Ratcheting Combination Wrench Set

[rijndael]

Ratcheting Wrench Set

I'm considering a GearWrench/KD 86126 Long ratcheting set.

http://www.gearwrench.com/gearwrenc...ic-xl-flex-gearbox-ratcheting-wrench-set.html

Are there any other long sets in that price range that I should consider? I'm not too familiar with EZRed, but they keep popping up in my searches.

 

[Michael_in_DE]

Not sure about their wrenches, (of course the 120 teeth on the gearwrenchs will be hard to beat) but I was blown away by some offset piers I got from EzRed. Fine ground teeth, beefy insulated handles, very nice precise tips. I just wanted them for the off-set usability, but was blown away by the quality. Even came in a special cut foam insert for your box. I don't know that all their stuff is to this standard, but I can tell you what I got from them was pretty damn good.

 

[rijndael]

Is there any reason to pick GW over KD? Do I have a better chance of a local warranty return if some GW dealer would help me, or are they equally accepted?

 

[jimmyin3D]

KD got absorbed into Gearwrench. So everything sold online is gearwrench.

 

[Fedwrench]

Is there any reason to pick GW over KD? Do I have a better chance of a local warranty return if some GW dealer would help me, or are they equally accepted?

KD only exists as an online part number prefix

One of these days, Gearwrench might get around to changing the prefix to GW but, I don't think it's going to happen any time soon.

 

[rijndael]

OK - Thanks.

 

[Tallpilot]

I don't think the EZ Red set has a fixed box end, which is a very useful feature IMO. EZ Red is good quality for the price.

 

[rijndael]

Agreed. I came to a similar conclusion, the only set I'm currently considering is the GW. It solves my long box wrench need and my ratcheting box need.

 

[Skin]

Get the GW, the fixed box end is helpful. The only contender would be something like the 5pc Mountain set which are reversible and have an extended ring so they work like a shallow socket.

 

[xin]

Is the new GearWrench rachet wrenches made in CHINA?

 

[ReggieR]

Is the new GearWrench rachet wrenches made in CHINA?

I think mebby they is !

 

[ssdave]

If EZRed and GW were my only choices, I'd pick EZRed. I've had a set of GW and several singles, and every one of them I used broke. I have one EZRed combined 1/4" and 1/4" bit ratchet, and it's been OK. Based on that pattern, I would make my choice.

However, fortunately, there's other choices for ratcheting wrenches, so I picked reversable Proto. Was the best balance between price and quality I could get. Would have maybe picked SO instead, but was more than double the money; I bought SAE and Metric Proto sets for less than the Metric SO price.

 

[rijndael]

every one of them I used broke.

Well, that's not what I was hoping to hear.

I'm open to other brands, I just need to keep it < $200 for the set.

Flex Head
Long Pattern
Metric
Locking (preferred, but not a requirement)

and I'd like a standard box on one end, but I'm flexible on that.

 

[Tonyuk]

I have a set of those in metric.

They're very good, the spline ends grip rusted fasteners well and the flex ratcheting end makes running them out quick.

They're very long, the 19 is the length of some breaker bars meaning you can get great leverage if you can fit them in the space you have to work with.

 

[ReggieR]

I have the EZ Red/Mountain and have abused them pretty hard. EZ markets a good product

 

[rijndael]

I ended up ordering the GW set. It was on ebay, new, for $155 shipped with one of their coupon codes.

I'll cross my fingers that I have better luck than ssdave. I really wanted the long non-ratcheting box and a long pattern. I couldn't find anything like that from Proto ... and they are definitely pushing my shade-tree budget.

 

[ssdave]

I ended up ordering the GW set. It was on ebay, new, for $155 shipped with one of their coupon codes.

I'll cross my fingers that I have better luck than ssdave. I really wanted the long non-ratcheting box and a long pattern. I couldn't find anything like that from Proto ... and they are definitely pushing my shade-tree budget.

Lot of guys like them. I don't know if I had bad ones, or if the guys that like them have lower expectations of them than I did. I know that experience soured me on Gearwrench, as well as owning a few GW sockets and misc. tools that came to me with other tools. That was with their earlier Taiwan stuff, maybe it's improving by being moved to China.

The failures I saw on the ratcheting wrenches is that the retaining ring that held in the 12 point insert popped out of a lot of them, and wouldn't go back in. And, several the internal mechanism just became immobile, started by feeling like the metal had crumbled or ground up in them, and then locked up so they wouldn't ratchet. I presumed the pawl or gear had stripped out. Sockets and wrenches just stretched or stripped out to unusable.

My main ratcheting wrench failures were those detailed in this thread, by other posters here:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=250716

Good luck!

 

[WWheeler]

I have that Gearwrench set in Metric and SAE. They've been good to me. Used them at home for a while before I dragged them to work where they've been used a LOT ever since.

 

[Smokeem]

I've got GW Reversible in metric and SAE and Bluepoint reversible in metric. I've liked both sets and only stripped 1 GW and had it easily replaced. When I was looking for a set of ratcheting flex head I bought a set of Tekton SAE and metric flex heads and stubbies. I have really liked the Tekton ratchet wrenches so far. The one thing i was not sure of was they are 6 point instead of the standard 12 point, but I don't work with 12 point fasteners very often.

 

[brokeboater]

every one of them I used broke.

Um, maybe it's not the wrenches?

 

[Tallpilot]

The nice thing about the set you ordered is you can use the fixed end for breaking loose and the final tightening (if not using a torque wrench). That way you never really stress the ratcheting end.

 

[ssdave]

Um, maybe it's not the wrenches?

Probably true. I could baby them, but I bought them expecting not to have to. I haven't had to baby the better ones that replaced them, but time will tell on them, they haven't been used much yet.

The sockets, I treated just like my SO and Proto and SK; they didn't hold up where the better ones did. In their defense, they held up about as well as Craftsman. Again, I could baby them, but I shouldn't have to.

I buy tools to use, and have found that I break a lot less of the better tools than the cheaper ones I've tried. But, I don't go to great lengths to not break them, they're there to use. I can get more if they break. And, it speeds up the work to not have to worry about things breaking because they're used to full capacity.

 

[M6erfan]

Um, maybe it's not the wrenches?

Nah. Most of mine locked up/bit the dust after a relatively short life of non abuse. A couple of their ratchets too. Soured me on GW as well and I avoid them like the plague now. Inexpensive and great marketing, but that's about it as far as plusses IMO.

 

[rijndael]

Is the new GearWrench rachet wrenches made in CHINA?

Mine were made in Taiwan.

 

[WWheeler]

Is the new GearWrench rachet wrenches made in CHINA?

All of mine were made in China. Bought a year or so ago. Have not had any problems with any of them.