Gearwrench/Wera

[Dillithium]

Hello fellow toollovers,

I was hoping you could help me out with a pair of questions.

I was looking into buying the Gearwrench ratcheting reversible wrench set, since they felt great at Sears when I was last in the states, but I read something somewhat disturbing on Amazon.com. Are Gearwrenches' wrenches chrome plated? Not chrome vanadium like the industry standard? I've had chrome plated waterpump pliers before and after a little use they just chipped and flaked, and nobody likes an ugly tool.

I've googled, searched, and even sent a mail to gearwrench but to no avail. Does anyone know what they're made of?

Number 2:

I really want to get a good set of normal size screwdrivers, and since I love my Wera microdrivers, naturally I want more Wera! I just can't make up my mind. The Kraftform 300 with the lasertips are the ones we have at work, and I just love everything about them. But the Chiseldriver set is just about the same price, and has the benefit of( I think) being impact screwdrivers.(Are they the same as impact screwdrivers? As in, when you hit them with a hammer, the screwbit moves ever so slightly with a high amount of torque to loosen a seized screw?any confirmation on this would be great)

I wanted to ask the experienced wera users that have used both lasertipped and non lasertipped to see if there's any difference in performance. I want PH and PZ drivers, and a reasonable variety of slotted but I wonder if the lasertipped grooving really stands out compared to non lasertipped(like the chiserdrivers)

I hope someone is willing and able to help me with these questions, I would be very gratefull.

Thanks for reading!

 

[trboxman]

As I understand it, Chrome Vanadium describes the steel alloy used to make the wrench not the shiny plating on the wrench.

 

[Dillithium]

Ah okay, so they're not chrome through and through? As in, you can't rebuff them without loosing the shine?I didn't know that. Does that apply to all chrome vanadium tools?

 

[matthew]

Most of the shiny finished tools are plated. The quality of the plating is the important part. You can polish them, it takes a lot of wear to remove the chrome - but the point of bright polished finish is that it cleans up just by wiping it off.

There are Cr-V tools with different finishes, as well. Some impact sockets, for example.

There's a lot written on this site about Gearwrench quality. Actually, there's a lot on this site about every brands' quality. They seem to have a decent reputation, especially for their price point, and for what it's worth I like my Gearwrenches.

Don't know about the Wera's (I do want to try them out), but I've used some Wiha and Felo screwdrivers, and both are excellent. I can't imagine there's a bad choice between them...

 

[Dillithium]

Gearwrench it is then, thank you for clarifying that Matthew.
I must say I've never looked at wiha or Felo before, I'll have a looksee at their sites.

 

[e30bradley]

I love my gear wrenches. They haven't chipped at all and they're nice and shiny after allot of use. and the wera chisseldrivers aren't the kind that turn when you hit them.. Their not impact drivers, they're just a screwdriver you can hammer into striped/ rusted screws.. I haven't used them but I've heard good things about then.

 

[Butters]

I haven't used the chisel drivers, but have used the Lasertips. The fit of the lasertips is fantastic. I don't find the etching itself to be very durable if you will be using them in high torque applications. But a great set for the price IMHO. Wihas are great too and I prefer the Wiha softgrip handles to the Kraftform. But I don't think you can go wrong with either set.

I've heard good things about the chisel drivers, but something just seems wrong to me about hitting a screwdriver with a hammer (unless, of course, you have a set just for that purpose). Maybe you should get both!

 

[Dillithium]

I think I'll go for the lasertipped then, since I'm really just looking for a basic high end screw driver set. The chiseldrivers look awesome, but have a specific use. I might get them later on, if I find the need for them.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[rmsg0040]

Here a nice video: