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New Tekton USA Made Angle Wrenches

Air21

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Nov 3, 2013
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372
In a previous thread I found out that Snap-On sells 4 way angle wrenches to Caterpillar for between $4 and I think $12, so I wouldn't lean too heavily on their astronomical price being a representation of strength.

I'd be curious to see the process Tekton is using to CNC finished wrenches, I bet it's cooooool to watch!
 
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Jaysreal

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Yes, so it's quite a bit curious the metric set is available first as even Tekton references these for use on forklifts on the website. BUT! With some foreign units from Germany/ Sweden, I have discovered that they do feature metric Hyd. Fittings.
Are those forklifts you work on mostly SAE hydraulic fittings or is it a mix?

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
 

M6erfan

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The vid on the website directly comparing to snap on is a bit cheeky. Normally companies would cover the competitor's logo and refer to them indirectly. Is it legal for them to show this?

snapppp.jpg

I know EU and U.S. have different advertising laws, but Tekton is not doing anything illegal here.
 

JBradley500

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Jul 19, 2013
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I already have the SO ones, but this could be one of the best tool releases I’ve seen in quite some time. There was a ton of need for this for the average joe who works in hydraulics/Diesel engines/etc but didn’t want to spend crazy money on wrenches or to buy crappy 60/15 sets.
 

bonneyman

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Those do look sweet! :drool:

If I wasn't so heavily invested already in Bonney I'd be all over those. Then again, I still might be!
Thumbs up to Tekton making USA wrenches!:thumbup:
 

toolmutt

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If I don't quit this forum, I'm going to be living in a cardboard box. I'll have a great set of tools but in a cardboard box! :lol_hitti
 

American Locomotive

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I think your statements on higher labor cost are really overstated.

Because of the extreme high speed of modern CNC machines the gun industry has done this for decades now (starting with bar stock) and it saved them money compared to the old methods of forging first. It's allowed high quality guns at pretty low prices especially when inflation is taken into effect.

Small manufactures such as Henry rifles started doing it and now giants like remington have mostly converted over to this method.
I currently work for a manufacturing company, and we have some of the fastest CNC turning machines in the world and multi-spindle machines that crank completed parts out in well under a second. We make a ton of parts for the firearm industry. So I do know some about manufacturing.

For something like tools, you are just not going to compete with a dedicated forging line. Take a look around the internet, and you can find many videos of modern wrench lines. They start out from round bar stock (which is usually cheaper than plate stock), and once heated (in an induction furnace), it takes less than 10 seconds to stamp out a completed double open-end wrench. The forging process does both sides at once. A little bit of finishing before sending it out to be plated and you're done.

CNC machines, especially the very fastest ones are finicky fickle beasts, with high maintenance costs. Based on the pretty simple styling of the Tekton wrenches, I'd wager they can get the machining done pretty fast. Probably about 20 seconds per side, per wrench + ~5-7 seconds to laser cut each wrench out of the plate + the same finishing work a forged wrench needs. You basically already lost at CNC laser cutting the blanks out. You spend 5 seconds cutting each wrench blank out, when a servo press could punch 30 wrench blanks out in 1.5 seconds.

I'm not in any way knocking the Tekton wrenches, as they have obviously found a way to make an affordable wrench using a machining-based production line. For what they're trying to do, it obviously makes sense. General purpose CNC machines are far cheaper to purchase than a dedicated production line for a product line that may or may not be successful.

But when it comes time to crank out thousands of wrenches a day, you're just not going to beat a casting/forging/whatever line in terms of speed or cost per unit. Sky high initial setup costs, but very cheap to keep in operation.
 

SRSemenza

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Apr 26, 2017
Messages
616
I'm curious why these would be useful as opposed to a straight wrench? Not trying to be a downer but I just fail to see where you could use this that you couldn't use a straight wrench?? I've never had a wrench where I thought, wow, I wish I could turn my hand or body 45 degrees... I just turn the wrench (or my body). I've wished a lot of times that a wrench was shorter or thinner, so I can fit it in between two items, but maybe I just have not encountered the circumstance that made this a solution to a problem I have not had yet.... To me it just looks like a tool I'd never use and would take up real estate in the tool box.

If the fastener is in an obstructed position. The obstruction may make it impossible to get the wrench onto the fastener if the hex flats don't match up to the direction the wrench can come from. Same as the way you can flip a normal 15 degree angled open end you can flip these both ways on the 30 or 60 end to increase the number of entry angles.

Seth
 

BDT/NWMN

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Jan 22, 2012
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Erskine, Mn
In a previous thread I found out that Snap-On sells 4 way angle wrenches to Caterpillar for between $4 and I think $12, so I wouldn't lean too heavily on their astronomical price being a representation of strength.

I'd be curious to see the process Tekton is using to CNC finished wrenches, I bet it's cooooool to watch!

So true; the price of Snap-on wrenches includes the red carpet service.
I should mention that I consider the prices on the Caterpillar angle wrenches quite reasonable, but the Tekton sets will sell for less.. The nice thing about Caterpillar is the larger sizes are available; and I can have a set tomorrow.

Checking out the Snap-on, Caterpillar, Tekton, and Sunex websites will give members a bunch of browsing material.
 

Air21

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Nov 3, 2013
Messages
372
American Locomotive, I wonder what the difference in defect rate is for forged vs CNC'd wrenches. Somebody sat down and decided that this was the route they wanted to use, I'd be curious to see the calculus that went into that. On one hand it could have been the lower starting cost, but they might also be using some Just In Time techniques too.

Somebody buy a set so we can all oggle them!
 

gtlaw

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Dec 19, 2011
Messages
666
Definitely got to get these. It would be awesome if they came out with zero degree high performance metric set next.
 

2ndGearRubber

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Mar 24, 2014
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Pittsburgh
Finally! Somebody besides Snap On making 30/60 angle wrenches; I will be buying the SAE set as soon as I can find one, maybe some metric singles to top-off my Snap On set.
 

ChrisLS8

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Jan 16, 2015
Messages
1,964
Can Dave answer if there will be more US wrench offerings? If so I will hold off on the wrench shopping I was going to be doing in the near future.
 

joebachor

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Nov 22, 2012
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171
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toledo ohio
Tekton is really impressing me and hope they keep up the good work, this company deserves respect and im a very happy customer of theirs.
 

2oolhound

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Dec 18, 2010
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BC Canada
Thanks for posting KDoug. This is very impressive and good to see. I remember the write-up from a few years ago about their earlier angle wrenches and they looked pathetic - (see post #31 here)

I have sets of SO up to 7/8 and 19mm and I use them often enough. Otherwise I'd be chompin at the bit over these. I'd like to get some of the larger sizes though.

What we need now is sets of 45'/75' angle wrenches to fill in these spaces. and sets of whitworth as well as sae and metric would be nice too.

attachment.php


The vid on the website directly comparing to snap on is a bit cheeky. Normally companies would cover the competitor's logo and refer to them indirectly. Is it legal for them to show this?

It can't be illegal, politicians have been doing it for years. They don't tell you what they'll do for you if you elect them, they just tell you what the opposition did or is planning and slam them.
 

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anndel

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Looks good! We'll see how it works out when most folks use it and if there's any breakage before thinking about picking up a set. The previous 2 posters mentioned the wrench being cut out of plate steel using a plasma cutter, just curious about strength.
 
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highland512

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Dec 31, 2009
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Somewhere near a cornfield
Chrome sockets will be out much sooner. Don't have a hard timeline in place, but should be within the next year.

Dave

[email protected]

Not sure if you can tell us or not but. Are you saying we could see a new line of USA made chrome sockets introduced to the market?

Im of the opinion there is lots of room in the market for a mid-range quality US made tool (think 90's craftsman). Seems to be a big gap between HF import junk and high end truck tools.
 

Dave.R

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383
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Grand Rapids MI
Not sure if you can tell us or not but. Are you saying we could see a new line of USA made chrome sockets introduced to the market?

Im of the opinion there is lots of room in the market for a mid-range quality US made tool (think 90's craftsman). Seems to be a big gap between HF import junk and high end truck tools.

There is no current plan for US sockets. Our current sockets are some of our best tools in my opinion, and we will be largely focusing on expanding the program and adding features to the sockets.

Dave

[email protected]
 

Tallpilot

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Jan 13, 2017
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Orlando
Not sure if you can tell us or not but. Are you saying we could see a new line of USA made chrome sockets introduced to the market?

Im of the opinion there is lots of room in the market for a mid-range quality US made tool (think 90's craftsman). Seems to be a big gap between HF import junk and high end truck tools.

I'm not sure I agree with this. I always mention I bought USA Williams to fly the flag and they are great but my Tekton sockets which have been relegated to the truck box are awesome. Add knurling, fully necked down smaller sizes and larger stamped size markings and they will be Carlyle quality at Gearwrench prices.
 

Ji m

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Nov 15, 2017
Messages
579
Location
The Northeast
Nice wrench sets,
REALLY glad to see Tekton making more tools here in the USA.

I just own a few open/open wrenches like this,
each bought for a special purpose,
but these look too nice to not buy a set or two

:thumbup:


one more note:

I currently work for a manufacturing company, and we have some of the fastest CNC turning machines in the world and multi-spindle machines that crank completed parts out in well under a second. We make a ton of parts for the firearm industry. So I do know some about manufacturing.

For something like tools, you are just not going to compete with a dedicated forging line. Take a look around the internet, and you can find many videos of modern wrench lines. They start out from round bar stock (which is usually cheaper than plate stock), and once heated (in an induction furnace), it takes less than 10 seconds to stamp out a completed double open-end wrench. The forging process does both sides at once. A little bit of finishing before sending it out to be plated and you're done.

CNC machines, especially the very fastest ones are finicky fickle beasts, with high maintenance costs. Based on the pretty simple styling of the Tekton wrenches, I'd wager they can get the machining done pretty fast. Probably about 20 seconds per side, per wrench + ~5-7 seconds to laser cut each wrench out of the plate + the same finishing work a forged wrench needs. You basically already lost at CNC laser cutting the blanks out. You spend 5 seconds cutting each wrench blank out, when a servo press could punch 30 wrench blanks out in 1.5 seconds.

I'm not in any way knocking the Tekton wrenches, as they have obviously found a way to make an affordable wrench using a machining-based production line. For what they're trying to do, it obviously makes sense. General purpose CNC machines are far cheaper to purchase than a dedicated production line for a product line that may or may not be successful.

But when it comes time to crank out thousands of wrenches a day, you're just not going to beat a casting/forging/whatever line in terms of speed or cost per unit. Sky high initial setup costs, but very cheap to keep in operation.


^we really need a "Like" or a "Thank You" button here for informative posts like this one :beer:
 
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