Tool Sets

[merlin1952]

Gentlemen, I’m searching for a tool set in it’s own light weight box to keep in my old pickup truck. Anymore it seems like every time I go off somewhere I end up needing tools I don’t have with me. I know that Husky has a couple of sets and so does Cobolt, Craftsman, and some others. I see a 450 piece Vevor set at Lowe’s, but I’m not familiar with their hand tools. Are the Vevor hand tools a decent quality tool? I mean if the wrenches and sockets don’t fit properly then I don’t need them. I’ve owned a few Husky tools and they all have been decent tools. However, needless to say I’d like to get the most complete set I can for the money, but at the same time I don’t want to buy junk. Any and all suggestions will be appreciated, just let me know what you think. Thanks,

 

[413dan]

What is your target budget? That may narrow down suggestions and your options.

 

[drmarkr]

No opinion on the Vevor. If HF had a Pittsburg set that was fairly complete, I'd probably be suggesting that, but instead I'm going to recommend this Quinn set, because I have a number of individual Quinn hand tools and I'm impressed with their quality/value. You'd need to pick the right size box for where you plan to store it in your truck, but at least the tools you're buying will be decent quality and have a lifetime warranty, no questions asked.

https://www.harborfreight.com/master-technicians-tool-set-428-piece-73112.html

 

[tez929rr]

There are a bunch threads on this subject. I went through several different sets in my truck for years and settled on this Gedore Red set. The Red line tools are not German made. It’s currently $241 on Amazon.

A few years ago I got this box from Montezuma but could never quite make it fit in my truck anyplace. I carry it in my UTV now. It’s a good size and you can fill it with whatever seems the right mix.

 

[theoldwizard1]

About 30 years ago, I decided I wanted a travel tool box. This was before people thought Craftsman tools were made out of Gold or some other precious metal. I bought most of this on eBay. some may have been new from Sears on sale.

All of this did fit in that tools box at the end. I'm sure all of this was less than $300. (Both metric and US sockets and wrenches.)

 

[Organized_Garage]

I wanted something to put in the truck, primarily when we're out with our 5th Wheel Camper. This one from HF so far has served me well.

https://www.harborfreight.com/tool-set-with-case-130-piece-64263.html

 

[Dave455]

I think most of the folks here have reached the same conclusion. A set of tools you can throw onto or leave on a vehicle is invaluable.

Did you specifically want a pre made set?

Although they offer some advantages (if in a blow moulded case the parts don’t rattle and all you have to do is buy it) there are some disadvantages. The tools don’t generally tend to be the best quality, and there is little scope for making changes.

I must admit I went down the route of finding a box, and sourcing the tools to put in it. I use a .50” ammo box, but if you wanted a small box there are nice ones out there.

Facom


Trusco / Toyo


I know that companies like Proto offer similar, or just use a cheap plastic box (though I find they have limited life).

If you want to stop tools rattling, either use some tool rolls, or just some rag.

This way you can control the contents and quality as you wish.

 

[tez929rr]

BTW, it’s virtually impossible to get a kit that will have everything you think you need, so building your own set is probably the best solution. An example is something like a battery terminal brush that I always carry, but won’t be in any premade set. If you are like most of us you will keep loading stuff in there until one day you decide to pare it down a bit.

 

[Gmonkee]

Will it be just that truck or the truck plus whatever comes up randomly?

That determines the complete part of what you might want.

I usually carried a general use kit that covered more.

 

[Kscardsfan]

I'm a conservation officer in a state park, so I have a box full of tools to cover all conceivable situations from leaking toilets to car accidents with entrapment. I would suggest finding a smaller selection of tools than what I carry. The HF Quinn 66 piece set in my work truck to cover my bases for general use. I also have a pretty good selection of pliers and a crescent wrench handy as well.

 

[BTL-A4]

I went to the local swap meet and got what I needed. I put everything in a tool bag. You can haggle at the swap meet, especially if you are buying a lot.

 

[Snaparxon]

Here is my thread for blow-molded tool set recommendations.

Tool set in blow molded case, recommendations please

Looking to buy blow-molded case kit with 1/4" and 3/8" SAE and metric shallow and deep sockets, ratchets ,extensions etc, SAE and metric combo wrenches, couple screwdrivers and a couple pair of pliers. Something like that anyway. Matco Silver Eagle has one, SAB122SEA that looks ok but I have...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[FigN⋅m]

Would rock a Kincrome or similar kit if it was easier to get stateside.

 

[rust in the eye]

BTW, it’s virtually impossible to get a kit that will have everything you think you need, so building your own set is probably the best solution. An example is something like a battery terminal brush that I always carry, but won’t be in any premade set. If you are like most of us you will keep loading stuff in there until one day you decide to pare it down a bit.

If this is specifically for your "old truck" then assemble only what is useful for that vehicle. NO need for a bunch of metric stuff if a pre mid seventies domestic. You'd be surprised how few tools* you can get away with.
My own travel tools are way overkill as they are switched from vehicle to vehicle often and those all have different needs. Given that it all fits nicely in a 12" soft bag. Wrench rolls and zipper pouches in a soft bag won't rattle either. I loathe blow molded cases, such a waste of space and those kits are almost without exception loaded with nigh on useless stuff, further exascerbating the wasted space.
* Some guys carry enough to swap a motor, nice if you also carry that spare motor. A 12v test lamp and tire patch kit are your friends!
Oh, one last thought; I see many choose to carry cheap stuff in a breakdown kit. In an emergency situation I'd like to know my hand tools won't be the next failure. Plenty of second hand quality tools out there or some excellent stuff from Taiwan that isn't expensive. Don't carry junk tools and expect them to bail you out of a bad situation.
My $.02

 

[rust in the eye]

Would rock a Kincrome or similar kit if it was easier to get stateside.

I've never heard of this brand but those assortments actually look useful.

 

[zimman]

There are a bunch threads on this subject. I went through several different sets in my truck for years and settled on this Gedore Red set. The Red line tools are not German made. It’s currently $241 on Amazon.

A few years ago I got this box from Montezuma but could never quite make it fit in my truck anyplace. I carry it in my UTV now. It’s a good size and you can fill it with whatever seems the right mix.

Nice work. I'd lock this thread.
Zim

 

[JDtime]

There are a bunch threads on this subject. I went through several different sets in my truck for years and settled on this Gedore Red set. The Red line tools are not German made. It’s currently $241 on Amazon.

A few years ago I got this box from Montezuma but could never quite make it fit in my truck anyplace. I carry it in my UTV now. It’s a good size and you can fill it with whatever seems the right mix.

Isnt the red line made in India for most stuff?

 

[Tchicken]

The all-in-one kits are nice, but limited if you switch vehicles a lot as I have. Seems like the places that used to fit that hard case in the old buggy are always being redesigned so's to just barely but not fit anymore. A soft bag tailored to vehicle and needs is sometimes more practical to me, especially since the AIO types contain so many tools I never find occasion to need or use

 

[tez929rr]

Isnt the red line made in India for most stuff?

Like I said, not German made but I don’t know the exact source.

 

[Pontiac787]

Cripes is a good source of low priced sets but you’ll have to put it together yourself. Meaning you’ll have to be a set of wrenches, a set of sockets, a ratchet, etc.

 

[AEAdam]

There are a bunch threads on this subject. I went through several different sets in my truck for years and settled on this Gedore Red set. The Red line tools are not German made. It’s currently $241 on Amazon.

A few years ago I got this box from Montezuma but could never quite make it fit in my truck anyplace. I carry it in my UTV now. It’s a good size and you can fill it with whatever seems the right mix.

I like the Geode set above because it's not just a socket set. I too have an old truck. I carry a canvas riggers bag with the following tools:

• 2 or 3 plastic pryer panel poppers - sometimes need these to change a light bulb
• 12" handled HF pry bar
• couple pairs of pliers
• a few random screwdrivers
• folding Allen key tool
• A set of big box store 3/8" sockets (I think mine are Halford's from the UK). Also have torn sockets
• stubby flex and long flex ratchets
• set of locking extensions
• A set of ratcheting combination wrenches.
• jumper cables
• fuses and light bulbs (because light bulbs often come in 2 packs)
• Bluepoint Micro scan code reader
• rubber gloves
• flashlight
• zip ties

This may be 100% unnecessary info. But in many GJ threads, people ask about tool sets for their vehicles and the answers and sometimes the questions are just about sockets.

I would say honestly, this is not a "break down kit". I think that would contain different tools. My 2013 F150 has 210,000 miles and has NEVER once broken down. More typically, I'm fixing someone else's car. Or I've done some kind of minor fix with these tools. I think I replaced my alternator in a parking lot, swapped batteries stuff like that.

 

[finn]

For an old truck: cheap HF or swap meet 1/2” breaker bar, 3” extension, and a socket that fits your lug nuts, couple of screwdrivers, an inexpensive of SAE and / or metric combination wrenche set, a small 3/8 ” ratchet and socket set with an extra extension, an assortment of **** splices, terminals, and Scotch Locks, and a wire stripper / crimper to repair trailer lights and brakes, a short spool of electrical wire, and maybe a light bulb that fits your taillight socket. Also, a test light and a code reader that work on your truck,

I wouldn’t stress over it, though. When I used to carry tools in my vehicles, I don’t think I ever used them to fix my car. More likely to tighten the screws / bolts holding the boat trailer fender on, checking for voltage when the boat motor wouldn’t crank, fixing things that shook loose or broke on the fifth wheel or cargo trailer, fixing trailer lights, etc.

The tools were more frequently used at the end of the drive than the end of the driveway than on the side of the road.

i don’t carry tools much at all anymore, with the exception of a code reader in the Sprinter, and a credit card.

 

[merlin1952]

I appreciate everyone’s input. Also, I didn’t mean to mislead anyone about my truck. I don’t have to work on my truck, though it’s a 1988 so that may start to happen soon, I just seem to get into some sort of little fix-it job every time I go visit family nowadays. Recently, replaced tires and tubes on a bicycle, put a bunch of child’s furniture together, and another time reinstalled a belt and adjusted the tensioner on a riding lawnmower. So, I kind of decided I need to have a decent little to set of tools to take around with me as I despise to try to work on something without the right tools. Especially when I know I have the right tool in my shop at home, the only problem is, I ain’t home. Thanks,

 

[Rkcubed]

There are a bunch threads on this subject. I went through several different sets in my truck for years and settled on this Gedore Red set. The Red line tools are not German made. It’s currently $241 on Amazon.

A few years ago I got this box from Montezuma but could never quite make it fit in my truck anyplace. I carry it in my UTV now. It’s a good size and you can fill it with whatever seems the right mix.

Some years ago I purchased that exact Gedore set to go in the wife’s car. Its quality isn’t that bad. It borders on about the same quality as the pre B&D Stanley Craftsman. Sometimes I drag this set out of her car so I don’t have to walk the distance to the shop. I’m getting lazy in my age.

 

[gimpyrobb]

No opinion on the Vevor. If HF had a Pittsburg set that was fairly complete, I'd probably be suggesting that, but instead I'm going to recommend this Quinn set, because I have a number of individual Quinn hand tools and I'm impressed with their quality/value. You'd need to pick the right size box for where you plan to store it in your truck, but at least the tools you're buying will be decent quality and have a lifetime warranty, no questions asked.

https://www.harborfreight.com/master-technicians-tool-set-428-piece-73112.html

Nah, too much money for what you get.

This one, plus some good wrenches is WAY better for the money.

https://www.harborfreight.com/mechanics-tool-set-301-piece-63464.html

I've got 2 sets, one at work and one in the truck.

Plus, if you wait till its on sale, you can buy it for $182 OTD with tax(here in Ohio anyway)

 

[drmarkr]

Nah, too much money for what you get.

This one, plus some good wrenches is WAY better for the money.

https://www.harborfreight.com/mechanics-tool-set-301-piece-63464.html

I've got 2 sets, one at work and one in the truck.

Plus, if you wait till its on sale, you can buy it for $182 OTD with tax(here in Ohio anyway)

Can't argue with you on this...