Icon vs Tekton combination wrenches

[mike93lx]

If you might return something and are keeping the receipt, pay cash. There is no legal nor contractual basis to ID for anyone if you are returning a purchase and have broken no law. None.

They have no obligation to serve you, either

 

[M635_Guy]

You'd be dead wrong, not surprising. There's at least one, called 'the retail equation' that does just that. Or they claim to, at least. their accuracy is questionable, but retailers do use them, and do refuse returns (and also thiings like: "we'll take this back, but you can't return anything else for six months"). And yes, your returns to one client are used in the decisions of other clients. The home depot are a customer, I do not know if HF are.

A warranty claim is not a return. dont' let them treat it like one.

It sounds like it is designed to catch shoplifters and people trying to scam the returns system, not warranty.

Also, anyone closely guarding their driver's license and using just any ol' web browser (and, for that matter, pretty much all mobile phones) is essentially barricading their front door while leaving all other doors and every window in the house wide open. Just a thought...

 

[M635_Guy]

I originally started purchasing some of the Icon stuff up until the typical HF nightmare warranty issue. HF is the WORST for not having a consistent warranty policy and it seems to vary from store to store. I had one of my Icon wrenches spread and I took it back to the store I bought it from. Was directly told, no receipt, no warranty, I went online and found the purchase, but they told me I needed an actual receipt. I drove to the next HF store, 30 miles away, and they exchanged it no problems or questions asked. That right there was enough for me.

I now have a complete 72” box full of nothing BUT Tekton, and I have had extremely good luck with them. We have built cars for KOH, the Rubicon, etc. and I as well as all of my buddies love Tekton. Have I broken a tool - yup sure have, was I using it how it was designed - nope I wasn’t. BEST part about Tekton is their warranty. The times I broke a tool out of misuse, I contacted them and told them EXACTLY what I was doing when I broke it and literally no questions asked, no need for a receipt, they FedEx you a replacement that same day. All they need is a pic of the tool showing the damage and a pic with the part number and here comes your replacement. I had zero expectation for them to replace it when I told them what I was doing, but they told me no problem, we’ll send you another one. I was wholly expecting to have to buy that tool again, which leads to the second reason I love Tekton………you can actually buy a single tool WITHOUT having to buy a complete set!

I will say, Tekton isn’t going to be for everyone, but for me they are pretty amazing. And it doesn't hurt that you get 10% rewards from all your purchases for future purchases. I attached a couple pics of my setup and some of the toys I/we work on..

I think of Tekton as "fine" - they're not nicer, better or higher quality than Icon (they line up better against the Quinn stuff, and appears they often have the same ODM as HF Quinn), but they're very solid and the customer service is consistently excellent. I ordered one of their smaller torque wrenches for an oil pan or something, and FedEx screwed up the shipment. I finally called to ask if they could help, and the guy sent a replacement FedEx next-day (despite the fact I told him it was fine as long as it came before the weekend).

If they had an Icon-equivalent line, I'd probably have more of their stuff. The only thing I've moved on from was their combo wrenches, which were a bit sloppy compared to my Icons (which aren't as tight as my Hazet set). their chrome sockets are pretty good, but share too many blanks in the 3/8" set (which is what I use the most), which means they tend to be a little long starting around 14mm and down. My daily is a Mini, so sometimes the profile thing is important. These days I think of them as a sorta-mid-length socket set.


They don't seem to be quite to the tolerance of the Icons either, but honestly that hasn't made any difference so far.

 

[Bigdaveyl]

The store closest to my house has the district manager in there pretty often for some reason. He was helping me find something and mentioned his title, and I asked him about the replacement policy: They will absolutely replace a single tool. They do not replace the set, nor do you need to bring your whole set when warrantying a single tool. Anyone saying this happens is experiencing a store employee that is incorrectly trained, wants to avoid the process of marking down the set that now has a piece missing and the paperwork/process associated with that or the person saying it's their policy is lying to badmouth HF. I think all three of those things have been variously true, but it's not the policy of HF to require the set.

As far as the singles, you can call their parts department and order single tools. They ask you to get a part number from the parts list PDF, but I'd probably ignore its existence and just call and make them look up the damn number. The phone number is (800) 444-3353. I realize having to call somebody (not to mention asking the customer to look up the part number...) is entirely silly - it's my one big gripe with Harbor Freight at the moment. But you can absolutely buy singles, and the prices and shipping are extremely reasonable from what I've heard.

I'd hazard a guess that the reason you have to call HF for single sockets, wrenches, etc. is that keeping them at the store takes up too much square footage that could be used for other products.

And likely cuts down on shoplifting to an extent.

Since Harbor Freight prides itself on selling tools for the lowest price possible, they are going to have to cut corners somehow...

 

[KSJeff]

Why doesn't Tekton sell flare wrench sets anymore? Looks like it's just crowsfoot now.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

Why doesn't Tekton sell flare wrench sets anymore? Looks like it's just crowsfoot now.

They sell flare Crowfoot in 3/8" drive. They discontinued their 1/2" drive Crowfoot in both regular and flare. I have never seen them sell regular flare wrenches, and quite frankly, I think Snap On is the only way to go for those anyway.

Search Hand Tools | TEKTON Sockets, Wrenches, Screwdrivers, Pliers

Find complete tool collections with no skipped sizes, USA-made products, and best-in-class tool storage options at Tekton.com.

www.tekton.com

 

[M635_Guy]

I'd hazard a guess that the reason you have to call HF for single sockets, wrenches, etc. is that keeping them at the store takes up too much square footage that could be used for other products.

And likely cuts down on shoplifting to an extent.

Since Harbor Freight prides itself on selling tools for the lowest price possible, they are going to have to cut corners somehow...

I 100% agree. But shipping them out of a couple warehouses they already have when you buy them on the website shouldn't be too much overhead/etc. I'm sure they have a rationale for why they don't sell singles via their website, but as a guy with a more-than-casual understanding of direct selling operations/etc. I can't really figure it. It may go even further back to their suppliers not wanting to deal with a bunch of less-predictable single sales volume (which is also possibly less profitable).

 

[oldschoolcraft]

But shipping them out of a couple warehouses they already have when you buy them on the website shouldn't be too much overhead/etc. I'm sure they have a rationale for why they don't sell singles via their website, but as a guy with a more-than-casual understanding of direct selling operations/etc. I can't really figure it. It may go even further back to their suppliers not wanting to deal with a bunch of less-predictable single sales volume (which is also possibly less profitable).

It's a massive logistical nightmare to sell individual SKUs of sockets and wrenches. If there's a 200-piece set, now you have to have 200x the number of SKUs as if you just sold them as sets only.

I think the reason they sell singles but only through the phone, is to make it so if someone REALLY wants to do it, they can, but the hoops are in place to deter the average person from doing it.

Are they going to sell one Quinn socket for 30 cents? Or for $5? And then you get mad and say but I can buy a 200 piece set for $60! Why should I have to pay $5 for one socket!

Not understanding that credit companies charge a minimum fee of 30 cents per transaction even if the transaction is only 30 cents. Now HF gets zero.

The amount of manpower to stock and pull a single socket as compared to a 200 piece set is pretty similar. There's a cost associated with organizing the warehouse, labeling things, having someone pick SKUs, putting them in a box, etc.

I think if HF ever wants to be a serious company to be reckoned with, they will have to sell individual SKUs. And make it like the old Sears days of Craftsman. But I think they have to raise prices if they're going to put in that level of effort.

 

[M635_Guy]

It's a massive logistical nightmare to sell individual SKUs of sockets and wrenches. If there's a 200-piece set, now you have to have 200x the number of SKUs as if you just sold them as sets only.

I think the reason they sell singles but only through the phone, is to make it so if someone REALLY wants to do it, they can, but the hoops are in place to deter the average person from doing it.

Are they going to sell one Quinn socket for 30 cents? Or for $5? And then you get mad and say but I can buy a 200 piece set for $60! Why should I have to pay $5 for one socket!

Not understanding that credit companies charge a minimum fee of 30 cents per transaction even if the transaction is only 30 cents. Now HF gets zero.

The amount of manpower to stock and pull a single socket as compared to a 200 piece set is pretty similar. There's a cost associated with organizing the warehouse, labeling things, having someone pick SKUs, putting them in a box, etc.

I think if HF ever wants to be a serious company to be reckoned with, they will have to sell individual SKUs. And make it like the old Sears days of Craftsman. But I think they have to raise prices if they're going to put in that level of effort.

The degrees of automation that can be applied to a pick/pack scenario like that are huge. It definitely pushes some complexity up the supply chain, and you definitely have incentives to make sure you're keeping track of the ebbs and flows of inventory and demand, but there are so many tools to make that a simpler process that it's silly. I wish all that stuff had been available to me when I had jobs running operations like that.

I'm not suggesting they do it for all their stuff. It would obviously be primarily hand tools mainly sold in sets, and only Icon and the more pro-focused lines would be my focus.

 

[dscheidt]

The degrees of automation that can be applied to a pick/pack scenario like that are huge. It definitely pushes some complexity up the supply chain, and you definitely have incentives to make sure you're keeping track of the ebbs and flows of inventory and demand, but there are so many tools to make that a simpler process that it's silly. I wish all that stuff had been available to me when I had jobs running operations like that.

I'm not suggesting they do it for all their stuff. It would obviously be primarily hand tools mainly sold in sets, and only Icon and the more pro-focused lines would be my focus.

It's entirely possible they don't have any stock of individuals. You call up and order a wrench, the warehouse breaks a set, and puts the left over in the individual bin. future orders get sold from that bin, or they break a new set. th volume they sell of individuals has to be low, and they could well be willing to do it at a substantial loss because it's good goodwill.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

It's entirely possible they don't have any stock of individuals. You call up and order a wrench, the warehouse breaks a set, and puts the left over in the individual bin. future orders get sold from that bin, or they break a new set. th volume they sell of individuals has to be low, and they could well be willing to do it at a substantial loss because it's good goodwill.

Yeah they order them from their factories overseas to be shipped in sets, prepackaged, and put on the ship. They'd need to have boxes full of individual sockets. And then once those individual 11mm socket boxes make it to a distribution center, they'd have to split the box up because no single store will want an entire case of 11m sockets.

 

[M635_Guy]

It's entirely possible they don't have any stock of individuals. You call up and order a wrench, the warehouse breaks a set, and puts the left over in the individual bin. future orders get sold from that bin, or they break a new set. th volume they sell of individuals has to be low, and they could well be willing to do it at a substantial loss because it's good goodwill.

Fair.

Seems...unlikely, but would explain why they go to zero lengths to make its existence known or make it easy. But I think they'd generate more goodwill with pros by making singles easily available. I've had the idea that they should have an "Inside Track Pro" membership with some perks on financing, box delivery, etc, and maybe access to ordering singles.

 

[Dave Alvarado]

Fair.

Seems...unlikely, but would explain why they go to zero lengths to make its existence known or make it easy. But I think they'd generate more goodwill with pros by making singles easily available. I've had the idea that they should have an "Inside Track Pro" membership with some perks on financing, box delivery, etc, and maybe access to ordering singles.

It's a link on the bottom of every single page on the HF site. What more do you want from them, to call you personally and hold your hand?

 

[Blind1]

I got a chance to compare the new Tekton wrenches with the icons. (Reversible ratcheting)

The Tektons are larger on both ends and frankly just look cheap with the blank size staying the same for multiple wrenches.

The long pattern icons are IMO a much better set. Smaller on both ends and the long pattern is great.

I’d spend the money on icon with little hesitation.

 

[lund]

Realistically, why would you need to warranty a non-ratcheting wrench? If you broke it, you certainly abused it with a pipe, etc, and shouldn't expect a warranty.

Agree. It is hard to break a non-ratcheting wrench without abusing it. Use the right tool for the job. Small wrenches are not designed to use with pipes or as a slugging wrench.

There is a more realistic possibility to consider: that you LOSE a wrench. Icon and Harbor Freight do not sell singles if you need to replace one lost wrench. Tekton does. But I doubt either of them have static design and style over an extended period if one is picky on the replacement matching the balance of the set.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

There is a more realistic possibility to consider: that you LOSE a wrench. Icon and Harbor Freight do not sell singles if you need to replace one lost wrench. Tekton does. But I doubt either of them have static design and style over an extended period if one is picky on the replacement matching the balance of the set.

That's not true. You can order singles of HF tools. I haven't done it myself, but from what I've heard, you have to drive to one of three special libraries in the country that has a phonebook sized softcover paper book of part numbers. The text is written in Latin so you'll need a translator.

Then, once you have the part numbers, you can call a special phone number to order the singles. The phone number itself is etched in a cave wall on the top of a South East Asian mountain. You'll need a local guide.

However, this is no ordinary phone number, it only connects if you call from a landline in an Antarctic Science Base... owned by the Russians, so if you're American, good luck getting in. But maybe you can grease Vladimir's hands a bit to allow entry.

Then once you call, they only accept payment with a money order that you have to mail in.

Three to five business weeks later, they will ship the tool to you.

Okay, I'm exaggerating but it might as well be that hard. There's a PDF file that you have to source somewhere special because it's not linked on their site, and in that file it has the part numbers and you do have to call over the phone to place the order. Compare to Tekton where you go on the website, click order, and it arrives.

 

[lund]

That's not true. You can order singles of HF tools. I haven't done it myself, but from what I've heard, you have to drive to one of three special libraries in the country that has a phonebook sized softcover paper book of part numbers. The text is written in Latin so you'll need a translator.

Then, once you have the part numbers, you can call a special phone number to order the singles. The phone number itself is etched in a cave wall on the top of a South East Asian mountain. You'll need a local guide.

However, this is no ordinary phone number, it only connects if you call from a landline in an Antarctic Science Base... owned by the Russians, so if you're American, good luck getting in. But maybe you can grease Vladimir's hands a bit to allow entry.

Then once you call, they only accept payment with a money order that you have to mail in.

Three to five business weeks later, they will ship the tool to you.

Okay, I'm exaggerating but it might as well be that hard. There's a PDF file that you have to source somewhere special because it's not linked on their site, and in that file it has the part numbers and you do have to call over the phone to place the order. Compare to Tekton where you go on the website, click order, and it arrives.

Ah, ok. I was not aware that Harbor Freight singles were, in principle, possible. Odd they keep the prospect so hidden.

Quite a chain that you outline to implement the single wrench replacement purchases though!

Since I am part Ukrainian ancestry, I am not sure that I could complete the step on interacting with Vladimir Putin without going bzerk! So Harbor Freight sets may still be effectively without possibility of single replacements for me!!

 

[Cruzan80]

You realize the first link in Google when searching Harbor Freight Parts brings you to this: https://www.harborfreight.com/parts and has a link to the PDF with part numbers, right?

 

[Wamsutta]

Here's a real 7/8 combination wrench.

 

[M635_Guy]

It's a link on the bottom of every single page on the HF site. What more do you want from them, to call you personally and hold your hand?

I want them to put it on their website for sale online Dave

 

[DarryT]

The more I read about in store retail return hassles, the more I learn about markup, the more likely I am to buy online & limited numbers of closeout products in store.
HD & Lowes stores typically are a waste of my time.

 

[LWB]

I don't know why people even concern themselves with warranty and a $2 socket or a $3 wrench.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

I don't know why people even concern themselves with warranty and a $2 socket or a $3 wrench.

The problem is getting the matching replacement for your set after one breaks. Even if you have to pay the $2 for it. As long as it's available and easy to get. Though I guess if you have $2 sockets you dont care too much if they match

 

[dchawk81]

Yeah they order them from their factories overseas to be shipped in sets, prepackaged, and put on the ship. They'd need to have boxes full of individual sockets. And then once those individual 11mm socket boxes make it to a distribution center, they'd have to split the box up because no single store will want an entire case of 11m sockets.

Seems other brands have no trouble with this.

 

[dchawk81]

It's a link on the bottom of every single page on the HF site. What more do you want from them, to call you personally and hold your hand?

I want them to be hanging on the pegs in the store.

 

[M635_Guy]

I want them to be hanging on the pegs in the store.

I do too. I've learned to deal with things I can't control.

 

[dchawk81]

I do too. I've learned to deal with things I can't control.

Indeed.

 

[LWB]

The problem is getting the matching replacement for your set after one breaks. Even if you have to pay the $2 for it. As long as it's available and easy to get. Though I guess if you have $2 sockets you dont care too much if they match

I guess we're lucky here. We have Canadian tire that has a Maximum line. You break anything and it's no issue. You can get singles no problem. Princess auto has singles in almost any size available all the time. Impact only from what I remember.

More often than not, if I break something that is a CT product I'll go grab a Princess socket cause it's closer and pay the $2. It's not worth the time standing at the service counter. I have some matching sets but also have some rag tag tools.

If I broke a Snappy I'd be waiting outside all day for the truck to arrive!

 

[2ndGearRubber]

I guess we're lucky here. We have Canadian tire that has a Maximum line. You break anything and it's no issue. You can get singles no problem. Princess auto has singles in almost any size available all the time. Impact only from what I remember.

More often than not, if I break something that is a CT product I'll go grab a Princess socket cause it's closer and pay the $2. It's not worth the time standing at the service counter. I have some matching sets but also have some rag tag tools.

If I broke a Snappy I'd be waiting outside all day for the truck to arrive!

The nice things about trucks is you have a passive warranty. Wait until a given date, warranty arrives. Same thing can be said for a warranty from HF, wait until you're going that direction, bring it with you to warranty. You could meet the driver somewhere, or they could bring you something if you're dying for it.

What really turns all of this on its head is places like tekton, astro, etc. Send a picture, and your address, they ship it out. It's pretty close to the passive warranty of the trucks, a little effort from the end user. But you do miss out on the option for same day service. For most of us I would think we have enough different options to continue a job despite a single tool failure.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

The nice things about trucks is you have a passive warranty. Wait until a given date, warranty arrives. Same thing can be said for a warranty from HF, wait until you're going that direction, bring it with you to warranty. You could meet the driver somewhere, or they could bring you something if you're dying for it.

As a non-pro, I don't have exposure or experience to tool trucks. Except what I read about on here or see on YouTube videos. My intention isn't to blast the guy so I'll be vague, but there's a YouTuber mechanic who records himself on tool trucks chatting with the guys. Discussing tools.

One tool truck always has a lot of stuff you can buy on Amazon like Gear Wrench. And when he says the prices, I'm astonished. He's charging 50% to 100% markup over Amazon prices. I get that he's a business and has to make a living, but Amazon can get to most places in a day or two, might charge a few extra dollars for expedited shipping.

I in no way think the tool truck guy is getting rich off this, because I understand the business model is really bad, taking out debt to finance tools, being assigned a limited route, etc. But I'm just amazed someone would pay nearly double for a Gear Wrench set of tools because the tool truck guy delivered it.

 

[Callelle]

"Discussing tools." That's a weird way of writing "shills for Vim at every given opportunity", assuming we're talking about the same guy.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

As a non-pro, I don't have exposure or experience to tool trucks. Except what I read about on here or see on YouTube videos. My intention isn't to blast the guy so I'll be vague, but there's a YouTuber mechanic who records himself on tool trucks chatting with the guys. Discussing tools.

One tool truck always has a lot of stuff you can buy on Amazon like Gear Wrench. And when he says the prices, I'm astonished. He's charging 50% to 100% markup over Amazon prices. I get that he's a business and has to make a living, but Amazon can get to most places in a day or two, might charge a few extra dollars for expedited shipping.

I in no way think the tool truck guy is getting rich off this, because I understand the business model is really bad, taking out debt to finance tools, being assigned a limited route, etc. But I'm just amazed someone would pay nearly double for a Gear Wrench set of tools because the tool truck guy delivered it.

Some people are just allergic to the internet. I have two at work, one in Gen Z. Makes life a lot harder and more expensive.

"Discussing tools." That's a weird way of writing "shills for Vim at every given opportunity", assuming we're talking about the same guy.

I'm pretty sure he discloses that he's getting paid for add space - Koon Trucking.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

"Discussing tools." That's a weird way of writing "shills for Vim at every given opportunity", assuming we're talking about the same guy.

Vim Tools has said he's an employee of the company. I think they even called him a full-time employee, working two full-time jobs, his own job, and the Vim Tools marketing job.

 

[Callelle]

I'm pretty sure he discloses that he's getting paid for add space - Koon Trucking.

I know he works for VIM, that should mean more so that the shilling stays on the VIM channel and not on his taking up the vast majority of the screen time (unless it's actually relevant). Hell on most of Joe's truck videos, it's 80% shill, 10% other tools, 10% bucket of cash (for whatever reason).