Pittsburgh "V-Groove" wrench set

[AJHD]

I'm wanting to know if anyone has this wrench set and what their real-world actual use opinion is of it?

I know, it's HF and it's cheap and it's probably made in China, get over it. You can bash HF in plenty of other threads...

I'm looking for a cheap secondary set of wrenches that will see limited use. This has all the sizes I would need (although I might pick up a 16mm), and it has some larger sizes too where brand and quality won't make much difference. It's a good price at about $40+tax with the current 10% off coupon.

If I ignore the larger sizes, there are some comparable options elsewhere online. But buying locally, with a lifetime warranty, with the larger sizes, and not having to deal with Amazon is a bonus.

https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/wrenches/v-groove-metric-combination-wrench-set-14-piece-63063.html

 

[jimbothecricket]

I have not used this set, however, the v-groove does nothing to improve grip on a fastener and is just a marketing gimmick. Torque Test Channel has a video where they describe it in more detail (one of their wrench testing videos).
If you have a Lowe's nearby I recommend picking up the Craftsman V-Series 12 piece wrench set. They are on sale for $40 right now (same price on amazon currently). Note that this doesn't include the large sizes. As Facom clones I'm sure they are nicer wrenches than the Pittsburgh. How important are the large wrenches for your use case?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-V-Series-8482-Metric-Combination-Wrench-Set-12-pc/5005414015

 

[mike93lx]

I have not used this set, however, the v-groove does nothing to improve grip on a fastener and is just a marketing gimmick. Torque Test Channel has a video where they describe it in more detail (one of their wrench testing videos).
If you have a Lowe's nearby I recommend picking up the Craftsman V-Series 12 piece wrench set. They are on sale for $40 right now (same price on amazon currently). Note that this doesn't include the large sizes. As Facom clones I'm sure they are nicer wrenches than the Pittsburgh. How important are the large wrenches for your use case?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-V-Series-8482-Metric-Combination-Wrench-Set-12-pc/5005414015

I just bought these and used them this morning on a civic starter replacement. They're nice and a great buy at $40

I have some Pittsburgh wrenches and they are fine, nothing special but not terrible.

 

[jimbothecricket]

Sorry for not answering the question well. My work has a smaller set of non-v groove Pittsburgh wrenches and they honestly aren't as bad as I thought they would be. Not great, but none have failed on me yet. This is the set:

https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/wrenches/combination-wrenches-wrench-sets/9-piece-metric-highly-polished-combo-wrench-set-42305.html

 

[JeepYJ]

I have a set of these I keep in the barn for when I need a wrench out there when doing work on lawnmowers or OPE. They seem to work fine for random things that require a wrench. I did get a 16mm from Northern Tool (Klutch brand) on clearance for like $2 to make a complete set. The Klutch wrench is way worse quality.
My son also has a set of these in his truck box for emergency use. They seem to work fine for him when he’s needed them.

 

[rust in the eye]

I've used and abused* the long pattern Pittsburgh wrenches and while they are crude looking always did the job so in my opinion are very good value.
* I bought the set for it's 5 largest sizes which I used for car suspension work, often on rusty fasteners where the extra leverage was handy. They saw various cheaters on ocassion and never failed me.
My only complaint was the skipped sizes which they do not offer.

 

[jimbothecricket]

Sorry for not answering the question well. My work has a smaller set of non-v groove Pittsburgh wrenches and they honestly aren't as bad as I thought they would be. Not great, but none have failed on me yet. This is the set:

https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/wrenches/combination-wrenches-wrench-sets/9-piece-metric-highly-polished-combo-wrench-set-42305.html

Now that I walked away my thoughts coalesced into a better recommendation. In your position I would buy the $25 Pittsburgh non-v groove 14 piece set and save $20 or use the extra cash to buy the skipped sizes. It is probably of similar quality to the v-groove set

https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/wrenches/combination-wrenches-wrench-sets/fully-polished-metric-combination-wrench-set-14-piece-68790.html

 

[AJHD]

I have not used this set, however, the v-groove does nothing to improve grip on a fastener and is just a marketing gimmick. Torque Test Channel has a video where they describe it in more detail (one of their wrench testing videos).
If you have a Lowe's nearby I recommend picking up the Craftsman V-Series 12 piece wrench set. They are on sale for $40 right now (same price on amazon currently). Note that this doesn't include the large sizes. As Facom clones I'm sure they are nicer wrenches than the Pittsburgh. How important are the large wrenches for your use case?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-V-Series-8482-Metric-Combination-Wrench-Set-12-pc/5005414015

I don't care about the v-groove design. Definitely not why I'm buying them.

I like the Craftsman, and I was actually considering that exact set. But unfortunately, those are not available in-store locally, so I'd have to order online and ship.

Now that I walked away my thoughts coalesced into a better recommendation. In your position I would buy the $25 Pittsburgh non-v groove 14 piece set and save $20 or use the extra cash to buy the skipped sizes. It is probably of similar quality to the v-groove set

https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/wrenches/combination-wrenches-wrench-sets/fully-polished-metric-combination-wrench-set-14-piece-68790.html

Appreciate the input. That's an option, but I'd spend the extra $20 to have the larger sizes. Still a good deal and under $50 is still acceptable for this purpose.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

I'm wanting to know if anyone has this wrench set and what their real-world actual use opinion is of it?

I know, it's HF and it's cheap and it's probably made in China, get over it. You can bash HF in plenty of other threads...

I'm looking for a cheap secondary set of wrenches that will see limited use. This has all the sizes I would need (although I might pick up a 16mm), and it has some larger sizes too where brand and quality won't make much difference. It's a good price at about $40+tax with the current 10% off coupon.

If I ignore the larger sizes, there are some comparable options elsewhere online. But buying locally, with a lifetime warranty, with the larger sizes, and not having to deal with Amazon is a bonus.

https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/wrenches/v-groove-metric-combination-wrench-set-14-piece-63063.html

I had that set back when it skipped 16 AND 18mm, and stopped at 24mm. This was ~2012, when I needed wrenches as a starting oil/tire kid.


Fit is okay, too much lead in taper on the box ends. They're flexible and will wobble a bit in use.

They work, they're totally usable, just kind of ****** and unpleasant.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Sorry for not answering the question well. My work has a smaller set of non-v groove Pittsburgh wrenches and they honestly aren't as bad as I thought they would be. Not great, but none have failed on me yet. This is the set:

https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/wrenches/combination-wrenches-wrench-sets/9-piece-metric-highly-polished-combo-wrench-set-42305.html

FWIW those will not survive double wrenching at all, to compensate for the short length. Lube tech bought a set and they were noticeably worse than the V grooves.

 

[BrandonV]

I'd likely buy the Sunex set from Zoro or a similar retailer. Harbor Freight tends to discontinue products after a year or two, so you might face warranty issues if you need a replacement. The last time I brought in a discontinued item to HF, they made a fuss because they didn't have an identical set to replace it with.

Sunex warranty is easy to work with especially on an item that is unlikely to ever need a warranty to boot.

 

[ohhimark]

I got a set of those Craftsman V series on sale. Haven't used them yet, but they appear nice. I do use a set of Crescent wrenches at the junkyard and they are fine.

If you have a TSC nearby: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/crescent-15-pc-metric-combo-wrench-set-ccws5-05

 

[AJHD]

I got a set of those Craftsman V series on sale. Haven't used them yet, but they appear nice. I do use a set of Crescent wrenches at the junkyard and they are fine.

If you have a TSC nearby: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/crescent-15-pc-metric-combo-wrench-set-ccws5-05

Unfortunately the Craftsman are not available locally, online only. There is a Klein ratcheting set that is on sale for $40 right now at Lowes, but it's also not available locally. Lowes *****.

There is a HF across the street from TSC and I stopped by both earlier today.

That Crescent set wasn't in stock either and the only store that shows available stock is 40 miles away. That's not happening.

As for the V-groove wrenches, I looked at them while I was HF, but decided to pass. Too cheaply made. I will pursue something else and just have to spend more. But it can wait for now.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Just about all my coworkers have this set. They have held up for them for years using them for alignments and everyday stuff. They feel cheap and show stress markings. Personally probably the best price for long wrenches though but I’ll take my Snap-on any day.