Icon Tools

[Andres26tnt]

My work buys Proto and I hate them. The long DBE wrenches they get for us are the squarest most hand-hurting tool I've ever had the misfortune to have to pull on over and over all day long - so bad I try to use a rag to wrap around to pull on, and their 1/2" ratchets they buy are clunky 24 tooth POS's with gigantic pear heads and knurled handles that I also despise. I can't hardly believe any company still makes a ratchet that terrible. I'm sure Proto makes better tools than those, but those are what we are forced to use at work and it's made me hate the brand sooooo much. I wouldn't make room for them in any of my boxes at home if they were free.

Edit: Searched up some pictures of what I'm complaining about

Your company is getting fleezed lol, those are the old proto design. The newer stuff is much better. We buy newer stuff at work(US Air Force). The company is probably trying to save money. I prefer the proto ASD over the snap-on wrenches. Much nicer round beam, I felt exactly the same about the snap-on beam. They **** and hurt my hands after prolonged use.

 

[ecotec]

Your company is getting fleezed lol, those are the old proto design. The newer stuff is much better. We buy newer stuff at work(US Air Force). The company is probably trying to save money. I prefer the proto ASD over the snap-on wrenches. Much nicer round beam, I felt exactly the same about the snap-on beam. They **** and hurt my hands after prolonged use.

You should try Wright and Williams.

 

[nadogail]

Good Tools are not going to be cheap, even bought used. Lower Priced Tools are often good enough for most of us. Cheap Tools are seldom good and can cause expensive problems.

 

[Andres26tnt]

You should try Wright and Williams.

Already have, we got Snap-on, wright, Williams, proto, older Stanley and forget the other brands. The best one for length and feel where the proto ASD.

 

[KnurledNut]

Whats with all the soft hand “mechanics” around here?
Anyways, I almost forgot this is an ICON thread. Wrenches are currently 40% off w/ coupon if ya missed it.

 

[Andres26tnt]

Whats with all the soft hand “mechanics” around here?
Anyways, I almost forgot this is an ICON thread. Wrenches are currently 40% off w/ coupon if ya missed it.

Not bad coupon, as for soft hands lol. I preferred not to damage my body in any way for quality of life later on. I see all these broken people left and right, you will think they had unlimited free health care. If a tool feels like **** on your hand you ain't using it.

 

[mngundog]

Whats with all the soft hand “mechanics” around here?
Anyways, I almost forgot this is an ICON thread. Wrenches are currently 40% off w/ coupon if ya missed it.

Didn't that expire last Sunday?

 

[ed_]

Thread got off topic lol.

I love HF tools but I'm mixed on Icon. I really like their pliers and some of the other gizmos but don't care for their wrenches and they're ratchets are alright. I have a couple Icon ratchets and the 3/8 ratchet is starting to bind up if you don't use it at just the right angle.

That ratchet is more of a back up and doesn't see as much use as my main 3/8 ratchet so I'm surprised to see it acting up. I opened it up to clean out the old grease and put some fresh stuff in and it got better but it's still having issues. I should probably try and warranty it.

 

[KnurledNut]

Didn't that expire last Sunday?

The sale was extended.
https://www.harborfreight.com/pls-extended-coupons.html

 

[kctgb]

Is it just me or does harbor fright keep raising prices on their Icon tool line? I have a few icon tools, they are good tools, still a couple notches below top line tools. If they keep upping the price people will start buying other brands.

 

[pfbz]

Is it just me or does harbor fright keep raising prices on their Icon tool line? I have a few icon tools, they are good tools, still a couple notches below top line tools. If they keep upping the price people will start buying other brands.

The current HF Icon pricing model seems to be high list prices then frequent sales to whip customers into a buying frenzy. It seems to be working with the previous/current Icon wrench sale as an example.

G2 ratchets are another example... I have zero interest in them at the list prices. At 20% off I'd buy one if I really needed a particular ratchet. At 40% off I'd probably buy a few of them.

 

[GeoBruin]

I wonder if the 40% coupon works on the long ratcheting DBE wrenches.

 

[AJHD]

Whats with all the soft hand “mechanics” around here?
Anyways, I almost forgot this is an ICON thread. Wrenches are currently 40% off w/ coupon if ya missed it.

Are you referring to soft/comfort grip ratchets? I definitely prefer soft grip.

Comfort aside, one thing about living in Arizona is your tools get hot, even when not in direct sunlight.
When I worked in a shop, our tools would be warm to the touch in the morning. The same goes for my garage.

Tools or frankly anything in direct sunlight in the Arizona summer and you risk literally burning your skin on whatever you happen to touch.

I wonder if the 40% coupon works on the long ratcheting DBE wrenches.

It should work on all Icon wrenches. I'm sure someone else here has bought them and posted it.

 

[Callelle]

I wonder if the 40% coupon works on the long ratcheting DBE wrenches.

Pretty sure if you click on the coupon, it just brings up everything that it's applicable for.

 

[M635_Guy]

I wonder if the 40% coupon works on the long ratcheting DBE wrenches.

It does.

 

[M635_Guy]

I know this is always a hot topic, but what icon tools are true quality for price. Im a mechanic i have pittsburgh, lowes, and every tool truck brand, but no icon. I need a larger wrench set (20-24) and im ocd and want the same brand for all my combination wrenches, and i cant find a larger kobalt wrench set nor do i want to buy more kobalt in particular. Icon has a set i like but they are like $130 for the 8-19 set plus the ~$50 for the larger set. Is it worth it? Or is their a better option. I also need 1/4 deep sockets and 3/8 extensions. What are your thoughts on those?

The Icon wrenches are currently 40% off since they extended their parking lot sale.

Their standard combo wrench has a large set that goes to 24mm. I have that set and the corresponding 6mm-19mm set. The are $120 and $80 respectively, so the sale price is $72 and $48.

I moved from a Tekton combo wrench set to the Icon set. The tolerance on the Tekton set I had was good but not very good. They never slipped, but...

The Icon wrenches are noticeably tighter tolerances. The beam is comfortable and the chrome seems a bit more...chromey than my Tekton set. I've now used them a lot (non-professionally, but often since I maintain the 6 family cars and the newest is 2012.). The Icon wrenches are a bit longer. Some don't like that, but it hasn't been an issue for me. FWIW, I have a Hazet set that is tighter than both of them.

I have and use both Icon and Tekton sockets, and the story is much the same. The 3/8" Icon sockets don't share as many blanks as Tekton, and under 14mm they get shorter faster, which has been a huge help on multiple occasions as we have a fair number of small/tight cars (plus a Volvo that is tight for no reason at all). I use both sets pretty often.

To be clear, my Tekton tools have never failed me. Their customer service is legendary. But having owned and used both Icon and Tekton sockets, wrenches and ratchets quite a bit, I think the Tekton tools themselves are a half-step or step lower for the ones I've used. This is the difference between a premium consumer and a prosumer level, so I'm not saying Tekton makes low-quality tools.

I am saying I like my Icon tools better overall. And that satisfaction has put a fair number of Icon tools in my garage.

 

[M635_Guy]

I wonder if the 40% coupon works on the long ratcheting DBE wrenches.

As you might guess, at $138 that was the first thing a lot of people grabbed, so it might be hard to find them in stock. Most of my local stores still had stock a few days ago, but now the closest stores with stock are 40-50 min. for me. (I already have a set - they're great)

 

[CHI_Tool&Die]

In my opinion the Icon stuff is alright some of it seems a little bit high on price though. They are definitely better than your Kobalt wrenches though. I like Kobalt tools but the wrenches are awful. A guy at work uses the Icon wrenches daily and has the 20-24 set and his only complaint is the chrome peels on them after a bit but they will warranty it he just hasn’t had a chance to bring them in. For wrenches I personally get Snap-on or Carlyle or Tekton and sometimes Capri too. I got my Snap-on 10-19 and 20-24 for like $580 about 4 years ago so if you don’t want to spend that much I’d honestly look into Tekton, Capri or Carlyle. The Carlyle are overpriced a bit too and the manufacturer of them just switched so I’m not sure how good they will be now.

For extensions and sockets Capri and Tekton are great values. If you order from their website you get rewards points for future purchases.

Man, pre-Covid Carlyle was an absolute steal. Fantastic quality tools for good prices. Then the whole supplier shortage and mess happened and NAPA just has not gotten back to where they were. Capri seems to source their wrenches from the same manufacturer as Matco and if that is the case, that would be a great buy.

Stupid question that doesn't align with the original question....

I see everyone on here constantly recommending Williams but never Proto. Why do people not like the Proto tools? It's the industrial line for Stanley and I believe they make all the Mac tools here in the the Dallas factory.

I have a ton of Proto tools at work and at home. I keep jumping between them and my German stuff for what I like more. I think SBD gets a lot of hate here. Also, Proto does not have the exposure like other brands nor do they have the cult following of other brands like Wright. People also seem to be on a Williams/CAT kick because of the whole Snappy thing. Lastly, Proto has been raising their prices lately and their support has kinda sucked for warranty. Oh, the quality is typical of industrial tools, so the sockets can be a little jiggly on extensions, the longer stuff may have a slight bow, etc.

Personally, I cannot recommend Proto enough. It’s the best of the SBD tool family. MAC ***** by me, not because of exposure just that the driver is a dingus and Craftsman is constantly changing their stuff. Proto has been chugging along with the same stuff forever. Their Italian palm control ratchets are great and I think their wrenches spank Wright wrenches in comfort and performance.

As far as Icon….eh. The younger guys at work live for and love HF. I’ve had some and it’s ok but nothing that is like, “OMG I have to have it”.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Man, pre-Covid Carlyle was an absolute steal. Fantastic quality tools for good prices. Then the whole supplier shortage and mess happened and NAPA just has not gotten back to where they were. Capri seems to source their wrenches from the same manufacturer as Matco and if that is the case, that would be a great buy.

I have a ton of Proto tools at work and at home. I keep jumping between them and my German stuff for what I like more. I think SBD gets a lot of hate here. Also, Proto does not have the exposure like other brands nor do they have the cult following of other brands like Wright. People also seem to be on a Williams/CAT kick because of the whole Snappy thing. Lastly, Proto has been raising their prices lately and their support has kinda sucked for warranty. Oh, the quality is typical of industrial tools, so the sockets can be a little jiggly on extensions, the longer stuff may have a slight bow, etc.

Personally, I cannot recommend Proto enough. It’s the best of the SBD tool family. MAC ***** by me, not because of exposure just that the driver is a dingus and Craftsman is constantly changing their stuff. Proto has been chugging along with the same stuff forever. Their Italian palm control ratchets are great and I think their wrenches spank Wright wrenches in comfort and performance.

As far as Icon….eh. The younger guys at work live for and love HF. I’ve had some and it’s ok but nothing that is like, “OMG I have to have it”.

Have you seen the new “green” Carlyle stuff. I haven’t tried it yet but most is made in Cambodia, India or China from what I saw. I was like why did Napa have to change something that was fine. I think the new torx and hex sockets are still made in Taiwan but everything else was a different place. So I’m willing to try it but for the most part I’ve written it off for now.

 

[ecotec]

Have you seen the new “green” Carlyle stuff. I haven’t tried it yet but most is made in Cambodia, India or China from what I saw. I was like why did Napa have to change something that was fine. I think the new torx and hex sockets are still made in Taiwan but everything else was a different place. So I’m willing to try it but for the most part I’ve written it off for now.

And the prices have only gone up…

CHItoolanddie nailed it. Before Covid the RealDeals for Carlyle were really good, especially when they did two for ones. A lot of people on GJ were buying it at that time. The Carlyle prices have gotten crazy, in my opinion. I don’t get the draw anymore.

If I needed a tool, right then, while I was buying a part… of course I would buy it, to save me from having to go somewhere else.

 

[Ton ton]

I bought a 1/2" drive Icon ratchet and I dislike it. Icon wrenches are ok.