To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

which wrench set brand

goldie lox

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 12, 2015
Messages
142
looking to getting a set of wrenches. trying to decide between sk and gearwrench. presume the sets are equal pieces and such. not interested in snapon mac and others really not looking to spend 300 or more on them.

which one would you buy
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

JDweld98

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 4, 2016
Messages
50
I've always been a bit biased towards SK. Hopefully I'll be picking up their X-Frame sets in the near(ish) future... [emoji2]
 

Greg85mcss

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 9, 2015
Messages
760
Location
Frederick MD
I've heard proto has a rebrand of the mac precision torque. Not sure of the price


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

rocat1997

Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2016
Messages
5
The answer to this question I feel requires another question. What's your intended usage? Home mechanic? Professional mechanic? I feel professional work needs professional level tools. You could find a name brand set on eBay if you need to save money. If you ever had bolts round off or your knuckles ripped when a wrench slips, you will wish you had bought a better set.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

firworks

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 29, 2015
Messages
4,079
Location
IL
If you haven't already you should investigate Wright Tools and their Wrightgrip wrenches. Very nice wrenches for not very high prices.
 

xela456

Well-known member
Joined
May 22, 2014
Messages
344
i'd go SK between the two.
depending on what your looking for
for me its between wright and SK
for instance a metric wrench set
SK 86265 is a 15 pc metric set from 8 ton 22mm on ebay now for 168.99 free to ship
wright 752 15 pc 7-22mm is 145.99 free shipping

I'm not a huge fan of chrome wrenches but i really like SK tools. Im also a huge fan of Wrightgrip wrenches and their satin finish. I use the hell out of my wrenches as a Millwirght and the Wrightgrips have held up for me. That being said between your two choices I'd go with SK i just wrights are often overlooked by those not in industry as i had never heard of them until i came to the trades
 

jrobb316

Well-known member
Joined
May 18, 2014
Messages
1,377
Location
WI
Gearwrench is ****. Basing this off my ratcheting wrench experience. Go with SK. They're some of the nicest regular combos at a good price. Wrightgrip if you like the teeth in the open end. I personally hate that and prefer nothing, or protos ASD design. Just my personal opinion from a flank drive + owner.
 
Last edited:
OP
G

goldie lox

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 12, 2015
Messages
142
i'm just a home mech. i like the sk and like the feel holding them. no sharp edges or overly thick or thin
 

Yankee

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 23, 2012
Messages
266
Location
Midwest
I know they aren't as recommended as other brands, but the full polish Craftsman Industrial combination wrenches are excellent. About as inexpensive as you can get in a long pattern wrench.
 

amolaver

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Messages
835
If you haven't already you should investigate Wright Tools and their Wrightgrip wrenches. Very nice wrenches for not very high prices.

+1 my wrights are the nicest wrenches short of nepros. wrightgrip (like SO FD+) on the open ends and the most comfortable beam ever. only knock i can make on them is no long pattern versions. for non-ratcheting purposes, they are without question my favorite and that includes SO, Mac, Proto, Gearwrench and probably others.

their customer service is also phenomenal - call and speak to a real person who actually seems to want to help you. i had a 3/8 in 1/4 ratchet that i broke and i had a rebuild kit on the way no muss no fuss. just an excellent product/company all around.

i love my many sets of gearwrench ratcheting wrenches, but for standard combos, its not even close. wright's are what i reach for.

ahm
 

Empty Pockets

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 21, 2015
Messages
4,942
Location
Rural New York
i'm just a home mech. i like the sk and like the feel holding them. no sharp edges or overly thick or thin

SK makes good quality tools, I have some of their stuff, but my go-to wrenches are my Wright. Both brands are made in USA, and have excellent customer service

As to Gearwrench, I've looked at them, they simply don't feel right in my big hands, besides they are made off-shore.

My best advise to you is to look at the competing brands, if you can, see, touch and feel the tools, and make your decision from there. You might want to check out HJE for prices, if that is a consideration, good folks there.
 

TK-421

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 29, 2015
Messages
1,398
Location
Pflugerville, TX
I've got Gearwrench, they were a good price, they feel quality, they fit my hand well, they have good customer service, a nice warranty, and people I know who have used them extensively have never had any major issues with them.
 

shockwave

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 23, 2012
Messages
2,125
Location
Marietta,ga
Between your choices I would go with sk they have held up for years the few I do own

And gearwrench has lost its quality imo and not appearing to be getting better

I would also recconend wright over sk for price and quality in us make I also would look at stahlwille and hazet they are close to same price if you look around
 

AutoTeck84

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 8, 2015
Messages
105
Sk but I would get the long pattern set. The other set is pretty short in length. I don't like them as much as I thought I would when I got that set. Tekton is pretty good. I would go with them over Chinese GW and 1/3 the price if not less.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

four.cycle

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 19, 2015
Messages
28,953
Location
Tacoma, Washington
... not going to put one over the other, but:
there has been a glut of used US-made wrench sets posted on Ebay in the last few days - S-K, Williams, Armstrong, Wright, Craftsman, KD.

some of them seem a bit steep until you look at what new prices are (or compare them to truck brands.) suggest you take a look there at the used S-K sets if you've narrowed your choice down to those two.
 

Sam'sAutoParts

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
2,075
Location
Northeast PA
Agree with four.cycle, I have just under $150 in my two sets, I bought them both used. Metric standard pattern and long SAE, it took a lot of patience.
 

John in OH

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 2, 2007
Messages
2,444
Location
SE Ohio & Eastern Virginia
SK is a nice wrench. Gearwrench is, well, .... meh.

But, if you are considering spending the money necessary to buy SK, then I feel you would be better served by spending about those same dollars on the WrightGrips, either satin or polished, as you prefer. WrightGrips are arguably the nicest, most comfortable, and best wrenches currently available for the price.
 

nieuport17

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 20, 2014
Messages
466
Sk vs Gearwrench? Sk.
Gearwrench is not bad, but if you can afford Sk, go for it.
 

Greg85mcss

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 9, 2015
Messages
760
Location
Frederick MD
I've seen the sk sets on tooltopia buy metric & get sae free. That was almost a year ago but something to keep an eye on


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

espyking83

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
1,690
Location
Hell hole of a King Air 200
Just throwing this out there, but buying wrenches without any type of ant-slip or gripping design is the equivalent of buying a rotary phone. Not a whole lot of **** that I get excied about but im never going back to wrenches without ASD again.

And to actually contribute to this thread; SK over GW any day. Do yourself a favor and save enough for the ratcheting X frame/beam wrenches from SK. Havent tried them yet but pretty sure they have ASD and extraordinary ratcheting capability. 6 point is a draw back but with the low swing arc I suppose you only have to fit that **** on there once lol
 
Last edited:

gtlaw

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Messages
666
S-K without a doubt. I personally would get Williams supercombos or proto asd over the S-K which are similarly priced
 

AutoTeck84

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 8, 2015
Messages
105
Unless I'm just looking in the wrong place but wright grip is twice the price of a similar Sk set and proto asd about 50 bucks more
 

Thax

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 17, 2014
Messages
91
Location
Virginia
I have the Gearwrench metric set. Im a KIA tech and use them everyday, no real complaints from me. Are they as nice as SK , Wright , Matco or Snap on nope , but they do the job fine. They are long pattern which means they will be longer than the SK set. If I were to buy a new set it would probably be Williams USA supercombos but thats just me. If you want to save a few bucks and get a decent set Id say go for the Gearwrench set.
 

jn50308401

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 7, 2015
Messages
315
I have some SK wrenches that I have used over the years and they are fine tools. I also have the gear wrench stuff, no problems with them either. If made in USA is important, go for SK, they'll last a lifetime.

I was looking at the Napa Carlye tools and they are pretty nice too.



Sent from my KFSOWI using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:

1982fxr

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2012
Messages
10,011
Location
Phoenix
Just throwing this out there, but buying wrenches without any type of ant-slip or gripping design is the equivalent of buying a rotary phone. Not a whole lot of **** that I get excied about but im never going back to wrenches without ASD again.

And to actually contribute to this thread; SK over GW any day. Do yourself a favor and save enough for the ratcheting X frame/beam wrenches from SK. Havent tried them yet but pretty sure they have ASD and extraordinary ratcheting capability. 6 point is a draw back but with the low swing arc I suppose you only have to fit that **** on there once lol

disagree. I don't use that style on my Harley...
 

John in OH

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 2, 2007
Messages
2,444
Location
SE Ohio & Eastern Virginia
Unless I'm just looking in the wrong place but wright grip is twice the price of a similar Sk set and proto asd about 50 bucks more

Check HJE for Wright or SK. You don't specify whether you want SAE or metric or how big a set you want, but here is a quickie comparison of a typical Wright and an SK set:

WRIGHT ----- 15 PIECE FULL POLISH METRIC COMBINATION WRENCH SET 7MM-22MM 12 POINT $150 (skips 20mm, but that size is almost never used)

SK ----- 15 PIECE FULL POLISH METRIC COMBINATION WRENCH SET 8MM-22MM 12 POINT $160 (no skips)
 
Last edited:

netcaretaker

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2012
Messages
185
Location
Many Places, right now NC
My personal favorite right now is Matco because the thickness of the metal and the way they bevel the edges fits my hand perfectly. I usually get them on ebay or on craigs list for a LOT less then any of the other truck brands.

I have one set of gearwrench and will not be getting those again. I do like my SK - but whatever fits your hand and what you are using them for is the best for you - don't overthink it :)


looking to getting a set of wrenches. trying to decide between sk and gearwrench. presume the sets are equal pieces and such. not interested in snapon mac and others really not looking to spend 300 or more on them.

which one would you buy
 

Rubiman14

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Messages
117
Location
SE MI
Just throwing this out there, but buying wrenches without any type of ant-slip or gripping design is the equivalent of buying a rotary phone. Not a whole lot of **** that I get excied about but im never going back to wrenches without ASD again.

Except for when you're playing around with quality finished nuts/bolts on hot rods, Harley's, and the like. Even for typical auto work, I only use my FD+ wrenches for removal. For everything else I use my standard FD wrenches.

disagree. I don't use that style on my Harley...

:thumbup:
 

SpiersFam

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2014
Messages
6
Over last couple years I have been upgrading my tools and trolling this site for ideas on what to replace the miscellaneous junk tools that I had acquired over the years with. For some reason these cheap tools were not fitting the nuts/bolts correctly and rounding off others. Had to many times that I had to go searching through multiple wrench sizes (metric and SAE) to find one that would fit a particular nut/bolt.

Neighbor has all new SnapOn and I definitely do not like the thinness of their beam (Note: have been buying older "XD" (round beam) and "XV"/"VS" (open/close older beam style) much better SO than newer ones, wished they had the same pattern for combo wrench). Apparently Gearwrench (at least ratcheting) and Armstrong (at least extra long) follow the same theory of narrow beams. These tend to hurt my hands when putting to much pressure on them while trying to get something off.

Favorite so far are the Wrights, followed closely by the Proto ASD (narrower beam than the Wrights, not SO bad though). Have a set of SKs that I like (son not so much), and they are shorter in the smaller sizes. Found a set of MAC Classic Knuckle Savers on ebay for a good price and these are different. Very square beam and the open head is in the opposite direction of other wrenches.

Been looking for for the larger sizes of Wright wrenches and finally got a good deal on the Metric "760" (28 piece, Satin Finish, 6mm to 50mm) set from Toolbarn for $573 with free Shipping. Now if they would lower the price on the SAE set! Probably never need the largest sizes but they are there if ever needed. Link below
http://www.toolbarn.com/wright-760.html

Biggest complaint I have about tools at the moment is that it gets expensive buying better tools in both metric and SAE. Yes I know that some sizes are the same between the two, but OCD says that I want both full sets. Guess I will need one garage to work on the metric cars (newer American and Foreign) and one for the sae (classic cars). Egh, someday inheritance for the son.
 

DBendr

Banned
Joined
Dec 30, 2015
Messages
377
S-K without a doubt. I personally would get Williams supercombos or proto asd over the S-K which are similarly priced
This guy thinks like I do.Both of those are superior to SK and I've owned all of them (and many more).
The supercombo is a beast. The Proto ASD grabswithout too much molesting of the fastener. The Wright is an alligator on bath salts.
 

Rileysan

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Messages
4,298
Location
Milwaukie, Oregon
I know they aren't as recommended as other brands, but the full polish Craftsman Industrial combination wrenches are excellent. About as inexpensive as you can get in a long pattern wrench.

^ This. They are still available, are thicker and feel better than almost any wrench I have ever owned, and are reasonably priced.

Brian
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom