Teng Tools – The Roadside Tool Kit

The past decade or so, I’ve used a pre-1965 car as my daily driver. Although these early cars came along before planned obsolescence and tend to be very reliable when maintained appropriately, I always kept a general roadside tool kit with me. And despite my bright outlook on these old cars, I used them fairly often.

And with an old car, your choice for a compact tool kit is pretty easy. Just throw some SAE tools in a bag, maybe add some duct tape, some wire ties, and few feet of electrical wire and you are good to go. I actually can’t remember when I didn’t have a tool option that would at least work for any situation I was in.

A few months ago, however, I decided it was time for a break from my old car daily drivers and bought myself a gently used 2017 GMC Sierra. It’s the first late model car that I’ve bought for myself in about 11 years… and I friggin’ love it. Air conditioning is nice. A decent radio is pretty great too… and man, is it comfortable.

I’ve got enough faith in General Motors to go without a tool kit stored inside, but for one reason or another, I feel naked without one. So I started shopping.

Around this time, Teng Tools approached The Garage Journal about doing a giveaway on the site. That deal went over pretty well with you guys and David at Teng Tools USA sent over a tool kit of my own to try. What he sent was a T3848 kit that consists of a smart mix between both SAE and metric tools – a rather perfect kit for me to store in my Sierra as an insurance policy of sorts.

Before I stuffed it under my back seat, however, I used the kit for one week in my shop doing general shop things like installing running boards and a tonneau cover on the new truck. And you know what? I really like this little kit.

Now, I’m the first to admit that I’m not all that great at tool reviews. I mean, I’ve never busted a spanner wrench, have only had a few stripped ratchets in my time, and I have no patience to scientifically test stuff like others do. My main shop box is full of 40-year-old Craftsman and Allen tools along with 20-year-old Snap On stuff and newer SK things here and there. It’s all held up beautifully and I’ve had very little reason to go shop for anything else.

Teng is interesting though in that it’s a Swedish company that quality controls much of their product line manufactured in Taiwan. The result is a reasonably affordable products with good quality levels… and a popular following in Europe.

I can see why…

Their spanners and sockets aren’t polished but left in a matte “as cast” finish. This seems to be common among European brands and I really like the look and feel of it. The 45-tooth 3/8″ ratchet in the kit that I got is pretty hefty and is covered in what they call a “bi-material” that feels like ABS, but is comfortable. David also sent me a 72-tooth variation that is finished in their traditional matte, but with a comfort handle. I prefer it over the kit ratchet by a large margin.

The kit also includes a number of screwdrivers with FANTASTIC handles and finally, the real winner in the kit – the power grip pliers. These things are so nicely balanced and just finished to a degree above. I’d put them up against anything I own as far as comfort goes. They are just fantastic.

But beyond all of this, Teng Tools is really putting a lot of effort into marketing their organizational proficiency. Like this “road kit” of mine, everything is sold and packaged in box organizers that work really well together. For an example of this, check out this kit. Rad, right? Kind of reminds me of a Festool approach.

My kit was packaged in a really smart collapsible box that fits perfectly under the backseat of my truck. It feels better than any kit packaging I’ve ever bought and best of all, nothing flies out of the thing when you open it. It’s nice and like I said, smart.

In any case, I actually enjoyed working with a new brand out in the shop and found Teng Tools to be pretty damned competent. I think the question most people would ask is where I would stack them against brands like Snap-On, SK, Craftsman, etc… And the answer to this is that it’s just too soon to tell. I can certainly tell you that they feel worlds better than any of the new Craftsman stuff and certainly better than any of the Husky tools I’ve tried. And while they might not feel as “special” as something from Snap-On or one of those premium brands, time will tell if they can punch with them over time.

You can find more information and even buy the stuff at Teng Tools USA. David hosts the site and, as far as I know, is the only guy in the US importing them. If nothing else, keep that link in your back pocket just in case the need arrives. You’ll be glad ya did.