new tools - Mastercraft and Mastercraft Maximum first impressions

[homec]

I'm in Canadistan so no HF here. I'd posted a couple threads looking for help on tool selection and in the end went in an unexpected direction, but basically followed a lot of advice that said to get a big set to start.

I was planning on getting Williams 3/8" sockets/wrenches, gearwrench 120xp ratchets, and sunex 1/2" impacts along with a couple other things to start but I ended getting almost everything from Canadian Tire. The prices and discounts were simply too good to ignore. Almost everything I purchased was 50-70% off yesterday so I made off like a bandit.

I got:

• 400 piece socket/ratchet/wrench/allen key/torx/hex/spline in 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2" drives for $199 down from $750.
• CT "Pro" brand (Maximum) torque wrenches in 3/8 (50-250 in-lbs) and 1/2 (50-250 ft-lbs). for 50-66% off each, $49 and $79.
• "pro" 1/2" breaker bar for $12 (down from $45).
• 9 piece wobble extension set (with mix of 1/2, 3/8, and 1/4 drive) for $9 (down from 45)
• other bits and pieces including jack and jack stands, grease gun and grease, magnetic pan, etc

Overall I saved hundreds of dollars even off regular CT prices.

Mastercraft 400 piece set
I basically got this since this would allow me to cover every size in both SAE and metric. There's some waste in here as far as I'm concerned. Does anyone ever use spline sockets? I'd have rather had proper deep/short sockets in the more common sizes...

The sockets are ok. They're laser etched. All standard depth. No deep/shallow except on spline sockets which have a bunch of deep for whatever reason. I can immediately see why people prefer stamped. The latter is much easier to read. And the etching isn't in consistent place on sockets. I put them on socket rails for now and sometimes the number is completely hidden. Socket quality itself is OK. I've felt some fit well and others a little sloppy but I just got the set yesterday so limited use so far... I can see myself acquiring deep/shallow Williams sockets sets for 3/8 and 1/4" but not right away. Can live with these for now.

The wrenches are pretty lousy. Very thin beams. laser etched markings. Set has gaps. No equivalent of FD+ on the open ends. I'm going to go ahead and buy the Williams MWS-15A (7-21mm) set immediately, but the mastercraft can serve as extras or if/when I need two wrenches of same size...

The ratchets are useable but not great. I can see myself getting the gearwrench 120xp set or some used snap-on f80 style ratchets in the near future. Handles are kinda short on the mastercraft ratchets. Not a huge fan of reverse mechanism and they're not flex ratchets, but they work. No idea how much torque they can take yet...

Maximum 1/2 and 3/8 drive Torque Wrenches + 1/2 breaker bar

These I'm very happy with. They're well made. I was originally planning on getting split beam Precision Instruments torque wrenches, but given 50 and 66% off I got on these two wrenches, I'm very happy with them. No plans to replace. The breaker bar is really solid too.

Misc
Magnetic pan. Everyone should have one. So useful.

Lastly, I didn't bother with impact wrench. A good Milwaukee electric one capable of 1100lb-ft breakaway torque is $500 up here (the tool-only one is only 700lb-ft). At this point, I don't feel I need one. Once I get to point where I'm doing suspension work and need really high torque I'll probably get something but it's total overkill for removing lug nuts and that's all I have to do for now.

Summary

It's hard to go wrong for $200 CAD. I've now got all my bases covered. That said, the wrenches ****. I'll still be ordering the 15-piece Williams set in metric. The sockets seem hit and miss so far. Again, I'm probably going to end up with Williams in shallow/deep sooner rather than later. Will probably get snap-on or gearwrench flex head ratchets too. Even with what little I've done I can see the benefit of a flex head, longer handle, and better ratcheting mechanism.

The Maximum breaker bar and torque wrenches are great though. I'd still go with the precision instruments at full price, but if you're Canadian and see these on sale for 50-70% off, they're a definite win.

Lastly, a note on Maximum vs Mastercraft sockets. Frankly, I didn't see a huge difference though I had trouble comparing 1 to 1 of equal sizes because they were in locked display case. But the Maximum sockets are still etched and not stamped.

Also, all of the Mastercraft and Maximum stuff is lifetime warranty, so easy to exchange anything that breaks. So the big set was good to start with, but even as a newbie I can already see reasons to upgrade parts of it. That said, my mind has already been infected by GJ and I have the sickness now...

 

[owdlvr]

Ahhh Mastercraft, so far have they fallen...

About 25 years ago I bought my Mastercraft "Professional" socket set. Back then the biggest kit was 550+pieces, and it was a brilliant set. Proper stamped numbers, 6-sided sockets in shallow and deep. Everything from 4mm to 36mm, with a full range (appropriately sized) in 1/4, 3/8 & 1/2 inch sizes. Half the kit was lost in a theft about 18 years ago, and by then the Professional line of tools had less sockets in the 'big' kit, and included wrenches and few other things. No biggie, but disappointing. The new kit filled out my lost items and gave me spares from which to pull when I needed them. I thought about buying two kits at the time, with the 'slip' in quality/qty...but didn't.

Now, 18 years and three moves later, I have lost the odd socket here and there and find myself wishing I could buy another full kit to fill out my many tool boxes. Sadly Mastercraft has cheapened the brand significantly...most notably when then moved from "Mastercraft Professional" to "Mastercraft Maximum". The Etched sockets are hard to read, and variety in the kits has been 'dumbed down'.

Interestingly, my old Mastercraft Professional sockets have been (incorrectly) used on impact guns for over 20 years without a problem. The new maximum sockets will shatter.

They are still _good_ tools for the money. Probably equal to old "craftsman" quality (with the exception of the etching vs. stamping), but they've definitely gone further towards cheap-import quality vs the high-quality tools they were once known for.

My Mastercraft Professional wrenches are some of my favourites, as are my standard Mastercraft wrenches (shorter, useful in some places). I haven't had a need to look at the wrenches they're offering today, but I'm curious if they've changed. The Professional wrenches I have are definitely thin, but that comes in handy for clearance.

Also, all of the Mastercraft and Maximum stuff is lifetime warranty, so easy to exchange anything that breaks

Double check the warranty, I know it was changing sometime in the last 24mo. It used to be if you walked in with any Mastercraft branded tool you got a replacement right then and there, I think you _may_ need proof of purchase now? Not sure on that, but I remember reading some threads about it on a Canadian board.

Having said all of the above, you've bought probably the best tools available in Canada (currently) without going onto a Snap-On truck. Despite the fact that I could probably afford to shop on the Snap-On truck, I just cannot bring myself to do it unless they offer the only tool available. My Mastercraft stuff has lasted 20+ years of hard life working on cars, I'm pretty sure I'll get another 20+ years out of it. I just wish they still had a "premium" product that was truly premium.

 

[homec]

Just out of curiosity I looked at some of the other Maximum stuff at CT and some of it looks decent. Some of the screwdrivers looked pretty good. They also had a flex head ratchet that looked decent. I think the dewalt hand tools are a definite step up and probably best I've seen in Canada at the common stores. The wrenches for instance have something similar to the Williams open ends (surface drive plus). And I believe the sockets were stamped. But they don't sell huge dewalt kits.

Back to the Mastercraft/Maximum sets. Are these sets worth it at full price? God no, imo. They're $799 for 384 piece set of mixed quality (or 759 for the 400 piece mastercraft) and probably 100 pieces that will rarely if ever get used (the spline sockets)? By comparison, For $750 CAD I could get metric deep/shallows in 1/4 and 3/8 from Williams (via toolsdelivered.com), 1/2 impact set in metric/SAE from Sunex, and much better GearWrench 120xp ratchets. But for $200 the set is a steal, even with the waste.

Next thing I'll probably need is a way to store the stuff. I'm in a century home without a garage so I'm working on a concrete drive. Mud room on back of house will become part of kitchen soon so that leaves basement for tool storage unfortunately. Not really sure what to do yet. I'm basically transferring what I need from the thin plastic trays they came in to a handheld tool caddy. Sockets are in rails. But the toolboxes at CT were awful. Really flimsy and thin. Slide rails felt weak. The handheld boxes were really flimsy and fragile looking as well.... Display models were all damaged in some way.

 

[frojoe]

I have a Mastercraft Professional large metric combination wrench set that I got maybe 15 years ago and man those are still looking classy to this day... up there close to the truck brands in appearance and durability. The new stuff is no doubt a downgrade from that but man it's hard to deny the insane sales on decent-quality tools that go on across almost the entire tool section every couple months. I started slowly assembling myself an apartment/mobile tool kit with stuff only purchased on sale, and I don't think I've got a discount less than 30-40%, and most being 60-70% (all Channellock, Maximum, and Stanley).. you just have to wait.

I think most of the Maximum stuff is made by Stanley, which in my experience is good enough quality for a garage enthusiast such as myself. The 229pc Stanley socket set briefcase that I purchased for the mobile setup ($449 marked down to $119!!) has been tossed around under the truck and other vehicles and has withstood lots of reckless care, use of cheater bars included! The Maximum ratcheting wrench sets are an especially good deal when they regularly go on sale from >$100 for a set down to sometimes $39-49.. especially since they are manufactured by Gearwrench.

I just picked up matching 11pc SAE and metric Maximum deep impact 1/2" drive socket sets, both marketed down from $79 to $19.. they are hefty and appear to be good quality, with laser etched AND stamped sizing.. I like that they're a tough textured semi-gloss black finish that appears to be more of a hard coating than the standard black oxide finish that most impact sockets come with, and that can rust here in the Pacific North West.

 

[altersaddle]

While we don't have Harbor Freight we do have Princess Auto which appears to use many of the same Asian factories / suppliers. I've been satisfied with the unbranded hard line tools from them.

Home Depot also sells the Husky line if you still want to buy hand tools from a box store.

Gray tools are also an option for something solid. The warranty is not nearly as generous as for Mastercraft/Sears - BUT they are still made in Canada and you probably won't need to warranty them that much.

Oddly enough, Gray Tools are showing up on the Staples.ca website, for reasons that baffle me. You can also order direct from Gray, but prepare yourself for sticker shock - the $200 for your entire set will get you a could of flex sockets direct from Gray.