the Nepros brand hand tool thread

[garfieldzzz]

[...]
garfieldzzz,

Looks like custom foam tool organizer, and where did you source your Garant stuff from? edit: I forgot you're from Europe, and that also explains the Forum tools in there.
Nice assortment

I source Garant from Hoffmann Group, there is a online store but we also have a employees number for better prices. The foam organizers are from Snap on but made by toolbed. Toolbed is not too expensive and makes also custom foams with your layout for SO tools.

Thats it so far from hijacking the thread

 

[C4RBON]

I got my two Nepros tools today. I ordered Friday night, KTC shipped them from Japan on Monday night, and DHL got them to me in less than 48 hours. Not bad for $10 shipping.

These are definitely the nicest looking tools I've seen. I'll use them soon when I change to my winter wheels and bleed my brakes. Hopefully they work as well as they look.

 

[Minicoop831]

I was just informed that nepros will produce a long version of the 1/4 drive 90 tooth ratchet, I was told it will be available in march. I am assuming there is a flex version in the works as well but that may come out further down the line. I just wanted to let everyone know for whoever is interested.

 

[gunsmith]

I have Nepros tools for five years. This is my opinion after five years of service. I don't have whole range, but I do have open end wrenches, adjustable wrench, ratchet, sockets, torx and inverted torx.
At the beginning I had some kind of guilt when I used Nepros. I don't know why, they looked too good to use. Now, I feel security and trust.
Quality of sockets and wrenches is outstanding.
Adjustable wrench has couple marks, although I have used it couple times.
Ratchet 3/8 with anodized alu handle, colour pilled off. Mechanism feels stiff, but ball is too stiff and socket is hard to pull out. I tried to minimase friction with oil , but there is no help.
Wrenches have no marks of use, I use them almost every day on cars, motorcycles, bicycles.... Because of chrome finish, they are slippery, but despite that I am confident in use. Very nice looking!!!

VERDICT:
I am satisfied but not thrilled. They didn't meet my all expectations. Especially ratchet. Today I use Armstrong ratchets, exclusively! I hate when they miss lot of sizes. I hated then and I hate it now. Please focus more on spreding your range of sockets and wrenches, not on limited editions of ratchet. They just have some of allan and torx sockets, what about other common typs of sockets?
Will I buy it again?
Yes but only wrenches!!! I have open end wrenches and I would like to have low offset box end wrenches, but they are insolent expencive and offer half of range!!!

Thanks for reading.

 

[Fedwrench]

That's an interesting flare design with the shouldered cut out. I haven't seen anything like that before. what's the difference between the two sides?

 

[48548]

That's an interesting flare design with the shouldered cut out. I haven't seen anything like that before. what's the difference between the two sides?

I would assume to stay on the nut or bleeder screw on one side and to be normal on the other, but just a guess...

 

[superautobacs]

I was just informed that nepros will produce a long version of the 1/4 drive 90 tooth ratchet, I was told it will be available in march. I am assuming there is a flex version in the works as well but that may come out further down the line. I just wanted to let everyone know for whoever is interested.

Yes, KTC officially released them in February. Its the NBR290L. A long handle for typical Japanese/European standards, measuring at 175mm (6.8"). In the North American tool market 175mm can be considered to be on the longer end of a "standard" size 1/4" drive ratchet. ....especially when you take into consideration that Snap-on released a 315mm extra-long. ....but Snap-on tends to release crazy long ratchets all the time

Thanks for reading.

Thanks for your honest opinion.

You ought to try Nepros' 90-tooth ratchets. Much, MUCH better than the predecessor.

As for your comment about skipped sizes....

Yeah, I've noticed that when it comes to deep sockets, especially in 12pt sockets, they skip sizes like 7, 9, 11, 15, 16, 18.

With hex bit sockets, they don't have anything under 4mm and above 8mm

With internal torx, nothing over T-50 (they should have up to T-60)

With external torx, they have up to E-16 (they should include E-18 at minimum)

Otherwise, though, they certainly cover the majority of what people will encounter.

 

[superautobacs]

I would assume to stay on the nut or bleeder screw on one side and to be normal on the other, but just a guess...

Correct!

Place the wrench on the flare nut without having to worry about the wrench sliding too far down and reducing the wrench/nut contact surface area. I suppose it's one less thing the operator needs to think about.

Found this on google images:







KTC recently announced that after two years of Nepros' 1/4" drive series ratchets being released, it has been awarded with Germany's 2017 iF Design award:

 

[caltemus]

Well I took the leap and ordered one of the 20th anniversary leather handled ratchets. I contacted nepros, and Hiroshi Iki informed me that there were only 4 of the wine color left. I would have preferred the black with red, but from what I can tell those have been sold out everywhere for a while now. My current high-mark for ratchets is a 1/2" drive armstrong locking flex head, so I am curious to see how the nepros stacks up.

Anybody that has lubricated the gearing, did that improve the feel of the ratchet?

 

[caltemus]

It came promptly and it feels amazing; the fit and finish is astounding. Under a rubber boot on the bottom of the handle is an allen screw that will allow me to redo the leather should it need it in a decade. It also came with a lovely note mentioning that it can be appreciated by your children and generations to come. I wish more things were made with that ethos. What's great is that it was the same cost with shipping as a Snapon would have been, and I didn't even have to hunt down a truck!

 

[superautobacs]

Caltemus,

Welcome to KTC/Nepros quality craftsmanship.

How does it stack up to the Armstrong?

 

[txusa03]

This thread is very dangerous to my malnourished wallet. Incredible well designed tools in here. I am out of here, you guys/gals carry on

 

[Robertson]

'Self-stripping' screws

I hope they are going in that direction. I don't like those thread-locked phillips screws.

I hate Phillips screws, period! Along with slotted screws, they should be banned from all applications.

Robertson and Torx are 'proper' fasteners.

 

[Mathis Hard]

I was curious about the 1/4 flex head mentioned above, so i picked one up from KTC. Man, what a nice wrench. I'll almost feel bad putting it to use.

 

[Whchua]

I read thru the post, just bite the bullet ordered a stubby 3/8 ratchet.

 

[superautobacs]

I recently came back from my holidays in Japan. I went to Factory Gear's Concept Store in Akihabara and snapped a couple Nepros related photos. Nepros' ratchet mechanism is not outsourced to Taiwan; they are fully manufactured by KTC:

 

[C4RBON]

Long metric combination wrenches and 1/4" drive semi-deep sockets were just added to nepros.net. Of course they added long combo wrenches after I bought a SK set...

I recently bought the 1/2" drive, 90-tooth, long ratchet and some sockets. It's all so nice!

 

[redvalkyrie]

I recently came back from my holidays in Japan. I went to Factory Gear's Concept Store in Akihabara and snapped a couple Nepros related photos. Nepros' ratchet mechanism is not outsourced to Taiwan; they are fully manufactured by KTC:

You and I need to take a trip to Japan together. I have film/TV/friends there. You could show me the tools and I could show you the TV side AND the racing side. Ebisu circuit is insanely fun.

 

[superautobacs]

Long metric combination wrenches and 1/4" drive semi-deep sockets were just added to nepros.net. Of course they added long combo wrenches after I bought a SK set...

I recently bought the 1/2" drive, 90-tooth, long ratchet and some sockets. It's all so nice!

Yeah, 1/2" drive long sure feels good in the hand, and Nepros.net is a bit late in updating their site with the latest new offerings.

You and I need to take a trip to Japan together. I have film/TV/friends there. You could show me the tools and I could show you the TV side AND the racing side. Ebisu circuit is insanely fun.

Sounds good! I've never ventured out to any race track in Japan.

 

[redvalkyrie]

Yeah, 1/2" drive long sure feels good in the hand, and Nepros.net is a bit late in updating their site with the latest new offerings.










Sounds good! I've never ventured out to any race track in Japan.

Ebisu, Tsukuba, and Fuji are great but at Ebisu the vibe is way more friendly and everyone helps each other. You can rent a car at the track. They have a mechanic's garage on site that will fix any issues you are having...AND there's a Zoo on the grounds.

To keep on topic, I just ordered the Nepros long handle 90T ratchet. I'm very excited.

 

[losvre]

I was curious about the 1/4 flex head mentioned above, so i picked one up from KTC. Man, what a nice wrench. I'll almost feel bad putting it to use.

This is not to be used; sent it to me

Sent from my SM-A510F using Tapatalk

 

[ajh88]

Oh my this is one of the most dangerous threads I've ever found! Trying to step up my tool game and as a huge JDM nut (Supra and 86 owner) these Nepros pieces have me geeking. Thanks for all the pictures and reviews.

 

[redvalkyrie]

Oh my this is one of the most dangerous threads I've ever found! Trying to step up my tool game and as a huge JDM nut (Supra and 86 owner) these Nepros pieces have me geeking. Thanks for all the pictures and reviews.

It is quite dangerous, huh? I have a 87 MR2 with and built 16v 4age (did it myself in 2005 and it's still going strong and making 162bhp), a 91 MR2, and 82 Starlet with 100 bhp with twin 40mm IDF carbs ( again with a rebuilt engine by me).

If you plan to order Nepros I highly recommend buying straight from Nepros US as the prices are way cheaper and the service is awesome. Plus, it's very simple to warranty the tools. And if you make a note in the comments section of the order or email them promptly after your order, they will include a massive amount of stickers free of charge.

Nepros is dangerous--once you get one Nepros tool you will find just about everything else lacking. Unfortunately, Nepros does not make some of the more niche items like engine assembly tools.

 

[franzdom]

That's an interesting flare design with the shouldered cut out. I haven't seen anything like that before. what's the difference between the two sides?

I believe Hazet makes this feature as well.

 

[franzdom]

It is quite dangerous, huh? I have a 87 MR2 with and built 16v 4age (did it myself in 2005 and it's still going strong and making 162bhp), a 91 MR2, and 82 Starlet with 100 bhp with twin 40mm IDF carbs ( again with a rebuilt engine by me).

If you plan to order Nepros I highly recommend buying straight from Nepros US as the prices are way cheaper and the service is awesome. Plus, it's very simple to warranty the tools. And if you make a note in the comments section of the order or email them promptly after your order, they will include a massive amount of stickers free of charge.

Nepros is dangerous--once you get one Nepros tool you will find just about everything else lacking. Unfortunately, Nepros does not make some of the more niche items like engine assembly tools.

I am having trouble finding Nepros US, do you have a link?

 

[losvre]

nepros.net

 

[franzdom]

It is a US oriented website but the shipping is out of Japan, correct? I don't see them calling themselves Nepros US.

 

[ricleh]

Nepros.net

 

[redvalkyrie]

Nepros.net handles all of the US orders. It doesn't really matter where they are based as they ship faster than any company I've dealt with. Warranty issues are also not a problem as they'll usually just request a picture of the broken item and then send you a new replacement. The person that handles the US orders is a native English speaker--there is no chance of miscommunication. The prices are also way cheaper than you will find anywhere else.

The only downside is that like most Japanese companies they charge shipping based on price and not weight. That has its upsides and downsides...

 

[franzdom]

That's all fine and good and I have ordered from them previously. I was just wondering if I was doing it wrong or missing out on a better US based factory agent.

 

[redvalkyrie]

Nah, there's no real US based distributor. You used to have Levelchrome and Frankstools but honestly, I don't think anyone was overly pleased with the service from either. Then Rakuten Global opened up making it super easy to buy JDM tools. I think the Japanese have rightly earned their reputation of pleasing customers.

 

[ricleh]

Nah, there's no real US based distributor. You used to have Levelchrome and Frankstools but honestly, I don't think anyone was overly pleased with the service from either. Then Rakuten Global opened up making it super easy to buy JDM tools. I think the Japanese have rightly earned their reputation of pleasing customers.

Aren't you the guy who told everyone to buy directly from Nepros US? Oh yeah, there is no Nepros US. Don't let a little fact get in the way of your thought process though. Now you want to disparage Levelchrome and Frankstools. I had nothing but good service from both vendors. I'm sure you know a lot more about Nepros tools than I do though, so I won't question your expert opinion.

 

[rmsg0040]

levelchrome.com doesn't work?

 

[71firebird400]

Franks Tools has been wonderful to deal with, on multiple occasions. Highly recommended.

 

[redvalkyrie]

Aren't you the guy who told everyone to buy directly from Nepros US? Oh yeah, there is no Nepros US. Don't let a little fact get in the way of your thought process though. Now you want to disparage Levelchrome and Frankstools. I had nothing but good service from both vendors. I'm sure you know a lot more about Nepros tools than I do though, so I won't question your expert opinion.

I'm very happy you had a wonderful experience with Frankstools.

 

[franzdom]

I have had many wonderful experiences with FranksTools also!!!

 

[losvre]

I have had many wonderful experiences with FranksTools also!!!

+1 for Frankstools and support for small business!!!

I am also preparing an order for several items from different japanese manufacturers and will go through Frankstools.

 

[redvalkyrie]

Order from who you want--I did not have a good experience with either frankstools.com or levelchrome. This is why we live in America--you get to choose for yourself.

 

[bleomycin]

Sorry if this has been posted but i couldn't find it. Does anyone know if the size is printed on the torx bit sockets anywhere? The nepros website doesn't have a view that shows it is and google image search came up empty as well. My wiha torx bit sockets don't have the sizes printed anywhere on them and it drives me nuts.

*Edit*

In case anyone else was wondering, they do print the sizes on them, albeit a bit on the small side. Very pleased with these so far!

 

[jo4gj]

This is probably asked already but can anyone give there opinion on nepros or koken flex sockets and universal joints (non impact) compared to snap on. Thinking about buying some and don't know what brand would actually do the job better