tap and die set

[CD360]

i tried searching for older threads on this but i couldnt find anything. whats a good tap and die set that covers most of common sizes in metric and standard?? i saw that snap on and matco both have a 76 piece metric/standard tap and die set. both of the kits look the same. i can get the matco one for a little cheaper than the snap on set. are they both made by the same company but rebranded? would this set cover most of the common sizes for general use?

676TD
http://www.matcotools.com/Catalog/toolcatalog.jsp?cattype=T&cat=2417

TDTDM500A
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...&group_ID=1164&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

 

[Diesel_Crawler]

I would not worry about the $$ and go for the Greenfield Tap & Die set


http://www.kennametal.com/en/pdf_li...wnload&section=support&showBy=pdfByBrandLinks


Edit: there is a nice set on Ebay, wonder how high it will go.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Greenfield-Littl...arts?hash=item2c50e78b0b&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

 

[Skyline]

I would stay away from the Snap-on set. They are vastly inferior to the Craftsman set I have, and the Craftsman is nothing to write home about.

 

[Uncle Buck]

I would stay away from the Snap-on set. They are vastly inferior to the Craftsman set I have, and the Craftsman is nothing to write home about.

Have you checked Craftsman within the last 6 months or so? Now they are made in China! Yup, it's true

 

[krusty the clown]

both the snap on and matco are ace/hanson. i THINK the CMAN's are still vermont american. both are decent. my decision would be based on how easily they can be warranted.

 

[Uncle Buck]

both the snap on and matco are ace/hanson. i THINK the CMAN's are still vermont american. both are decent. my decision would be based on how easily they can be warranted.

Are you sure Krusty? You mean the new ones are Vermont American? The Chinese made ones?

Says so right on the front of the POS package Made In China!

I was looking at them just last night, oh yea, they ****!

 

[krusty the clown]

no buck i'm not sure...........i haven't bought anything from sears in a LOOOOONG time. nothing would surprise me anymore. i do know that sears sets were VA and it wouldn't surprise me if VA has moved to china.

 

[Flash21]

I tried the search yesterday for both tap and die and couldn't find anything either.

 

[dakota_522]

is craftsman really made in china now

 

[Uncle Buck]

is craftsman really made in china now

Yes, it is true. As Krusty said the sets used to be good quality Vermont American. I will attach a pic of of of my sets to this post. I first reported this sad development here some months back when I first saw the new Chinese sets with the Craftsman name proudly displayed on the cover. They do not even bother to hide the made China words on the back anymore, they put them right on the front for you to see!

If you hurry you might still find a few old USA sets mixed in with the new Chinese ones. The old quality sets are in grey colored plastic boxes for metric, and either dark blue, or black (I forget which) plastic cases for SAE. The new Chinese sets are in clear top boxes and the paper/cardboard semi covering the top of the box is printed in red. The old USA sets will say made in USA on the box, the others say Made in China. Last night I noticed one USA quality metric set left mixed amid the pile of clunkers. If you want a good one better act quick, there cannot be many left.

The following are the old Vermont American made sets, not HSS, and not as good as as many other brands used in industry, but better than HF, they are USA made, and if used correctly most should last a lifetime without breakage. I know mine will.

The SAE set

The metric set
]

 

[Bolster]

So, back to the OP's question...what's the hot ticket for a quality tap set? We got greenfield, old Cman, vermont...any others?

I'm in the market so I hope to see some other suggestions...

 

[CD360]

thanks for all the replies. i get a student discount on matco, so that set would be like $180 or cheaper. i did a quick search on the sears website, and their sets are $100 each for metric and standard. is the matco set USA?

 

[krusty the clown]

AFAIK matco still carries US made ace/hanson but they could have switched to the asian made gearwrench sets by now. maybe dave can clear it up. you might check the online places like toolwarehouse, tooltopia, etc to see what you can get the hansons for.

 

[CD360]

AFAIK matco still carries US made ace/hanson but they could have switched to the asian made gearwrench sets by now. maybe dave can clear it up. you might check the online places like toolwarehouse, tooltopia, etc to see what you can get the hansons for.

i found this one on tooltopia. its around the same price that i can get the matco set for. looks like the same kit. i might as well get the matco one. any other sets that i should look into? thanks!

http://www.tooltopia.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=8678

 

[krusty the clown]

i'm assuming youre going into the trade. warranty will be easier from matco as long as you have a dealer, you won't have to run to sears or the supply house if you break one.

 

[CD360]

i'm assuming youre going into the trade. warranty will be easier from matco as long as you have a dealer, you won't have to run to sears or the supply house if you break one.

yeah im still in school, so im trying to buy tools while i can.

 

[krusty the clown]

yeah im still in school, so im trying to buy tools while i can.

run fast and far away..........the auto repair trade will chew you up and spit you out. a plummer will make more money with 10% of the money we invest in tools i would rather my mother think i'm a piano player in a cat house

 

[CD360]

run fast and far away..........the auto repair trade will chew you up and spit you out. a plummer will make more money with 10% of the money we invest in tools i would rather my mother think i'm a piano player in a cat house

lol. im going into marine mechanics. there should be plenty of jobs around here in south florida.

 

[Vinko]

So, back to the OP's question...what's the hot ticket for a quality tap set? We got greenfield, old Cman, vermont...any others?

I'm in the market so I hope to see some other suggestions...

I thought I read on here or practical machinist about really good taps. Don't know if they were in a set. I got some Greenfields and some German-made stuff from McMaster when I needed it for a particular job.

My dad bought a knock-off Indian-made tap wrench and I hate using it The tolerances are pretty bad and the metal is soft.

 

[nissan_crawler]

I've been wanting a good complete set for long time. SO far, I haven't seen anything I want for under $200, though.

 

[alex71]

So, back to the OP's question...what's the hot ticket for a quality tap set? We got greenfield, old Cman, vermont...any others?

I'm in the market so I hope to see some other suggestions...

If you're into garage sales, the garage sale set is the way to go. Quality US made taps seem be plentiful and cheap these days. I think I have enough taps to never use the same tap twice for the rest of my life... Of course, that doesn't prevent me from buying more, but that's a whole other topic.

 

[Zorro13]

Got the MATCO set the OP refers to at Craigslist for $75 in like new condition. They show up at CL from time-to-time.

 

[MAD]

I have to stop by the Wells tool plant in Greenfield MA on a weekday some time and try to buy some taps.

http://www.wellstool.com/

I gave them a call a while back and they said that they would sell a small quantity to me, even though I was small scale home user. I don't wear out or break taps very often but I really want to get a peek in their cool old building.

 

[Skyline]

That's the same set I have for SAE (in a grey case). It's been serving me well for more than 20 years. My metric Craftsman set is a little different though...it's an add on set, so includes only the taps and dies, plus a metric thread gauge. Also came in a grey case.

 

[daveblank]

The 676td is manufactured by Irwin.

 

[scottg1952]

You guys must be kidding??
Retail?? You would consider retail??
PT Barnum was right!!

Get you an old set of little giant dies! Semi modern Greenlee if you have to, but regardless, learn where the swap meet is and start getting there around 6am every sat morning! First come first served!
You'll have sacks of quality taps and plenty of dies in short order, for about 5% of retail. If you want a box, build a box. No shortage of brief cases and foam in the world.

Meanwhile, yeah, mechanics are like carpenters. Thousands of dollars worth of tools all ready to break, and no more pay than plumbers who show up with a little box of semi indestructible stuff. Seen all three movies.

Besides, when they haven't had a toilet or hot water in a day or two, there is no quibbling over the bill!

Your mom won't brag to her friends over any of them though. sigh
yours Scott