Ranking the consumer-grade combination wrenches

[Tirofijo]

How do you rank the non-truck brand combination wrenches (arguably the most important items in your tool box, maybe behind sockets)?

I might be missing some, but here is a partial list in no particular order:

Gearwrench
Tekton
Masterforce
Craftsman
Kobalt
Husky
Stanley
Pittsburgh Pro
Dewalt
Bostich
???

To useful to more readers, let's assume its current production available now, not a previous gen that was made by a different maker in a different country.

 

[sberry]

I don't rank them. I got cheap stuff works great.

 

[jrockford]

Masterforce (Mendard's house brand)

Right as I posted, I saw it..

 

[Infinia]

ranked by ?
price
strength
hand fatigue
weight
length
shininess
personal feelings

 

[Teenager with old tools]

I would put husky above new craftsman


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tirofijo]

ranked by ?
price
strength
hand fatigue
weight
length
shininess
personal feelings

Ranked by quality.

 

[Tirofijo]

The #1 wrench to me is the one in my hand doing the job.
As I turn a bolt on an intake manifold, I can't imagine bitching about the rank of a wrench doing its job.
I don't consider them anything but tools.
A 20 year life span versus a lifetime warranty means nothing to most of us.

This thread is for people that are looking to purchase wrenches. I would have thought that was obvious. Maybe it wasn't.

Lots of threads here doing Craftsman VS Gearwrench or Matco vs Snap-on. This thread is no different.

If you don't want to participate, that's fine.

If you are hung up on the work 'ranking', just ignore it and instead let us know which of these brands' combination wrench would you buy first.

 

[Infinia]

Ranked by quality.

that is easy A: S-K Long Pattern Combos

 

[CJM8515]

TBH I like my stanley polished combo set. They are the same as the older husky and havent failed yet.

 

[T45]

Ranked by quality.

That's the problem. Consumer grade tools are all about tradeoffs. You are trading off quality for cost, and getting an uneven playingfield upon which to evaluate quality.

The best consumer grade tools right now are Taiwan made.

Anything USA made is not consumer grade pricing, even if it is consumer grade quality.

Just the state of the market.

 

[ssdave]

Not 10% of difference between them on the average. The quality goes up and down on them continuously, though. I'd look at what you get a good price on, and how they fit your hands, and how you like their looks and buy based on that. If you can't get them locally, I'd rule out those ones and buy one locally you can look at.

Several of the brands you list the quality changes fairly often, so the ranking changes too. For instance, masterforce is only sold in some parts of the country, and it has been out of stock lately, and maybe permanently. Craftsman has been changing quality steadily lately, hard to say what it is where you are, right now. Husky and Kobalt have varied in quality, both up and down for the past several years. They've got shinier and more polished at times, at the expense of durability/fit. Gearwrench is probably the most consistent, many people here like them, I don't particularly. Some of the Dewalt I've seen have looked quite good, but haven't used it myself to see how it holds up. Pittsburg pro I haven't been impressed with, but the HF aficianados talk them up a lot. Tekton I've never seen, so I wouldn't buy as not available for me. Same with Bostich.

So, my summary:

They're not much different, buy what is cheap and easy for you to get, as long as it looks all right to you when you get your hands on it.

 

[KnurledNut]

Non-truck ranked by quality?
Easy. WrightGrip.

 

[Tirofijo]

that is easy A: S-K Long Pattern Combos

Everyone's definition of consumer grade will be different, I guess.

A 13 piece set of S-K long Pattern wrenches will run around $200. The ones on my list will top out at, I don't know, $40, maybe, for the same number of wrenches. Others are a lot less.

but fair enough.

 

[tonyciambrone]

there can only be one....TOPTUL

 

[Infinia]

Everyone's definition of consumer grade will be different, I guess.
.

But you defined it as "non-truck brand" in the OP, so now price comes up?
hmmm moving the goal posts
why don't you tell us what your preference really is and cut to the chase.

BTW you could buy an older set or even NOS.
I saw a CM Pro (S-K made) metric 13 pc set on CL asking for 80 in original package, but was missing one piece. I could of gotten it for less maybe. Your 200 is high, I value them at ~130-180 as a solid new buy.

heading for pointless thread bin
( read what SSDave posted over again) THEN buy what you feel is right in YOUR hand & for YOUR budget we are not here at GJ to validate what youve already decided. It's true "quality" is totally subjective, unlike 20-30 years ago when price was proportional.

 

[1950mercury]

Wright grip, proto,armstrong,bonney

Everyone has their own preference so threads like this seem useless. Wright up there with who makes the best screwdriver.

 

[T45]

I'll take the three wrenches as redundancy against loss, against the mythical broken snap-on tool, against failure.

I wouldn't....

1> any tool made today will take off a bolt, most are manufactured to 2x DIN spec, even junk-y ones...so you dont really need 3 in any event

2> you have to hold the thing, so the shape and the length are varaibles that are worth asking which one you like better...and picking the better ones

3> tools need to fit the bolt, not just your hand -- so lobster claws and donut-shaped rings ends are obvious no-nos if you can avoid them....having 3 tools that dont fit doesnt help

4> sloppy broach, soft metal that dents, flaking chrome...will drive you insane if they are used frequently...so look for harder tools, tighter fits, thinner if not harder finishes...having 3 tools driving you mad also doesnt help :=)

The "10% stuff" in my mind is really differentiating the last bit of performance in terms of tools that will be used alot....like hours at a time or daily at least...then you get into alot of personal preferences and how certain brands handle corner cases and sujective usability...

The basic things 1-4 tho should be pass/fail tests for even consumer grade tools....with the idea that a failing grade would eventually cause the item to be replaces, thus making it more expensive in the long run.

The truly "10% better" stuff is almost never a necessity, in the sense of sanity, but still makes business or big picture sense for a bunch of people who are using stuff 10x the amount....

 

[M6erfan]

Wright grip, proto,armstrong,bonney

Everyone has their own preference so threads like this seem useless. Wright up there with who makes the best screwdriver.

Or socket wrench, sockets, hammer...basically any tool...

 

[Parrothead]

I own at least one of the wrenches with an *

Gearwrench*
Tekton*
Masterforce*
Crescent*
Kobalt*
Craftsman
Dewalt
Bostich
Stanley*
Husky*
Pittsburgh*

Some of this is predicted on reasonable recent wrenches. My father has some Stanley wrenches that are old and would vault them way up the list.

 

[Parrothead]

Everyone's definition of consumer grade will be different, I guess.

A 13 piece set of S-K long Pattern wrenches will run around $200. The ones on my list will top out at, I don't know, $40, maybe, for the same number of wrenches. Others are a lot less.

but fair enough.

I think the criteria of this list is big box stores, and whereas that's primarily where non tool geeks get their stuff it's a pretty decent idea.

 

[Tirofijo]

But you defined it as "non-truck brand" in the OP, so now price comes up?
hmmm moving the goal posts
why don't you tell us what your preference really is and cut to the chase.

BTW you could buy an older set or even NOS.
I saw a CM Pro (S-K made) metric 13 pc set on CL asking for 80 in original package, but was missing one piece. I could of gotten it for less maybe. Your 200 is high, I value them at ~130-180 as a solid new buy.

heading for pointless thread bin
( read what SSDave posted over again) THEN buy what you feel is right in YOUR hand & for YOUR budget we are not here at GJ to validate what youve already decided.

I put the winking and the cheers emoticons and the "fair enough" in so you wouldn't take offense - I guess you wanted to take offense.

BTW, talking about a set missing a piece off that you saw one time in the past on Craigslist at a deep discount isn't relevant. The set I mentioned is $195 on Amazon.

You are in the tool discussion forum; if you don't want to discuss tools, don't post.

If you think the thread is stupid, don't post.

 

[M6erfan]

That list isn't even rank worthy IMO, not a enough meaningful difference between them...

 

[d.mcfarland]

arguably the most important items in your tool box, maybe behind sockets

Not even close in my opinion.

 

[Mastermind]

I love my cresent brand wrenches. Bought a couple larger ones because the price was right, ended up getting the entire metric set and putting them in my cart. They get used daily. I have a lot of different wrenches, for different uses. My favorite being gearwrench xl dbe, but standard combo wrench it's these or blue point satin ones I reach for.

 

[Infinia]

You are in the tool discussion forum; if you don't want to discuss tools, don't post.

If you think the thread is stupid, don't post.

sorry bud you cant order me around here >you posted to get information? don't like it, just ignore it
BTW I'm not attacking you. Perhaps you just don't comprehend what others & I'm layin' down. Sometimes discussions evolve differently than you imagined.
I responded to your query of BEST quality not a truck brand" wrench poll in good faith ...I'm so stupid I should known better.

 

[derosa]

Based on recent use of what I have available to me,
Craftsman or gearwrench
Tekton
Evercraft
Powerbuilt


Blue hawk

The craftsman are the longest of most of these, same as the gearwrench, and the tolerances seem on par. The craftsman open end is chunky but that has made it less prone to opening up vs the gearwrench which is designed to bite in but the mouth opens up preventing a true grip, with both the box end is the real way to go for tight nuts and bolts.
Tekton seems to have a little thicker beam, no gripping features on the open end, some of the sizes share blanks, this does make it a touch harder to recognize the size at a quick glance, especially if they're hung on a back board to a bench. Customer service seems fine from what I've seen on this board but they're really nothing special. Particularly being shorter then the craftsman and gearwrench and with common blank sizes.
Evercraft from Napa and power built is from autozone I believe are essentially the same thing, I honestly can't see any real difference between them. They are shorter in length, slightly shorter then the tektons but not by a lot and still an OK length. Again nothing special about them, I did pay only 20 per set of powerbuilt for the 6-22mm set, skips 20, which made them a solid value for donating to the clinic.
Blue hawk, these were available at Lowes till a year ago and still available elsewhere I believe. In 2 years of only being used 2 days a week for 3-4 hours per day (if that) the box end of the 9mm ended up stripped out. Total garbage in my opinion. Right from the moment the bicycle clinic got them they didn't inspire confidence and we've now tossed them in a rusty old tool box with the 6&7mm wrenches and non metric sockets we'll never have a use for.

 

[Parrothead]

BTW you could buy an older set or even NOS.
I saw a CM Pro (S-K made) metric 13 pc set on CL asking for 80 in original package, but was missing one piece. I could of gotten it for less maybe.

You should have bought the CM Pro off Craigslist for $80. Check out the sold prices on eBay for Craftsman USA, and especially the Professional versions. You could have tripled your money.

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

Out of that list I'd probably go with GW or Tekton for basic combo wrenches... just based on many positive reviews on here. Besides, you're splitting hairs... their all relatively cheap, so don't expect the world from them.

That said, my Dewalt rat wrenches are very nice for the money and the box-end is very compact. We had a set of GWs rat wrenches that were very nice, but the new ones are "fatter" at the box-end and mostly made in China now.

 

[woody 73]

Interesting post...

"Current production now" that is very interesting in many ways.

Lets talk about Kobalt, from what I can see (key word) is that lowes changes tool suppliers at the drop of a hat and from one coo to another coo I swear every time I walk into one of their stores nothing is ever the same. seems they are looking for the very cheap supplier 24/7; not fun in my book looking for one tool that is no longer around.

Craftsman that is another ballgame because we do not know what Stanley has for the future of the craftsman tool line?

Dewalt makes a nice tool case but I picked up a few of their ratchets and they are heavy as all get out, not fun either.

Husky from HD seems to be getting better in their tool selections.

Masterforce I think someone said they might close down that tool line ???? I do know they will no longer carry the Allen line.

Tekton I don't know about their tool line ???

Gearwrench gets high points on the GJ and they will be around for a long time, so that would be high on the list.

Stanley also will be around for the long haul, so they will be higher up the list.

Pittsburg tools change their tool line-up from time to time and they will also be around for the long haul.

I know Bostich makes a nice air gun but again I do not know much about their tools?

Does that help you out op?

 

[BK13]

there can only be one....TOPTUL

Unless you're in the US and want SAE.

 

[1950mercury]

I put the winking and the cheers emoticons and the "fair enough" in so you wouldn't take offense - I guess you wanted to take offense.

BTW, talking about a set missing a piece off that you saw one time in the past on Craigslist at a deep discount isn't relevant. The set I mentioned is $195 on Amazon.

You are in the tool discussion forum; if you don't want to discuss tools, don't post.

If you think the thread is stupid, don't post.

You're new here so why don't you try reading some posts on wrenches. Instead of ******* off long standing members with your cocky attitude.

 

[woody 73]

I found it...

Masterforce GJ post.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=338895

With tool lines changing ranking is very hard.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

How do you rank the non-truck brand combination wrenches (arguably the most important items in your tool box, maybe behind sockets)?

I might be missing some, but here is a partial list in no particular order:

Gearwrench
Tekton
Masterforce
Craftsman
Kobalt
Husky
Stanley
Pittsburgh Pro
Dewalt
Bostich
???

To useful to more readers, let's assume its current production available now, not a previous gen that was made by a different maker in a different country.

My pet current production non truck brands: ProTo, SK, Wright, and USA Williams.

I have some GearWrench ratcheting wrenches that are OK. Your list is primarily what I consider big box store and lower cost brands. I simply group them together and call them dime store tools.. Built with a low retail price in mind, any superior quality or long life would be/is a bonus.. Honestly, I would find it very depressing to have to test all those brands to find the pick of the litter for performing any particular task. The finish on some of those tools looks good, and some are horribly disgusting. Being they were all built for the same market, I would choose by fit and finish, the needed length, and finally; how they feel in your hand. My tool sets were pretty much purged of any common sized dime store combination wrench this past year... But being I still have several sets of GearWrench ratcheting wrenches, they get My vote..

 

[chipper]

I would put my carlyle wrenches above any the op posted......i have no experiences with wright or sk but i assume they would be at the top

 

[Empty Pockets]

I have several non-professional brands that are in the back of the car or in a carry box. They have all worked as advertised. I have also got truck brands, as well as "premium" brands in my shop.

They have all worked well for me, It all depends on the type of usage you have planned and what you can afford