Toptul or Gearwrench sockets

[CobraChevelle]

Ok last night I rounded my last bolt with cheap sockets.

Long story short I have a craftsman usa set but all 12pt sockets for 1/2. Well went out a bought a power built 1/2 set all 6pt last year. (cheap but not made in china). They work good with newer nut/bolts but when it comes to hard rusty **** they ****! I bought mid depth gearwrench 1/4 and 3/8 6pts sockets also last year. I can feel the difference in the way they fit with those vs power built. I would of used those GW sockets, but I didn't have enough room with my 1/2 to 3/8 adapter & I don't have a 3/8 breaker bar.

So I know the gear wrench sockets work better than what I have, but how about toptul? Warranty is the last thing on my list. I want the better tool for the money.

thank you.

 

[LXCam]

I have several of the GW sockets and don't really have any complaints. But if I were to choose between the two I'd go with Toptul. I have a couple of their wrench sets and luv those things. I will be replacing the couple of sets of non-ratcheting GW wrenches with Toptuls as deals come up as I just don't care for them at all.

 

[kythri]

Quite frankly, I doubt there's going to be many people that can legitimately claim experience with both brands, side-by-side, as it were.

Upfront disclaimer: I have zero experience with Toptul.

Between those two brands, I'd buy GW as it's a known quantity, and it's availability is ubiquitous. I trust the brand and the quality of it. While we have a member here who sells Toptul, he's one of a literal handful (or less) of dealers of the merchandise.

I don't have any reason to distrust Toptul, I'm just not that interested in investing in what currently amounts to a niche brand with a hazy future - and that's not specifically due to potential warranty issues (though, that is a concern for me), but also future availability of other tools in the line that I might want (including more matching sockets).

 

[CobraChevelle]

thank you for the comments so far

I have the toptul xxl wrenches From a seller on ebay and later I found out he is a member on here. I love those wrenches! thought maybe the sockets would be good too. I can get short and long metric 1/4,3/8,1/2 all 6pt for around $110 plus shipping from him on eBay maybe even cheaper if I get a hold of the gentleman on here.

 

[LXCam]

Dennis will get right back with you. He's very good about responding and getting you the best deal out there if he has it in stock.

I'm not sure if you have his forum name, but if not here ya go: dnschmidt

 

[Greg85mcss]

I haven't used toptul but have a gw set. I love using them but have broken a few. Actually only sockets I've ever broken. That brings me to my point. I got them from a friend & have had no luck with warranty replacement. No biggie as they're only a couple bucks each at advance auto & not worth having to ship back to the co. I would recommend buying them there or from your local matco guy if that's an option. Also advance can't look up purchases from another location so keep the receipt if you buy there

 

[dnschmidt]

LXCam if you're looking for a deal good luck with that. I remember that comment you made. Remember what I told you: "Your prices just went up, WAY UP." I'm sort of kidding, but, eh maybe not.

 

[dnschmidt]

CobraChevelle, you've got a better chance of being hit by a meteor than of finding a better socket for the money that TOPTUL. This is of course only my opinion, but, in this case I know I'm right. The satin chrome finish is also a thing of beauty.

 

[firworks]

I don't have any 6pt GW but the 12 pt I have are very nice. I don't think you'd be wrong going with them.

That said, TOPTUL makes realllly nice sockets. They've become my favorite set and I grab them before all my others. I got deep and regular complete sets 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 from dnschmidt off eBay. All 6pt, all top shelf.

These are all metric though. I would think TOPTUL makes SAE sockets but the sets that I've seen are all metric.

 

[Sprintman]

Toptul. Dimensional accuracy, TUV & UKAS certified, ISO-9001 2008 factory, lifetime warranty, 6 pt and 12 pt available, product range, unmatched value for money.

 

[TXBDan]

I just picked up a BOGO at nxtools with 1/4 and 3/8 sets of deep and standard, sae and metric sockets, plus a few flavors of 84t ratchets for $103. I'm very happy with the initial quality.

 

[jwx]

I've used both and as far as sockets you can't go wrong with either one, I like GW rachets better, but its been several years since I've seen the Toptul offerings.

 

[u118224]

CobraChevelle, you've got a better chance of being hit by a meteor than of finding a better socket for the money that TOPTUL. This is of course only my opinion, but, in this case I know I'm right. The satin chrome finish is also a thing of beauty.

dnschmidt, I checked out your E-Bay store and the prices are, to me, very reasonable. Can you get 1/2 drive metric socket sets without adding the 1/4 and 3/8? Thank you.

 

[dnschmidt]

Short answer NO. I have to buy ten at a time and I'm not going to do that. This is a very common problem. People want whatever but they don't have 9 friends to take the left over 9 items. Just the way it is.

 

[DSLTRK]

Both brands are great quality TW tools, BUT, Gearwrench has much more availability in the states. For that reason alone, I'd have to choose GW due to warranty reasons.

 

[u118224]

Short answer NO. I have to buy ten at a time and I'm not going to do that. This is a very common problem. People want whatever but they don't have 9 friends to take the left over 9 items. Just the way it is.

I thought that might be the case, I understand. I could sell the 1/4 and 3/8 sets I suppose.

 

[lightning02]

dnschmidt can you post a link to your eBay store?

 

[John in OH]

I have no experience with either Toptul or GW so my response is not at all what you are asking about, but if you are going to consider GW, why not take a look at NAPA's Carlyle line of sockets? I have bought a fair number of 3/8" drive sockets as I needed one-off sockets from time-to-time and NAPA is my only local store for tools.

Check out this GJ thread: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=158341&highlight=show+carlyle

I've really liked the Carlyle sockets and their quick-release ratchet. And it seems as if every town in America has a NAPA store!!

 

[MrGiggles]

I have Gearwrench in SAE/metric 3/8 and 1/4, shallow and deep. Great chrome and nice overall sockets. The 3/8 KD80550 set was around 115 dollars and the 1/4 set was included free. I have no complaints at all about the sockets, no skips, and great quality.

The Toptul sounds like the better deal if you don't need SAE. Those look really nice.

 

[jptbay]

I bought a bunch of Toptul stuff from the thetoolchest.ca before it closed up business.

My thoughts:

Toptul wrenches are top tier quality.

Sockets, quality wise were very good. Availability was my big problem. Toptul socket sets often skip common sizes, and good luck trying to buy them separately.

You can't go wrong with Gearwrench sockets, in my opinion. Best advise is avoid using 12-point sockets on rusty hardware. Only time I break out the 12 point socket is when I have a 12 point fastener.

If you are looking for another option, consider Genius brand sockets. Another Taiwan brand like Toptul, and extremely high quality. They have great sets that don't skip sizes, they have good distribution in North America, and you can order direct from the manufacturer who is a Garage Journal Alliance Vendor.

 

[dnschmidt]

jptbay your comments about TOPTUL skipping sizes is one of my pet peeves with them. For the sets that I sell I've fixed this problem. The socket sets I have up on EBay from TOPTUL DO NOT come with 18mm 3/8" and 1/2" drive sockets from TOPTUL. I buy these from TOPTUL separately and include them into the sets I sell. I do this with several wrench sets as well.

The reason I don't sell any of TOPTUL's pre-made sets is exactly the reason you state. Apparently they have never heard of General Motors, Chrysler or Ford as very few of their premade sets include 13, 15 and 18mm tools. Which basically is all the domestic manufacturers use. I'VE BITCHED ABOUT THIS TO THEM UNTIL MY FINGERS CAN'T TYPE ANYMORE. Frankly, they don't give a ****. They consider their markets to be Asia and Europe and as far as they are concerned North America doesn't exist.

 

[TXBDan]

BMWs use 13s and 18s all over. Well, at least E46 and older. Strange logic of theirs, but good on you for taking care of it.

 

[Fedwrench]

I actually own Toptul, Carlyle, and Gearwrench sockets.

I personally feel that all of them will serve you well but, there are some differences.
First off, the Toptul sockets don't have any knurling on them to aide in removal from a drive tool, improve finger spinning, or simply to identify it as a metric socket.
Size markings: Toptul has a single small stamped size marking between the brand name and part number. Carlyle uses a larger stamped single size marking between the NAPA logo and the CR-V stamp. Carlyle also has two mm next to the size number. Gearwrench uses the stamped size number inside a circle and marks the socket in two spots 180 degrees apart.
All three brands feature off corner engagement.
All three brands have a single oval shaped cut out on each side of the square drive for drive tool retention ball engagement.
Toptul and Carlyle sockets are turned down slightly (depending on size)(the base is slightly narrower than the socket end). Helps with removal from a drive tool. Gearwrench is the opposite, it's narrower on the socket end.
Warranty: To me a lifetime warranty gives you a lifetime supply of failed tools. I would rather have a quality made tool that won't fail during normal use.
However, The Gearwrench and Carlyle sockets can be easily warrantied at many vendors. Toptul has no US warranty service in the US.
All three sockets are nicely finished inside and out. There is no paint or mismatch finishes.
Below are some crappy photos of a 13mm shallow 3/8 drive six point socket for comparison. On the left is Toptul, center is Carlyle, and on the right is Gearwrench.
A couple more things, the Toptul socket is satin finished, and the Gearwrench socket is older Taiwan vintage. The Gearwrench socket is slightly shorter than the other two.
Lastly, I know size availability has been mentioned as an issue. However, I have Toptul in 7-24mm, Carlyle in 6-24mm, and Gearwrench in 6-22mm.

 

[John in OH]

I actually own Toptul, Carlyle, and Gearwrench sockets.

..........

Nice descriptive comparison, Fedwrench.

 

[TXBDan]

Btw, the 1/4" and 3/8" gearwrench sets I got from nxtool this week were made in Taiwan.