New Gray Canada sockets (Pic heavy)

[Chuck122]

Hello all. The reason for this thread is that before i bought Gray Canada tools, there was very little info on the new production stuff. I was left wondering if it was good quality and how was the fit and finish. Now that I have some on hand I wanted to report back with pictures of the new production stuff so that others had an idea before purchasing.
In most pictures, there is the corresponding tool by SK. I did that to give an idea of scale.
Shallow sockets:
they are longer than either SK or snap on, a bit thinner than SK and similar to snap on
Deep sockets
they are longer than the SK and the shoulders do not go as low as the SK. As opposed to the SK, they are broached all the way down (about 1-1/2")
Ratchet
It is a bit shorter than the SK but not much. it feels very hefty and well balanced. It is very coarse (low tooth count). It does not feel as smooth as the SK but I think that will change once it is broken in a bit (the SK was the same when new and is butter smooth now). The handle feels nice in the hand and the weight inspires confidence.
Packaging:
the set came on very nice plastic rails with magnets on the bottom. it is contained in a very nice, heavy duty steel box. I was surprised at how nice the box was and while I don't think i'll keep them in it, I'll surely save it to store other stuff. It is really stout and even has a reinforcement inside the lid.
Cosmetics:
they are flawless as far as I can tell. The chrome is perfect. time will tell if it flakes or what. The inside of the sockets looked "painted". Some of the sockets in my SK set were like that. In the case of the SK, I was a bit peeved by the fact that some were, others not. The Grays are all the same and it looks quite nice. When compared to the SK set i got (which was early post-bankruptcy), the quality is excellent. The SK set had a few mis-stamped socket, some had peeling chrome out of the box etc.

I would like to point out that I compare to the SK sockets mostly because they are the other set I have and I think they are common enough that it will give folks a good reference. In no way I am trying to sink the SK, which have served me very well and were less expensive than the Gray.

I also want to point out that these tools are made in canada by a familly owned business, which is something I kind of like.

 

[RRmech]

I purchased a lot of Grey Canada tools, when a Toronto-born co-worker retired.
HEAVY DUTY is a pretty good descrpition for their tools!
While Gray ratchets are NOT fine tooth, they are virtually bullet-proof, and work quite well for most applications.

Steve

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

Very nice, always wanted to try out some Gray tools. That box is super nice well, looks like it leaves some room for growth if it one wanted. Only bad thing is I don't believe Gray is sold in the US, which is unfortunate, but they must have their reasons.

 

[lbgradwell]

I also want to point out that these tools are made in canada by a familly owned business, which is something I kind of like.

Congrats. That's a beautiful set of excellent tools.

But, unfortunately, Gray is not family-owned any longer...

 

[maxdustington]

I have quite a bit of Gray, it's more common here in Canada than USA Craftsman. I noticed that the sockets in your pics look identical to the stuff that I have, I don't think they've changed their designs or stampings for a long time.

I was pricing some Gray but their prices on their website are high for what it is. Where did you buy this set?

 

[Raptor13]

Take a look for Gray tools online at Staples.ca

 

[BK13]

You can get them in Viet Nam and Zambia, but not in the US. Grrrr. Now that I know I can't get them, I want some bad! LOL

 

[Raptor13]

You can get them in Viet Nam and Zambia, but not in the US. Grrrr. Now that I know I can't get them, I want some bad! LOL

With the Canadian dollar so low compared to the US dollar you can purchase them at a significant discount too. Must be some way for you to get them delivered.

 

[BK13]

Probably, if I wasn't so lazy...

 

[gdh33]

Not family owned, don't know the whole back story but seems that top managers from with in the company took over from Alex Gray who was 70 years young. Still a Canadian owned company that seems to try to sell Canadian produced tools when they can and it makes sense.

Can be nice tools, but they are industrial tools for workers. I buy from them when I can, if not any other industrial brand will do.

Thank you for the comparison and pictures.

 

[wiens80]

If I could afford to start over on tools I'd buy Gray. So classy

 

[Sine Swept]

I got myself 2 NOS socket sets with ratchets, I bought them off an older gentleman that was selling them for his older friend. The plastic was still wrapped on the boxes. These were apparently sold in Canadian Tire stores back before China was everywhere. The chrome and finish of the sockets are beautiful. The ratchet is unpolished but still a great looking tool.

 

[Chuck122]

Congrats. That's a beautiful set of excellent tools.

But, unfortunately, Gray is not family-owned any longer...

sorry to hear that. The website still lists Alex Gray as chairman/owner. Perhaps the info is out of date

 

[Chuck122]

Very nice, always wanted to try out some Gray tools. That box is super nice well, looks like it leaves some room for growth if it one wanted. Only bad thing is I don't believe Gray is sold in the US, which is unfortunate, but they must have their reasons.

By my estimates, if one took the foam part that holds the ratchet and accessories, it would be possible to fit twice as many sockets, like have both metric and SAE in the same box. It really is a shame they don't sell much in the US, but you guys can't have all the good stuff

 

[Chuck122]

I have quite a bit of Gray, it's more common here in Canada than USA Craftsman. I noticed that the sockets in your pics look identical to the stuff that I have, I don't think they've changed their designs or stampings for a long time.

I was pricing some Gray but their prices on their website are high for what it is. Where did you buy this set?

thetoolstore.ca. It has gone up a bit since I purchased but I honestly think they are worth it if you appreciate fine tools.

 

[Sine Swept]

I did just search on Staples.ca and found many Gray tools

I'll have to get a pic up of the few pieces I've got, being a Canadian and all.

 

[MacMcMacmac]

Gray tools at Staples? Bizarre, but good to know.

 

[Sine Swept]

Here is a small collection

 

[pauls_workshop]

I got some older Gray sockets (70's? 80's?) and have to say they are very nice, very competitive with Wright, SK, Proto. I would like to be able to get some in the US. Silly how this is hard to do. Any good ways to do that? - Paul

 

[MWEric]

Here are my Gray tools. On par with us industrial brands like wright and proto. However I think the ratchets have the most comfortable grip of any ratchet made.
Major chrome peeling from 9/16" socket.
12" adjustable wrench made in Taiwan unfortunately.
Bought them through thetoolstore.ca and eBay. We NEED a dealer in the US

 

[Fixed]

I have an assortment of gray tools sockets that my grandfather left me. I'd really like to finish the set, but the selection on eBay for gray tools seems lacking.

Have you guys had luck finding them elsewhere?

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

 

[carcajou]

I have an assortment of gray tools sockets that my grandfather left me. I'd really like to finish the set, but the selection on eBay for gray tools seems lacking.

Have you guys had luck finding them elsewhere?

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

I may be able to help some. PM me a list and i'll go through my Gray stuff. I switched over to Proto years ago. If you need an exact match pics are helpful too as Gray made lots of little changes over the years.

 

[Fixed]

I may be able to help some. PM me a list and i'll go through my Gray stuff. I switched over to Proto years ago. If you need an exact match pics are helpful too as Gray made lots of little changes over the years.

Cool, thanks, I am away from home atm, but when I have a chance I'll shoot you a message.

 

[Chuck122]

Here are my Gray tools. On par with us industrial brands like wright and proto. However I think the ratchets have the most comfortable grip of any ratchet made.
Major chrome peeling from 9/16" socket.
12" adjustable wrench made in Taiwan unfortunately.
Bought them through thetoolstore.ca and eBay. We NEED a dealer in the US

I dont know what it is with those ratchets but to me, they just "feel" right. they are really hefty and the handle fills the hand very well. although they have a low tooth count I like to use them. On the chrome issue I have not had any issue with mine as of yet. How old are yours?

 

[MWEric]

I dont know what it is with those ratchets but to me, they just "feel" right. they are really hefty and the handle fills the hand very well. although they have a low tooth count I like to use them. On the chrome issue I have not had any issue with mine as of yet. How old are yours?

I've had them a couple years, only happened on that socket. No big deal, happens to all manufacturers. BTW the 3/8" flex ratchet is 45 tooth and very smooth.

 

[77Mini]

They make some nice stuff but I am not a big fan of their ratchets.

 

[Chuck122]

They make some nice stuff but I am not a big fan of their ratchets.

when i first got it I thought it was pretty coarse and did not like it very much but in use i really like it

 

[Electric]

They (graytools.com) had quite a significant Black Friday sale, something like 30% off with free shipping. I bought a set of five pliers that turned out to be made in Germany. Probably my favourite tools right now except for my Mitutoyo calipers. (I don't wrench for a living though.)

I will be buying more Gray tools the next time a sale comes up.

 

[stage20]

ive picked up single sockets at sales.
i have a 1/2 inch ratchet that i originally thought was an old snap on or par x i picked up...didnt even look at it till i got home.
researched and found they were decent tools.
have since picked up a set of metric combo wrenches from their line.
got 10-32mm for only 13 bucks at a sale. they are satin finish. not pretty, but they dont have to be. reminds me of proto

 

[77Mini]

I have a 1/4" drive Gray ratchet that I would part with.....just sitting in a box of spare tools.

 

[Raptor13]

I'll add a picture of some of my Gray Tools to the discussion. These were probably purchased in 1989 or 1990.

 

[carcajou]

Nice to see.