New Icon Bigger Meme Tool

[Steel_Rain]

Looks like it’s official now, the Icon meme tool is getting a big brother:

 

[darkzero]

Oh great, that stupid "meme tool" name has been infected here too. I was hoping we would be safe here.

 

[DAWrench]

The spinner handle looks like the most interesting thing in the set

 

[sk farmer]

the original??? a great set, and maybe one of the best out there. everyone who has seen mine wants one.

gen 2?

less bits and losing the multifunction extension/t handle ratchet, wtf are they thinking? either make it an improved set or make them compliment teach other. this is neither........... even though i will probably end up with one.

 

[shibertus]

Looks like a clone of the Facom Nano sets

 

[Fedwrench]

I saw the updated ICON set at last year's SEMA show, and I wasn't impressed with the ratchet nor the $79.95 suggested retail price. It was nice that they added SAE & MM sockets though. The Craftsman V series clone of the FACOM set on Christmas clearance or that small Kobalt set that was selling for $20 looked better to me. I just haven't warmed up to the updated Icon set and I'm not sure that I will.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I cannot help but wonder if our friends at Tekton were waiting for Eric to release that before they introduce whatever it is they propose to replace the "Small Engine Kit" they introduced a few of earlier in the year.

 

[KFBR392]

The current one has been extremely handy around the house for setting up my sim racing rig, fixing vintage furniture, and saving trips out to the hot garage to go find Allen wrenches. I’m super interested in this new one.

 

[Mr.zippy]

Looks like a clone of the Facom Nano sets

I think the smaller set is a clone of the Facom set as well.

 

[Andres26tnt]

The craftsman V aren't clones, they are rebranded with a different ratchet and bits. They didn't even bother to change the silhouette of the USAG/facom ratchet that came in the original . Also the facom ratchet actually fit nicer in there for obvious reasons.

Yikes 79$ for the icon, crazy for HF tools. I wouldn't pay that or even the USAG/facom. More like 40 to 50$. I don't find these kits to be that useful, my home kit doesn't leave my house ever. I don't carry tools with me ever either.

 

[AJHD]

I'd buy one for the sake of convenience, but definitely not without a coupon or sale price. Better options I'd imagine for the price otherwise (Wera comes to mind).

 

[Notgrownup]

Way too tiny for my big manly hands… lol.

 

[rust in the eye]

WTF is a "meme tool"?

 

[mike93lx]

Way too tiny for my big manly hands… lol.

 

[Etchase]

The SBD offerings are really well designed and fit lots of ratchets and grips. Facom offers different ratchets in the kit, including the palm control, which I put in the Craftsman branded one.

 

[YesIHaveAHammer]

Looks like a clone of the Facom Nano sets

There are so many different types of ripping-off, that we could do with some precise vocabulary, e.g.

1. Copying a tool with the original branding - fake
2. Copying a tool very closely with your own branding
3. The tool is a white-label anyway, so a new brand buys some with their own branding
4. Same company using different brand for different countries
5. Making a very similar tool based on the general idea and principle
6. Some combination of the above, e.g. same case but different tools
7. ...

 

[Hohn]

I'm still using my OG Gearwrench set from 15 years ago:

 

[KnurledNut]

I'm still using my OG Gearwrench set from 15 years ago:

A favorite among aviation techs!

 

[MiteyF]

My similar Husky tool just kicked the bucket after only a few months, was considering the Icon to replace it. Thing is, I only want the wrench. I've got 10 million extra sockets and bits, and HATE tools that come in cases/sets that you are going to pay extra for.

 

[four.cycle]

Yikes 79$ for the icon, crazy for HF tools. I wouldn't pay that or even the USAG/facom.

The Tekton Small Engine KIt (EXP00008) was introduced on a trial basis with only 50 units produced. Sold out @ $100.00 each in 40 minutes.
I re-sold mine ten days later for $150.00

The $79.00 Harbor Freight price point is right in line when you do an apples-to-apples comparison.

Still waiting to see what Tekton is going to come out with on this one - sockets and bits in one compact package. Their "soft case" idea
is pretty slick.

 

[whateg01]

I have a kobalt set I picked up on a trip somewhere that has been pretty useful. I guess I'll have to Google meme tool if I want to know wtf that means. I thought the title was a typo.

 

[cccoltsicehockey]

I feel like it is an awesome kit to leave in a car to make the emergency tool set more compact. Obviously, a limited number of things you can fix with it, but a few months back I had a seneriou on the side of the road where either size kit would have really saved me. I only just picked up the current set for the first time a month ago and have already used it to fix two things that were really handy.

 

[KnurledNut]

I like that the ICON includes both SAE and MM sockets. A lot of the other options out there are just metric.

 

[techieman33]

WTF is a "meme tool"?

It got that name on reddit. It was the new shiny thing that everyone in the various tool subreddits and especially the harbor freight subreddit just had to have. There would be multiple people posting pictures of the one they bought every day and raving about how amazing and revolutionary it was to the point that it became a meme. The ********** nature of reddit is very strong normally, but for whatever reason the Icon bit ratchet cranked it up to 11.

 

[techieman33]

I like that the ICON includes both SAE and MM sockets. A lot of the other options out there are just metric.

Wera has a set that is metric and a set that is SAE, having both in one kit would be really nice.

 

[Steel_Rain]

The ********** nature of reddit is very strong normally, but for whatever reason the Icon bit ratchet cranked it up to 11.

Ohhhhhhhhhhh the drama.

 

[Kscardsfan]

It got that name on reddit. It was the new shiny thing that everyone in the various tool subreddits and especially the harbor freight subreddit just had to have. There would be multiple people posting pictures of the one they bought every day and raving about how amazing and revolutionary it was to the point that it became a meme. The ********** nature of reddit is very strong normally, but for whatever reason the Icon bit ratchet cranked it up to 11.

Reddit is a cesspool of humanity.

 

[four.cycle]

I like that the ICON includes both SAE and MM sockets. A lot of the other options out there are just metric.

The KOBALT kit contains both metric and SAE sockets. Product quality is a bit sketchy. I sent one to Blake for Christmas. I don't think he was too impressed by it.
The TEKTON "Small Engine Kit" (EXP0008) contained both metric and SAE sockets. The EXP0008 was only a prototype - they are supposed to be coming out with an "improved" version, but I wasn't able to get any kind of timeline last time I asked them about it.

The better quality, high-end Wera and Wiha have gone with "all metric" or "all SAE" on their equivalent sents, and it appears to be the same with Facom, if I am not mistaken.

FTR: The little blue KOBALT set (left) was $20 bucks at Lowes. The Tekton EXP0008 (right) was $100 from the factory.

 

[techieman33]

Reddit is a cesspool of humanity.

It is, but if you avoid the big subreddits and stay in the niche ones there is still a lot of valuable information there. It's especially helpful for finding answers for things you need help with. Search engines have gotten terrible and just give you lots of sites looking to sell you something. But if you add Reddit into the search string your probably going to find a post of someone else having the same problem and the solution to it.

 

[dscheidt]

Reddit is a cesspool of humanity.

Mostly AI spam bots these days, far as I can tell.

 

[RTM]

But if you add Reddit into the search string your probably going to find a post of someone else having the same problem and the solution to it.

I'm less than 50% on that method. I typically find a very similar question, with either no answer, or the "mine works fine" type answer. Guess I ask on too difficult a topic.

It is a good way to get away from the sales websites tho.

 

[techieman33]

I'm less than 50% on that method. I typically find a very similar question, with either no answer, or the "mine works fine" type answer. Guess I ask on too difficult a topic.

It is a good way to get away from the sales websites tho.

I think I'm closer to 70%, but either way that's still great compared to the maybe 10% I have with search engines.

 

[whateg01]

Mostly AI spam bots these days, far as I can tell.

How can you tell?

 

[whateg01]

I'm less than 50% on that method. I typically find a very similar question, with either no answer, or the "mine works fine" type answer. Guess I ask on too difficult a topic.

It is a good way to get away from the sales websites tho.

Or it's a similar symptom from 6 years ago that was fixed 5 years ago.

 

[RTM]

Or it's a similar symptom from 6 years ago that was fixed 5 years ago.

No, I usually specify results in the last year, or less if an upgrade broke it on software, or a new item release.

For my old tool research, I don't set time frames, except in Google Books, when I try to get concurrent results, not modern interpretation.

 

[Houdini5150]

I have the original and use it from time to time. I have purchased a few to gift out... maybe I will check this new one out we shall see.

 

[no704]

I'm still using my OG Gearwrench set from 15 years ago:

Had that set it was great. Wonder what happened to it?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

WTF is a "meme tool"?

Glad someone asked.

...sockets and bits in one compact package. Their "soft case" idea is pretty slick.

I have one of those!

 

[NightSky]

Felo has a similar set but with fewer driver bits. It's only available with either metric or SAE sockets. A little more expensive than the Facom set, too.

 

[Andres26tnt]

The Tekton Small Engine KIt (EXP00008) was introduced on a trial basis with only 50 units produced. Sold out @ $100.00 each in 40 minutes.
I re-sold mine ten days later for $150.00

The $79.00 Harbor Freight price point is right in line when you do an apples-to-apples comparison.

Still waiting to see what Tekton is going to come out with on this one - sockets and bits in one compact package. Their "soft case" idea
is pretty slick.

That true, still wouldn't pay that price for Taiwan tools. Having tested and currently testing multiple sockets and meme kits, I just can't. The market is really good now, and having access to other markets has change my view for sure.

Will be cool to see a tekton kit like the facom or icon.