Anything negative about Toptul yet?

[expatriated]

I thoroughly love my Toptul stuff and I've had very smooth and enjoyable transactions with Mike. And I plan on buying more.

I'm glad to see more and more are starting to enjoy the brand.

Even not considering the price, the quality seems to be among the best out there, but when you factor the prices in, they are truly awesome.

I'm wondering if there has been any negative experiences with any of your Toptul products? Every review I've seen has been positive.

Expecially for those of you that have used the brand in a professional capacity and/or for extended periods, have you found ANY problems with the quality (chrome peeling, parts breaking, sized/broached wrong, etc.) ?

I think it speaks volumes about a company when there is a lack of negative opinions.

I understand that they are not made in the USA and for some that is a turn-off. Ok, noted. What I'm specifically wondering is if anyone has had any problems related to quality over time?

So, how long have you been using Toptul and how are they holding up? My sockets and ratchets still look brand new but I only have had them a few months and just work in my home garage (car and bike).

 

[GT89mustang]

Just a problem with my bit holder sockets, but I put that in the review thread.

 

[mooman]

other than the fact the website *****....

 

[speed bump]

I'm not all that big of a fan of the wobble extensions. I finally got around to really using mine in a greasy enviornment and the knurling just isn't good enough to grab and twist with greasy hands. If they could knurl them like S-K does then that would solve my first complaint. My second complaint about them is that they are the style where you can push them on further to make them not wobble and this just tends to be a pain in the *** if you only need a little wobble and are doing something you need to put some pressure on.

A friend of mine noticed the black on the soft handles tears reasonably easy on concrete.

Overall I would still say for the price they are great tools they just seem to be lacking some refinements that bug me while using them. Also I will give a big thumbs up to Mike as he does an excellent job on the customer service end.

 

[ATTappman]

I'm wondering if there has been any negative experiences with any of your Toptul products?

I wouldn't characterize what follows as negative, but it's not a rave review either. Keep in mind I'm an amateur tool user.

I bought a complete set of metric shallow and deep sockets in all three drive sizes from Mike. The fit and finish on the Toptul sockets is perfect - the last set of Craftsman sockets I bought look like an old soup can on the inside. But for me the shallow sockets are just a little too long, e.g., the 12mm 3/8" drive Toptul socket is 28mm long compared to Snap-on's 23.8. Now 4.2mm isn't that much, but sometimes every little bit helps. I can imagine situations in which the extra length is a good thing.

I bought a couple of the Toptul 3/8" drive ratchets and just ordered one of the 1/2" drive ratchets. In my opinion the ratchets are nothing special - worth exactly what I paid for them. I was able to get a locking flex head and a swivel head, which I don't anticipate using that much, for very reasonable prices. They're somewhat bulky and the ratcheting mechanism is no better than my Harbor Freight ratchets.

I believe the Toptul tools I have are worth exactly what I paid for them - but not much more. I don't feel like I'm getting Snap-on quality at bargain prices. What I like about Toptul is the "value proposition"; I get good, consistent quality tools for a reasonable price, and I don't have to worry about seeing them on sale for half the price I paid. With Craftsman, I get unpredictable quality at a reasonable price, but only IF I wait 'til Sears puts the tool on sale for 50% off. I wish more toolmakers targeted the same mid-range market that Toptul does.

As for how they hold up - I'll probably never know because I use them once a week at best, and I'm a weakling so I'm not too hard on them.

I think it's possible that Mike's dedication and service may have colored the opinions of the tools themselves, and led people to say they're a lot better than they really are.

 

[Joelfke]

the only problem i have thus far is that a small some of the sockets ive gotten (and ive gotten quite a few) have small nicks/dents in them. they dont affect the effectiveness of the tool so i could care less...im learning to make a living USING the tools not looking at how pretty they are.

my only other complaint is that the impact sockets have small gold lettering. it is a GREAT contrast so you can easily pick up the right size, however it is small even on the large sockets and it seems to be painted on there thus over time i can see it wearing off, and there is no other marking on it as to what size it is.

not HUGE things and overall im VERY happy with the numerous purchases ive made...just pointing little things out

mainly because i complain a lot, and i cant find much to complain about here...

 

[tw33k2514]

All I have from Toptul is some ratchets, as far as there function I have seen no issues. My only complaint is the handles are a little small. whether that is my hands or an actual problem idk, but that is my only issue. as far as use, they work great. They are holding up fine so far.

sadly though, now that I am in school, and starting my professional career, I can not justify passing up the huge discount I receive on truck tools. But while I may not be ordering any Toptul stuff anytime soon, I have suggested to my father and friends to try Toptul.

 

[heathy]

I have to second what Joelfke said about the silk screened sizes wearing off. It'd be nice if they imprinted the size on the item and then put the gold silk screen. Other than that I've been happy with the items I've bought.

 

[expatriated]

the only problem i have thus far is that a small some of the sockets ive gotten (and ive gotten quite a few) have small nicks/dents in them. they dont affect the effectiveness of the tool so i could care less...im learning to make a living USING the tools not looking at how pretty they are.QUOTE]

The one thing I've noticed (again, cosmetic) is similar...the complete sets I bought were flawlessly clean. Like museum clean. Then the few open stock pieces I bought were noticeably less so. Still much better than something from Craftsman, but not the surgical room quality of the sets. Mike also noticed it and was going to ask the factory what was up. Don't know if he ever got an answer.

I also have been impressed with the shipping/packaging from Mike. Some of the stuff I've ordered from Sears was ridiculously packaged. Like, a 4,000 cubic in box with 8 loose sockets knocking around.

Thanks for the replies, guys. Reassuring not to hear about breakages or serious stuff.

 

[GT89mustang]

All I have from Toptul is some ratchets, as far as there function I have seen no issues. My only complaint is the handles are a little small. whether that is my hands or an actual problem idk, but that is my only issue. as far as use, they work great. They are holding up fine so far.

sadly though, now that I am in school, and starting my professional career, I can not justify passing up the huge discount I receive on truck tools. But while I may not be ordering any Toptul stuff anytime soon, I have suggested to my father and friends to try Toptul.

I have the same issue with the 3/8 flex ratchet I bought. The handle just feels too small in my hand. Id say I have average sized hands for a guy and its not a good fit, I cant see how someone with larger hands then me would be comfortable with it.

 

[BB26]

I have to second what Joelfke said about the silk screened sizes wearing off. It'd be nice if they imprinted the size on the item and then put the gold silk screen. Other than that I've been happy with the items I've bought.

No hard stamping on an impact is a deal breaker for me. What do you do when the size wears off?

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

most thread posters here have less than 100 posts and joined in march 2009
hmmmmm

 

[trackwelder]

Made in taiwan, very few dealers, made in taiwan.

 

[Joe Mamma]

I wouldn't characterize what follows as negative, but it's not a rave review either. Keep in mind I'm an amateur tool user.

I bought a complete set of metric shallow and deep sockets in all three drive sizes from Mike. The fit and finish on the Toptul sockets is perfect - the last set of Craftsman sockets I bought look like an old soup can on the inside. But for me the shallow sockets are just a little too long, e.g., the 12mm 3/8" drive Toptul socket is 28mm long compared to Snap-on's 23.8. Now 4.2mm isn't that much, but sometimes every little bit helps. I can imagine situations in which the extra length is a good thing.

I bought a couple of the Toptul 3/8" drive ratchets and just ordered one of the 1/2" drive ratchets. In my opinion the ratchets are nothing special - worth exactly what I paid for them. I was able to get a locking flex head and a swivel head, which I don't anticipate using that much, for very reasonable prices. They're somewhat bulky and the ratcheting mechanism is no better than my Harbor Freight ratchets.

I believe the Toptul tools I have are worth exactly what I paid for them - but not much more. I don't feel like I'm getting Snap-on quality at bargain prices. What I like about Toptul is the "value proposition"; I get good, consistent quality tools for a reasonable price, and I don't have to worry about seeing them on sale for half the price I paid. With Craftsman, I get unpredictable quality at a reasonable price, but only IF I wait 'til Sears puts the tool on sale for 50% off. I wish more toolmakers targeted the same mid-range market that Toptul does.

As for how they hold up - I'll probably never know because I use them once a week at best, and I'm a weakling so I'm not too hard on them.

I think it's possible that Mike's dedication and service may have colored the opinions of the tools themselves, and led people to say they're a lot better than they really are.

Great post. Thanks for the honest and informative review.

Joe Mamma

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

made in republic of china , no truck credit , no truck , made in republic of china
but the finish is fantastic

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

chang kai shek y'all

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Expat,

Ask this question after a year or two of hard use by some of the pros on this board. That should give you an indication of how good they are. I still have and use Craftsman tools from the 40's and 50's (as well as Snap-on, MAC, Matco and SK-Wayne from the late 60's to the early 80's) that are still going strong with no problems.

If any of their tools had major problems this soon, I would rather have HF hand tools. At least they would be easy to get a warranty replacement….

That is the measure of a good tool. It does not include looks, colors or shine. Good tools last a long time, "feel" right, do their job well and earn their owners satisfaction with use. Time will tell if Toptul will be one of those brands but until then, they will remain (for me) in the realm of home use tools.

They appear to be a good value but then again, many other tools are in this same price point category. Those brands also come with a warranty that equals Toptul without having to send them back to the point of sale.

In case you are wondering, I am not a tool snob as my ½ deep impacts are from Northern Tool; I buy stuff from Harbor Freight and still shop at Sears (for now). I also happen to have a box full of the truck brand tools. I will let others pave the way testing these new kids on the block and if the reviews keep coming in like they have, I might give them a try.

 

[Joe Mamma]

other than the fact the website *****....

From what I've seen, I think there must be some law that ALL tool company websites have to be bad!

Joe Mamma

 

[Joelfke]

No hard stamping on an impact is a deal breaker for me. What do you do when the size wears off?

send it back to mike.....so far so good though...no signs of wear on the 13mm and 15mm which i use quite often

 

[48548]

The only think I can say, I am a little disapointed that ROTAR who makes them also make a lot of other tools... Toptul seems great in my eyes, but I can get genius stuff a lot more places and easier to warranty. I wonder if toptul will ever been sold on amazon like genius? Also Genius had a ratchet I was looking for and toptul didn't I would think if they are made by the same people, they could carry the same stuff? Hmmm... Nothing bad about Mike he is a great guy to deal with and I have recommended the tools a lot, just wish that the tools I wanted weren't sold out a few days after he got the shipment in because I ordered one but needed two, so then I am like who do I buy from, genius? Snap on? Who ever has the tool at the price I am willing to pay, and honestly since I have bought a few hundred dollars of stuff from toptul, I also notice that I have bought more used snap on stuff and like them both, but also feel that snap on will be there for a long haul I hope.... I still will buy toptul and will place a new list of stuff I want, just thinking that for most of stuff used snapon maybe be a better value for me, and toptul great for the odd things I can't find used and or they don't make in my price range. Or something I want new. Also I wanted to say that Mike is a good guy and trying hard and I can't blame him for not ordering 500 of everything when you don't know what people are going to buy. It is my bad I didn't order two of things I wanted. I just wanted to edit this to say nothing bad about mike and I wish that he could get Rotar to make some tools that are better than genius or some of the other tools that rotar makes to help him stand apart from them. Yes his customer service is better and that does say something about him and his quality of tools.

 

[ATTappman]

They appear to be a good value but then again, many other tools are in this same price point category. Those brands also come with a warranty that equals Toptul without having to send them back to the point of sale.

Which brands are you talking about, other than Craftsman that you already mentioned? I know about Gearwrench and Blackhawk - are there other "mid-range" tool brands (HF and Northern Tool are the low end, IMO, but I own a lot of their tools also)? Thanks.

 

[Joelfke]

Which brands are you talking about, other than Craftsman that you already mentioned? I know about Gearwrench and Blackhawk - are there other "mid-range" tool brands (HF and Northern Tool are the low end, IMO, but I own a lot of their tools also)? Thanks.

x1

i firmly believe that half the reason the "truck brands" are so freakin expensive is because they pretty much come to YOU

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

the high price covers the uncharged truck interest ? maybe for snap on , but I never complain about those prices , you get what you pay for
I have gotten many a good deal from the brand x tool truck guys - better stuff , cheaper than sears

 

[Joelfke]

the high price covers the uncharged truck interest ? maybe for snap on , but I never complain about those prices , you get what you pay for
I have gotten many a good deal from the brand x tool truck guys - better stuff , cheaper than sears

not to insult in any way....but what have you gotten off of one of the trucks that was CHEAPER than craftsman

 

[Joe Mamma]

x1

i firmly believe that half the reason the "truck brands" are so freakin expensive is because they pretty much come to YOU

I think it's also due to people skipping out on their bills. You know, some guy owes the Snap-On/Mac/Matco guy a lot of money, is paying it off each week . . . until he moves or gets a job working someplace else.

Joe Mamma

 

[Diesel_Crawler]

not to insult in any way....but what have you gotten off of one of the trucks that was CHEAPER than craftsman

He does not kiss and tell...opps did that slip

 

[Joelfke]

I think it's also due to people skipping out on their bills. You know, some guy owes the Snap-On/Mac/Matco guy a lot of money, is paying it off each week . . . until he moves or gets a job working someplace else.

Joe Mamma

kinda funny you mention that..

mechanic i work with bought a box and was paying weekly...snapon guy went out of buisness...so he stopped paying...snapon billed him for the remainder and he called up corporate and told them he will not pay another penny until we have a snapon guy again and suddenly we had a new snapon guy every week and he gladly continued paying the weekly payments haha

 

[expatriated]

Expat,

Ask this question after a year or two of hard use by some of the pros on this board. That should give you an indication of how good they are. I still have and use Craftsman tools from the 40's and 50's (as well as Snap-on, MAC, Matco and SK-Wayne from the late 60's to the early 80's) that are still going strong with no problems.

If any of their tools had major problems this soon, I would rather have HF hand tools. At least they would be easy to get a warranty replacement….

That is the measure of a good tool. It does not include looks, colors or shine. Good tools last a long time, "feel" right, do their job well and earn their owners satisfaction with use. Time will tell if Toptul will be one of those brands but until then, they will remain (for me) in the realm of home use tools.

They appear to be a good value but then again, many other tools are in this same price point category. Those brands also come with a warranty that equals Toptul without having to send them back to the point of sale.

In case you are wondering, I am not a tool snob as my ½ deep impacts are from Northern Tool; I buy stuff from Harbor Freight and still shop at Sears (for now). I also happen to have a box full of the truck brand tools. I will let others pave the way testing these new kids on the block and if the reviews keep coming in like they have, I might give them a try.

That's why I had posted it, initially--looking for some pro feedback. I thought I remember someone posting that they had been using Toptul professionally for like 2 years. Upon searching, I couldn't find the post. That's the main feedback I was looking for--anyone with a couple of years of use.

(I was hoping to avoid the inevitable truck tool vs whatever/USA vs wherever debate, but I'm starting to see that's a requirement for all threads here.)

 

[pearl_dude]

Were you trying to find this?

I use my stuff everyday in my shop. I have enough faith in the product to have sent Mike a pretty decent size order (which I'm now waiting on) Basically an entire set of tools. complete 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" socket sets,(both deep and shallow) a couple of ratchets in each drive size, extensions for every drive size, a set of combo wrenches, hex bits, screwdrivers, and a bunch of other stuff I can't think of at the moment.

Anyway, Fit and finish is far superior to Craftsman and A step above Mac in (my opinion). I currently have a few extensions a couple ratchets, a breaker bar, complete 3/8" socket set, and a decent size run of Metric and SAE wrenches. So far they are showing almost zero wear, (as far as scratches in the chrome etc.). The actual drive faces of the tools (parts of the tool that moves the fastener) show zero wear, I've had no breakages. Though I do take good care of my tools, I'm not afraid to put them to use and give them a work out.

and

Just wanted to chime in on the Toptul Stuff since I've been using it for quite sometime now. Just for reference I own a Motorcycle (and now Custom Car shop ) So They see use everyday. My go to Drive tools have become all Toptul and I couldn't be happier. I have sets of 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2", in both the Satin and the Chrome. Deep and Shallow. Everything has been holding up awesome. All the sockets have a great fit on the fasteners and do not Mar anything up. I really liked the chrome when I received them. Then I got the Satin and they've really grown on me. Though they get used every day, they show nearly zero scratches etc. (The Satin that is.)
I do wish that the size markings were larger on them. I can, 98% of the time grab the right size by sight, but larger markings wouldn't hurt.

I also have a number of 1/4" and 3/8" ratchets. My favorites are definitely the Flex head stubby 1/4" and the Long handled flex head ratchet. Those are by far my go-to ratchets these days.

I still feel the quality is far above C-man and certainly into tool truck level with more reasonable pricing.

 

[pearl_dude]

Posted by WSMC633

 

[trackwelder]

That's why I had posted it, initially--looking for some pro feedback. I thought I remember someone posting that they had been using Toptul professionally for like 2 years. Upon searching, I couldn't find the post. That's the main feedback I was looking for--anyone with a couple of years of use.

(I was hoping to avoid the inevitable truck tool vs whatever/USA vs wherever debate, but I'm starting to see that's a requirement for all threads here.)

Yep its a requirement

 

[Joelfke]

hey be grateful none of the "snapon is the best all else *****" group hasnt arrived

 

[trackwelder]

hey be grateful none of the "snapon is the best all else *****" group hasnt arrived

Just the to Toptul guys

 

[Joelfke]

we are a new and upcoming cult...

let us grow before making such accusations!

 

[superautobacs]

Which brands are you talking about, other than Craftsman that you already mentioned? I know about Gearwrench and Blackhawk - are there other "mid-range" tool brands (HF and Northern Tool are the low end, IMO, but I own a lot of their tools also)? Thanks.

There's Genius, Titan, and Jonnesway.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

ATT,

The other brands that are in this mid range group would include KD, SK, Wright, Grey, Proto and Sunex (insert your favorite here). All will do the job and last a long time.

 

[gatewaysysop]

most thread posters here have less than 100 posts and joined in march 2009
hmmmmm

The average post count for the posters prior to you in this thread is over 340. More than half of them have >= 100 posts, and 1/3 of them are well over 200.

 

[35mastr]

ATT,

The other brands that are in this mid range group would include KD, SK, Wright, Grey, Proto and Sunex (insert your favorite here). All will do the job and last a long time.

Sunex is some decent stuff. We had a set of there impact universal sockets that were beat on for years and still work like the day they were purchased.

 

[ATTappman]

ATT,

The other brands that are in this mid range group would include KD, SK, Wright, Grey, Proto and Sunex (insert your favorite here). All will do the job and last a long time.

Hey, thanks.

SK, Wright, and Proto tools are all quite a bit more expensive than Toptul.

Sunex and Grey Pneumatic sell mostly impact sockets, right?

KD/Gearwrench, yes, equal or better than Toptul, except the Gearwrench ratchets, which I have and don't like much.

I guess Genius and Titan would be about the same as Toptul as well. Maybe Astro Pneumatic - I don't know, I just ordered their cable-operated hose clamp pliers so I'll see.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Check out some of the prices at places like Tooltopia and you might be surprised how cheap SK and some of the other brands are. I have quite a bit of Astro gear and their thinwall wall impacts with the plastic cover work nice on some wheels that have very little clearance for lug nut removal. Grey also make some VERY large wrenches that I have and use in addition to their sockets.