Service truck wrench upgrade

[Halfsackzac]

First post on here so quick back story so you know where I’m coming from, worked construction most my young adult life. Then worked for the city where I live for a few years, needed more money due to having a wife, three boys at the time all under 3 years old, house and vehicles. City had good benefits but pay just wasn’t there.

My buddy has worked for the company I now work for and he said “just give it a try” to which I said “other then being poor my whole life so always working on our own stuff I have no experience or formal education”, but he talked me into it and here I am, just about 2 years later and I am now in a service truck and one of the companies top dirt equipment road technicians.

So here is the question and if I get good info on here there will definitely be follow up questions. With all this happening so fast I went from no tools to needing a service truck full so I bought a bunch of BS to start out and have slowly been buying better and swapping them with the lesser tools on my truck. I want this to be known before I keep going I am cheep I don’t care if people think you need all snap on or your not a real mechanic, that type stuff doesn’t bother me, I want quality at the best price possible. I right now am looking at upgrading from the cheap HF wrenches and have been considering Capri or Tekton but…. I just found out about Wright Tools, so the question is, for a little bit more money are Wright wrenches going to be a better tool for long term?


Thanks to anyone who reads this, I know it was long winded I get it if you got bored and skimmed (I would). But any advice is appreciated.

Zac.

 

[cvairwerks]

Zac: Look at what your coworkers have on their vehicles and go from there. The tools that you use the most, need to be the most dependable, so as you upgrade, buy the best quality you can there. As you work your way down the tool collection, you upgrade as needed.

The brands that are going to have the best quality and best longevity, in no special order, Snap On, Mac, Matco, Proto, Cornwell, Wright and a few others. Some companies have specific tool areas that they are better at, than others, so it becomes a balancing act on wher to spend the money.

With your family situation, remember that you don't have to buy everything new, so keep an eye out for used, but not abused tools. Make a priority list of the particular tools, you need, and then select one or more brands that have that tool and keep a watch for a deal on it.

 

[GeoBruin]

Have your Harbor Freight wrenches failed you? In your situation I would probably look at filling in the tools I was missing before replacing stuff that works but isn't cool. Now if you have open ends spreading, box ends rounding off fasteners etc, or if you need sizes you don't have, that's another story.

As for brands, anything you mentioned will work fine, but if you buy the Tekton and then get the itch to "upgrade" to the Wright in a year the way you've got the itch to upgrade your HF, you won't have saved yourself any money, so you might as well do it the fist time. Only you know yourself well enough to make that decision.

 

[Mr_B]

Wrenches one of those tools that having decent ones straight off saves ballache and money long term.
Wright are nice, MAC do some good wrenches and it one item SnapOn really good at .
Quite easy find close to new condition snapon and mac from usual online sources .
None of my snapon wrench sets was purchased new and used combo wrench sets fairly common find at negotiable cash deals .

 

[crewchief888]

ive been wrenching at dealerships on const eq for almost 40 years. at least 1/2 of that time has been a field mechanic for the most part most of my tools came from either mac, matco, or SO. i havent really bought much in the past 25 years. the older i get, and closer to retirement age, i buy whatever fills my needs at the time. it may be from HF, northern tool, kobalt, tekton ect. all have held up well to the abuse i hand out

 

[Halfsackzac]

Thanks for the quick replies fellas! I will answer the first comment about looking at what my coworkers have and all I can say about that is they could both be driving brand new lifted diesel’s for what they give the snap on guy every month, they buy everything from him even pocket knives. I will never owe that much money to a tool truck.


As for the HF wrench question that’s kinda a split answer. In some ways for how cheep they are they impress me, they have gotten me this far especially considering I’m working on heavy dirt equipment, that’s not taking it easy on these tools, at the same time I have had failures on a few and some rounded nuts n bolts. So I think new wrenches are definitely in the future.

Just a short list of things I have already upgraded or bought right from the start.

Snap on ratchets
Cornwell screwdrivers
Tekton impact sockets
Capri angle wrenches
Tekton large wrenches 25mm-32mm
Cornwell large filter pliers
Dewalt atomic stubby 1/2 impact

And I have a few hand me down snapon lights from a buddy.

 

[dclark2171]

When I use to manage in an Auto parts plant, the trades apprentices would always ask the older guys where to put their money. It was always ratchets and wrenches. So I would see what brands the "old timers" have used with no issues thru the years.

 

[darkzero]

Sorry, no recommendations from me but I just went through this very same thing. Wanted to replace the HF wrenches I use at work because of missing sizes. I'm also used to long pattern wrenches. The HF wrenches worked fine for me though. Mine also looked really really cheap, bought last year. A coworker has some older ones & the finish looks nicer.

I just got these from Amz a couple of days ago. Long pattern, fully engraved (no laser etching which I'm not a fan of), & no skips. Even came with a decent tool roll which I don't need at work but it'll be nice to have at home (I'll probably never use it though). They were $32. Took a chance as they had no reviews but I'm happy with them.



They're not as long as my Matco long pattern wrenches but I'm more than happy with them for my uses at work.



At home I still have my set of old Matco USA wrenches from my younger days as a grease monkey as well as my Snap-on long box wrenches. At work I don't need to use combo wrenches often & all the vehicles I work on are in new condition so everything comes off easy. So already having good wrenches in my possession, having a cheap set for work doesn't bother me.

 

[CGarage]

Why not Icon?

I think the HF model of “warranty on the spot” by showing up with a broken tool, and HF immediately exchanging it, is not something that can be overlooked.

 

[Halfsackzac]

Why not Icon?

I think the HF model of “warranty on the spot” by showing up with a broken tool, and HF immediately exchanging it, is not something that can be overlooked.

You bring up a good question. I honestly hadn’t really thought about icon.

 

[darkzero]

Why not Icon?

I think the HF model of “warranty on the spot” by showing up with a broken tool, and HF immediately exchanging it, is not something that can be overlooked.

I agree, if I were the OP & were on a budget, I would very much consider the Icons. What's funny (or great) even the HF Pittsburghs have the same warranty. Although I've never broken a non ratcheting combo wrench in my life.

But in my case, I only needed a cheap set & while I would love to have the Icons at my work I didn't want to spend that much.

 

[Mgdoug3]

My Wright wrenches have been amazing and I recommend them. They're priced great for being made in the US and can buy individual wrenches if you happen to lose one. If your tools do have a habit of walking away, cheaper brands like Tekton and Icon are easier to stomach if lost or stolen.

 

[CGarage]

The Icon tools are very nicely made in Taiwan and easy to get replacements for.
No waiting for the tool truck that shows up once a week. A fraction of the tool truck cost.
Available any day of the week.

What’s not to like?

The Bluepoints that Snap-On sells are from Taiwan, too. They just cost 4x as much.

 

[CGarage]

My Wright wrenches have been amazing and I recommend them. They're priced great for being made in the US and can buy individual wrenches if you happen to lose one. If your tools do have a habit of walking away, cheaper brands like Tekton and Icon are easier to stomach if lost or stolen.

I have Wright wrenches and like them.

The issue with tools being lost or stolen is a tool owner problem and that should be addressed with locking/secure storage and personal accountability.

 

[tool_scrounge]

I am a big fan of Wright wrenches. I like the way they fit my hand.

 

[nadogail]

I bought a lot of tools from Pat's Tools, a used tool store that used to be in San Diego. Other tools came from various Industrial Surplus Stores.
Occasionally an employer would let me order a "replacement" for a "broken" wrench from Grainger or McMaster, I kept those requests to a minimum.
Made a lot of good paychecks working with Harbor Freight wrenches.

 

[Halfsackzac]

Tools being lost or stolen is not much of an issue here. I double and triple check every drawer on my truck before leaving a job and every tool has a place so I know if something is missing.

 

[GeoBruin]

Are those $100 sets of Napa wrenches on ebay gone?

 

[snickers muncher]

I know some guys who do large generator repair and service. They're fairly rough on their stuff and generally use Snap On, but I noticed a while back that most of their new stuff has been Icon and they haven't complained and kept on buy it.

 

[65k10]

You bring up a good question. I honestly hadn’t really thought about icon.

If you are considering the Icon wrenches, you might want to look at these two Carlyle wrench sets from Napa. They both have similar non slip open ends and might be one in the same. My experience is the open end isn't quite as good at grabbing as my Snap-On flank drive plus or Wright grip wrenches, but they do seem to offer a decent balance of price to performance otherwise. The only other issue is the sets top out at 24mm and 1".
CWL1211 3/8-1"
CWL1219m 6-24mm

 

[Mgdoug3]

I have Wright wrenches and like them.

The issue with tools being lost or stolen is a tool owner problem and that should be addressed with locking/secure storage and personal accountability.

Lost tools are the fault of the owner, but stolen tools are a different manner. Never underestimate a crackhead looking for money.

 

[65k10]

Are those $100 sets of Napa wrenches on ebay gone?

I checked the seller and they don't have any listings. Shame since I was going to recommend that too. That was a great deal.

 

[speed bump]

We buy a lot of Proto and Wright at work and they work great. Only hurts when you purchase them.

I know a few contractors that buy the **** out of Icon and they hold up fine to 6-10s of abuse by millwrights.

Personally I would buy singles of whatever wrench you use a lot and decide what you really like. $20 on a 3/4" wrench to decide you don't like it is a lot nicer than 300-400 on a set.

 

[Halfsackzac]

Very impressed on the amount of replies, I’m on some hunting forums where you don’t get half this many replies this fast. Thank you for all the info and any other ideas are welcome!

 

[CGarage]

I think the future of tools is with Amazon and HF. The tool truck model, with inflated costs and limited access (once a week at best) can’t stand up to the immediacy of the neighborhood HF store and Amazon Prime.

That said, there are some independent tool trucks that truly impress me, as seen on the Koon Trucking YouTube channel. He has one or two dudes who really are innovative with what they offer and they price themselves realistically.

 

[micromind]

There are a ton of mines here in Nevada, I've worked in more than a few of them.

I see a lot of Wright and Proto and a few others but generally not the cheap stuff.

In a mine, if your 3/4" wrench won't budge the 1/2" bolt, you're not going to go 2 miles up to the surface to get the 'proper tool', you're going to use the pipe that just happens to be nearby........

As to all the warranty stuff, when you break a tool, it becomes useless. If you have a spare or substitute, great. If you don't, the best warranty is worthless until you get the new tool.

If you buy top quality tools, even if you abuse them horribly, most likely you won't need the warranty and you won't be stuck with a worthless broken tool that you really need.

 

[joel63]

Thanks for the quick replies fellas! I will answer the first comment about looking at what my coworkers have and all I can say about that is they could both be driving brand new lifted diesel’s for what they give the snap on guy every month, they buy everything from him even pocket knives. I will never owe that much money to a tool truck.


As for the HF wrench question that’s kinda a split answer. In some ways for how cheep they are they impress me, they have gotten me this far especially considering I’m working on heavy dirt equipment, that’s not taking it easy on these tools, at the same time I have had failures on a few and some rounded nuts n bolts. So I think new wrenches are definitely in the future.

Just a short list of things I have already upgraded or bought right from the start.

Snap on ratchets
Cornwell screwdrivers
Tekton impact sockets
Capri angle wrenches
Tekton large wrenches 25mm-32mm
Cornwell large filter pliers
Dewalt atomic stubby 1/2 impact

And I have a few hand me down snapon lights from a buddy.

Looks you are doing well with what you have listed.
Time and experience will help guide you in the right path.
Tools that you need to depend on and the cost of them is a real balancing act.
good luck.

 

[bb29510]

anything with williams on it. hit the pawn shops, they dont know what william is

 

[lardy1]

I would avoid tool lines with range limits if you think you'll be expanding. Wright, Williams, Proto, etc. you won't have those limits but you'll pay more than you will for Icon. Tekton offers a wide range for an import company. Available as singles or in different sized sets. Their combination wrenches run on the smaller side compared to the major US brands.

 

[Dave455]

The problem with looking at what your co workers use, is that they might not be particularly into tools, and might go with what’s easiest.

I think this is sometimes why you see a lot of Harbor Freight, and a lot of Snap On, which doesn’t really make sense as they are opposite ends of the quality spectrum.

My advice is - go for the mid ground. You can get Snap On quality for a considerably less money if you know where to look.

Buy your tools online if you can (so you’re neither paying for a bricks snd mortar store or a tool truck).

Buy the best quality tools in the smaller sizes where relative strength is important and tolerances are tightest.

As regards manufacturers, I would have suggested Wright if you hadn’t. Perfect for the job. If even they are a bit spendy, then go Wright up to say 1 1/4”, but something less expensive for the bigger sizes.

The “less expensive” option should probably be the better Taiwanese tools, such as Tekton.

 

[dchawk81]

I use the **** out of 15/16 on my Mack truck so I got multiples of it in SO on eBay relatively cheap. Seems like everything big but not ginormous is 15/16. My shock bolts, 5th wheel bolts, etc are all 15/16. And I have to use the open end on a few of the 5th wheel bolts because of a couple trunnion bolts eliminating the clearance needed to slide the box end on.

Those use cases got me started then I built my other commons around it also on eBay used.

I wanted 6 points specifically though. There are a lot of good 12 point options out there.

The Gear Wrench 6 points **** so I don't recommend those at all. I have both of those sets, and got the SO after that experience.

 

[Benny Franklin]

I have an assortment of Pittsburgh, Icon, Gearwrench, Wright, Craftsman, and MAC wrenches, plus a couple sets off Amazon for oddball items (flex head ratchet wrenches and hydraulic line wrenches)
I always keep a set of the Pittsburgh cheapies around for field expedient modifications

I have a set of the 6pt Gearwrench up to 1”, as long as I don’t grab a metric where an SAE is needed or vise versa they work fine even on higher torque items with a cheater or hammer.

Any larger than 1-1/4” and it’s Tekton/Pittsburgh/Ironton or an adjustable wrench except for my line wrenches

 

[ihateminimumwage]

Tekton will do you great if you want standard length. Icon if you want longer knock off Snap-on length. Shop around if you do enough hydraulic work that you want pebble finish.

I've been running the Tekton sets in rolls for a few years now and zero complaints. My Williams sets live at home now.

Also, check out Heavyequipmetforums if you aren't already on there. Lots of info, good people and help.

 

[cherrybomb]

Like dchawk81 said their are certain sizes that a guy wants duplicates of,especially if your mobile.Don't be afraid to try different brands.Although it's good you came here for advice,you get the final say.Industry is tough on tools,Proto for many years has been the leader,they would work for you.I highly recommend, buy a combo in one of the sizes you use often and try it.Some times as you get more experienced and knowledgeable, your favorites will come to the front.Then maybe you can buy once,cry once,as a lot of us have done!Good luck!!!

 

[Zewnten]

My advice is Snap On. Being in a truck you dont have room for duplicates and when you need an open end wrench, it has to work. I had GW and they were usually fine but sometimes they were not and would spread enough to slip, I tried Carlyle/Icon and the teeth work but wear down quickly especially backing up an impact and when the teeth are worn you notice the spreading a lot more. Haven't tried wright yet but my Proto's also spread. Snap On is what I have now without any issues, except price, but your employer isnt going to care how much you saved on your tools if they cant do the job.

 

[Wamsutta]

I am a big fan of Wright wrenches. I like the way they fit my hand.

Bingo! That's the most important part. Nobody ever talks about it though. All wrenches feel different.

 

[Halfsackzac]

I’m definitely leaning towards the wright for a full kit, I want 7-24 because past 24 I have Tektons, but I do like the idea of maybe buying some single wrenches in sizes we use constantly to see what I think.

 

[dchawk81]

Bingo! That's the most important part. Nobody ever talks about it though. All wrenches feel different.

TBH I consider my hand feel secondary to fastener fitment. Ergonomics don't mean **** if the wrench rounds off the nut.

 

[Wamsutta]

TBH I consider my hand feel secondary to fastener fitment. Ergonomics don't mean **** if the wrench rounds off the nut.

All your mainstream brands should be pretty good at not rounding off the fastener. Where they differ is the section that contacts your hand.

 

[dchawk81]

All your mainstream brands should be pretty good at not rounding off the fastener. Where they differ is the section that contacts your hand.

Fastener fitment varies. "Pretty good" can be **** when it matters.