Pull the trigger? Williams 12pc ratcheting wrench set (flex head, reversible, 8-19mm)

[GoodEnough]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002N7V4VM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Anyone own these? MWS-12RCF
Seems like a low volume product for only 6 reviews.
From the photo, they appear to be stubbier than typical wrenches.
Any truth to that?

At $157, can anyone talk me into the next level up?

 

[bahcoswed]

I have jh williams stubbys...they do the job, but have some bad things i doesnt like! The chrome are really bad, ugly yellow/brown cloudy chrome that look dirty even if you has polished it! Laser etching that not holds up well. They are kinda bulky, i compared these to bahcos ratcheting wrenches and the williams are very much bigger, the box end are huge! The ratcheting mechanism have a big f¤¤¤ing play before the first click pops in, the bahco has minimal! sorry if i only say bad things about them...

 

[bahcoswed]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002N7VDJ0/?tag=atomicindus08-20 these i have

 

[Trey T]

I have a Husky set flex head I got several years ago but it doesn't get used enough, primarily because the heads are quite large to fit into places. I usually take out my regular combo wrench and gearwrench

 

[GoodEnough]

Now I'm hesitant. Are the Williams heads too big?

 

[SMKS]

They're the same as the more expensive Blue Point ratcheting wrenches.

I've never before read the complaint about the heads being too big. I'd have to see some side-by-side pics comparing them to other brands.

 

[CWP1616L]

The words short, bulky, and useless come to mind.

 

[wmartin]

A flex, ratcheting, wrench set is one of the very few tools that I would make sure of easy/simple warranty.

Plus, and my eyes might be deceiving me, but those wrenches look awful big. I don't have any reversible ratcheting wrenches, so maybe that's the problem.

 

[devoncoolman]

Those are the same as blue points. Do your self a favor and buy gear wrenchs. They are nicer and more slim.

 

[davesnothere]

are those 6 pt on one side of the box end, and 12 pt on the other?
or am i seeing things?

 

[G1GRANDEUR]

I saw that too, must been a budget photo shoot.

 

[SMKS]

are those 6 pt on one side of the box end, and 12 pt on the other?
or am i seeing things?

I also noticed that.

I don't know what that is. I wonder if it's like the capstop feature?

 

[hosz]

I have a set. Here are a couple of pics.





Don't use them too often but haven't had any real complaints except maybe should have bought a set with a locking head.

Only reason I bought them was because they were both reversible and had a flex-head.

 

[GoodEnough]

The words short, bulky, and useless come to mind.

I'm glad you said that.
Is it my eyes, or do these wrenches really look out of proportion?
They don't look like normal wrenches. They look stubby or something.
The writing looks too big. Or is that shaft really wide?

 

[GoodEnough]

Those are the same as blue points. Do your self a favor and buy gear wrenchs. They are nicer and more slim.

We're saying GearWrench is better than Williams?

Not sure what to get then. These for the same price?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GearWrench-..._Automotive_Tools&hash=item1c354b5606&vxp=mtr

 

[SMKS]

Perhaps I’m missing them on the website, but it doesn’t look like GW offers a flex head, reversible ratcheting wrench.

And, to the OP, it looks like the wrenches you’re considering are cheaper on Tools Delivered. They’re a good place to order Williams tools and they’re somewhat active on the forum.

I'm glad you said that.
Is it my eyes, or do these wrenches really look out of proportion?
They don't look like normal wrenches. They look stubby or something.
The writing looks too big. Or is that shaft really wide?

If you actually compare the measurements you’ll see the Williams wrenches are not any shorter than normal GearWrenches. A lot of ratcheting wrenches aren’t that long, unless you seek out XL versions or the really high-end brands. I assume this is because they aren’t high-torque tools. The difference in the width of the box-ends appears very small.

GW does offer XL versions of some ratcheting wrenches.

A few measurements:
Williams 15mm reversible flex
http://www.toolsdelivered.com/Willi...nches-Ratcheting-Combination-Metric-Flex-Head
Length: 8 in
Box end width: 1.16 in
Box end thickness: 0.44 in

GW 15mm ratcheting flex
http://www.gearwrench.com/wrenches/...-flex-head-combination-ratcheting-wrench.html
Length: 7.85 in
Box end width: 1.13 in
Box end thickness: 0.39 in

GW 15mm non-flex reversible wrench (since it appears GW does not offer a reversible flex wrench)
http://www.gearwrench.com/gearwrench-9615n-15mm-reversible-combination-ratcheting-wrench.html
Length: 7.75 in (shorter than both the GW and Williams flex)
Box end width: 1.13 in
Box end thickness: 0.39 in

If you stepped up to the locking GW XL wrenches, you'd spend a little more. They have bad Amazon reviews, though. Multiple people claim the locking mechanism isn't good.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HBAIUE/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[GoodEnough]

I found a Blackhawk 12pc for $159.
The advantage for these is the locking flex head, that several wished they had.
Downside is there's no reversible.

 

[GoodEnough]

SMKS,
Good point, as I don't really think I need long wrenches anyway.
In fact, I was even thinking that maybe I should only get stubby ratcheting?
Like you said, these are not for torque. You break the bolt with one wrench, if need be, and ratchet with another. (b/c a pipe might not fit over the ratcheting end)

Is Tools Delivered a good online source?
I ordered something from fleetfarm today as well.
Had no idea indep. shops could have good prices.

 

[SMKS]

I'm not saying you should or should not get the Williams, I'm simply pointing out that casual quips that they look short don't really hold true when you compare them to similar wrenches.

I will say that if it were me I'd probably choose Taiwanese Williams or Blackhawk (which I think are also Taiwan) over GW wrenches that are probably Chinese. But that's just me. It's your money, spend it how you want.

Right now the only ratcheting wrenches I own are Duralast flex ratcheting wrenches that were made in Taiwan and are like 7 years old. When I look online it looks like they were made by Hi-Five. They've performed great. The length is fine for what I do. When I need a lot of torque, I use a non-ratcheting wrench or a ratchet.

 

[jjb]

I have no experience with the williams, but I own 2 sets of the Blackhawks and they are very nice. They hold up well also. I have had my first set for about 9 years and have yet to warranty one. These get used daily in an automotive shop environment.

 

[GoodEnough]

I've decided to buy used Blue Point.