A few years ago, I started working on my own cars. Then I started working on friends' cars. Then I started working on people's cars for money under the table. Finally, I decided to get serious, learn some things, and open my own shop. So these tools are being used in the context of a full-time, professional, independent Subaru-specialty shop. The big transition I've been going through on the tool front is that the tools that I bought as an amateur using them once or twice a year are dying left and right as I use them once or twice an hour. It became very obvious that I needed to start upgrading my hard-line tools.
Obviously, my first thought was the tool trucks. There's no Matco truck in my area. The one that works a block south of me isn't willing to come up here. There's no MAC or Cornwell trucks around here at all. I've tried multiple times to get one of the many local Snap-On trucks in here but every one of them has told me that, as single mechanic at a shop, I'm not worth their time. That means their tools aren't worth the money since, without the on-site sales, service, and warranty, tool truck tools are just stupidly overpriced.
That lead me to try to investigate what the high-quality non-tool-truck options were. To my delight, there were a number of companies selling top-quality tools at much less than tool-truck prices since there was no tool truck to deal with. Wright was among those companies I found. They seemed to have most of what I wanted, were VERY reasonably priced, and had a good reputation.
So I tool the plunge, slapped the credit card down on the table, and ordered tools with a total sticker price that would feed an African nation for a year. Definitely a ****-pucker moment. Here's the result...
Tool 1: 1/2" Drive, 18" Long Flex Ratchet 4430
I had been searching for a long-assed ratchet for a while. There seemed to be very few options at 18" or longer than weren't absurdly expensive (Snap-On et. al.). I generally hate flex tools, so when I found the Wright 4430,I was a bit dubious. I bought it simply because it was the only 18" ratchet I could stomach the price on. Thankfully, when it arrived, it turned out to have a VERY stiff flex action. There's a number of extremely positive detents on the joint that lock it in place quite effectively. Just shaking the ratchet, you can't make it flex to the next setting. However, you can make it do so by bumping something with it when you're trying to get the socket onto the bolt. It's good enough, however, that I tend not to get pissed off at it until I'm already tired and pissed off at something else. That's really all you can ask for out of a tool.
The ratcheting action is very good. The stroke between clicks is VERY small, MUCH smaller than I was fearing out of an 18" long handle. The handle is also surprisingly comfortable, probably due to how large the diameter is. The knurling is beautifully done, but a little odd. It's fairly deep, but actually quite smooth. I'm not sure how much it aids grip, but at the same time, I haven't had it ever feel slippery. Another plus is that this is a STRONG ratchet. I have seriously heaved on this thing and it doesn't seem to mind. I've used it well into the territory where I should have just gotten the 18" long breaker bar out.
Overall, I'm extremely satisfied with this ratchet.
First picture is an overview of the entire thing:
Second picture is a closeup of the head. You can see the reversing mechanism and the deep detents for the ball to lock the the flex joint:
Final picture is a closeup of the underside of the head:
Tool 2: Satin Finish Metric Combination Wrenches, Set No. 752 plus 11-27mm and 11-30mm Wrenches
One of my primary needs was to purchase a set of wrenches that was both tough enough to put up with professional use, well enough made to work in all circumstances, and comfortable enough to really reef on. The Wright combo wrenches are all that without a doubt.
First, they have very good open ends. Not perfect, not the best I own, but very good and more than good enough for professional use. They are a traditional flat-parallel-jaw design with a curved (rather than V) throat. The dimensional accuracy is good, as is the quality of the broaching. They tend to get most of the fasteners I need them for off without a hassle. However, I also have a set of Proto wrenches (see review on this forum) that have the Anti-Slip Design open end. The Proto wrenches are clearly superior in their ability to remove extremely seized fasteners without slipping or rounding. That being said, I wouldn't be too bothered if the Wrights were my only open end wrenches. They're better than any open ended wrench I've ever used with the exception of the Proto ASD wrenches.
Second, the box end is extremely good. I put my other 12pt and 6pt wrenches in a drawer as an experiment to see if I'd go looking for them. 3 months later and the drawer has only been opened to take out the other wrenches and put them up for sale. I have done everything from standing on the end of the wrench to apply more force to slugging the **** out of them with a 4lb deadblow hammer. I have yet to round over a single fastener. When pulling a rusty nut off, the wrenches leave very clear, sharply defined shiny spots on the nut which allows you to see that the wrenches do make contact with the flats of the nut well away from the corners. I heartily commend Wright on their design of the box end!
Third, the beam is very comfortable. The most comfortable of any wrench I've ever handled (though I've never touched a Bonney, which are reputed to be quite nice). It's very thick and the corner radius isn't sharp at all. I can definitely pull harder on this wrench than I can on others (such as the Protos which HURT) due to the design of this beam. The key feature is that the maximum thickness of the beam is carried all the way out to the edge, which makes the edge thicker than designs that taper towards the edge. I'm sure Wright's design uses more steel, but I'm willing to pay for that.
Very, very good wrenches at a very, very reasonable price. I recommend these without hesitation.
First picture is just an overview of the wrench:
Second picture is a close up of the open end. As you can see, it's just a strong, simple, traditional form:
Next picture is a close up of the box end. Same story here, strong, simple, great design:
Final picture shows how thick and comfortable the beam is:
Tool 3: Metric Flare Nut Wrenches Set No. 744
These are the ones I'm least impressed with. They're solid, they work, they seem to be pretty strong and haven't rounded anything yet, but they just don't grab me. Then again, they're tools, they're just supposed to work. The only thing I can say bad about them is that they're a little chunky, which makes a couple of places I have to work on cars a little tight.
Obviously, my first thought was the tool trucks. There's no Matco truck in my area. The one that works a block south of me isn't willing to come up here. There's no MAC or Cornwell trucks around here at all. I've tried multiple times to get one of the many local Snap-On trucks in here but every one of them has told me that, as single mechanic at a shop, I'm not worth their time. That means their tools aren't worth the money since, without the on-site sales, service, and warranty, tool truck tools are just stupidly overpriced.
That lead me to try to investigate what the high-quality non-tool-truck options were. To my delight, there were a number of companies selling top-quality tools at much less than tool-truck prices since there was no tool truck to deal with. Wright was among those companies I found. They seemed to have most of what I wanted, were VERY reasonably priced, and had a good reputation.
So I tool the plunge, slapped the credit card down on the table, and ordered tools with a total sticker price that would feed an African nation for a year. Definitely a ****-pucker moment. Here's the result...
Tool 1: 1/2" Drive, 18" Long Flex Ratchet 4430
I had been searching for a long-assed ratchet for a while. There seemed to be very few options at 18" or longer than weren't absurdly expensive (Snap-On et. al.). I generally hate flex tools, so when I found the Wright 4430,I was a bit dubious. I bought it simply because it was the only 18" ratchet I could stomach the price on. Thankfully, when it arrived, it turned out to have a VERY stiff flex action. There's a number of extremely positive detents on the joint that lock it in place quite effectively. Just shaking the ratchet, you can't make it flex to the next setting. However, you can make it do so by bumping something with it when you're trying to get the socket onto the bolt. It's good enough, however, that I tend not to get pissed off at it until I'm already tired and pissed off at something else. That's really all you can ask for out of a tool.
The ratcheting action is very good. The stroke between clicks is VERY small, MUCH smaller than I was fearing out of an 18" long handle. The handle is also surprisingly comfortable, probably due to how large the diameter is. The knurling is beautifully done, but a little odd. It's fairly deep, but actually quite smooth. I'm not sure how much it aids grip, but at the same time, I haven't had it ever feel slippery. Another plus is that this is a STRONG ratchet. I have seriously heaved on this thing and it doesn't seem to mind. I've used it well into the territory where I should have just gotten the 18" long breaker bar out.
Overall, I'm extremely satisfied with this ratchet.
First picture is an overview of the entire thing:
Second picture is a closeup of the head. You can see the reversing mechanism and the deep detents for the ball to lock the the flex joint:
Final picture is a closeup of the underside of the head:
Tool 2: Satin Finish Metric Combination Wrenches, Set No. 752 plus 11-27mm and 11-30mm Wrenches
One of my primary needs was to purchase a set of wrenches that was both tough enough to put up with professional use, well enough made to work in all circumstances, and comfortable enough to really reef on. The Wright combo wrenches are all that without a doubt.
First, they have very good open ends. Not perfect, not the best I own, but very good and more than good enough for professional use. They are a traditional flat-parallel-jaw design with a curved (rather than V) throat. The dimensional accuracy is good, as is the quality of the broaching. They tend to get most of the fasteners I need them for off without a hassle. However, I also have a set of Proto wrenches (see review on this forum) that have the Anti-Slip Design open end. The Proto wrenches are clearly superior in their ability to remove extremely seized fasteners without slipping or rounding. That being said, I wouldn't be too bothered if the Wrights were my only open end wrenches. They're better than any open ended wrench I've ever used with the exception of the Proto ASD wrenches.
Second, the box end is extremely good. I put my other 12pt and 6pt wrenches in a drawer as an experiment to see if I'd go looking for them. 3 months later and the drawer has only been opened to take out the other wrenches and put them up for sale. I have done everything from standing on the end of the wrench to apply more force to slugging the **** out of them with a 4lb deadblow hammer. I have yet to round over a single fastener. When pulling a rusty nut off, the wrenches leave very clear, sharply defined shiny spots on the nut which allows you to see that the wrenches do make contact with the flats of the nut well away from the corners. I heartily commend Wright on their design of the box end!
Third, the beam is very comfortable. The most comfortable of any wrench I've ever handled (though I've never touched a Bonney, which are reputed to be quite nice). It's very thick and the corner radius isn't sharp at all. I can definitely pull harder on this wrench than I can on others (such as the Protos which HURT) due to the design of this beam. The key feature is that the maximum thickness of the beam is carried all the way out to the edge, which makes the edge thicker than designs that taper towards the edge. I'm sure Wright's design uses more steel, but I'm willing to pay for that.
Very, very good wrenches at a very, very reasonable price. I recommend these without hesitation.
First picture is just an overview of the wrench:
Second picture is a close up of the open end. As you can see, it's just a strong, simple, traditional form:
Next picture is a close up of the box end. Same story here, strong, simple, great design:
Final picture shows how thick and comfortable the beam is:
Tool 3: Metric Flare Nut Wrenches Set No. 744
These are the ones I'm least impressed with. They're solid, they work, they seem to be pretty strong and haven't rounded anything yet, but they just don't grab me. Then again, they're tools, they're just supposed to work. The only thing I can say bad about them is that they're a little chunky, which makes a couple of places I have to work on cars a little tight.
I would make most of these purchases again in a heartbeat and I would recommend them to other professionals (and serious homeowners, given the accessible pricing).