Matco 90T Reversible Ratcheting Combination Wrenches -A Quick Look

[Skin]

This is my newest acquisition, 12PC set of Matco reversible ratcheting wrenches. A little unique to these is a 90 tooth drive and the fact that the box ends are spline as opposed to the normal 12pt. Thought i'd post some pics and a few comparison measurements to see if this introduction from Matco (manufactured by Kabo i believe) are any good.

 

[Skin]

Now a quick comparison. All i have on hand at the moment was a Snappy and a GearWrench [China] so i pulled the 15mm wrenches for some stacking up and quick measuring.

The Gearwrench measurements are as follows

For clarification Box End Width is the distance from the low point in the ratcheting ring to the exterior of the actual wrench at its end.

Gearwrench

Beam Thickness 4.57mm
Box End Thickness 9.91mm
Open End Thickness 8.64mm
Box End Width 6.10mm

Snap-On

Beam Thickness 4.83mm
Box End Thickness 11.43mm
Open End Thickness 7.11mm
Box End Width 5.84mm

Matco

Beam Thickness 5.08mm
Box End Thickness 8.38mm
Open End Thickness 7.34mm
Box End Width 5.33mm





Close-Up Of Matco's "Opti-Torque" open ends which these wrenches have.

 

[Skin]

Pros

-Very Smooth Action. Smoother than any new wrench i've yet used. The extra teeth may not mean a whole lot as far as swing arc but they do mean a whole lot if you try to loosen or start an already loose fastener.

-Excellent Finish. The camera's autofocus was actually trying to focus objects in the bright mirror like chrome and doing quite well i might add.

-Larger Reverse Levers. These seem to be a departure from the usual Danaher family design. I like that there are more meat to them but time will tell if they are prone to breakages like the Snap-On levers.

-Excellent Tolerances. Other than open end width its got top marks here in my opinion.

-8mm and 9mm Included! Hey, they could of kept the set 10-19mm and sold those two seperate.

-Nice Packaging. Probably a bit unrealistic thinking you'll keep the wrenches in the plastic case though if you use them every day.

-Spline Drive. I know people here dont really embrace this but it actually does work and comes in very handy if you're around an excess of corrosion. As far as taking off torx with it, i'll leave that to the proper torx tools.

Cons

Length. They're pretty short, certainly compared to the Snap-On and Matco pro-swings, and i like long wrenches but these will certainly suffice in most scenerios you'd encounter. Primarily i purchased them due to being spline drive.

Price. Matco is asking $380 for the set (S9GRRCM12) but hey Truck tools are never cheap direct. If purchased with the Student Discount i actually think they're definetly worth consideration especially if you'll be playing with items in the rust belt. As far as being worth it at list. To each their own.

 

[Pro-Painter]

Ive been waiting on someone to review these. I was interested to hear about the 90t count. They look just like a Gearwrench. I'm a firm believer that when Gearwrench went to china, they took the good Taiwan gearwrenches and stamped them with matco.

Of course I have no proof of this, but what I believe. Its just sad they no longer have the pro swings. I really, really, really want a set of the USA made, XL double box, flex wrenches they use to sell.

 

[dieselmike]

400 bucks for asian wrenches?!?! they are making a KILLING! you are insane. or rich.

 

[ajchien]

Can you take a pic of a nut/boot in the spline box end? I'm just curious now well the spline fits hex nuts.

 

[Skin]

Can you take a pic of a nut/boot in the spline box end? I'm just curious now well the spline fits hex nuts.

best i can do at the moment

400 bucks for asian wrenches?!?! they are making a KILLING! you are insane. or rich.

Would be nice if they made something as high quality as this domestically, problem is they dont. I'll purchase whatever allows me to get my job done faster from whoever the best company is. Believe me when you have a bolt so rusted your wrench just slips and you end up either pulling out the vise grips (if you have enough room) or drilling it out and someone handed you a tool that will save you 45 minutes of frusteration the last thing on your mind is COO. COO aside these things ooze quality.

As far as what Matco is asking, all the truck brands ask crazy amounts of money for things. Go check out what Snap-On wants for a Chinese floor jack. At least in that case you can actually find domestic made floor jacks, that simply isnt the case with this particular item. Proto does manufacture a very similar set that can be found for less money, JSCVM-13S.

 

[ajchien]

Thanks for the pic. I don't have any spline stuff at all. Looks like every other spline contacts the hex bolt, and it looks well away from the corners. Is the contact a sharp spline edge on the hex flat, or is there a flat spline part to hex flat contact? I'm not sure I'm asking that right..

 

[mofo62]

.


Taiwan...



V!

 

[warmpancakes]

under 200 student discount price

 

[Slingshot Engage]

Looks a little short for me.

 

[Slingshot Engage]

Thats what she said.

 

[Skin]

Thanks for the pic. I don't have any spline stuff at all. Looks like every other spline contacts the hex bolt, and it looks well away from the corners. Is the contact a sharp spline edge on the hex flat, or is there a flat spline part to hex flat contact? I'm not sure I'm asking that right..

The lobes are rounded so it makes more contact than your conventional 12pt. When i get some bolts i can destroy i'll try to post some comparisons of contact points.

 

[Fedwrench]

So I wonder how much longer their xl set is?
http://www.matcotools.com/catalog/p...LONG-METRIC-REVERSIBLE-RATCHETING-WRENCH-SET/

 

[volunteers]

Are all the Matco Ratcheting Combination Wrenches(reversible/non-reversible) made in Taiwan? or only this 90Tooth Set?

 

[Skin]

Are all the Matco Ratcheting Combination Wrenches(reversible/non-reversible) made in Taiwan? or only this 90Tooth Set?

They might still have some hold outs, but for the most part they're made in Taiwan. Many of their more exotic wrenches, like the long flex ratcheting wrenches, are made by Kabo. They also sell sets that look suspiciously like rebranded GW (from back when GW wasnt the fat China thing it is now) but if they're made in Taiwan maybe its like the poster above speculated and they've dedicated those plants to higher end brands. Sets like these are what i'm referring to when i say rebranded GW.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MATCO-TOOLS..._Automotive_Tools&hash=item4d0008767a&vxp=mtr

So I wonder how much longer their xl set is?
http://www.matcotools.com/catalog/p...LONG-METRIC-REVERSIBLE-RATCHETING-WRENCH-SET/

If i had to speculate i'd say they're probably similar length to Cman Pro/long Pro-Swings.

 

[mofo62]

.



Matco not........... Gearwrench

$354.95 ....Whattttttttttt ?

http://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/SGW85099/16-PC-METRIC-XL-RATCHETING-WRENCH-SET/


Better Wright Tool.Matco mmm no more...

 

[Gabastone]

I think you guys are wrong: ONLY the 90T are made overseas. The regular Pro Swing ratcheting wrenches are still made in USA.

I know everybody is expecting Matco to follow MAC example by moving their operation overseas; so far, Matco has done a really good job at keeping products domestic.

 

[Fedwrench]

I think you guys are wrong: ONLY the 90T are made overseas. The regular Pro Swing ratcheting wrenches are still made in USA.

I know everybody is expecting Matco to follow MAC example by moving their operation overseas; so far, Matco has done a really good job at keeping products domestic.

Nope. The XXL zero offset ratcheting boxed end/fixed boxed end are imported. Those XXL zero offset fixed boxed end/ratcheting flex head wrenches are imported as are the ergo (x beam) style ratcheting wrenches.

The regular length proswing (fixed boxed end/ratcheting boxed end), the reversible proswings, and the stubbies are still US made.

However, some core MATCO hand tools are now being imported. Things like 1/4 drive chrome socket sets, and combination flare nut wrenches are from Taiwan. It's not an issue of Matco following Mac. It's an issue of Danaher doing a joint venture with Cooper tools forming the Apex tool group which has led to many more Chinese made tools. Some of which will spill over into the Matco line up even though Matco technically isn't part of Apex. You just don't know where anything is made unless you're holding the tool in your hands.

 

[Gabastone]

I have Matco set SGRRECLM12T, the ergonomic wrench set, and they are clearly stamped USA. I picked those up right before Christmas. I also have the stubbies, non-reversible, and XL zero offset Pro Swing ratcheting wrench sets, and ALL the pieces are stamped USA.

Matco does sell ratcheting wrenches that are NOT Pro Swing. You are probably thinking of them. They also have a Silver Eagle line of tools as well.

 

[Fedwrench]

I have Matco set SGRRECLM12T, the ergonomic wrench set, and they are clearly stamped USA. I picked those up right before Christmas. I also have the stubbies, non-reversible, and XL zero offset Pro Swing ratcheting wrench sets, and ALL the pieces are stamped USA.

Matco does sell ratcheting wrenches that are NOT Pro Swing. You are probably thinking of them. They also have a Silver Eagle line of tools as well.

Nope not thinking of those. Tool origins change frequently. I'm speaking of the SRFBZXLM102T, SRFBZXL82T, SGRBZXLM102, SGRBZXLM52T, and the SGRBZXL92 sets specifically. The matco truck I was on recently had ergo wrenches that weren't stamped with any country. No USA, then it comes from somewhere else. Don't get me wrong, I own the Kabo made sets and they are great wrenches. I would just like a $400 list price wrench set to be US made though.

 

[moronmountain]

$380 for made in Taiwan makes me sick........

 

[vintagefan]

Would be nice if they made something as high quality as this domestically, problem is they dont.

Sadly, I'm going to have to wholeheartedly agree with you on that one, as far as the Taiwan made versions go.

I was severely underwhelmed by the Armstrong ratcheting combos I got (I went through several brand new sets and each had multiple severe issues with the mechanisms), and I'm not a fan at all of Gearwrench, since they went first to China, and then to an even cheaper factory in China. The V2 China Gearwrenches are barely on the same level mechanically as the HF versions, IMO.

Anyways, the OEM that is making the Blackhawk, Proto, Husky, VIM, and these Matco wrenches, is attaining such a high level of quality, it's almost scary. If I was an American manufacturer, I'd be seriously intimidated. I think the Taiwan Blue-point wrenches may be a different OEM, but they are also very nice.

The only thing that comes even close, is the Snap-on USA made line, which IMO are pretty nice, and the only USA made option I would consider.

 

[SASORacing]

If this set can be found for ~$200 it is competitively priced And its a good deal, I am considering buying them. Especially vs snap on flank drive version. This set has the highest tooth count, flank drive open end. And it also probably looks the best with the nicest looking gold reverse lever. The tolerances are also the slimmest Vs the other two. The case is a decent bonus too, portable and durable, I would use it.

 

[SASORacing]

http://www.matcotools.com/catalog/p...REVERSIBLE-COMBINATION-RATCHETING-WRENCH-SET/

This is is 72 tooth and half as expensive. It doesn't have the flank drive open end design though. Whice after watching that YouTube video demonstration where th nornal design rounds the bolt off so easily, it matters a lot, to me. The flank drive version should be a weapon in every mechanics tool box.

What else is there that's reversible / flank drive in the $200 range? Is the Matco 90 tooth set the leader? Facom, proto, snapon?

 

[shockwave]

Keep in mind the 72 tooth count is 12 point and the 90 tooth is spline and noticed a lot of newer wrenches have the flank drive plus like open ends