Help me pick out a full metric combo wrench set

[healey]

I'm looking to fill in the gaps in my metric (20 yr old Craftsman) combo wrench set (non ratcheting). The set is missing so many pieces at this point that it's a no brainer to just buy a whole new one and try to sell the old ones as singles.

I've narrowed my search down to:

GearWrench 81916 22 Piece Metric Combination Wrench Set for $129 (was 120 2 weeks ago)


or

Craftsman Professional Use 22-Piece Metric Black Oxide Combination Wrench Set for $99

I believe these Craftsman are the Made in USA variety. I'd probably get those without a doubt if they were chrome, I'm not sure how much I'll like the black oxide. What do people think.

Are there any other 22 piece sets I should look at in this price range?

 

[n8n]

I'd spend a little more and get the Wright #958 set. It's an 18 piece set but you won't find much better wrenches. $230 on Amazon right now, but check Epstein's etc.

 

[Cruzomatic]

My vote is for the GearWrench.

 

[AndrewV]

Gearwrench will work great, so will those cmans.
Any other brands your thinking of? Carlyle, Armstrong, Usa Allen, Blackhawk come to mind.

But if you're at just those 2, i have gearwrench's. Never had a problem.

 

[Tinner]

I'd spend a little more and get the Wright #958 set. It's an 18 piece set but you won't find much better wrenches. $230 on Amazon right now, but check Epstein's etc.

The Wrights are well worth the extra money. A lifetime set of industrial duty wrenches.

 

[T45]

USA cman pros on EBAY, NOS for under $100 (polished)

For $200+ you are (easily) in snap-on league money

The euro is dropping and the best deals right now are on stahlwille.

Check em out.

Good luck.

 

[Fedwrench]

The problem with the current Gearwrench non ratcheting combination wrenches is that, current stock is from China as in the People's Republic of. Quality is all over the place. Awhile back there was a special posted in the hot deals section for Gearwrench combination sets. Several of the people that leaped on those sets got bent wrenches and other fit and finish issues.
You can always roll the dice and Amazon has pretty good return policies.

I'm not a huge fan of Craftsman raised panels and even less of a fan of black oxide wrenches. I also prefer long pattern wrenches. I would keep looking at other options.

 

[LXCam]

I've got a complete set of GW, I'm not super impressed. Fastener engagement is not very good. For the price it's ok, but I would suggest the set of Wright's too.

 

[Askme42]

I'd spend a little more and get the Wright #958 set. It's an 18 piece set but you won't find much better wrenches. $230 on Amazon right now, but check Epstein's etc.

Winner on the first reply.

 

[kball]

If you're going to get the Gearwrench set, get something free with it!

http://www.tooltopia.com/gearwrench-81916p.aspx

 

[John in OH]

I'd spend a little more and get the Wright #958 set. It's an 18 piece set but you won't find much better wrenches. $230 on Amazon right now, but check Epstein's etc.

+1 multiple times!!!!

Why spend your money on the GearWrench set and have the money go to USA's biggest economic competitor when you can spend a few more dollars on a superior set of made-in-USA Wright wrenches?????

 

[XxToolAholicxX]

I say go to Harbor Freight and buy it there. The two brands you mentioned are probably made in the same factory in China or Taiwan, that make Pittsburgh line for Harbor Freight. But you will save a bunch of money buying Harbor Freight.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am a ToolAholic,Sometimes I Regret it, Especially when the Toolman wont give me no credit

 

[BFHtime]

SK, proto, Armstrong, used snap-on. I am surprised no said SK. For a cheap set go with NAPA Carlyle. Best quickest easiest replacement.

 

[ZRH`]

I say go to Harbor Freight and buy it there. The two brands you mentioned are probably made in the same factory in China or Taiwan, that make Pittsburgh line for Harbor Freight.

The CMans are US, it's the industrial line. Now if you can stand that raised panel cutting into your hand is something else...

 

[aaronrkelly]

I did this not long ago....went Williams super drive....reasonably priced and they have a similar design to the SnapOn flank drive.

 

[skylinegtr20]

Wright, Proto, Armstrong or used Snappy on ebay.

 

[Canyon56]

When faced with the same decision I went with the Tekton polished 18792 set. It is a complete set, no skipping sizes which my mildly compulsive personality appreciates, well made works wonderfully and comes with a quality wrench case all for $45.

 

[67King]

I'd spend a little more and get the Wright #958 set. It's an 18 piece set but you won't find much better wrenches. $230 on Amazon right now, but check Epstein's etc.

Epstein has the 952 set for $148. You can add the singles and just about piece together the equivalent of 958 for a bit less. Or even go with the 950, if you don't need the even sizes in the upper range.

Question for everyone else......not much mention of Williams (other than the one post). Wright seems to be the benchmark, but Williams seems from what I've seen to be right up there with them. Yet no mention. As I'm about to upgrade my CM wrenches, I'm in research mode right now. Can anyone give me reasons why they seem to get overlooked?

 

[thewatusi]

I just bought a set of long pattern SK superkrome and they are ****.

USA if that floats your boat

 

[warmpancakes]

what sizes do you need? I have 8-19,21 anything other than that im using a socket the 21 is only used for GM suspension bolts,

 

[Nikon_RH50]

+1 on Wright. Just upgraded my 10 yr old USA crafstman. They feel much better on the hands and love the wright grip. Got the wright 752 and will fill the other pieces along the way. I prefer the finish of RP craftsman, so I went with satin.

 

[shockwave]

Between the 2 you picked I would go with gearwrench

But as others have stated sk,wright Porto or Armstrong will be a better quality wrench

I would stay away from craftsman since they change manufacturers so much these days

Gedore would be worth looking at aswell

 

[BryanB]

I recently went thru this as well. Lots of good info on this forum if you search it and spend hours reading. If you are non-pro looking for a good set, SK or Carlyle at $100-140/set. If you are more budget minded than that, Tekton or HF. I bought Gearwrench recently and had lot of quality issues with mine. They were China made BTW....

Top quality for great price, like others have said has to be the WrightGrips!

 

[theoldwizard1]

I'd spend a little more and get the Wright #958 set. It's an 18 piece set but you won't find much better wrenches. $230 on Amazon right now, but check Epstein's etc.

Do those have the Wrightgrip open end ?

 

[royesses]

If you want Craftsman pro full polish long pattern USA they are still available as open stock, made by Armstrong. You need to purchase them online , not as a set. They are more expensive this way, about the cost of SK. You can choose exactly which sizes you need that way.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Craftsman Professional Use 22-Piece Metric Black Oxide Combination Wrench Set for $99

I believe these Craftsman are the Made in USA variety. I'd probably get those without a doubt if they were chrome, I'm not sure how much I'll like the black oxide. What do people think.

That is a GREAT deal on a 22 piece set. Personally, I like chrome (I call that "crow syndrome" - crows likes shine things)

2 things.

1. I don't think the black oxide are "open stock" so you will never be able to fill in the few missing wrenches (although there are very few missing).
2. I believe the Craftsman "Professional" brand is being phased out and replaced by Craftsman "Industrial". If you need a replacement, it like will not match the rest of the set.

Are there any other 22 piece sets I should look at in this price range?

For what ever reason there are very few 22 piece sets. You typically get 12-14 pieces and then have to fill in.

 

[VictorBravo]

Do those have the Wrightgrip open end ?

The set I got does. Top notch.

 

[Davefr]

Get Wright. Better then SO for a fraction of the price.

 

[Malczewski]

I've owned them all over the years.
The only wrenches I currently have are all Proto.
About 67 that I can think of.
I have a long pattern SAE Armstrong XXL on the way.
I'll let you know how those do.....

 

[sonvolt]

My vote is Wright wrightgrip or SK

 

[n8n]

Do those have the Wrightgrip open end ?

Apparently all new production Wright combos are WrightGrips. any smooth ones you find are old stock.

 

[n8n]

SK, proto, Armstrong, used snap-on. I am surprised no said SK. For a cheap set go with NAPA Carlyle. Best quickest easiest replacement.

I like my SKs but had I to do it over again I'd get Wright. They're about the same price set for set.

Of course, if you don't want the WrightGrip feature SKs suddenly go to the top of my list.

 

[n8n]

Epstein has the 952 set for $148. You can add the singles and just about piece together the equivalent of 958 for a bit less. Or even go with the 950, if you don't need the even sizes in the upper range.

Question for everyone else......not much mention of Williams (other than the one post). Wright seems to be the benchmark, but Williams seems from what I've seen to be right up there with them. Yet no mention. As I'm about to upgrade my CM wrenches, I'm in research mode right now. Can anyone give me reasons why they seem to get overlooked?

I have some Williams Supercombos (the SAE ones on clearance from Epstein's; they had a few sizes that my backup set of combos was missing, for the price it made sense to buy those and not e.g. RP Craftsman) and they are nice, but I have not used them hard. We've all seen the video of the Snap-On FDP and WrightGrips breaking a Grade 8 bolt with the open end. There have been rumors that Williams uses inferior steel to Snap-On, but no real facts. If a Williams could snap a Grade 8 bolt as well they'd be a legitimate option. I'd really like to try it but haven't had the opportunity to do so.

 

[beatcad]

another thumbs up for SK.
i bought my set(full polish made in USA) maybe 18 years ago.
i wish i had bought an SAE set back than also.
at the time i didnt need metric stuff that often(still dont). i mostly work on old cars/motorcycles/bicycles but i do need metric wrenches now and than for more "modern" stuff.
i thought at the time i wanted quality stuff but didnt want to pay SO prices for tools i wouldnt use daily.
i've used these a LOT more than i ever thought i would and i wouldnt trade 'em for nothing.
since then i've heard/read that SK has gone offshore and is now back

 

[fanatic]

As much as I like the WrightGrips for there quality, size, and blingyness, their main feature goes against everything that I've been taught since I was a small child.
Box end is there for high torque situations where you apply lots of force and don't want to slip off, open end is for normal lower torque situations where you want to get on/off the bolt/nut quickly.
Even if I buy the Wrights I doubt I'll trust my knuckles to using the open end on a stuck bolt/nut.
Just a thought.

 

[n8n]

As much as I like the WrightGrips for there quality, size, and blingyness, their main feature goes against everything that I've been taught since I was a small child.
Box end is there for high torque situations where you apply lots of force and don't want to slip off, open end is for normal lower torque situations where you want to get on/off the bolt/nut quickly.
Even if I buy the Wrights I doubt I'll trust my knuckles to using the open end on a stuck bolt/nut.
Just a thought.

Agreed. I'd go so far as to say that I almost never use the open ends. But when the box end or a socket won't fit, and you *have* to use an open end, might as well have the good stuff.

If you only work on shiny new stuff where everything is clean and free, then your point is not only valid but I would actually recommend something with a smooth open end.

 

[beatcad]

dunno what SK costs these days, but these guys have never let me down

 

[fanatic]

dunno what SK costs these days, but these guys have never let me down

How are the beams on those beauties, are they thick?

 

[healey]

Thanks for all the input guys - I spent a good amount of time reading about the Wright 952 set and the review linked from Harry Epsteins site here is really impressive.

However fanatic said it right.

As much as I like the WrightGrips for there quality, size, and blingyness, their main feature goes against everything that I've been taught since I was a small child.
Box end is there for high torque situations where you apply lots of force and don't want to slip off, open end is for normal lower torque situations where you want to get on/off the bolt/nut quickly.
Even if I buy the Wrights I doubt I'll trust my knuckles to using the open end on a stuck bolt/nut.
Just a thought.

I rarely use the open end of any wrench and I just can't imagine a situation where I need open end & high torque.

Anyways, some other people suggested some great looking SK or Wright sets bordering on 250. I'm just a guy with weekends in his garage (admittedly with a race car), so I've got spending budgets for each of these projects.

I ended up buying the GearWrench set off ToolTopia with 'free' stubbies. I'll take the risk on COO knowing I can warranty them if needed. Now I just need to move some of these Craftsman extras I've got.

 

[aaronld]

I am in the market for a new sae and metric wrench set. I have a 14 and a 7 with bent open ends on my John Deere set. The other is raised panel craftsman. I am going to look into SK and Wright.