Expert line wrenches and Supco thermometer question

[Denwad]

I just got a set of Expert line wrenches and i've got to say wow! they blow my Duralast ones out of the water in terms of fit and finish. They aren't perfect but I'm pretty happy with my purchase. I haven't used them yet, but i will soon when i replace the master cylinder on my beater.

And i just recently got this Supco infrared thermometer for 1$ at a yard sale, and I'm not sure if its accurate, is there any way to verify its temperature quickly? aim it at a pot of boiling water?

 

[AndrewV]

I was talking to my mac guy about them today.
Don't need them. But never stopped me from buying something lol.

 

[ClineWrench]

Haven't heard of the expert brand before. Sure look nice though. Where is that tool line sold at and what's their back story?

 

[dede2897234]

Expert is one of the hand tool lines under Stanley Black & Decker. You can check out the full hand tool catalog here: LINK.


Dave

 

[Denwad]

I bought them on the MAC truck. The salesman told me that Expert is MAC's "2nd line" of tools, as he didn't have any MAC line wrenches in stock. I guess Expert is analogous to Bluepoint.

They are made in Taiwan, not USA, but the fit and finish seems very good to me. I am not very experienced in quality tools however. The price including tax was around 48$ for the set.

 

[Rico.]

The Expert line of tools was Uncle Stanleys way of saving quite allot of money by making
one line of tools and then selling them under multiple Brand names that they own.

The ones I know of, off the top of my head are....

Pastorino Expert from Italy
Britool Expert from England
MAC Expert from the USA
Tona Expert from the Czech Republic

All of these Brands were once highly regarded, but now nothing more than names
being used to flog generic Taiwanese tools... Not that they're bad tools, but in the
case of Britool Tools as I have first hand experience of that brand, not a patch on the
quality they once were.

Stanley's best brands MAC, USAG & Facom still have tools that are made to their
own high quality specs, but even USAG is now pretty much all rebranded Facom and
even MAC has a few rebranded Facom tools in their lineup. Luckily the quality of
Facom tools, in my humble opinion, is still top quality... so at least they're keeping a
few brands at the top table.

As for the "Expert" tools themselves.... if they cost a similar amount to Gearwrench
then I'm sure they will serve you well for a long time, for a reasonable price.

 

[Denwad]

anybody know about the thermometer? how to tell if its accuracy

 

[bonneyman]

anybody know about the thermometer? how to tell if its accuracy

Supco stands for "Sealed Unit Parts Company". An old and very respectable HVAC parts company.

http://www.supco.com/images/pdfs/2009 HVAC Caralog/2009 Catalog Refrigeration chemical for Web.pdf

See page 70 of the catalog for their IR units.
IR thermometers use the "black body emission principle" to measure heat. Simply put, black objects emit specific wavelengths of infrared light at specific temperatures. The IR thermometer measures that radiation. However, you must be pointing the laser indicator at a black object to get the most accurate reading. The typical trick in the field is to put a small piece of black electrical tape on a AC vent, and let the air blow for a few minutes. Then zap the black tape, and the IR thermometer will give you the reading. (Removing the tape after is easy and leaves no residue). To check it's calibration, insert an old mercury thermometer in the vent next to the tape, wait a few minutes, then zap it with the IR unit. The reading it gives should be pretty darn close to your stick thermometer. I use old mercury bulb thermometers because I don't have to worry about them losing their calibration.

Hope this helps!