sun or rather light reflection is why there are matt plated or gunmetal finished tools (also pliers etc.) thats what the manufacturers write in their catalogs why they make them like that. Its not the safety but the annoyance of reflection.
Best brands for certain tools?
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sun or rather light reflection is why there are matt plated or gunmetal finished tools (also pliers etc.) thats what the manufacturers write in their catalogs why they make them like that. Its not the safety but the annoyance of reflection.Bolster
Well-known member
I'm of German heritage, but I have issues with these broad, categorical, nationality-based statements. Not everything German is fabulous. Not everything Chinese is horrible. Germans don't always make what works best, and sometimes the Germans make things that look beautiful.
I don't think that buying-by-nationality is the friend of the savvy tool buyer. You have to know tools well enough to pick particular items, from particular brands, from particular nationalities.
Such as: Gedore sockets on Koken extensions on a SO FLF80. While wearing a Chinese Zebralight headlamp. That's my kind of international kum-by-yah.
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ZRX61
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Vises: Wilton bullets
caper
Well-known member
I'm a professional tech,have been for 20 yrs,and the only time my hands slip on a wrench is when they're oily and satin finish doesn't help with an oily hand.I've had satin finish wrenches before and they were no easier to keep a grip on with oily,greasy hands than any other wrench.I think it's just a marketing ploy for people who don't know any better that allows companies to skip on the finish of a tool and keep costs down while making the consumer think he got an improved design.Almost all the satin finish wrenches I've seen,other than those from europe,have been made as cheap wrenches.The manufacturers used a satin finish to keep costs down.
Bolster
Well-known member
sarel.wagner
Well-known member
It's the same as saying Chroming tools are an indicator of quality, I call BS on that. Satin finish is not unfinished, as much care is put into doing proper satin finish as into chrome. There are enough examples of cheap chrome finishes, on this board, some Craftsman comes to mind, and a few others as well.
Single chrome dipping will rust in short order, looks perfect when new but boy do they rust. I had a few of those, did not bother with trying to warranty them, just got tossed.
Being biased to tools made in your country is good, to a point. Your personal opinions valid, to a point, so are your brand preferences, and mine. We all do have em, no need to bash someone else for having the opposite. (Bolster & Caper, this is not aimed at you or anyone else on here specifically, merely a general statement)
I have tools from most countries in the World, even Japan, nothing from Russia or India, lots from Taiwan to. I use em all, mix em n match em, no problems. Each one serves a purpose, full polish Chrome and Satin finish I still buy what I need/want from any reputable manufacturer like Gedore, Beta, Snappy, Matco, AmPro, Gearwrench etc. etc.
Rgrds
Single chrome dipping will rust in short order, looks perfect when new but boy do they rust. I had a few of those, did not bother with trying to warranty them, just got tossed.
Being biased to tools made in your country is good, to a point. Your personal opinions valid, to a point, so are your brand preferences, and mine. We all do have em, no need to bash someone else for having the opposite. (Bolster & Caper, this is not aimed at you or anyone else on here specifically, merely a general statement)
I have tools from most countries in the World, even Japan, nothing from Russia or India, lots from Taiwan to. I use em all, mix em n match em, no problems. Each one serves a purpose, full polish Chrome and Satin finish I still buy what I need/want from any reputable manufacturer like Gedore, Beta, Snappy, Matco, AmPro, Gearwrench etc. etc.
Rgrds
doctorschmullus
Well-known member
A very rare but high quality japanese brand Sun-Flag are a tool company that only make screwdrivers, very high wuality however
A perfect ground wrench with a perfect satin finish is as expensive to manufacture as a perfect ground perfect glossy chrome wrench
sleek satin finish or glossy chrome - just different plating process, no cost difference (iirc )
The not so perfectly ground wrenches which skip production steps "look cheaper" and are chreaper to manufacture thats clear hence a Hazet wrench over here only cost 1/4 of a similar size Snap-on wrench. I once posted a wrench comparison test and there you could see that cheap looking wrenches at 1/4 to 1/5 the cost are of higher or equal quality (higher torque) than Snap-on. So the finish/design has nothing to do with the quality (torque, exact fitment etc.). In many parts of the world it´s vice versa the glossy chrome is considered cheap and the satin or rougher finish quality. Because most or all of the glossy stuff is imported what is available over here....
The glossy tools targeted customer segment over here is the DIY user.
Also the rougher sandblasted (Hazet e.g.) finish has a better grip than glossy chrome or satin finish. (oily hands, hands or wrench covered with WD-40/rust remover etc.)
sleek satin finish or glossy chrome - just different plating process, no cost difference (iirc
)The not so perfectly ground wrenches which skip production steps "look cheaper" and are chreaper to manufacture thats clear hence a Hazet wrench over here only cost 1/4 of a similar size Snap-on wrench. I once posted a wrench comparison test and there you could see that cheap looking wrenches at 1/4 to 1/5 the cost are of higher or equal quality (higher torque) than Snap-on. So the finish/design has nothing to do with the quality (torque, exact fitment etc.). In many parts of the world it´s vice versa the glossy chrome is considered cheap and the satin or rougher finish quality. Because most or all of the glossy stuff is imported what is available over here....
The glossy tools targeted customer segment over here is the DIY user.
Also the rougher sandblasted (Hazet e.g.) finish has a better grip than glossy chrome or satin finish. (oily hands, hands or wrench covered with WD-40/rust remover etc.)
caper
Well-known member
I don't think it makes any difference with grip.I'm a hydraulic mechanic.I work with hands covered in hydraulic oil all the time.I have shiney chrome wrenches and I have satin finish wrenches.I don't see,or feel any appreciable difference when holding them with oily hands.My satin finish Bonney's slip just as much as my polished Snap on's.Oily hands are oily hands,little bumps on the wrench don't prevent your hands from slipping when your feet are braced against the frame and your pulling with your legs to break the rusted lines free.
Caper... your talking about extreme's nothing will help you when your pulling with your legs. As stated before its the little differences that matter. Maybe YOU dont realize a difference but engineers who design the tools do see the difference because they look at the NUMBERS from slip tests.
caper
Well-known member
Numbers from slip tests?WTF?I'm done,between the sun shining in my eyes from the reflecting chrome and my hands slipping off because I don't have satin finish I don't understand how I ever got any work done with my chrome plated tools.I guess I'll just throw them all out and give up wrenching for a living.Maybe I'll stop actually USING tools and go look at some numbers.Slip tests.F*cking ridiculous.:tard:
sarel.wagner
Well-known member
Caper,
No body suggested you change what works for you, or buy other tools. In the design world, that is exactly how it happens, testing, comparisons, try something new. Both types of finish, as I mentioned earlier, are acceptable, some people prefer one, you = chrome, others chrome or satin, so please.
If one finish was so much worse than another, it would long have been gone. A finish is needed, accept perhaps in Titanium tools. Else rust.
No body suggested you change what works for you, or buy other tools. In the design world, that is exactly how it happens, testing, comparisons, try something new. Both types of finish, as I mentioned earlier, are acceptable, some people prefer one, you = chrome, others chrome or satin, so please.
If one finish was so much worse than another, it would long have been gone. A finish is needed, accept perhaps in Titanium tools. Else rust.
superautobacs
Well-known member
As Monte has mentioned, sandblasted wrenches, such as the Hazets (and I believe the Gedores as well) actually costs more to produce.
Also, sandblasted finish is NOT the same as a smoother-surfaced satin finish like the older KD/Napa/Allen/CMans, Mastercraft/Gray "mapleleaf", and many other lesser-known North American brands from decades ago. The European sandblasted finish produces a rough finish that grips like no other. That said, who knows how long it'll be before that surface starts to wear off when being used in a professional environment.
Also, sandblasted finish is NOT the same as a smoother-surfaced satin finish like the older KD/Napa/Allen/CMans, Mastercraft/Gray "mapleleaf", and many other lesser-known North American brands from decades ago. The European sandblasted finish produces a rough finish that grips like no other. That said, who knows how long it'll be before that surface starts to wear off when being used in a professional environment.
MarcSeattle
Well-known member
It seems to me that talking about "best" tools is tough because it depends on what is being worked on. If I am fixing dump trucks in the arctic then I would want the strongest sealed-head ratchet I could find. If I'm working on a MotoGP bike those factors aren't important. I might choose the ratchet that that has a tiny head for best maneuverability, fine teeth, and feels the best in my hand. One guy wants an Snap on or Proto Big Dawg, the other guy wants a Facom.
Shiny chrome vs matte finish? Now you're talking religion. Staid, practical Northern-European protestants (Hazet, Stahlville) vs exuberant Catholics (Facom, Beta). Snap on is typical U.S.: agnostic and blingy.
Shiny chrome vs matte finish? Now you're talking religion. Staid, practical Northern-European protestants (Hazet, Stahlville) vs exuberant Catholics (Facom, Beta). Snap on is typical U.S.: agnostic and blingy.
