JKennedy
Well-known member
So I was shopping on ZORO and noticed the Blackhawk stuff... Is it any good?
What's it comparable to? Any insight is appreciated.
-Jordan
What's it comparable to? Any insight is appreciated.
-Jordan
Blackhawk by PROTO tools
- Thread starter JKennedy
- Start date
rockwithjason
Well-known member
I have several pieces in my work tool kit and they are sub par. Below gear wrench and craftsman
d.mcfarland
Well-known member
The long reach pliers I have are on par with any of the others I've used.
Buckgnarly
Well-known member
I have a double box offset reversible wrench set that has been flawless, use them like crazy!
devoncoolman
Well-known member
Most of the current production stuff is about the quality of gearwrench. Maybe less.
devoncoolman
Well-known member
id probably say no. Ud probably be better off with craftsman. Blackhawk isnt what it was 20-30 years ago. For the average home user there tools are ok. With a cheap price typically comes a cheap product. I would buy proto or willams if i were u.
Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
I actually have quite a bit of Blackhawk, but mine is about 10 years old, so keep that in mind.
-Having owned most brands of sockets, I would say without a doubt Blackhawk's sockets and extensions are nicer than Craftsman, Gearwrench, and Armstrong.......and even everyone's favorite SK. Not as nice as Proto, Snap On, or Williams, but very nice. My only real ***** with them is the size markings are really small.
-Combination wrenches are excellent; much nicer than a Craftsman RP. I also really like their full polish flare nut wrenches. Their reversable ratcheting wrenches are leaps and bounds above Gearwrench (no experience with the new 120xp's). Adjustable wrenches are similar to a Western Forge, so I would say they are middle of the road. Overall, I really like their wrenches and consider them a bargain; especially their polished wrenches.
-Punches and chisels have served me very well, so I can't say anything negative about them.
-Pliers are generally nicer than most Western Forge products and pretty comparable to Channellock.
-I had the old Yellow handled screwdrivers and they worked great, but the tips weren't blasted, they were just chrome. I would say they are a step up from the standard Craftsman screwdrivers.
-Their old round head ratchets sucked. Too much backdrag to be worth a damn. SK has them beat hands down. I hear the new Taiwan ratchets are pretty nice, but I don't have any first hand experience.
-Hex keys are re-branded Eklind, and have never let me down.
I like my older stuff, but if I was going to be buying new stuff I think I would go with Williams as they are a real bargain and in my experience much higher quality than GearWrench.
-Having owned most brands of sockets, I would say without a doubt Blackhawk's sockets and extensions are nicer than Craftsman, Gearwrench, and Armstrong.......and even everyone's favorite SK. Not as nice as Proto, Snap On, or Williams, but very nice. My only real ***** with them is the size markings are really small.
-Combination wrenches are excellent; much nicer than a Craftsman RP. I also really like their full polish flare nut wrenches. Their reversable ratcheting wrenches are leaps and bounds above Gearwrench (no experience with the new 120xp's). Adjustable wrenches are similar to a Western Forge, so I would say they are middle of the road. Overall, I really like their wrenches and consider them a bargain; especially their polished wrenches.
-Punches and chisels have served me very well, so I can't say anything negative about them.
-Pliers are generally nicer than most Western Forge products and pretty comparable to Channellock.
-I had the old Yellow handled screwdrivers and they worked great, but the tips weren't blasted, they were just chrome. I would say they are a step up from the standard Craftsman screwdrivers.
-Their old round head ratchets sucked. Too much backdrag to be worth a damn. SK has them beat hands down. I hear the new Taiwan ratchets are pretty nice, but I don't have any first hand experience.
-Hex keys are re-branded Eklind, and have never let me down.
I like my older stuff, but if I was going to be buying new stuff I think I would go with Williams as they are a real bargain and in my experience much higher quality than GearWrench.
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I have a set of metric 3/8 Blackhawk sockets, and the finish on the inside isn't too hot. Trying to remove the black tarnish with fingernails, I wound up with some bright metal flakes (likely chrome) all over my hands.
Probably on par with Williams stuff, but definitely not up to snuff with standard Proto. It's their cheaper brand for a reason, but whether it's worth the jump in cost to go to Proto, I can't quite say.
We have a Blackhawk service jack here that's prob 20-30 years old, doesn't leak, and still works like a stud. Made in Japan, so likely sourced from another manufacturer, but it's still great.
Probably on par with Williams stuff, but definitely not up to snuff with standard Proto. It's their cheaper brand for a reason, but whether it's worth the jump in cost to go to Proto, I can't quite say.
We have a Blackhawk service jack here that's prob 20-30 years old, doesn't leak, and still works like a stud. Made in Japan, so likely sourced from another manufacturer, but it's still great.
wow no way. I've got quite a bit of new blackhawk by proto and find a lot of it to be excellent values and extremely beefy.
I've been using blackhawk by proto sockets (made in the usa) for the past year plus working on airplanes and have not had a single issue. The chrome still looks new. The fine tooth taiwanese ratchets are ok. Better than craftsman not on par with the armstrong maxx's tho.
Lots of good stuff in the blackhawk line up. Their American made chrome sockets are hands down the best deal in professional level hand tools.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy blackhawk if you are on a budget. I've used them as a pro for a while and never been let down.
Loscaldazar
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2013
- Messages
- 2,385
I wonder if some people are confusing Blue Hawk and Blackhawk. The first is a cheap import line sold by Lowes and not to be confused with Blackhawk by proto.
jeepinerdeep
Well-known member
I've got a set of combos 1/4-1 1/4 and 2 sets of ratcheting wrenches from about 2002.
The ratchet wrench action is great! No complaints.
The combos aren't outstanding, but also not terrible. I wore out the 9/16 in 2 years, they are IMO on par with the CM full polish of the same era. I have them still as a backup set to 15/16 and my only combos from 15/16 to 1 1/4. IMO was a decent value.
Just picked up a set of industrial finish SAE combos in the company box ( German company- all metric ) for when I run in to SAE on other OEM chassis. Haven't used them hard at all but again good value.
The ratchet wrench action is great! No complaints.
The combos aren't outstanding, but also not terrible. I wore out the 9/16 in 2 years, they are IMO on par with the CM full polish of the same era. I have them still as a backup set to 15/16 and my only combos from 15/16 to 1 1/4. IMO was a decent value.
Just picked up a set of industrial finish SAE combos in the company box ( German company- all metric ) for when I run in to SAE on other OEM chassis. Haven't used them hard at all but again good value.
Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
Check out toolsdelivered.com, they seem to have just about everything, and at good prices. They mark all the USA made tools in the description as Williams also has a Taiwan line.
nicksnothereman
Well-known member
The taiwanese stuff is probably comparable to the other taiwanese stuff. The US stuff is probably a little better than craftsman usa at the end of that era. It's fairly inexpensive stuff so...there shouldn't be that much disappointment in what you're getting just harder to warranty because it's mail in (if warranty exists).
I don't think it was ever intended as "top shelf" quality. I've seen the old stock sockets and there were definitely better made brands across the years. Doesn't mean it's not usable and doesn't mean you won't get use out of it just means you're not getting professional quality you're getting "homeowner plus" quality (a bit more durable than the GOOD homeowner/diy brands).
I don't think it was ever intended as "top shelf" quality. I've seen the old stock sockets and there were definitely better made brands across the years. Doesn't mean it's not usable and doesn't mean you won't get use out of it just means you're not getting professional quality you're getting "homeowner plus" quality (a bit more durable than the GOOD homeowner/diy brands).
Wamsutta
Well-known member
That depends on WHEN the tool in question was made. Some of the older Blackhawk tools (like nose pliers and screwdrivers) were rebranded Proto and they were stamped USA.
sonvolt
Well-known member
I have new Blackhawk sockets and they have worked flawlessly, excellent quality for the $$
SawtoothJL
Well-known member
Blackhawk sockets, and extensions are great!
Stooge
Well-known member
we have a blackhawk 1/4 and 3/8 drive set here in the lab, probably a couple years old but still fairly new. i was actually pleasantly surprised with the quality of the sockets and extensions and that they were US made. not so much a fan of the ratchets that came with in the set, was more expecting just proto copies but they were more towards SK round head copies with the thumbwheel heads, really sloppy and loose and just felt pretty cheap overall. i wouldnt hesitate to buy new socket sets from them though, good product, nice price and made here.
devoncoolman
Well-known member
Nobody is thinking blue hawk were not stupid. The last blackhawk tools i checked out was a full set of metric hand tools about 4-5 years ago. The sockets were ok very usable but not on par with snap-on,mac,or matco. The ratchet wrenches were nice. Ratchets sucked. I was not impressed with the quality vs price. At that time you could have gotten a metric and sae set from craftsman for less. Just replace the ratchets and upgrade to the pro wrenches and u had better tools for less.
Mind u i was looking at them on a mac truck so im sure the price was inflated. Prob why i was not impressed with the quality vs price.
Mind u i was looking at them on a mac truck so im sure the price was inflated. Prob why i was not impressed with the quality vs price.
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Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Blackhawk tools are solid no frills basic hand tools. Do not compare them to snap on as that would be an apples to oranges type comparison. A lot of current Blackhawk is US made but, there's also a bunch of their stuff that hails from Taiwan too. you need to judge each tool on its own merits but, they should serve you well.
I have a blackhawk socket set and it's ok. Ratchets are too tight, sockets are about gearwrench quality. I do also have a set of their locking flex ratchething wrenches used those for about 6 years and they are great but I did strip the locking mechanism on one of them but mostly due to misuse.
warmpancakes
Well-known member
I have some older blackhawk reversable stubby ratcheting wrenches, they are excellent, these are the original ones that came in the heavy red trays with a black plastic case
OutsideMachinist
Well-known member
Blackhawk are good tools. I use their wrenches and sockets every day and I would say they are on par with SK. They are absolutely better than craftsman and gearwrench. Hardline stuff is US and good quality. The ratchets and ratcheting wrenches are taiwan now dont have those so cant comment, but they seem to get good reviews.
Most of Blackhawk's sockets and wrenches are made in the U.S. some of their pliers and screwdrivers are made offshore. I've got a small 3/8" socket set, as well as several wrenches; they're very good quality, and an excellent value.
RM209
RM209