First "pro" tools, need reassurance

[Codejack]

He's flipping cars, and most cars are metric these days I assume? Even the American brands. My '11 Ford Focus and '11 Honda CRV are both metric.

Would he ever come across a SAE fastener on post 1990 or so vehicles?

Lots of American cars, especially trucks, had SAE bolts at least up until the 2000s, although usually a mix, which is fun

I'm also working on lawnmowers and such; my old 25" Snapper, for example, has a 1-1/8" bolt holding the clutch disc on.


----------------------------------

Incidentally, I pulled the trigger on that box; the price came down and I got it for $52, shipped:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008DP7VBK/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Sockets and ratchets are about $175, maybe cheaper if I hit HF during a sale, but we have 10% sales tax.

I'm going to at least look at the HF wrenches, the polished ones that look like the Tekton:

https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-...-sae-metric-combination-wrench-set-69314.html

Which has at least one positive review:

If I don't like how they feel, this looks like the next step up:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OXUPMGK/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Mr_B]

kind of makes sense you building minimal kit, the gearwrench sets are good value but if you not going make use of the socket range then you not benefiting.
Lot of people don't like HF and i'm not the biggest fan but the pro range sockets ratchets and few other bits decent for price and warranty .
Wrenches are the tricky one, none seem that good to me but then I been spoilt.
I work mainly on cars and machinary and with metric fasteners but I also sideline in small engine work seasonally and thus like you still need the standard tools . Try hold out for wrenches that decent enough and you like . Tekton ones looked and felt better than what I seen at HF in the past but not sure if better than other cheaper sets.
Could be worth starting new thread on wrenches.
You prety much conluded on rest of it and at price/warranty can't go far wrong really .

 

[Sal Bandini]

http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=ARM56-611

$62 for Armstrong metric 7-17mm, 19mm. The SAE set is $75.

The quote I saw in another forum about Stahlwille:

"The German stuff is so damned expensive you have to approach it from the perspective of a collection rather than utility."

Earlier in the year the US dollar was better to the Euro but still not too bad. You can order from Germany for comparable price of Armstrong

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B001D32J7K/

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B001EGKX9W/

 

[Codejack]

kind of makes sense you building minimal kit, the gearwrench sets are good value but if you not going make use of the socket range then you not benefiting.
Lot of people don't like HF and i'm not the biggest fan but the pro range sockets ratchets and few other bits decent for price and warranty .
Wrenches are the tricky one, none seem that good to me but then I been spoilt.
I work mainly on cars and machinary and with metric fasteners but I also sideline in small engine work seasonally and thus like you still need the standard tools . Try hold out for wrenches that decent enough and you like . Tekton ones looked and felt better than what I seen at HF in the past but not sure if better than other cheaper sets.
Could be worth starting new thread on wrenches.
You prety much conluded on rest of it and at price/warranty can't go far wrong really .

I'm about at the point where I'm just going to blow the $17 on the polished HF set; if they are as good as their boosters claim, then it's money well spent; if not, then I'm out less than the cost of a nice dinner. If I can hit HF on a sale, I should be able to get the whole set for just under $200, so $250 for the whole shebang.

After that is a Tekton set for $60:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OXUPMGK/?tag=atomicindus08-20

But that is absolutely as much as I would spend on a portable kit.

----------------------------------------------------

This is now becoming urgent; I just wasted an hour trying to change 3 bolts on that roto-tiller, because I don't have the right sizes of wrench. I had to dig out an old socket set and use 2 ratchets on each end of them.

My current car should be sold by the weekend, and I'll have the cash to buy this set.

 

[Shark Pilot]

Just picked up this 300 pc Kobalt set for my son on clearance for $79.60 at my local store:https://www.amazon.com/Kobalt-300-Piece-Standard-Mechanics-Wrenches/dp/B00OMD16C2. Its currently selling for $120.00 on their website. Has 72 teeth ratchets and 6 pt sockets in 1/2" drive plus a few Torx bit sockets and E-Torx sockets plus 2 sparkplug sockets plus metric & SAE combo wrenches. Cheap enough to pull out what you need for your on the go box. And cheap enough to upgrade specific pieces you use frequently.

 

[Codejack]

Just picked up this 300 pc Kobalt set for my son on clearance for $79.60 at my local store:https://www.amazon.com/Kobalt-300-Piece-Standard-Mechanics-Wrenches/dp/B00OMD16C2. Its currently selling for $120.00 on their website. Has 72 teeth ratchets and 6 pt sockets in 1/2" drive plus a few Torx bit sockets and E-Torx sockets plus 2 sparkplug sockets plus metric & SAE combo wrenches. Cheap enough to pull out what you need for your on the go box. And cheap enough to upgrade specific pieces you use frequently.

OK, if I can find that for $80, I will buy it and just add in what I need; their website is telling me that it is closer to $200, though, which is more than my spec'd out HF set with impact sockets.

If I can get it for less than ~$100, though, I can just drop all the chrome sockets and wrenches from the HF list and come out with more sockets for about the same money.

A lot of those will be sitting in a drawer, though...

 

[Shark Pilot]

Shows up as $119.40 on their website:https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-300-Piece-Standard-SAE-and-Metric-Mechanic-s-Tool-Set/4640237. That's what it came up at on the register but it was marked as clearance for $79.60 on the shelf. Even at $120 its like 40 cents a tool granted there is stuff you may not need (but you never know if you're working on a large variety of different stuff) although it has good size range like 1 1/4" SAE and 24mm in 1/2" drive 6 pt sockets.

 

[jd_1138]

Shows up as $119.40 on their website:https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-300-Piece-Standard-SAE-and-Metric-Mechanic-s-Tool-Set/4640237. That's what it came up at on the register but it was marked as clearance for $79.60 on the shelf. Even at $120 its like 40 cents a tool granted there is stuff you may not need (but you never know if you're working on a large variety of different stuff) although it has good size range like 1 1/4" SAE and 24mm in 1/2" drive 6 pt sockets.

It says $190 on my browser. $120 would be a bargain especially since a lot of mechanics spend that much on like 10 Snap-On wrenches.

 

[sberry]

Wow, the Kobalt looks like a new award winner and at 79$ they almost paid you to carry it out. The big socket is a bonus. There are a few things in the world that are 1 1/4 I think this beats the Sears 309 to a new high in low. Enough stuff there to fix most stuff on a car. Certainly to do simple work. A guy would need to add a dozen or so things to it, vise grips and a hammer or 2 but that covers a lot of fasteners.

 

[sberry]

80$ is kids toy pricing. Given that a guy could buy the set and do one minor parts change and recoup the cost in half a day. Perfect student starter kit. Excellent grad gift.
10 wrenches from Snappy would be closer to 300 than 79.
You would need to build around it a little but there is room at that basic price.

 

[Codejack]

Well, it looks like that Lowe's deal is location specific; I just ran down to Lowe's (I was going that way, anyway... honest!), and they want $199 for it. I even talked to the manager, he wouldn't budge, even when I mentioned that I was upgrading and would like to stay all Kobalt...

I did look at the wrenches they had; do people like them? Are they comparable to the Tektons? Because I then went across the street to look at the Pittsburgh set, and... well, I bought them

I brought them home, took some pictures, and then went and played with some lawnmower bolts with them; they feel great, they are tight, the finish is good... I will let everyone know if they break or round off bolts when they shouldn't, but I like them so far.

I also looked at the sockets and ratchets while I was there; I was impressed. I'm not sure about the "color coded" sockets; I see the appeal, but I also think that I might paint them myself if I want to do that...

So, I'm pretty well locked in with Pittsburgh, but I was talking to my mechanic (the guy I take stuff to when I run out of patience ), and he pointed out that, if I am going to be serious about this, I am going to wind up with a dozen different tool sets, anyway, so at worst this is an experiment to see if these tools are any good or not. He wants me to buy Blue Point from his truck guy, so that will probably be my next/shop set.

 

[Codejack]

Wow, the Kobalt looks like a new award winner and at 79$ they almost paid you to carry it out. The big socket is a bonus. There are a few things in the world that are 1 1/4 I think this beats the Sears 309 to a new high in low. Enough stuff there to fix most stuff on a car. Certainly to do simple work. A guy would need to add a dozen or so things to it, vise grips and a hammer or 2 but that covers a lot of fasteners.

If I could get it for $79.... looks like a local deal, because my local Lowe's had it, but not even on sale, much less discount. $200.

I have another box of tools...

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6633083#post6633083

 

[Codejack]

Test of Pittsburgh wrench:

That would seem to test both strength and fit, right? Or it would break or round the nut.

 

[Shark Pilot]

Make Milford, CT your Lowes store (use 06470 as zip):https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-300-Piece-Standard-SAE-and-Metric-Mechanic-s-Tool-Set/4640237?AID=10935405&PID=6147012&SID=j5k6gxzg0b0025g300e43&cm_mmc=AFF_CJ-_-6147012-_-2470763-_-10935405# and then have it shipped to your address. It comes up at $79.60 online at the Milford, CT store.

 

[Codejack]

Make Milford, CT your Lowes store (use 06470 as zip):https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-300-Piece-Standard-SAE-and-Metric-Mechanic-s-Tool-Set/4640237?AID=10935405&PID=6147012&SID=j5k6gxzg0b0025g300e43&cm_mmc=AFF_CJ-_-6147012-_-2470763-_-10935405# and then have it shipped to your address. It comes up at $79.60 online at the Milford, CT store.

"Parcel Shipping
Unavailable for This Order"

It's a 14-hour drive, 900 miles, with 30 road construction zones in between

 

[Shark Pilot]

That's too bad - guess its a store by store thing in terms of pricing. Have a brother in Knoxville and have done that drive more than a few - not worth it!

 

[Codejack]

That's too bad - guess its a store by store thing in terms of pricing. Have a brother in Knoxville and have done that drive more than a few - not worth it!

I hear you; my Dad was in Delaware for a while, and that was bad enough.

 

[Tallpilot]

It's $200 for me as well. You got a smoking deal but I don't expect too many other people to be able to take advantage of it.

I have both Pittsburgh (India) and Tekton wrenches and the Tekton are much better feeling in the hand and more visually appealing. But I would be pretty irritated if they got stolen out of my truck. The Pittsburgh ones work they just don't look or feel as nice as the Tekton.

I don't put Sunex wrenches in the same category because they are ChiCom just like new Gearwrench. I love my XL DBE ratcheting Gearwrench from Taiwan but I am not super impressed with my flex heads from China.

Note: Sunex sockets made in Taiwan are fantastic. Too bad they don't make their wrenches there. I would like their angle wrench set.

 

[Treeman]

Big SIGH.......in the "old days" you could just go to Sears and put together a respectable U.S. made set with a wonderful warranty.

Thanks for the great thread. I admire (and can relate to) your attention to details. OCD *****.

 

[Codejack]

I have both Pittsburgh (India) and Tekton wrenches and the Tekton are much better feeling in the hand and more visually appealing. But I would be pretty irritated if they got stolen out of my truck. The Pittsburgh ones work they just don't look or feel as nice as the Tekton.

Well, I'm coming from the old raised panel Craftsman, which I never liked.

These have the full polish and the slim design. I compared one to its CM counterpart; they are a little shorter, and both slimmer and thinner in the body, but thicker at the ends.

Big SIGH.......in the "old days" you could just go to Sears and put together a respectable U.S. made set with a wonderful warranty.

You say that.... I never had much luck with Craftsman; I had a socket set and a wrench set, and you can see the mangled remnants of the wrench set. The socket set was thrown away for sucking too hard.

Thanks for the great thread. I admire (and can relate to) your attention to details. OCD *****.

Heh, one of those times when OCD comes in handy

This was a particularly fun problem though: Balancing weight, cost, quality and variety.

 

[Shark Pilot]

I would check out the GearWrench 239‑Piece SAE/Metric Mechanics Tool Set which is $150 on Tooldiscounter:http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=KDT80942&source=froogle&kw=KDT80942&gclid=CjwKCAjw2NvLBRAjEiwAF98GMYwYNk_6bqb-4zrP4SIB_I_KYGPmjgl33SGGfvCDBFQRbvc0rHFDcRoCwYkQAvD_BwE Also check out the GearWrench 80550P:http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=KDT80550P which gets you 120 tooth ratchet and the matching 1/4" set for free on promo for $104 in both metric and SAE standard and deep. Add the GearWrench 80700P in 1/2" for $140 and you have a pretty decent set.

I think the GearWrench 239‑Piece SAE/Metric Mechanics Tool Set for $150 is a decent real world deal . The GW gives you 1/2" drive sockets up to 27mm in metric and 1 1/2 " SAE. Plus you get long pattern combo wrenches from 7mm to 19mm no skips and 1/4" to 3/4" SAE.

Alternatively, GW 120XP socket sets are also a good deal if you like the dual 60 handles. The 1/2" set has 6-point sockets which the 239 piece set above doesn't have but it only goes to 24mm and of course you're only getting sockets.

Also check out this thread on GearWrench in Hot Deals:https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=321931

Personally, when I look at the HF stuff I feel like I could spend a few $'s more and get the GW stuff which is made in Taiwan. Or look at Toptul or go with Koken which is Japanese.

 

[Codejack]

I would check out the GearWrench 239‑Piece SAE/Metric Mechanics Tool Set which is $150 on Tooldiscounter:

/facepalm

Sorry, but that was what I started out looking at.

I think the GearWrench 239‑Piece SAE/Metric Mechanics Tool Set for $150 is a decent real world deal . The GW gives you 1/2" drive sockets up to 27mm in metric and 1 1/2 " SAE. Plus you get long pattern combo wrenches from 7mm to 19mm no skips and 1/4" to 3/4" SAE.

And it has a few problems:

1. The ratchets ****; 45 tooth and bad reviews. 120xp or their 84-tooth ratchets can be had, but it adds ~$75.

2. The box is too big, too flimsy, and too heavy; this can be solved with a new box and leaving ~1/2 the sockets at home, which brings us to...

3. It has too much. If this were a garage set, it wouldn't matter, but this is a portable set.

4. I don't like the 12 point 1/2" sockets, and every set seems to do that. That's actually one reason I'm upgrading to impact sockets in my HF set, because the chrome set is 12 point.

So, to get that set, plus the ratchets, plus the box, plus the impact sockets, is over budget.

Yea, I get a ton of sockets, but do I really need to have a 26mm on hand? Do I really need 8 different 14mm sockets in various combinations of 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", standard and deep, 6 point and 12 point?

And to get all of those, I'm giving up either a decent box, decent ratchets, or impact sockets.

Th GW box looks like a good starter set for a garage/DIY'er, and I might even pick one up when I start my shop set (probably this fall/winter), but it has too much that I don't need, and not enough of what I do.

Alternatively, GW 120XP socket sets are also a good deal if you like the dual 60 handles.

Those have been widely panned on the forum; I was told that the 84-tooth sets were better.

Personally, when I look at the HF stuff I feel like I could spend a few $'s more and get the GW stuff which is made in Taiwan. Or look at Toptul or go with Koken which is Japanese.

The Pittsburgh Pro line is all made in Taiwan, and everything that I have spec'd out (except the wrenches) is from the Pro line; the wrenches are from India, but have good reviews, which is good since I picked them up earlier this evening

I promptly went out and put them on some bolts on a roto tiller I've been working on; grade 8 bolts with lock nuts, so I was putting some force on them, but they were tight and felt good.

Anyway, the other stuff has videos on youtube of people doing stupid stuff to try to break them: Taking a flex head ratchet and giving it 400 ft-lb of torque, then putting it into a vice and hammering it with an impact gun; another guy was testing one of the ratchets and broke a Snap On socket.

 

[Shark Pilot]

From my perspective I look at these tool set "deals" from either the socket side or the combo wrench side of the equation. I figure a decent set of combo wrenches is around $50 so for metric & SAE we're talking around $100. So for the 239 pc GW set which has decent long pattern combo wrenches in both metric & SAE you're getting all the socket stuff for around $50. Not a bad deal even though the 1/2" drive isn't 6 pt and the ratchets aren't that great. For me, combo wrenches are a necessary evil, I don't use them very often, but when I do I usually need a minimum of "decent". Not sure if HF from India is "decent".

 

[Codejack]

I figure a decent set of combo wrenches is around $50 so for metric & SAE we're talking around $100.

If the HF ones ****/fail, I'm looking at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OXUPMGK/?tag=atomicindus08-20

The full 30-piece set is close to $100, but that's 22 pieces of everything I use... almost ever, for $60.

Not sure if HF from India is "decent".

Well, I've got a Miata coming in for brakes, timing belt and some interior work, and a Jeep that just needs some maintenance and a little body work. I'll be using these some, and I will report back on how the $17 Indian wrenches hold up.

Actually, I got 20% off, so they were less than $15 with tax; to get that on each item, though, I would have to go back every day for 2 weeks....

Ok, so I go with my kids, and have each of them buy one of the most expensive items...

 

[ross03]

I'm pretty sure every set box Ive had from gearwrench has failed at the latch in less than a year

 

[Tallpilot]

Well, I'm coming from the old raised panel Craftsman, which I never liked.

This was a particularly fun problem though: Balancing weight, cost, quality and variety.

Any full polish wrench will feel like a big upgrade then. I also started with raised panels, now I could never go back.

You are right about the socket sets and the 1/2in drive. They are almost always 12 point and very few deeps. You asked about Klutch a while back. I started with their big 305 piece set when I first upgraded to big boy tools. If you have a Northern Tool nearby I think they are better than HF for chrome sockets. HF is better for impact, especially the pro line.

This was a fun exercise. My mobile tool kit is a Tekton 3/8 master set in a case and 7-24mm wrenches in a roll plus a Gearwrench 1/4in pass through set for tight areas. Then a small ammo box with pliers, wire strippers, stubbies, etc. It was about $180 all in and fits behind the seat in my Tacoma well.

I think you put together something better than Craftsman for about half that so you did well. Don't spend too much time on this board though or all the money you make flipping cars will just end up in tools.

 

[sberry]

Shopping is so much easier today, can buy a decent ratchet in a grocery store anymore for lunch kind of money. 24 hours a day. We are getting a local parts store, will take a little pressure off of stocking our own when its close or planning delivery.
A full size parts store has so much stuff, about everything to fix a car and any given socket that the avg guy doesn't have for that type of work. You can buy a single socket at a decent price.
I used all that Kalvan, Lisle, Duro, ATD. Extensions, Snap ring pliers, paint equipment, screwdrivers, Duro impact sockets, bout everything worked well except for the Napa ratchets. Polished with Sears guts.
Some of it isn't finely finished but it worked, same for a few air tools. Let the stores keep something till yo need it, so you got to stop once n a while, big deal, easier than buying everything in sight and storing it all just in case.

 

[Codejack]

Any full polish wrench will feel like a big upgrade then. I also started with raised panels, now I could never go back.

My Kobalt ratchet wrenches are polished, and the HF ones feel very similar.

You are right about the socket sets and the 1/2in drive. They are almost always 12 point and very few deeps.

Is there a reason for that, good or bad? I have heard some people say that 12 points are better for big bolts, but it's not exactly clear how...

If you have a Northern Tool nearby I think they are better than HF for chrome sockets. HF is better for impact, especially the pro line.

NT is across town, 45 min away; HF is close, 15 min.

And other than the wrenches, everything that I spec'd out is the pro line

This was a fun exercise. My mobile tool kit is a Tekton 3/8 master set in a case and 7-24mm wrenches in a roll plus a Gearwrench 1/4in pass through set for tight areas. Then a small ammo box with pliers, wire strippers, stubbies, etc. It was about $180 all in and fits behind the seat in my Tacoma well.

Sounds perfect for an emergency kit; mine is more of a nomadic mechanic's semi-pro kit, so I need a little more

I think you put together something better than Craftsman for about half that so you did well. Don't spend too much time on this board though or all the money you make flipping cars will just end up in tools.

I think that might be unavoidable

 

[Codejack]

Shopping is so much easier today, can buy a decent ratchet in a grocery store anymore for lunch kind of money. 24 hours a day. We are getting a local parts store, will take a little pressure off of stocking our own when its close or planning delivery.
A full size parts store has so much stuff, about everything to fix a car and any given socket that the avg guy doesn't have for that type of work. You can buy a single socket at a decent price.
I used all that Kalvan, Lisle, Duro, ATD. Extensions, Snap ring pliers, paint equipment, screwdrivers, Duro impact sockets, bout everything worked well except for the Napa ratchets. Polished with Sears guts.
Some of it isn't finely finished but it worked, same for a few air tools. Let the stores keep something till yo need it, so you got to stop once n a while, big deal, easier than buying everything in sight and storing it all just in case.

Yea, I started off working in a parts store, learning about tools and cars from the old hands (old shadetree mechs themselves) and buying stuff on discount, but the tools were ****.

I still have most of my Thorsen set, the first real socket set that I bought; it's my little backup kit for when I need a double of something, or, until now, 1/4" drive.

I bought a lot of Kalvan and ATD stuff, though; some of it was great, some of it was garbage, like everything else back in the 90s.

I'm still using my 2.5 ton Pro-Lift floor jack and jack stands, though, that I bought 22 years ago. I've never even serviced the jack, it just keeps working; I'm almost afraid to do anything to it....

 

[Tallpilot]

Is there a reason for that, good or bad? I have heard some people say that 12 points are better for big bolts, but it's not exactly clear how...

I think the concensus is that it is pretty hard to round a 24+mm bolt so it doesn't matter. But the reason they are in sets is because they are cheaper to broach. Same reason they don't include 1/2 in drive deeps, too much metal makes them expensive. You do run into 12 pt fasteners occasionally though so I have a set of impacts from 10-32 mm just in case.

I work out of my garage though so I don't need to economize space so much. I just bought a 48x24x72in storage cabinet for all of the blow mold cases full of specialty tools that don't fit well in a roll cab. That's been very nice.

 

[Codejack]

I think the concensus is that it is pretty hard to round a 24+mm bolt so it doesn't matter. But the reason they are in sets is because they are cheaper to broach. Same reason they don't include 1/2 in drive deeps, too much metal makes them expensive. You do run into 12 pt fasteners occasionally though so I have a set of impacts from 10-32 mm just in case.

Ah, the mystery is solved. Thank you.

The only 12 points I have ever run into were clutch plate bolts, and at the time, I literally went out and bought a single socket, which is probably what I will do for the immediate future (as I am not planning on doing clutch jobs in fields or parking lots... or at all, if I can help it).

I work out of my garage though so I don't need to economize space so much. I just bought a 48x24x72in storage cabinet for all of the blow mold cases full of specialty tools that don't fit well in a roll cab. That's been very nice.

I have a garage/shop, but it is set up for printing and photography (a dark room!) right now, and has to be cleaned out and a wall torn down before I can use it for auto work. Even then, height is an issue, so if I have to pull a motor or transmission, it will have to happen in the driveway.

Oh, and the cat play room built onto the front of it, over the garage door, has to go...

Once that is done, though, I have a rolling tool box (at my brother's house at the moment) with some decent air tools in it, but I never got around to filling it up with good hand tools before (divorce, loss of job, illness, injury... take your pick).

 

[Codejack]

OK, they're just %$@!ing with me now:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UM688Z6/?tag=atomicindus08-20

That's a Gearwrench 3/8" drive thin wall impact socket set, in standard and deep, 44 pieces including extensions and a u-joint, for $60.

HF doesn't have 3/8" impact sockets in their Pro line, and the normal line is both thick-wall and not well reviewed, so I hadn't bothered, but this set is both in budget and goes into small enough sizes that I could eliminate the 1/4" set, at least in the short term.

That gets the whole set down to $225: Box, 1/2" and 3/8" impact sockets in SAE and Metric, and deep in 3/8", the composite ratchets and the wrenches I already bought.

I could actually get a 1/4" impact set and just stay in budget:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MVB9M0/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Add the $15 composite ratchet from HF, and this whole kit came in right at $300.

I'm probably going to wait on the 1/4" set for now, since I don't use them that often and the GW set goes a little lower than the chrome HF set.

Any nay-sayers on Gearwrench or Sunex impact sockets, or is project "all impact sockets" a go?

Edit: Wrong link.

 

[jd_1138]

That's an awesome price on those GW sockets. I'd grab that.

 

[Codejack]

That's an awesome price on those GW sockets. I'd grab that.

Trigger was pulled; I even got free shipping

I can go get the HF ratchet when the set comes in, and wait for the next 20% off sale on the 1/2" set, then grab the 1/4" set next time I have a spare $75...

 

[tvtaurus]

Apologies if you've seen me ask elsewhere, but I've always been a super cheapskate, and I want to make sure I get this purchase right.

I do shadetree mechanic work, small engine repair, etc, and am now graduating into flipping cars, more serious repairs and more consistent work. I need a cased set of sockets and wrenches that I can put in the trunk of my car, of better than home/hobbyist quality.

This Gearwrench set has almost everything that I need:

http://www.gearwrench.com/gearwrenc...-1-2-drive-metric-sae-socket-ratchet-set.html

And it shares most of the parts with their TEP sets. The only downside I see is that it has their cheap, 45-tooth ratchets.

But this set:

http://www.gearwrench.com/gearwrenc...-2-drive-120xptm-full-polish-ratchet-set.html

Looks like it will fit into the case with only minor modifications.

This is cheaper than anything short of Blue Point/Silver Eagle/Proto/SK/Williams, and I've actually found the big set for less than a comparable Craftsman or Kobalt set (discontinued model, new series just came out). The only thing that I have found that looks even close is a Stanley Professional kit:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LVVN9VH/?tag=atomicindus08-20

But even that is twice as much money.

So, Gearwrench for $250, Stanley Professional for $400, or Blue Point/SK for $700?

Even as a professional I own very few truck brand tools. My toolbox is filled with craftsman sockets and wrenches, gearwrench ratchets, and sunnex wrenches as well.

 

[bbrins]

Dammit, I just paid $69 for that set two days ago. Seemed like a pretty good price then too.

Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

 

[Gmonkee]

Looks like you are getting the details worked out as you go. Don't skimp on a good ratchet. Good enough had never worked out long for me.

Your kit will be much like my work kit in design. Cheaper but effective tools doing what you need done. Except yours has a bit more stuff already.

 

[Codejack]

Dammit, I just paid $69 for that set two days ago. Seemed like a pretty good price then too.

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You know, I was tempted to wait, because the box I had spec'd out dropped in price by 25% over about 3 days, and I thought that they might drop further

But it was cheap enough to compete with the chrome HF stuff, and there comes a point where you are just tempting fate.

Cross your fingers and hope that this set gets down to the same price:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51GW5LPeHEL._SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg

It's almost $100 right now, and there is a Sunex set for $60, but they are not thin wall like the GW.

How do you like that? A basically complete 1/2", 3/8" and 1/4" impact socket set, with ratchets, combination wrenches and a box for $300.

I'm going to have to stop myself from saving up and replacing the wrenches with these:

Black oxide Armstrong, I can get 11 SAE and 11 Metric for $150.

 

[Codejack]

Looks like you are getting the details worked out as you go.

Considering that I've been using the same 55-piece socket set for 16 years...

The problem is.... well, my ex-wife used to joke that she needed to multiply whatever time I told her something was going to take by 2, because I was always having to go get something, or make do without the exact right tool, etc.

I can't do that, anymore.

Don't skimp on a good ratchet.

I'm giving the cheap ones a try, but in case I have a problem, I'm looking at this guy for a replacement:

$50 seems reasonable; what do you think of Proto? Alternatively, what would you recommend?

Um, I found this for $65:

https://store.snapon.com/Dual-80-17...andard-Industrial-Handle-Ratchet-P647465.aspx

Is that worth scrapping the 1/2" set for a month or so?

Your kit will be much like my work kit in design. Cheaper but effective tools doing what you need done. Except yours has a bit more stuff already.

Heh, yea, I've managed to get all the basics, over the years. You look at the technician sets and what they think a beginning professional mechanic needs, I've got most of it.

I keep having to use vise grips and adjustable wrenches in places that I should use a socket or wrench... but I don't have it in that size, or I need 2 (on each end of a bolt), and I only have 1.

Or, more recently, I tore up 2 of my Kobalt USA (Williams) sockets trying to get hub bolts off of a Honda. I needed impact, didn't have them, so I risked it... and lost.

It's time to get serious, and this looks pretty serious.

 

[Gmonkee]

I do full time mechanic but over time the kit has been reduced to less than half of what it used to be and only the cheapest is at the shop. The rest has been sleeping at home without use. I have the shop tools for all the big stuff and specialty tools.

Funny thing is before he offered me a job he had been buying my extra tools for a year or two. Now I get to use them again but not worry about the replacement costs.