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Conductor562

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The combos are satin finish. I prefer satin on wrenches personally. They stay looking nice longer and you can hit them with a brass wire brush without them looking like shit. Full polished costs more and it's scratched all to hell in no time.

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The combos are satin finish. I prefer satin on wrenches personally. They stay looking nice longer and you can hit them with a brass wire brush without them looking like shit. Full polished costs more and it's scratched all to hell in no time.

 

Never liked satin finish, All polished for me... easier to clean and gleam like a diamond when all cleaned up

 

I use these 

 

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6/Tools/Wrenches/ProfessionalWrenches/PRD~0589153P/Mastercraft+Maximum+Wrench+Set%2C+30-Pcs.jsp?locale=en

 

get the set on sale for like 49,99 lost of times during the year... can't beat them for the money... I know lots of guys who even use them professionally 

 

Some nice tools though, and I guess you don't get much for 400 bucks haha

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The only thing I need at this time is some nice ratcheting combination wrenches and a nice ratchet and some more impact rated sockets. I only have deep well sae right now I need to get both metric and shallow sae. I would be pretty set for what I work on. I would kill for some of the new fuel impact wrenches and the non fuel ratchets.

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The only thing I need at this time is some nice ratcheting combination wrenches and a nice ratchet and some more impact rated sockets. I only have deep well sae right now I need to get both metric and shallow sae. I would be pretty set for what I work on. I would kill for some of the new fuel impact wrenches and the non fuel ratchets.

Check out Tekton for your impact sockets. I got a set of shallows for review a few months back and they are very nice for the money. Tekton's customer service is awesome! They warrant them for life and the warranty process is truly no hassle. The send out a replacement immediately, no questions asked! Seriously, they're good sockets for the price.

Ratcheting combos are a little trickier. Gearwrench are pretty nice for the money, but they're headed down the shitter. Rumor has it Apex is phasing out the Taiwanese models and making them in China. Already hearing complaints about them. Craftsman is the same story, Chinese crap. Blackhawk are nice, but considerably more expensive than what you'll find Gearwrench and shit for. I'd watch eBay for a good used set of Blackhawks or Taiwan made GW's. The new Proto spline drives are awesome! Best on the market IMO. A 15 piece set (5/16 - 1-1/4 will run you around $500. To rich for my blood, but if I needed them everyday it might be a different story.

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Never liked satin finish, All polished for me... easier to clean and gleam like a diamond when all cleaned up

To each his own. Many manufacturers don't offer a satin option. It's really only prevalent with the industrial brands and Craftsman.

A bit of trivia for you. The 15 degree offset that became the industry standard for combination wrenches was introduced by the Plomb tool company in 1933 (Plomb became Proto in 1948).

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To each his own. Many manufacturers don't offer a satin option. It's really only prevalent with the industrial brands and Craftsman.

A bit of trivia for you. The 15 degree offset that became the industry standard for combination wrenches was introduced by the Plomb tool company in 1933 (Plomb became Proto in 1948).

 

The cheaper line of mastercraft wrenches are a satin finish, all the maximum line is all fully polished... 

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Conductor i am split, I love the full polish Kobalt you gave me, but then the non polish Danneraha era ones seem tougher then nails, Kobalt really made some quality stuff!!

The quality of the 1st generation stuff was excellent. For awhile they were the best value in tools and far superior to the Craftsman offerings of the time. 2nd gen (Danaher) stuff was still nice but was pretty much identical to the Craftsman stuff which Danaher was also making at the time. They lost me at the 3rd gen. It's not bad stuff, the ratchets are actually better, but the price point is too high for Asian import stuff. For what a nice Kobalt rat costs, I can shop around and get a Proto or SK for the same price. I still feel Kobalt is the best of the store brands, but still not what it once was.

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The quality of the 1st generation stuff was excellent. For awhile they were the best value in tools and far superior to the Craftsman offerings of the time. 2nd gen (Danaher) stuff was still nice but was pretty much identical to the Craftsman stuff which Danaher was also making at the time. They lost me at the 3rd gen. It's not bad stuff, the ratchets are actually better, but the price point is too high for Asian import stuff. For what a nice Kobalt rat costs, I can shop around and get a Proto or SK for the same price. I still feel Kobalt is the best of the store brands, but still not what it once was.

I agree 100% and would you agree that Taiwan manufacturing is closer to USA made than china?

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I agree 100% and would you agree that Taiwan manufacturing is closer to USA made than china?

 

Absolutely! Many modern Taiwan items are very, very, close to USA made items in terms of quality. I will buy the occasional Taiwanese item. Some Blackhawk items are Taiwan made and have given me very good service. The quality of Chinese items is better than it was 10 years ago, but still garbage. Taiwan and China represent 2 different market categories. Taiwan is offering quality on a budget, China is offering the cheapest possible pricepoint, quality be damned. Take Kobalt for example. The current Kobalt ratchets are very nice. The 3/8" flex head is one of, if not the, smoothest ratchet I own. It's made by a company called Rotar who makes ratchets under several names including Toptul, Titan, and God only knows how many others. Under the Titan name I can get a Rotar ratchet for under $20. Under the Kobalt name the same rat is $30+. At $15 it's a killer ratchet, double that cost and it's an Asian made ratchet at a USA price. No thanks. If I'm buying a Taiwan made item it's to save money on an item I'm not going to use all the time and the current Kobalt pricing hinders that logic. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm fucking upset with Lowe's anyway. They have all their Knipex, Channellock, Greenlee, etc on clearance right now. They are replacing them with Chinese made tools branded "Southwire" and charging at or near Knipex and Channellock prices for them. Southwire has been around a long time...making fucking wire! Not tools! Lowe's found a name they could cash in on with an exclusivity agreement to keep prices close to what they are currently, and offering Chinese crap in return. They are treating their customers like morons, assuming you will buy whatever Chinese shit they put on the shelf, and making more money per unit for doing it. Fuck them. I don't mind paying $25+ for high quality German or USA made pliers, but I do mind paying $25+ for Chinese shit.   

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Yeah i was really upset when I heard about that south wire, channellock green lee and knipnex were all good pro brands.... and the 3/8 flex head ratchet, I basically stole it, I found way back in a clearence shelf a kit that has the 3/8 flex head, 6 in extension 5/8 spark plug socket, and 13/16 spark plug socket, for..........................$9.96!!!! I couldnt believe it it was a steal, I then go and see how much a flex head alone is and its 30+ makes no sence but it was a steal, I will review it soon...

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I thought they didn't want to carry the premium brands because of the price the average homeowner has a limit on how much they are going to spend on a tool. Lowes is insane in thinking they can charge that much for poor a lesser quality tool.

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So Conductor, did you buy anything else yet?

Yes Sir! Got a set of Blackhawk 6 pt. flare nut wrenches in SAE and Metric because why the hell not? lol. I'll try and post them tonight. Also bought another pair of 386 Channellocks after the previous pair vanished, an old Klein hacksaw at an antique mall for $2!, and a 7 piece Proto metric crowfoot wrenches for $15 on eBay. Will try to post them all.

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Yes Sir! Got a set of Blackhawk 6 pt. flare nut wrenches in SAE and Metric because why the hell not? lol. I'll try and post them tonight. Also bought another pair of 386 Channellocks after the previous pair vanished, an old Klein hacksaw at an antique mall for $2!, and a 7 piece Proto metric crowfoot wrenches for $15 on eBay. Will try to post them all.

Thats a good deal for the crows feet!

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Sorry for the delay on the pics. The Wi-Fi is jacked and trying to upload on an iPhone is just a pain in the ass.

Since my last update I got a set of Knipex 8" mini bolt cutters, a 2 1/2 ton long reach floor jack from HF, and a 12 ton bottle jack. Then I got a wild hair up my ass and talked my dad into going in with me on a 12' x 7' trailer to haul my new tractor around on. It's square tube construction with a powder coated frame, and has a 3,000 lb. rating on both the trailer and the loading gate. My dad decided to help me out and paid $1200 of the $1500 price and Christmas came on August 1st. Now I'm buying up heavy duty ratchet straps, a tongue mounted tool box, a winch, and God knows what else. Clearly I've over spent my budget. I'll have to cash in 2 or 3 vacation days to get my compressor, but hey, you only live once. Right?

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