Pittsburgh vs Pittsburgh Pro tools?

[gnarfle]

My son is starting an auto tech program and needs a pretty comprehensive set of tools for it. My thought was to start with a basic set of tools since they all have lifetime warranties and we can easily exchange any broken ones at local stores. Then later if he sticks with it and wants to pursue a career we can see about investing in "pro" tools for him.

In light of that it seems like Craftsman / Pittsburgh / Kobalt / Husky are all more or less equivalent made in china tools that will likely do the job for now. I'm looking at the Pittsburgh 301 piece mechanics tool set for now since it's 90% of what he needs for a good price, but this kit is not the "pro" line which people seem to mostly talk about. I could build out an equivalent set of "Pro" sockets and other tools for 2-3x the price of course, but I'm wondering what the actual difference is.

I can find absolutely no info on the difference between pittsburgh and pittsburgh pro when it comes to ratchets and sockets. From inspecting them the only difference I can see is that the pro ratchets are red, and the pro sockets say they are "triple chrome plated" whereas the regular sockets just say chrome vanadium construction.

So... anyone know, is there an actual difference between the pro and regular line when it comes to ratchets or sockets? And is it worth spending 2-3x as much to assemble a "pro" kit instead?

 

[LJSE34]

Not sure what the difference between the regular Pittsburgh sockets and the "pro" sockets is, but I actually bought that 301 piece set years ago and the sockets (on mine anyway) are all stamped "Pro".

I actually still have nearly all of the sockets from that set and use them every day at work. I haven't broken a single one of the regular sockets, ever. All the wrenches, pliers and screwdrivers that came with the set are long gone but they were cheap **** anyway.

I was always impressed with how complete that set was in terms of sockets and also the quality of the sockets. I still haven't found a reason to upgrade them.

 

[d.mcfarland]

I have a set of the regular Pittsburgh chrome (deep) sockets and I purposefully only use them on an impact to see how much they will take. No problems yet.

 

[gnarfle]

Well good to hear. There's basically no info out there and I've read various opinions that they're the same thing despite the label, and that pro is made in taiwan and regular is made in china, but in the store I found non pro stuff that also said made in taiwan.

Who knows...

It seems like a good starting point and yeah my thought was it's a complete socket set with no skipped sizes, so we'll probably over time upgrade ratchets and the other things in there like wrenches and screwdrivers, etc, but this is a good starting point.

 

[woody 73]

I sometimes wonder if they take a few more steps in the pro line then they do in the regular tool line?
In other words maybe they take a better time in the sanding stage or in the polishing line, then they would for the regular line ?

 

[ChrisLS8]

If he is starting an auto program he can also go to tektons site and sign up for their class program which will get him an additional 15 percent off. Combine that with the 10% reward back on purchases and free shipping and great customer service and I see all the reasons to use them for hand tools

 

[Professional Tool User]

It should mostly be down to marketing. There are certain things that are only available under the Pittsburgh Pro brand name like the flex head ratchets. The sockets should be more or less the same if the COO is the same.

 

[Zewnten]

I used that 301 piece set for several years and still have it in my garage for at home, it'll all work just fine. When I bought mine all the sockets were made in Taiwan. Add in the 24 breaker and the Carlyle 3/8 long ratchet and he'll be good to go for some time.

 

[bonneyman]

If he is starting an auto program he can also go to tektons site and sign up for their class program which will get him an additional 15 percent off. Combine that with the 10% reward back on purchases and free shipping and great customer service and I see all the reasons to use them for hand tools

I really like that Tekton does that. Another reason for us "non-students" to patronize them.

 

[Mr_B]

You better off picking out select items from various sources and build up your own kit and make use of coupon/sales as much as possible.
You want value not just cheap .
HF pits pro ratchets good option and always coupons going, pliers, grips and screwdrivers from likes of doyle breman decent and usable .
Socketry, look at Husky, gearwrench, oem and tekton , carlyle, toptul .
buy half decent wrench set .
icon ratchet wrenches decent with a 20%+ coupon, rest not greatest buy.
Best buying something that even if doesn't stick to this career it be useful for home gamer use most of his life or if does stay in this career originals good seconds or fill in tools .
Pretty good quality tools never been so cheap or so easy get, trick is carefully selecting what each brand excels at and making prices as low as possible .
I think Tekton does student discount so worth reviewing details of that ...

 

[jgromada]

Regarding impact sockets I believe the difference is the Pittsburgh Pro are made of Chrome-Molybdenum steel (Cr-Mo) vs the cheaper impacts being made from Chrome-Vanadium steel (Cr-V). The finish on the plain Pittsburgh is maybe a bit cruder than the Pittsburgh Pro. I have not had any problems with any of my Pittsburgh or Pittsburgh Pro sockets.

 

[1982fxr]

My limited experience is Pittsburgh is junk and Pitt Pro if Taiwan is decent stuff.

Part of the problem is no consistency through the years. Whatever kit someone bought 6 years ago won't be the same stuff in the kit today, with who knows how many switches in between.

 

[redragoon]

Is this program at a vocational school or technical college? They should have a list of required items needed for the course. Some schools may even provide a tool set.
https://www.alfredstate.edu/admissions/accepted-students/required-tools-supplies/automotive-service-technician

Most of the ~200-300pc blowmold box tool sets will handle most jobs, but they will almost certainly be missing items. HF Pro will be better produced than the standard line, but I would always be aware of China vs Taiwan production.
I have had great success with the Kobalt 227pc set as a starter kit. It goes on sale for $100 throughout the year and one of the drawers is an empty space for adding more tools. This plus a good set of pliers, handles many jobs he will come across.
Aside from this, it can be a good idea to acquire used tools of USA production over time for much cheaper than trucks can sell them. Gearwrench (COO Taiwan) has started to become my favorite new brand for value of quality tools. I will replace those with USA/Japan/Europe brands if I ever break one.

 

[Nineeightyone]

I'm a big fan of my Pittsburgh Pro stuff, I've bought a handful of regular Pittsburgh hand tools and feel there's a noticable difference. My 1/2" drive Pittsburgh ratchet is clunky and awful, where the 1/2" Pittsburgh Pro ratchet is far more smooth and inspires a ton more confidence. I'd say it's up there with my Wera 1/2", though the Wera is hefty to the point of being a weapon.

For the $5 off ratchet coupon, I'd buy the Pittsburgh Pro ratchets all day. I don't believe the kits are worth the money, because they're likely constrained by price point, where putting something together yourself could get you much better quality for not a lot more money.

Personally I'd look at what the school recommends in terms of tooling, and buy Taiwanese with a good warranty for the hardline stuff -- ratchets, sockets, wrenches, and so on. The only thing I wouldn't cheap out on AT ALL is line wrenches, Snap-On and Blackhawk seem to be the top offerings for them. I found the Blackhawk on Amazon for ~$80, very worth the money in my opinion. The HF line wrenches aren't worth it, I've had them fail under use already and that's really not an ideal situation.

Tekton has awesome offerings in general, and you can typically get pretty good deals from their site.

 

[Bacon!]

If these were specialty tools that might be used once-twice a year, then I could rationalize getting a barely acceptable quality level, but in this case, these are basic tools that are useful in many different types of (non-automotive) repairs too, and something decent enough that you don't get the urge to upgrade (replace rather than supplement), could be a lifetime set.

I'd skip over the non-pro and anything else you find made in China if the budget will stretch. He must be somewhat mechanically inclined to consider being an auto tech at all so I'm pretty sure he'll make good use of quality tools over the years.

 

[Squankum]

The secret word is "Taiwan." It's a small capitalist country off the coast of China. Most everything made there seems to be of very decent quality for a surprisingly fair price.

Mainland, communist China is gaining on them in quality, but right now, you can't go wrong with Taiwan.

That's generally Pittsburgh Pro at HF. And now..."ICON", yet another made up HF brand.

 

[Bacon!]

The only thing I wouldn't cheap out on AT ALL is line wrenches, Snap-On and Blackhawk seem to be the top offerings for them. I found the Blackhawk on Amazon for ~$80, very worth the money in my opinion. The HF line wrenches aren't worth it, I've had them fail under use already and that's really not an ideal situation.

Agreed, especially if you live in the rust belt, HQ line wrenches are worth every penny. I'd add Wright brand to that list, especially their non-chromed series which, without needing to consider variations in chrome plating thickness, can be made to tighter tolerances. Then again if it fits like a glove, you may have to clean some rust off the fastener.

 

[Ton ton]

Pittsburgh Pro for me.

 

[Cgw1984]

Ive had fantastic luck with pitts. Pro stuff (as a home gamer).

 

[ouimetnick]

My regular Pittsburgh (non pro) impact sockets are just fine. I wish they were stamped so I could read them and the numbers would face the same direction when on the socket rail, but they work fine. The packaging also says Made in Taiwan.