MAC Tide is Turning...
- Thread starter Spudland_Dave
- Start date
Antique Engine
Well-known member
Those are absolutely rebranded Eklind tools. Made in USA. Good quality. I've used mine for better than 20 years now.
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Gary S
Well-known member
I don't know what Mac sells them for, but Menards gives them away free about 2 or 3 times a year under the Eclind name. I'm betting Mac isn't matching that price.
Look like Bondhus drivers to me..
I second that.
OP
Spudland_Dave
Well-known member
Didn't get em Free like Menards (No Menards around here)...
They were on sale for 49.99, not a bad price for everything. Quick google of it, I couldn't have gotten em cheaper on Amazon. Supporting a dealer from my community, excellent service, quality product. I'm happy to shop on tool trucks, Love shopping on tool trucks.
Rebrands don't get me all worked up. Given the choice, I'll usually take a tool truck rebrand over the OEM anyways. In a case like this, looks like its a win win...Great Quality Tool for less then OEM cost, with excellent tool truck service to boot. Win-Win-Win in my book.
They were on sale for 49.99, not a bad price for everything. Quick google of it, I couldn't have gotten em cheaper on Amazon. Supporting a dealer from my community, excellent service, quality product. I'm happy to shop on tool trucks, Love shopping on tool trucks.
Rebrands don't get me all worked up. Given the choice, I'll usually take a tool truck rebrand over the OEM anyways. In a case like this, looks like its a win win...Great Quality Tool for less then OEM cost, with excellent tool truck service to boot. Win-Win-Win in my book.
Antique Engine
Well-known member
I believe you're right. Looks like the holders for Eklind and Bondhus are mirror images of each other. The Eklind holders are slanted the opposite way of the MAC branded ones.
http://www.amazon.com/Bondhus-14138-Balldriver-L-wrench-GorillaGrip/dp/B000E7XGTG ~$30 shipped, cheaper elsewhere
Those should be nice, you will like them. Bondhus is what I use most of the time and I have been very happy with them as a brand.
I didn't care about the torx part, so I have this set for $19 on Amazon, but I found it cheaper elsewhere.
http://www.amazon.com/Bondhus-20199-Balldriver-L-Wrench-1-5-10mm/dp/B00012Y38W
Those should be nice, you will like them. Bondhus is what I use most of the time and I have been very happy with them as a brand.
I didn't care about the torx part, so I have this set for $19 on Amazon, but I found it cheaper elsewhere.
http://www.amazon.com/Bondhus-20199-Balldriver-L-Wrench-1-5-10mm/dp/B00012Y38W
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I have that same set, along with some Elkind drivers that I've picked up at auctions/tool lot purchases, probably can't go wrong with either brands.
I agree totally, they are both good. I also have a lot of Eklind L-wrenches, as that seems to be the only brand I come across at estate sales. As a negative, I have noticed that many of the tips of the Eklind wrenches have a slight hex distortion caused by the shear cutting them to length during manufacture, whereas most of the Bondhus have machined ends with no distortion to the hex shape. The Bondhus also have a slightly beveled leading edge which is nice. I say "most" when referring to Bondhus having machined ends, because for some reason there are always one or two individual L-wrenches in each set with a simple blunt cut end.
Wamsutta
Well-known member
All they have to do is source from Eklind or Bondhus. There's really no excuse for them to go to an offshore vendor for hex keys.
Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
I have that set from Bondhus and really like them; I don't think you can beat Bondhus in this category.
DieselSaves
Well-known member
If I read the Bondhus site correctly, they were the originator of the ball tipped Allen keys.
unashamedlaborer
Well-known member
+1 on bondhus. Tough as hell. By far the strongest hardest Allen's of any I have ever used. Used one today with a pair of pliers on the short side. Had too. Ball end did not even flinch at the torque. It was a little one too like 3/16".
scarney1988
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 13, 2013
- Messages
- 508
Is this item a new addition to their lineup? Was the previous offering non-USA made? Hopefully this is a sign of more USA made offerings from MAC. The stronger the truck brands, the more competitive their prices and offerings. That leads to cheaper GJ prices 
I have some MAC tools, and they are all working OK but I have not seen a MAC truck in a few years. Jan Goodman was the last MAC dealer I had, and he was good. He advised me not to blow my money on tools, and I will always appreciate that.
I have some MAC tools, and they are all working OK but I have not seen a MAC truck in a few years. Jan Goodman was the last MAC dealer I had, and he was good. He advised me not to blow my money on tools, and I will always appreciate that.
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
If MAC is being reborn or its tide is turning, I think Mac using more Proto items is why. New quad lobe Screwdrivers and knuckle saver 2 wrenches are the same as Proto for example. However, if MAC really wants to go back to being a segment leader, they need to develop their own unique leader of the pack tools instead of rebadging many things.
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devoncoolman
Well-known member
Macs new precision torque wrenches are almost hand in hand identical to facom's 440 line of wrenches. Same with the new ratchet wrenches. They look just like the new proto ratchet wrenches.
unashamedlaborer
Well-known member
Seems like a shell game to me any way you figure it. They are all owned by the same parent company right? Stanley, Stanley proto, Blackhawk by proto, facom, and Mac. Most of the stuff I have seen has VERY frequently crossed over from Proto to Mac and vise versa.
genevabuck
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2012
- Messages
- 227
MAC Tools is coming back in a big way. Love the new screwdrivers.
obrientools
Member
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2013
- Messages
- 13
I would be impressed when mac starts making their own tools. But nice eklind allen bit they are the best allen tools inthe Industry, now lets get vise grip back in the USA
All things in time. Im fine with a compromise and merging the lines R&D if it means more USA product personally. New tools for Proto were few and far between as well but these new releases have been in pretty fast succession which is nice. If the previous president is to be believed MAC was circling the drain ~10 years ago so I doubt Stanley is going to bankroll MACs own private tool manufacturing facilities anytime soon.
Harrison2
Well-known member
yeah these are identical to bondhus, cheaper under bondhus but either way a great product!
World's strongest steel & corrosion protection are quite the claims.
I'd agree with the 2nd one if they were made of solid iridium. Maybe Pt or Au.
I do love me some Bondhus products though. Their hex stuff is unmatched in value for what you're getting ... damn good tools, nothing less.
I'd agree with the 2nd one if they were made of solid iridium. Maybe Pt or Au.
I do love me some Bondhus products though. Their hex stuff is unmatched in value for what you're getting ... damn good tools, nothing less.
MattPersman
Well-known member
Mac's strategy the way I see it is the have shocking low tool truck pricing with package deals. Buy this get that free, etc. most of the offers have been with relabel stuff but really still good tool truck value IF you have confidence in having a driver for any long term point in your career.
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
My Snap-on dealer came by on Thursday and showed us what Snap-on are sending to their dealers as a product demo. They send out a Snap-on wrench with a Mac wrench (Both stamped USA.) together, and if you bang their beams together you can see the Mac one getting dented, while the Snap-on one remains totally unmarked. I assume the Mac wrench is legit, and not a sneaky Snap-on copy made of tin just for this purpose.
I tried it myself and the Mac wrench got dented to **** really quickly and easily while the Snap-on one wasn't even marked.
Mac isn't that common here (England) and when i did have a dealer most of their stuff had Snap-on pricing with much lower quality. Mis-matched sets and sup-par finishing for the pricing.
I tried it myself and the Mac wrench got dented to **** really quickly and easily while the Snap-on one wasn't even marked.
Mac isn't that common here (England) and when i did have a dealer most of their stuff had Snap-on pricing with much lower quality. Mis-matched sets and sup-par finishing for the pricing.
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
Yes, i think so.
So I beat a recent production Snap-On extra long and recent production MAC extra long wrench together today in the name of science. I was able to knock dents into the area along the beam of the MAC. The Snap-On seemed to only get small marks on the chrome but no denting. Not really surprised, the MAC wrenches have always seemed like they had softer open ends to me.
Not sure if the new Proto copies would exhibit the same phenomenon but it does appear that Snap-On either has a superior heat treating process or sources better tool steel than Stanley.
Snap-On wrench harder than MAC
Myth: Confirmed.
Not sure if the new Proto copies would exhibit the same phenomenon but it does appear that Snap-On either has a superior heat treating process or sources better tool steel than Stanley.
Snap-On wrench harder than MAC
Myth: Confirmed.
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gatewaysysop
Well-known member
Late to the party, so maybe someone else noticed this, but it says "with global materials" underneath the USA, doesn't it? If so, can't say I'm surprised.
Jrussell86
Well-known member
I thought you meant the tide was turning because your distributor was actualy able to get something nice that was in the sale flier lol. When I parted ways with them in 09 it was hard to get anything in there no matter when you ordered it. But on a brighter note I'm glad to see Mac back with some new USA products even if they are rebranded.
Could be the packaging or the plastic/rubberized holders. The actual hex keys should be USA made.
I just looked back at the OP's picture and you are right, it does say "with global materials". I went out to the garage, and surprisingly I found the packaging for the #20199 SAE and Metric ball end Bondhus set I recently purchased. My set contains both the hex key sets that the MAC set has, but it didn't come with the extra green flip out torx key set. My packaging says "Made in the USA" with the US flag (and that is all) on the front of the packaging insert, and it also says "Printed in the USA" on the back, referring to the packaging insert itself. That must mean that the globally sourced part of the MAC set has something to do with the flip out green torx set.