wrenches bang for the buck

[dandan111]

I have a hodge podge of craftsman raised panel and ace combo wrentches and would like to have something a bit nicer. Would a set of gear wrench ratchet combo be the way to go? I have been eyeing the cratsman polished combo wrenches for a while but im not sure. Are the gear wrenches a good go to wrench? Whats the best bang for the buck i want both inch and mm. $100-$130 is about my limit.

 

[NC-Fordguy]

nothing wrong with your crafty raised panel wrenches. They are time proven and made in the USA

I've never broken one in over 30 years of wrenching

 

[osborn.ozzy]

Get the cman pros if you want a step up to tool truck quality with out the tool truck price.

 

[shoturtle]

ratcheting is nice to have, but I still like to use a standard box end to break bolts. I have 2 set of ratcheting wrenches and 2 sets of standard combo wrenches.

I would organized the hodge podge as your second set, and add a set of nice long pattern set. The craftsman pros you can still find nos 13 pc USA made with no skips. The gw set is nice as well. They have a 9 pc set with some skips and a nice 14 piece set in both metric and sae, or a whopping 24 pc set with both metric and standard.

Or another nice options is lowes kolbalt 11 piece set, they skip the 9mm in metric but they are 25 bucks right now. So you can get both sets for 50 bucks. And they are good wrenches.

http://www.lowes.com/webapp/wcs/sto...=10151&catalogId=10051&productId=3362666&cId=

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...gId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1

 

[lennoxlennox]

I have a hodge podge of craftsman raised panel and ace combo wrentches and would like to have something a bit nicer. Would a set of gear wrench ratchet combo be the way to go? I have been eyeing the cratsman polished combo wrenches for a while but im not sure. Are the gear wrenches a good go to wrench? Whats the best bang for the buck i want both inch and mm. $100-$130 is about my limit.

easy

keep an eye on CL and Ebay, a little patience and you can get some decent quality stuff there - as an example, I just scored a brand new 15 pc metric set of Wiha wrenches for $51 (list $230)

 

[smothers33]

Im not 100% sure if you want ratcheting combos or non ratcheting combos so I'll give you my opinion for each. Non ratcheting I would stick with the craftsman raised panels. By far best bang for the buck. Im not a fan of chrome wrenches but thats just me. For ratcheting I have the craftsman locking flex head and they are awesome. Really like the locking function. I brlieve they were on sale recently 45 for each set. Dunno if they still are but something to look into. Probably won't get both sets for your priceeange that isn't on sale though unless you went to hf or home depot

 

[Bull]

You want a full set of SAE and metric for $100-130?

Just want to be clear before I throw any ideas out there.

 

[lennoxlennox]

also... if you have one by you, check out biglots... i picked up a 7 pc gearwrench SAE ratcheting flex head set for $20 (posted a pic a week or so ago in new tool arrivals)

 

[SMKS]

easy

keep an eye on CL and Ebay, a little patience and you can get some decent quality stuff there - as an example, I just scored a brand new 15 pc metric set of Wiha wrenches for $51 (list $230)

Can you post some pics of the Wiha wrenches? I'd be very interested in seeing them.

Are they the German version or the cheaper version (made in India or Asia, most likely)?

I've seen some ebay sellers trying to pass of the economy non-German Wiha wrenches as made in Germany.

To the OP-
Are you DIY'er? If you are, you probably won't notice any performance difference between Craftsman and another brands. If you're a pro that uses tools hard and pushes them to the limit, then you may notice a difference.

I've tried several other brands, and none of them performed any better than the raised panel wrenches I sold when I became a tool nerd.

 

[cide1]

I was in this same spot, and thought about buying some nice polished wrenches. I decided that in 15 years I hadn't broken a craftsman rp, and many wrench brands dont have such a variety of sizes, so I used my money to fill in my rp sets. I now have every rp, and have no regrets. I also still have quite a bit of money in my pocket.

 

[lennoxlennox]

Can you post some pics of the Wiha wrenches? I'd be very interested in seeing them.

Are they the German version or the cheaper version (made in India or Asia, most likely)?

I've seen some ebay sellers trying to pass of the economy non-German Wiha wrenches as made in Germany.

Well I have just won them on ebay, so I will post photos when they arrive, but here are the pics from the ebay auction.

also they are item number #40096 from the Wiha site, so you can scroll down on the link to see it

http://www.wihatools.com/400seri/400mm_wrenches.htm


states they are "premium german made", whatever that means

 

[biscuit141]

I really like my raised panels. They are not fancy but they get the job done and I have yet to break one. That said, some day I would like to get a set of long pattern wrenches only because sometimes I find myself wishing the wrench was a bit longer.

 

[RedFordTruck]

Wright.

$104 for Metric, $140 for SAE set from Epsteins and theyre great.


http://store.harryepstein.com/cp/MetCombWr/750-SET.html

http://store.harryepstein.com/cp/StandCombWr/A711.html

 

[shoturtle]

Well I have just won them on ebay, so I will post photos when they arrive, but here are the pics from the ebay auction.

also they are item number #40096 from the Wiha site, so you can scroll down on the link to see it

http://www.wihatools.com/400seri/400mm_wrenches.htm


states they are "premium german made", whatever that means

If that is the Hayco set, it is pretty nice. It is a very thin profile.

 

[lennoxlennox]

If that is the Hayco set, it is pretty nice. It is a very thin profile.

let's hope so...i'll find out soon


sorry... didn't mean to hijack the thread with my purchase.

the point being, you can find some good bargains out there with the money you have available you should have no problem picking up what you want.

 

[shoturtle]

I can not believe how much they charge for the wiha set in the US.

 

[dandan111]

Im not a professional mechanic. Maybe i should stick with raised panels. Thought maybe everyone would push me towards GW.

 

[jk47]

I can not believe how much they charge for the wiha set in the US.

What do they charge in Germany?

 

[shoturtle]

I,ve seen them for about 150 dollars for the 15pc. They charge 100 more for the us, that is a heck of a mark up.

 

[shoturtle]

Im not a professional mechanic. Maybe i should stick with raised panels. Thought maybe everyone would push me towards GW.

The gw long pattern are useful, like the other long pattern. But for the price for a DIY is a bit high at 216 for a full sae and metric set.

 

[smothers33]

Im not a professional mechanic. Maybe i should stick with raised panels. Thought maybe everyone would push me towards GW.

definitely not for regular combos, ratcheting combos they are about the same as cman. I really like gw sockets and ratchets, but wrenches are 1 thing cman has over gw. Especially the to wrenches.

 

[plinker]

S-K, Wright & William's Super-combo's are the best US made in that price range.
The William's will run a bit higher but are well worth it, IMO. They have a "Flank drive plus" style open end, and it work's very well.

 

[PRH44]

I have the craftsman Metric and SAE raised panels along with some craftsman ratchet wrenches. They perform very well I have used them along time. I also have gearwrench ratchet wrenches I am very pleased with. Watch for sales on both. I just picked up a 20 piece metric/SAE set of non reversing GW ratchet wrenches at sears for 49.99

http://www.sears.com/gearwrench-20pc-ratcheting-wrench-set/p-00931535000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

I do have some Wright and Mac wrenches That work very well also. Depends on the budget.

 

[shoturtle]

Since you are not a pro, and use them as at home. I would get the kolbalt long pattern and a set of ratcheting wrench when on sale, gearwrench or kolbalt.

 

[SMKS]

Im not a professional mechanic. Maybe i should stick with raised panels. Thought maybe everyone would push me towards GW.

There's no reason to replace your wrenches, unless you just want ones that look shinier.

Just keep the RPs and fill in any empty spots. If you get more serious, you can upgrade later.

 

[cide1]

I have hammered Craftsman RPs onto rusted bolts that they didnt really fit so many times, thinking they would distort or crack. I always figured they had the warranty, so why not. So far I've never broken or damaged one.

 

[Link-Belt]

I have been throwing RPs as long as I've been spinning them. Every time same ****, walk across the shop, pick up my RP walk back, continue what I was working on and the RP performs flawlessly.

 

[shoturtle]

If you re read what the OP wants, he want something nicer. I advocate having 2 sets of combo. So not getting rid of what he has, but adding a second set. The 130 max for both sae and metric leaves no room for most the other brands mention.

My craftsman pros are my main wrench, and the RP are my backup or when I need 2 wrench of the same size to break a nut and bolt.

Now if the OP is saying 130 for each set that really opens things up for combo wrenches. If not, the kolbalt sets will still leave room to get build out set of metric or sae ratchet wrenches.

 

[Notwerk]

The USA raised panels are great for the money.

If you want to step up and buy something "nicer," SK, Wright, Williams and Blackhawk all make nice wrenches, but they won't really do anything that the RPs won't.

Unless, of course, you're looking for a long pattern wrench or a ratcheting wrench, but that's a different matter.

I don't think Williams or Blackhawk make a "long pattern" wrench, so you'd probably want to look at Wright and SK for that. The Craftsman Pros were nice, but I've heard mixed things about COO. Some have had luck getting the USA ones, but in my last visit to the store, I didn't see any USA sets left. All of the "full polish" single wrenches were foreign. YMMV.

For ratcheting wrenches, almost everything is made overseas (except maybe Armstrong?). Blackhawk and Husky ratcheting wrenches are made in Taiwan and are pretty nice. The Huskies, available in the Home Depot tool aisle, are a bit cheaper than the Blackhawks and are otherwise identical. Be sure they're the "reversible" wrenches. The "non-reversible" ones are Chinese and looked a bit chintzy.

 

[amolaver]

if you don't have ratcheting wrenches but do have a reasonably complete set of non-ratcheters, i would definitely get a 2nd set with them. might even consider flex head ratcheting wrenches.

people are generally very 'pro' reversible or it doesn't bother them. i actually much prefer the non-reversing ones, as i generally like zero degree wrenches over the 'normal' 15 degree typical combo. sometimes you need that 15 degree offset to get your fingers away from something, but i find most of the time i don't. not sure whether its true or not, but it 'seems' the non-reversibles might have a stronger mechanism than the reversible. either way, i've got a BUNCH of GW stuff, ratcheting wrenches, non-ratcheting wrenches, sockets, ratchets, bit sockets, etc. all of it has has held up extremely well and is finished nicely.

i have the 'long pattern' gearwrench NON-ratcheting wrenches as well as their XL ratcheting wrenches - the non-ratcheting 'long pattern' ones are only a small amount longer than the 'normal' ones - high quality, but not enough longer to bother with IMO. the XL ratcheting wrenches are significantly longer and highly recommended.

if you haven't used ratcheting wrenches before, its amazing how much time and frustration they can save you. you NEED non-ratcheting wrenches - just too many scenarios where the ratcheting action is annoying, but 7 or 8 out of 10 times, i reach for the gearwrench ratcheting XL set. great wrenches.

ahm

 

[Link-Belt]

I just recently purchased the Craftsman Pro module sets both small and big wrench sets all USA made for about $150.00 for all of them. I don't know if there still on sell or not but I found the deal in the Hot Deal thread you can check there for links. It has been my experience if it is sold as A Craftsman module it is USA made.

 

[otis66]

Im not a professional mechanic. Maybe i should stick with raised panels. Thought maybe everyone would push me towards GW.

If you can get the USA Craftsman RP go for it. If you can't get USA Craftsman go with GearWrench.

 

[shoturtle]

I have not seen a none US RP wrench yet. Only non US RP ratchets.

 

[madbasser]

I have not seen a none US RP wrench yet. Only non US RP ratchets.

Here we go again.

 

[franzdom]

I have an old Japanese RP wrench, 16mm.

 

[Link-Belt]

I have an old Japanese RP wrench, 16mm.

Post a pic for proof because of now I'm calling BS.

 

[franzdom]

 

[franzdom]

Bought it from store stock to complete the set, wasn't really happy that it didn't quite match the USA ones in my kit.

 

[shoturtle]

How old is that wrench?

 

[NC-Fordguy]

Didn't sears offer some made in Japan tools for a short while back in the 1980s??