybe I'll just buy another one... )

 

[cgrutt]

You can definitely use a standard tap and die to clean up paint and distorted threads thats pretty much what I've been using my sets for for the past 40 years. A word of caution though be careful about bottoming out in blind holes that are sometimes used on old machinery (and others). Taps are generally very brittle and snap easily.

 

[Renegade1LI]

If you go harbor freight, buy the icon sets, they're hss with a lifetime warranty. I picked up 1 sae and 1 metric for work and so far they're holding up well. If you're not in a hurry wait for a sale, I think i paid 79$ each.

 

[four.cycle]

What'd I tell ya?

49 piece metric and SAE thread restore kit $39.79

put that one in my cart. wait an hour. see if I can find one for even less.

 

[four.cycle]

$36.99

 

[pfbz]

tap and die set isn't something I'd really want to buy used...

 

[manwithtools]

Irwin-Hanson is pretty much the standard of quality when it comes to taps and dies.

Not really, they are pretty much semi-serviceable junk INMO. Brands like Greenfield, Chicago Latrobe, Hertel and other premium tap makers will outperform any Irwin-Hanson product available today.

 

[Wamsutta]

Not really, they are pretty much semi-serviceable junk INMO. Brands like Greenfield, Chicago Latrobe, Hertel and other premium tap makers will outperform any Irwin-Hanson product available today.

I was talking about base quality. The OP is not going to buy a Greenfield set in a million years.

 

[four.cycle]

^ Doesn't sound like the OP needs cutting taps, which is (at least half the time) what turns out to be the case in these threads.
@mikey03 nailed it above - every one of these "which tap and die set do I need?" threads is always the same.

The difference between the high-end Chicago-Latrobe and GTD and Irwin is that you can find Irwin at any ACE Hardware store.
Primo stuff you have to order online or go to a specialty supplier.

Almost all of mine are either Irwin or old ACE-Hanson - all of them purchased onesie-twosies over the years.

 

[vwishndaetr]

As much as I hate Gearwrench, their big set with ratcheting handles is pretty slick, and they come with bigger tap sizes than most from what I've seen.

Another +1 for the Gearwrench set. It's ~$150 so slightly over budget, but I picked it up years back and it's been everything I've ever needed (with the exception of a 10mm-1mm die added later on for whatever it was I needed it for).

GEARWRENCH 77 Piece SAE/Metric Ratcheting Tap and Die Set -3887 - Amazon.com

GEARWRENCH 77 Piece SAE/Metric Ratcheting Tap and Die Set -3887 - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

 

[NUTTSGT]

I started with a Cman set years ago and has done well for me. As I have needed other sizes or replacements, I have picked (generally Irwin) individually with the correct drill bit. New ones are filling up a Plano case.

I'd suggest either buy something decent to start or build your set as you need them.



I might add that here in the next couple of weeks is Epstein Day @ HJE. You might be able to find what you want or build a set piecemeal.

 

[jayemm]

Hi, I'm looking for a tap and die set. I'd like to stay under $100, and I'd rather buy a decent used set than a cheap new one.


These look okay to me aside from a bit of surface rust, but I'm interested in hearing what you all think. Otherwise, open to suggestions.

https://ebay.io/m/cN3r8M

Westward is a house brand for Grainger Industrial supply. It's probably not a bad set for the price even if it's made in China. But you'd get metric and SAE in a Harbor freight set for similar money. Never ever want the ~$20 set from HF. Pure garbage. On ebay you may score a deal on a made in Japan set that's NOS or very lightly used. Or an older Craftsman set that's NOS or very lightly used if you want to go that way. Either way you're pretty much looking at carbon steel on these sets which is fine for light occasional use.

 

[willf650]

I have a Craftsman standard set that's about 30-40 years old at this point. May sound weird but had my mom order it from Home Shoppjng network for me when I was about 10-14.

Half the small taps, which I use the most, have been replaced once or twice at this point with Hanson or Vermont American as they are readily available as individuals in stores around here.

I also have a complete metric Irwin Hanson set that's been bought in the past decade. This is basically the standard but suspect it's over your price point.

To make it a little more affordable you can buy smaller sets from Irwin to fit your needs and they aren't restricted for coupons if you can get a 20% off coupon at Zoro.

I also have a few specific size tap sets from Greenfield Tap and Die. These include the starting, plug and bottoming taps. These are excellent quality but suspect a general service set from them is gonna be pretty expensive.

 

[whateg01]

Don’t hesitate to buy a used set, just look them over. Most of the time you will probably just be chasing (restoring) existing threads. Used will be sufficient for most of this type of work. You can always replace individual pieces as needed.

JMHO

John

Hard to look them over when buying from eBay

 

[Ohio Andy]

Sounds like a rethread kit might work as well

Amazon.com

To be clear, they will not cut new threads... They fix damaged threads, which I do more often

And then I have a kit for metal and one for wood. My wood kit is only to thread holes to accept screws.

 

[Hakeem]

If you go harbor freight, buy the icon sets, they're hss with a lifetime warranty. I picked up 1 sae and 1 metric for work and so far they're holding up well. If you're not in a hurry wait for a sale, I think i paid 79$ each.

Yes, I have both sets for work and am pleased with the sharp, tough taps. Haven’t had to warranty any but it’s nice to know the option is there. The tap/die wrenches are crappy but that’s the case with most any set.

 

[jayemm]

Cheaper than the $149.99 Icon sets are the Pittsburgh Titanium Nitride at 89.99.

https://www.harborfreight.com/titanium-nitride-coated-alloy-steel-sae-tap-and-die-set-45-piece-61411.html

And then there's "Chuckee" who's a welder and did a review.

 

[Hakeem]

Cheaper than the $149.99 Icon sets are the Pittsburgh Titanium Nitride at 89.99.

https://www.harborfreight.com/titanium-nitride-coated-alloy-steel-sae-tap-and-die-set-45-piece-61411.html

And then there's "Chuckee" who's a welder and did a review.

Wow, the metric set goes up to M24??? I may just have to get this

 

[john.k]

TiN (gold colour) plating to hide inferior quality of taps ........difference between a Greenfield tap and modern rubbish taps is quite extraordinary ......and for dies I suggest you find a set of ''Little Giant'' dies ......recently discontinued from production ,but lots of sets around .

 

[MichaelP]

Let me put it this way. You're not going to find a decent used set (I'm not even talking about new one) for $100. Not even close.
But if all you need is to chase threads, you may get by for some time with the hardware store junk.

Taps and dies for cutting new threads, IMO, are the tools that must be of a good quality (meaning $$$). And they are sold in the industrial supply houses. Or you can buy them from a retired machinist, closing machine shop, etc. But a set in a decent condition is not going to be anywhere near $100 unless you're an unusually lucky person.

 

[john.k]

Taps must be form relieved ,ground thread .....el cheapo rolled thread ''gold plated'' taps take massivee force due to drag and break in the hole .......a GTD tap cuts freely without drag ...............as to dies ,even one piece of a Little Giant can be used to chase threads in a lathe ,and I often use mine to reduce a thread by a tiny bit for an exact fit ........Especially usefull fitting barrels to a perfect fit.

 

[john.k]

Also notice el chapo taps have a tiny margin of thread in a futile attempt to reduce drag and breakage.

 

[Indexmill]

I still buy used USA taps and dies for much less than new with superior quality. Never had any problem.

 

[john.k]

Look for the GTD logo ..........still lots of NOS WW2 taps around for sale ........dies not so much

 

[KnurledNut]

I find the taps sold with the corresponding drill sizes to be a logical option. I have bought these piecemeal for helicoils and also as sets in metal indexes.






I was without my thread restoring kit on one occasion and sorely needed it. I was able to find a small set of dies in store in the town where I was working. I thought this was a great little budget friendly quality option Century provided.

 

[AEAdam]

I’d like to eventually get some helicoils to keep on hand since that would be the most likely needed situation for a tap and could be resolved with those instead.

I think you know this, but just in case anyone saw this and doesn’t know, helicoils typically come with their own non-standard taps. I’ve never seen one that uses standard sizes. So the need to install a helicoil isn’t a good justification a tap set.

What got me looking in the first place is that I'm restoring a Delta jointer, and I was dumb and didn't tape off the threaded holes before painting. Someone mentioned that I could clean the threads up with the correct-sized taps, which I don't have—and there are probably four different thread sizes involved.

To make matters worse, I also managed to mash the threads on a 7/16" threaded rod while removing it. So I figured a tap and die set might be a good thing to have and would cover all my bases.


But maybe I should be looking into thread repair instead.

Yes you should. The taps won’t care if they are cutting metal or paint. So however you start them, they will thread thru metal and paint equally.

A thread restorer isn’t designed to cut. It will push away the softer paint and crud, guided by the threads.

Please check out the thread restoring file thread. If your male threads are really bad, straighten with a file is the right first step.

 

[zimman]

You need a pawn shop, or three.
I bought both of mine there and they're awesome.
Unless you are working on the SpaceX team used is fine.
I got less than $100 in both.
Zim