Tektons "new" wrenches

[AJHD]

I'm not sure if either of these have been posted before. But as most of know Tekton released new versions of their ratcheting and angle wrenches (USA made) awhile back.

The main differences being satin instead of chrome and 12 point instead of 6 point.

Anyway... I just wanted to share my initial reactions as being very positive. They both feel sturdy, well made and feel great in the hand. The angle wrench beams are not rounded or flat, they're beveled which is different. The flex head feels good and the ratcheting mechanism is crisp. I absolutely love the stain finish on both as well.

I've been in the market for a set of ratcheting wrenches and I wanted to check out their angle wrench design, so I bought a 10mm of each. I will absolutely be buying a full set of the flex head ratcheting wrenches. I would buy a set of angle wrenches too, but I already have a Snap On set.

A few pictures for comparison.

 

[bigfunwmu]

The angle wrenches are nice, I hope the larger sizes are out soon. It's too bad that they appear to have killed sizes larger than 1-1/2 and 38mm.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

Tekton rocks!

 

[Snapped-off]

Dang that's tempting. The new angle wrenches look nicer.

 

[Southernbuild]

The angle wrenches are very nice, I haven't used them extensively but fit and finish is good.

 

[Buckgnarly]

I really like the satin finish on the new ratchet wrenches!

 

[BrandonV]

Satin finish looks good. Now with environmental regulations most chrome seems to have a lot more QC problems.

 

[Steve_P]

Satin finish looks good. Now with environmental regulations most chrome seems to have a lot more QC problems.

Chrome plating still exists in the US like it always has, but for the last 30+ years you need to dispose of waste properly and account for it. Hexavalent chromium, the old "blue" chrome still exists and is done all the time in the US. Chrome and cadmium plating is used by defense, aerospace, and industry in the US and isn't going away anytime soon as it's a part of national security.

 

[BrandonV]

Chrome plating still exists in the US like it always has, but for the last 30+ years you need to dispose of waste properly and account for it. Hexavalent chromium, the old "blue" chrome still exists and is done all the time in the US. Chrome and cadmium plating is used by defense, aerospace, and industry in the US and isn't going away anytime soon as it's a part of national security.

With enough money, I'm sure the output product can be of equal or superior quality. However, for consumer products, there has at least in my eyes been a noticeable decrease in chrome quality when the product has been chromed domestically. Consumers aren't going to pay for the increased cost.

The factory firearms I've seen chromed in the past few years domestically look abysmal compared to stuff coming out of Turkey & the Philippines.

I'm not sure tools are being done with hexavalent chromium anymore in the United States. It would make sense that tools do not fall under functional chrome plating like aerospace parts. I think multiple sources on here said in the past they moved to nickel trivalent chrome for most tools.

 

[Fedwrench]

I'm not a fan of the new Tekton reversible ratcheting wrenches. I like the satin finish but, that's it for my likes. I picked up most used sizes of the reversible ratcheting wrenches and a couple of the XL flex heads. My main beef with the Reversibles is the direction switch. Tekton uses the Infar lever on a disc direction switch. there's a lot of in & out play in the switch, and its engagement seems sloppy to me. The wrenches seem on the short side to me, and I don't care for the wrench's balance or overall feel but, that's just me. Other peeps might love them.
I think Tekton did a great job with their new XL double flex ratcheting boxed end wrenches. Good feel & balance, thickish beams, crisp ratcheting action, and large deep size marking on both sides of the wrench. I wish Tekton would have kept the standard-length flex head ratcheting double boxed end wrenches though.