concealer404
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Hey, i threatened that this thread would come. 
Here it is!
Here it is!
Show off your.... Carlyle Tools!!!
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2JZGTESC300
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Let me know how those wrench goes. I have my eye set on the set to 50mm!
NC-Fordguy
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Looks like you got some cool stuff there
I hope this thread goes well but ain't holding my breath
I hope this thread goes well but ain't holding my breath
kippieland
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Looks good! Those wrenches look a lot like my KT Pro's. Either way should work great.
willhollin
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Looks good stuff, what's the COO? 
woody 73
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looks good be sure and keep us updated we want to know what holds up over the long haul day 24/7.
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concealer404
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Will do sir! Bear in mind that i am NOT a pro wrench, though. I spend maybe 15-20 hours a week wrenching building my own cars, so i won't be able to put them through the same paces a pro might. That said, i do use my tools hard and i'm not just doing **** like oil changes.
Heh, me neither, but at least it'll be fun, right?
I'm hoping! They look great, feel great, and the finish is perfect on them. They're also HEAVY. Easily 150% the weight of an equivalent Craftsman RP. Very solid feeling.
Looks good stuff, what's the COO?
Tee hee! Taiwan.
And to that note, to be honest, i was MOST blown away by the screwdrivers. I was hoping they would be German, but they're Taiwan as well. That said, they're SERIOUSLY nice. Big fat handles, big strong thick shanks, very grippy, and the tips seem to grip like crazy. (Haven't really put them through their paces yet.) We'll see how they grip once my gloves are covered in oil.
I'll do my best.
That was a mistake on my end. I didn't read the fine print and see that the long pattern wasn't a huge amount longer. I was just looking for something to replace my Craftsmans, and just instinctively went for these.
I'll be getting a set of the long patterns as well, probably next month.
Pretty reasonable in my opinion... (especially depending on how they hold up)
Retail prices:
SDSP8 (8 piece phillips) - $53.99
SDSS6 (6 piece flathead) - $67.99
SDP2150 (stubby phillips) - $4.99
SDS8150 (Stubby flathead) - $5.99
Averages to $8/driver. Yes i know there's cheaper and more-established drivers out there, but i figured i'd give these a shot. I already have Wera Kraftforms and Felo Ergonics, but i'm not convinced of their ability to hold up to hard automotive use. These, i feel pretty comfortable with their perceived ability to hold up to hard use.
I didn't pay retail prices, and you can expect your stores to potentially cut you a deal depending on how often they see you in there, and some stores already have them marked down on the shelves by a small-ish amount.
plinker
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I see the screwdriver's look similar to the Witte's, complete with hole in the handle.
Wern't the open end of the wrenches suppoused to have a "flank drive" type feature? Or is that only for the long pattern?
Wern't the open end of the wrenches suppoused to have a "flank drive" type feature? Or is that only for the long pattern?
MattPersman
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i was surprised I got a Carlyle 1/2" drive ratchet as a napa replacement last week. that is taiwan as well my selector switch broke and they sent me a replacement ratchet instead of just fixing it?
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concealer404
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I see the screwdriver's look similar to the Witte's, complete with hole in the handle.
Wern't the open end of the wrenches suppoused to have a "flank drive" type feature? Or is that only for the long pattern?
The flank drive is only for the long pattern.
That's how it's going to be. If you manage to break the Carlyle ratchet, they'll probably just replace it until the full line is up and running and repair kits are readily available. I don't believe they are yet.
metaldad
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And where is this line available? Napa auto?
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concealer404
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NC-Fordguy
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I have flare line wrenches from snappy, crafty pros(made by sk) crafty rp and gearwrench flex head. I've never ever had any of them flex open.
I've been tempted to get a set of the carlye brand just to test them out
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concealer404
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I can't really compare these against any other brands. I've only ever had CM RP flare line wrenches, and those were terrible. Guaranteed to strip whatever i would put them on.
I haven't had experiences with any of the higher-end stuff. I ended up just using vice grips on most stuff after i got pissed at my RPs and threw them away.
NC-Fordguy
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Strange you experienced this. I've used mine for more years than I care to remember and never experienced any issues
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concealer404
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That's probably the issue. Mine were purchased in the last 2-3 years, which also seems to be when the ratchets started being garbage, too.
I'm sure if i tracked down some old ones they'd be just fine. That's probably the issue. Mine were purchased in the last 2-3 years, which also seems to be when the ratchets started being garbage, too.
My wife bought me the 9 pc set last Xmas. I got the 16x18mm Allen branded off Cripe to complete. My RP's are very strong. Really excellent value for $35 for the 9 pc set. Used them on a 17 year old NE car on the brake lines and had no issues. I'm completely blown away people are having these issues with them.
I measured the open end and they are made tighter than my SK's.
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concealer404
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Well who knows... maybe the three of my cars that i used them on were just that far gone and there was no saving them, and the Carlyle stuff will work no better.
I have no idea why it happened, just that it did. 
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concealer404
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Retail is $200. Might be cheaper at your local Napa store on the shelf, also depending on what sort of relationship you have with your store, etc...
Do you have a mic? If you do mic the open ends on some. I've noticed on wrenches it's not so much about steel strength (they are all about the same for decent ones) it's about how closely milled the open ends are. The box ends tend to be consistent across brands.
It took me a while to swap my Cman pros and RP's (regular combos) for tight open ends, but it was worth the effort. Strong wrenches and cheap as compared to others.
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concealer404
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I do, but it's harbor freight, so who knows how accurate it is.
I typically use it for ballpark work like engine mounts, measuring sway bars, and the like.I do, but it's harbor freight, so who knows how accurate it is.
Thats the one I have too, should be accurate enough for our purposes, I'm just curious how tight they are milled, I find that is one area the higher quality stuff stands out in.
For example someone mic'd the Chinese Craftsman polished ones and they sat at about 0.2mm over (ie a 15mm would measure 15.2mm), which is "reasonable" but IMO too loose. I want to see 0.15mm at most and 0.1mm if possible. Anything over 0.2mm over and it will start to flex open due to the points of the bolt wedging the open end, open.
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concealer404
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NC-Fordguy
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Stopped by my local napa and the folks there gave me a copy of the catalog. It's the same thing as in what's been linked here in one of the carlyle threads.
Does make for some interesting reading material while sitting on the throne
Got a couple stickers too
Does make for some interesting reading material while sitting on the throne
Got a couple stickers too
I think you will find most wrenches between 15.15mm & 15.2mm, those are not out of range, in fact 15.10 is at the lowest end of manufacturing tolerance according to ASME. A few of my 15mm wrenches are below 15.15, 15.13 or so, but most are 15.17-15.21mm.
helterskelter
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HF makes ID mics?
91bronc300
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Do inside micrometers that go down to 15mm even exist? I'm thinking they meant calipers.
Hah. I was thinking the same thing as I scrolled down... "ID mics at HF??"
Looks like I got beat to it pretty good. For a cheap way of measuring, get a bolt that just fits into the open end of the wrench, then put a nut on it and "unscrew" it until it's snug. Remove and measure...
of course, that's just for ballpark figures but VERY useful when you can't fit a caliper or ID mic somewhere.
Looks like I got beat to it pretty good. For a cheap way of measuring, get a bolt that just fits into the open end of the wrench, then put a nut on it and "unscrew" it until it's snug. Remove and measure...
of course, that's just for ballpark figures but VERY useful when you can't fit a caliper or ID mic somewhere.
TwoInch
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i was told by the local napa guys that the rep claimed there will be the pro line carlyle, and a cheaper DIY level carlyle line.
anyone else hear this? im guessing it would replace the evercraft stuff?
anyone else hear this? im guessing it would replace the evercraft stuff?
I dont mean to be an *** or anything like that but i dont get what the big deal is with these tools, from what ive seen so far i think theyre kind of overpriced for imports and dont really see anything special about them, im not saying they are not good tools because i havent tried any of them yet, but maybe im missing something because ive seen a lot of people going crazy about them.
Kind of what I said when I first saw Snappy's prices, just switch "imports" with "domestics". We'll see how they do, then we can judge afterwards.
BrokewrenchLS1
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On the open ends of the wrenches, I'd be more interested in consistency between various sizes - does a 24mm have the same rough tolerances as a 10mm? You're much more likely to run into inconsistent real-world vs marked sizes on hardware rather than the tools themselves, but a consistent tolerance between various wrench sets would give some indication of manufacture quality and QC.
TwoInch
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i havent seen many going crazy about them. maybe going crazy claiming they are overpriced before using them. but they havent been out long enough for anyone to be going all that crazy. this forum has been especially harsh about the price and COO.