Ratcheting Wrenches

[Brownsfan]

I have the 20pc set from sears, the reversable from advanced and the flex head sets from sears all gearwrench Taiwan. I don't use them much. But when I do they are worth their price plus some. I just did a temp blend door acuator in a 2003 ford explorer. If I didn't have ratcheting wrenches I would still be putting that thing back together. No wonder the dealer and other shops quoted $400 and up to do the job. My wife volunteered me to do it. It was my sister in laws car.

 

[Chuck122]

My vote goes to mac

 

[thejudges69]

You have that backwards. The HF ones are made in Taiwan , and the Gearwrenchs are chicom.

Nope I got it right. Unless you got some generic gearwenches. Mine are all Taiwan. I won't buy china tools. But I'll buy Taiwan any day.

 

[Hpozzuoli]

Here's the blue points is mentioned. I love them. They are the borem's

 

[chris fresh]

I bought a full set of Gear wrench last year on Black Friday from sears.I knew they wouldn't be truck brand quality,but the fit and finish is really nice and believe it or not,there my go to wrench now over my regular craftsman i've used for years.Speed sells,and of course they are way faster than your typical box end.

I have a friend with every SK made,that's another option,and they are very nice as well.

 

[thejudges69]

I bought a full set of Gear wrench last year on Black Friday from sears.I knew they wouldn't be truck brand quality,but the fit and finish is really nice and believe it or not,there my go to wrench now over my regular craftsman i've used for years.Speed sells,and of course they are way faster than your typical box end.

I have a friend with every SK made,that's another option,and they are very nice as well.

Truck brand quality??? Really??? Every tooltruck I've ever been on (mac, Cornwell, snapon) has had the gearwrench brand ratchet wrenches on hand and for sale. Must be **** quality huh.

 

[dankicksass]

I have Gearwrench, nearly every other pro tech I know has Gearwrench. Thing about that is, Gearwrench makes half a decent tool. The ratcheting box end on the Gearwrench is pretty robust and fairly durable, and their tools are relatively inexpensive. The rest of it is ****. Their chrome peels and the open end is weak and spreads easily. The profile of the thinnest Gearwrench is quite a bit thicker than a "truck brand" wrench. And that's okay. It's a Gearwrench, and I'm willing to accept those limitations.

 

[chris fresh]

Truck brand quality??? Really??? Every tooltruck I've ever been on (mac, Cornwell, snapon) has had the gearwrench brand ratchet wrenches on hand and for sale. Must be **** quality huh.

Um ok.I haven't been on any tool truck since about 95,and when i was spending money with Mac,Matco,and Snap-On,I never saw a gear wrench anywhere.I never really put gear wrench in the same class as the others.I put them in a class of a good product that is affordable to the average guy.

I don't turn a wrench for a living but even if i did,i would probably swing good wrench over anyone else because of price.I bought the 20 piece set for 40 bucks,yer not going to get a "truck brand" for 40 bucks.

It's your money,spend the way you like,I just won't take a beating on an over inflated price because it say's strap-on across it.

 

[chris fresh]

I have Gearwrench, nearly every other pro tech I know has Gearwrench. Thing about that is, Gearwrench makes half a decent tool. The ratcheting box end on the Gearwrench is pretty robust and fairly durable, and their tools are relatively inexpensive. The rest of it is ****. Their chrome peels and the open end is weak and spreads easily. The profile of the thinnest Gearwrench is quite a bit thicker than a "truck brand" wrench. And that's okay. It's a Gearwrench, and I'm willing to accept those limitations.

Well said.

 

[thejudges69]

Um ok.I haven't been on any tool truck since about 95,and when i was spending money with Mac,Matco,and Snap-On,I never saw a gear wrench anywhere.I never really put gear wrench in the same class as the others.I put them in a class of a good product that is affordable to the average guy.

I don't turn a wrench for a living but even if i did,i would probably swing good wrench over anyone else because of price.I bought the 20 piece set for 40 bucks,yer not going to get a "truck brand" for 40 bucks.

It's your money,spend the way you like,I just won't take a beating on an over inflated price because it say's strap-on across it.

My reference wasn't towards spending money. I'm simply stating that I feel the gearwrench must be a good quality or my dealers wouldn't push them as well. Possibly u misinterpreted what I was saying and vice versa. I'm not a tool truck visitor or buyer by any means. I think gearwrench is tool truck quality. Hell if gearwrench had tool trucks everyone would be on the rave and on that band wagon too.

 

[chris fresh]

My reference wasn't towards spending money. I'm simply stating that I feel the gearwrench must be a good quality or my dealers wouldn't push them as well. Possibly u misinterpreted what I was saying and vice versa. I'm not a tool truck visitor or buyer by any means. I think gearwrench is tool truck quality. Hell if gearwrench had tool trucks everyone would be on the rave and on that band wagon too.

I've been pretty impressed so far with my set.I don't baby them and i have leaned on my 3/4 more than once and it has performed flawlessly.I haven't compared mine to any other brand,so i can't confirm true difference.My friend with the SK set loves his,and the thing i like about his slightly more is that his don't click,i think SK uses a one way bearing instead of a ratchet design,there REALLY smooth.

Maybe some one here can confirm the one way bearing thing.

 

[upgrading]

I am studying this issue myself.

There are numerous deals & BOGO deals on Gearwrench so if you do decide to go with Gearwrench tells us what you are seeking and we can give you some links to get them at a nice price.

Harbor Freight for their ratcheting wrenches, COO=Taiwan.
Unfortunately it is a 7 piece set.

 

[wafrederick]

Warranty wise,it takes longer to get a replacement from Gearwrench.I broke one last week,a 5/16 double box end which has a stationary side and the ratcheting side.I broke the stationary side on a drain plug in a Cadillac CTS,the drain plug is a T45 and I had to use it to turn the torx bit.The Auto Value Auto parts store in my area warrantied it and I finally got it yesterday.

 

[Deskmechanic]

I have the flex head gear wrenches and I really like them - use them way more than I ever thought. I bought the cheap set on sale and added a bunch to fill in 8mm to 19mm. For the price they cannot be beat.

I also have some Stanley matte finish offset reversible double-box metric (what a mouthful) that are also very nice but I don't use them as often (no reason, they just aren't as convenient to grab.

It absolutely kills me to say this, but the craftsman made-in-USA locking flex head ones are not nearly as good as the GW flex. The chrome is nicer, but the ratcheting end is much larger, and I'm always bumping the lock and making them hard to use.

I want to add a set of offset reversible SAE, double box. I haven't looked very hard though. I have some of the old laminated craftsmans and I basically never use them.

 

[Adam.C]

I bought a set of Snap On "Hi Performance" 0 offset double box (one side ratchet) 10-19mm minus 12 and 14 for $240. New condition. Not a gloat, just a reminder that patience and a bit of tv timing surfing can pay-off. Pretty sure these are $500 wrenches.

 

[bcradio]

I bought a set of Snap On "Hi Performance" 0 offset double box (one side ratchet) 10-19mm minus 12 and 14 for $240. New condition. Not a gloat, just a reminder that patience and a bit of tv timing surfing can pay-off. Pretty sure these are $500 wrenches.

12 and 14 are key sizes.... I wouldn't even look at a set that didn't include those.

 

[chris fresh]

12 and 14 are key sizes.... I wouldn't even look at a set that didn't include those.

That,plus 500 for a set of wrenches is hilarious.I've got 40 bucks in a set that i am confident in,the finish is nice,the feel is nice,the ratchet is smooth and the open end is more than sufficent for what i do.

BUT hey,there's an *** for every seat.

 

[chris fresh]

I need to add larger sizes,and i am starting to look for good deals on the flex heads.After working on my F-250 for 15 hours,there were a few spots flex heads would saved a knuckle or two.

 

[Skin]

I have Gearwrench, nearly every other pro tech I know has Gearwrench. Thing about that is, Gearwrench makes half a decent tool. The ratcheting box end on the Gearwrench is pretty robust and fairly durable, and their tools are relatively inexpensive. The rest of it is ****. Their chrome peels and the open end is weak and spreads easily. The profile of the thinnest Gearwrench is quite a bit thicker than a "truck brand" wrench. And that's okay. It's a Gearwrench, and I'm willing to accept those limitations.

The open ends are thicker, not the box ends, and the box ends are the business ends anyway so really, who cares? In a professional wrench environment you probably have 4 types of wrenches to use, you're not going to be relying on those sub par open ends.

Um ok.I haven't been on any tool truck since about 95,and when i was spending money with Mac,Matco,and Snap-On,I never saw a gear wrench anywhere.

You didnt see Gearwrench because it didnt exist. The Taiwan based company started out in the late 90s bringing the worlds first 72 tooth "modern" ratcheting wrenches to market. That was the extent of their product line. It wasn't close to the behemoth it is today.

 

[d4dawg]

You didnt see Gearwrench because it didnt exist. The Taiwan based company started out in the late 90s bringing the worlds first 72 tooth "modern" ratcheting wrenches to market. That was the extent of their product line. It wasn't close to the behemoth it is today.

Interesting. So it got sold to Apex/Danaher later?

 

[92integra]

does anyone have an opinion on what brand or where i could get deal on larger metric ratcheting wrenchs? i know there not needed all to much but i would love to have some so if i could get them on the cheep i think that would be fine for the once in a blue moon i might use them.

 

[nicksnothereman]

Nope I got it right. Unless you got some generic gearwenches. Mine are all Taiwan. I won't buy china tools. But I'll buy Taiwan any day.

Most gearwrench current stock is chinese. If you get a warrantied replacement it will be chinese if that's where it currently comes from/they have in stock.

 

[nicksnothereman]

does anyone have an opinion on what brand or where i could get deal on larger metric ratcheting wrenchs? i know there not needed all to much but i would love to have some so if i could get them on the cheep i think that would be fine for the once in a blue moon i might use them.

Proto makes some but they ain't cheap. Like 70 bucks a wrench! If you meant...30mm large. But what the heck would you use them for on a car?

 

[Adam.C]

12 and 14 are key sizes.... I wouldn't even look at a set that didn't include those.

12 and 14 are key sizes for Japanese cars only. 12mm is the head size for a JIS (Japanese Industrial Std) M8 bolt. 14mm is JIS head size for M10.

I work almost exclusively on German cars. DIN (German Industrial Std) for an M8 is 13mm. M10 needs a 17mm.

ISO/ANSI fasteners are creeping onto German products. They are using some coarse thread M10 bolts which have 16mm heads. Ditto for M12. DIN for M12 fine is 19mm. ANSI/ISO coarse M12 has an 18mm head. That's where the 16/18s are coming from.

So: We can fairly safely predict what wrenches we will need for specific vehicles based on the bolt studs. GENERALLY, 12 and 14mm wrenches are only reqd on Japanese cars or cars that consume Japanese parts (which could include Korean vehicles, rebadged US mark vehicles).

That said, I will most likely fill in my XHDRs in time!!! European car makers (like all car makers) keep getting bought out by other makers and some foreign parts find their way onto domestic (euro platforms). So I agree it is preferable to have every size if you can.

I guess my point was, you can buy Chinese double box ratchets from E-Z red or the equiv for $150 for a set. But they don't have non ratcheting sides or the super strong, super thin box ends the Snap Ons have. For an extra $100, not hundreds of dollars, I found a SO set on ebay. Those deals are out there for folks who are interested.

 

[sloppy]

Nope I got it right. Unless you got some generic gearwenches. Mine are all Taiwan. I won't buy china tools. But I'll buy Taiwan any day.

New ones are all china. So unless he buys your old ones he is getting a china wrench.. and if you want yours replaced under warranty it will be China.

Still seem like a pretty good wrench to me but your hung up on COO so I pointed out where the new ones are made..

 

[paulsomlo]

The Craftsman reversible combination from open stock are made in USA, but are not available in sets. Average ends up about $20 each.

 

[Canadian Charlie]

Here are my Blue Point wrenches on the right, I bought them off eBay piece by piece

 

[upgrading]

grab this set cant really go wrong more sizes than the harbor freight set. I prefer the reversible box end with the 15 degree offset but I have these also. I own a set of the harbor freighters and the ratcheting end sticks on some of the wrenches right outta the box. I chucked the HF wrenches into a trunk kit too lazy to even return them lol. These gearwrench are great though

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-20pc...p-00935720000P?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2

Sears sells a 20pcset or SAE and metric Gearwrench together they can be bought on sale for $50 sometimes. $60 right now. Just keep in mind Sears wont warranty them (Fastenal will).

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-20pc...p-00935720000P?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2

This is back at $49.99 now.

 

[TJx]

A good way to go may be what I did recently. I picked up the 4 piece Pittsburgh Pro box end ratcheting set for under $20 with 25% coupon. Supplanted the missing 16 x 18 with a Gearwrench from Grainger for ~ $8 on clearance.
The Pittsburgh's are made in Taiwan with an easy warranty, I'm covered from 8mm to 19mm except for the seldom used 9 and 11's taking up space for under $30.

 

[wrenchin]

I went with the GearWrench 20pc SAE/Metric set from Sears. Mostly out of convenience, if nothing else. Had a few points saved up too so I got out the door for under $60. Thanks all for the advice.