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Mechanics tool set


jenskolson

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So my boss/friend is moving and I will no longer be able to use this tools, unless I want to drive 2000 miles. So I am looking at buying and filling out my mechanics tools in the next month or so. Would love to get your guys opinions on what I should get and what I shouldn't get before I go out and spend a couple thousand on tools.

 

I am willing to spend a little extra for good quality tools but don't feel like spending snap-on level prices.

 

The tools will be used on all sorts of equipment (cars, lawn tractors, Skid Steers)

 

Here is my current wishlist:

 

Husky 52" tool chest   http://tinyurl.com/mj6zok5

 

Craftsman  21 pc. Drive Tool Accessory Set    http://tinyurl.com/ouy6eta

Craftsman  299-piece Ultimate Easy Read Socket Set        http://tinyurl.com/nw3rrnb

 

Black Hawk 17 piece SAE Combo Wrench Set http://tinyurl.com/osfl9nq

Black Hawk 17 piece Metric Combo Wrench Set http://tinyurl.com/pgk8sqn

 

GearWrench 81230P 120XP Full Polish Flex Teardrop Ratchet Set, 4-Piece    http://tinyurl.com/pjtsxnm

GearWrench 81206P Full Polish Mixed Ratchet, 3-Piece    http://tinyurl.com/nheoq28

Astro Pneumatic (6120) 4-Piece T-Handle Speed Bar Set   http://tinyurl.com/nerwgoa

 

TEKTON 4885 1/2" Drive Deep Impact Socket Set, 11-32mm, 14 Sockets http://tinyurl.com/mqzxy69

TEKTON 4880 1/2" Drive Deep Impact Socket Set, 3/8"-1-1/4", 14 Sockets  http://tinyurl.com/mls8s7w

TEKTON 4817 1/2" Drive Shallow Impact Socket Set, 11-32mm, 14 Sockets http://tinyurl.com/md2jbpm

TEKTON 4816 1/2" Drive Shallow Impact Socket Set, 3/8"-1-1/4",  14 Sockets http://tinyurl.com/m4l27m4

 

Tite Reach Pro Extension wrench (1/4, 3/8)     http://tinyurl.com/pds67el

 

TEKTON 1919 Stubby Combination Wrench Set, Metric, 10-Piece        http://tinyurl.com/mt43ebv

TEKTON 1918 Stubby Combination Wrench Set, SAE, 8-Piece             http://tinyurl.com/mahy6dd

TEKTON 2580 3/8-Inch Drive Crowfoot Wrench Set, Metric, 10-Piece  http://tinyurl.com/k2nwgmv

TEKTON 2575 3/8-Inch Drive Crowfoot Wrench Set, SAE, 10-Piece     http://tinyurl.com/md93zxh

Already own the TEKTON flare nut crowfoot sets

 

Astro Pneumatic 9415 16" Needle Nose Pliers Set - 4 Piece                  http://tinyurl.com/mw64yc5

Crescent PSX203C X2 Long Reach Pliers Set, Long and Bent Long Nose  http://tinyurl.com/mcpwyf7

 

 

GearWrench 82812 114 Piece Large Combination Tap and Die Set        http://tinyurl.com/k6ryfzr

 

I also already own a air impact, air compressor, Gearwrench flex ratcheting combo wrenches, and the stuff in my tool bag 

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I know if Conductor sees this he might be able to recommend some Proto and Black hawk mechanics kits,  And from the reviews that I have seen him do they are great quality for the price. I don't know if they will fit your budget though.

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I would get a set of half inch drive crowfoot wrenches as well if you will be working with hydraulics much. Some of the lines get pretty big and they are the only option to get to them.

I will defiantly look look into 1/2 drive crowfoot wrenches

 

 

Look at Gearwrench master sets, they probably have a set that will have most of the tools you might want. Buy them all at once in one set, done and done.

My problem with pre-made sets is they have a bunch of stuff I don't need. Like the Gear wrench auto master set has a bunch of screw drivers, hex keys, and pliers. I already have felo screw drivers, knipex pliers, and a ridiculous amount of hex keys. So I don't want to spend extra money on those tools that I will just get rid of.

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I know if Conductor sees this he might be able to recommend some Proto and Black hawk mechanics kits,  And from the reviews that I have seen him do they are great quality for the price. I don't know if they will fit your budget though.

Yes I would fully expect a pro to recommendation from Conductor. I don't know right now if the price is justified for the amount they would get used. I am a maintenance manager at a large assisted living facility, and I would be using the tools to maintain the equipment and fix my own truck when it breaks.

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I work at a body shop and spent a hell of lot of money to what is now known as crap-on , the sets I bought a couple years back still work great but it just seems that there goin down hill quickly, gearwrench are great I haven't had no problems and I also picked up a dewalt 204 piece set at sears for like 200$ I believe and they been great we also work on semi trucks and these dewalts haven't let up no slips or breakage yet I've had them for about almost a year. I bought these just so that I can beat on them and plus there lifetime warranty also.

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My problem with pre-made sets is they have a bunch of stuff I don't need. Like the Gear wrench auto master set has a bunch of screw drivers, hex keys, and pliers. I already have fell screw drivers, knipex pliers, and a ridiculous amount of hex keys. So I don't want to spend extra money on those tools that I will just get rid of.

 

 

Understandable

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I work at a body shop and spent a hell of lot of money to what is now known as crap-on , the sets I bought a couple years back still work great but it just seems that there goin down hill quickly, gearwrench are great I haven't had no problems and I also picked up a dewalt 204 piece set at sears for like 200$ I believe and they been great we also work on semi trucks and these dewalts haven't let up no slips or breakage yet I've had them for about almost a year. I bought these just so that I can beat on them and plus there lifetime warranty also.

I haven't had any problems with gearwrench either but I have had friends that had problems warranting tools. I have gear wrench ratcheting wrenches and love them.  I am bouncing between gearwrench and craftsmen for the sockets.

 

I like craftsmen because they have the ultimate set that I can get and be done. There is a sears less than 5min away if a socket breaks. And there is pre made foam liners for craftsman socket sets (http://foamfittools.com/details00515.php)

 

I did really consider dewalt for this tools box/set because they don't have as complete of a lineup of sockets, and my OCD will require all the sockets to be the same brand.

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Hmmm....

Questions:

1: How important to you is full polish on wrenches? There are some satin Blackhawk tools that are the best value on the market. My Blackhawk article from last week has some links you might find are just the ticket http://professional-power-tool-guide.com/2014/05/blackhawk-tools-a-well-kept-secret/. Read the article and educate yourself on Blackhawk before you purchase your hand tools. They are a truly great value.

2: what type of ratchets do you prefer? Style, tooth count, etc.?

I think you're right on with the Tekton impact stuff. I've used the shit out of mine and they are great for the money and have a lifetime warranty where many don't and excellent customer service.

You build one hell of a set of Blackhawk and Tekton for $2,000. I'm on the road at the moment, but I'll be happy to provide some links when I get stationed.

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Hmmm....

Questions:

1: How important to you is full polish on wrenches? There are some satin Blackhawk tools that are the best value on the market. My Blackhawk article from last week has some links you might find are just the ticket http://professional-power-tool-guide.com/2014/05/blackhawk-tools-a-well-kept-secret/. Read the article and educate yourself on Blackhawk before you purchase your hand tools. They are a truly great value.

2: what type of ratchets do you prefer? Style, tooth count, etc.?

I think you're right on with the Tekton impact stuff. I've used the shit out of mine and they are great for the money and have a lifetime warranty where many don't and excellent customer service.

You build one hell of a set of Blackhawk and Tekton for $2,000. I'm on the road at the moment, but I'll be happy to provide some links when I get stationed.

 

 

1. Conductor you have convinced me Blackhawk Combo wrenches it is. (List has been updated)

2. As for ratchet I like teardrop style and I do like the look of the gearwrench 120xp. I like higher tooth count 72+ but am not dead set on a tooth count. I would say higher the better unless you loose strength. I don't really torque the crap out of bolt with my ratchets I have breaker bars and impact for that. My everyday ratchet right now is the Wera Zyklop 3/8", eventually I will round out the set with 1/4 and 1/2. The Wera is in my service bag and does not get dirty. My goal for this set is it stays in the shop and can get oily and grimy instead of the wera.

 

Send all the links you think I should look at I will read them all. 

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Dont waste your time and money on Gearwrench tap and die sets. Trust me dont cheap out on taps you will be sorry. Also make sure the taps are HSS(high speed steel). not carbon steel.  same with your dies.

 

I'm a machinist and tool lover.    

 

Carbon steel taps and dies never last more than once or twice in my experience with them,they just arent hardened or tough enough to make them worth it.

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I have a Gearwrench tap and die set, it's the best set I've used to date. I've used them quite a bit and they haven't shown any signs of wear, and none of the taps, even the smallest ones, have twisted or lost teeth. The dies haven't lost any teeth, and everything is still sharp as new. With taps and dies the bottom line is if they fail you weren't using them right. I have a long history of using all kinds of taps and dies, and any time they've failed it was because they weren't being used properly.

 

Of course crap tools are crap tools, no matter whose name is on them, but so far every Gearwrench tool I own has been perfect. That's why I keep buying more, because I like them, they work perfectly, and if they ever do fail Gearwrench has a lifetime warranty.

 

 

 

So yup, don't talk bad about Gearwrench, I might cry and then you'll feel bad...

 

 

 

 

Of course, I like Ryobi too so maybe I'm just an idiot.

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I would try to stay away from Craftsman products I'm not too sure about the future of Sears long term, so you might have warranty issues down the road. Plus they keep closing stores to getting a replacement might not be convenient anymore in the future too. I doubt the Craftsman brand will die it still has some value to it I bet a big box store would end up buying it if they get a good deal on it. I honestly thing Sears should just open Craftsmen stores. They had the concept years ago it was called Sears Home and Hardware it was a place that you could just but tools and some of the Kenmore appliances they didn't carry major kitchen appliances though just some small appliances and water heaters and such. It was a cool concept till sears killed it. I wanted to work there back in the day for the store discount as a teen! Wasn't old enough or had a better job by then.

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Haha, no KatoI used Ryobi tools for many years although lately they have been annoying the hell out of me. I would buy gear wrench if I had a need for some of their tools I don't do a ton of Mechanical work. The one thing on my list of things too buy is definably some good wrenches. The Husky wrench set I used to fix my grandmothers wheelchair the other day were horrible they just rounded off every bolt I was pissed.

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I would try to stay away from Craftsman products I'm not too sure about the future of Sears long term, so you might have warranty issues down the road. Plus they keep closing stores to getting a replacement might not be convenient anymore in the future too. I doubt the Craftsman brand will die it still has some value to it I bet a big box store would end up buying it if they get a good deal on it. I honestly thing Sears should just open Craftsmen stores. They had the concept years ago it was called Sears Home and Hardware it was a place that you could just but tools and some of the Kenmore appliances they didn't carry major kitchen appliances though just some small appliances and water heaters and such. It was a cool concept till sears killed it. I wanted to work there back in the day for the store discount as a teen! Wasn't old enough or had a better job by then.

If you say stay away from craftsman who would you go with?

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Personally I plan on going with Carlyle for my hand tools. They are sold at our local parts store and if you are a mechanic why wouldn't you go with them since you won't have to wait on a truck to come by. Odds are you will be there anyway to get parts. I feel that they are better than snap on and they are a good bit cheaper too. They might be out of your budget though.

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I would either go with Kobalt or Husky to stay within your budget. I have used both companies sockets and they have seemed to be decent quality for the price. If anything pick up some nicer ratchets to use. I see you have a Werea ratchet already, so you know what a quality tool already.

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None of the store brand sockets are very good at the moment. Not to sound like a broken record, but again, Blackhawk sockets are USA made and great quality for an affordable price. SK is another great source for sockets and drive tools. They are USA made, great quality, and the finish is every bit as good as Snap-On. They are more than Blackhawk, but still way less than the trucks.

For ratchets, there are lots of good ones. My person favorites are the Proto, J4757F, J5257F, and 5457F. They are 72T round heads with a 13T engagement. No other ratchet on the market has that much engagement. The 120XP's are nice, but I turn and run from anything owned by Apex. They have outsourced a ton of American brands and it took me 3 calls and well over a month to warranty a wrench. Another good option is the Carlyle 90T rats. They are Taiwan sourced, but still nice.

As for T&D's, carbon is fine in an auto shop, you can always replace them individually with HSS as needed, because you're going to drop close to $1000 on a basic HSS set if it includes SAE and Metric. The Irwin PTS sets are probably the best carbon sets for your intended purpose. I have a review coming out soon on a $450 Mac sat (that I love), but it's mostly rebranded Irwin. Norseman is another good T&D option, but a little harder to shop for than the Irwins

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I have a Gearwrench tap and die set, it's the best set I've used to date. I've used them quite a bit and they haven't shown any signs of wear, and none of the taps, even the smallest ones, have twisted or lost teeth. The dies haven't lost any teeth, and everything is still sharp as new. With taps and dies the bottom line is if they fail you weren't using them right. I have a long history of using all kinds of taps and dies, and any time they've failed it was because they weren't being used properly.

 

Of course crap tools are crap tools, no matter whose name is on them, but so far every Gearwrench tool I own has been perfect. That's why I keep buying more, because I like them, they work perfectly, and if they ever do fail Gearwrench has a lifetime warranty.

 

 

 

So yup, don't talk bad about Gearwrench, I might cry and then you'll feel bad...

 

 

 

 

Of course, I like Ryobi too so maybe I'm just an idiot.

 

 

I wasnt trying to knock gearwrench,to be honest I own alot of Gearwrench tools such as wrenches and pliers etc. They have been nothing short of fantastic. and there's nothing wrong with Ryobi either so I dont think you're an idiot.

 

Working in machine shops for over 20 years tends to make one jaded about certain types of tools like taps and dies ;)

 

It's not easy to differentiate between machine shop and auto shop use since im not a full time auto mechanic,just a weekend warrior in that respect ;)

 

I just wanted to make sure he got decent stuff that will last him and im glad to hear that gearwrench taps and dies are actually pretty decent.

 

Tools in machining industry are generally pretty pricey.

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The one thing I saw is that I would lose that tool box and look at something like a 44" (maybe with top cab) from Harbor Freight. That's a seriously flimsy box you have listed...

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