Professional Honda mechanic here. I use Tekton for about three years and never had an issue like this author did. You must use a tool for what it is intended for and not abuse it. That being said I can understand why some my choose other companies but for me Tekton is perfect.
Also Tekton make an amazing 6-point ratchet-wrench that is so much better to use over ANY 12-point ratchet-wrench made, even gearwrench! Why other companies like Gearwrench don't make their ratcheting-wrenches 6-point is beyond me.
@@The1stDuhZeez I don't get why I see boxes with full sets of 12 point sockets. 12 point fasteners exist (driveshaft flange on my mustang for example) but they aren't common enough to warrant the space / expense. When you have a ratchet, that 12 point gains you NOTHING. The only 12 point anything I own are box wrenches, and I don't own 6 point box wrenches because you have to have a lot of space to use them - and that doesn't happen on a car. Even if you do have the space, I need that extra grab so little compared to how often I need an extra few degrees... Anyway - you just sold me a set of Tekton ratcheting wrenches, because I had no idea they made a 6 point - nobody else does and it triggers my OCD!
Had recently ordered Gearwrench set and the quality in no longer there. The new set did not have numbers stamped on open end, metallurgy was very different than the old stuff… looked like crappy Chinese stuff, even worse than the cheapest Pittsburgh wrenches. Another thing to note, the newer Gearwrench wrenches no longer have the pronounced anti-slip notches and the box end is also chamfered and flat in the weirdest way that the wrenches don’t even look evenly round. Needless to say, sent them back and now ordered a full set of Tekton wrenches. I really do wish HF made bigger sizes and without skips in the Icon brand, that would definitely make the Icon wrenches worth buying
Craftsman won because of the rough finish inside the jaws. High polish chrome is going to provide more slippage as well as size variations in the jaws. If you use paper between the head of the bolt and the wrench jaws you will get less slippage however wrenchs are not made to sheer bolts, so although paper will aid in a better grip, it will only go so far before it will fail. When used as intended, most brands can get the job done. If there's a tough situation then a specialized tool would have to be considered. It understandable that the test provided in previous videos was to provide a better understanding of the performance of different tool brands, but it doesn't necessarily reflect superior quality of one brand over another. Just my opinion.
I have many issues with Gearwrench, aside from the inconsistent stamping. I believe that one issue on wrenches today is the chrome. On the inside of the open end jaw, Gearwrench and Tekton have a layer of shiny chrome. If we look at the Craftsman wrenches, they do not have that smooth surface. Aside from issues when the change first happened, I see no real difference between Craftsman USA and Sears China Craftsman. That statement applies only to wrenches and sockets. It seems many manufacturers are chroming the insides of tools, even sockets, that has more of an impact than people might realize.
I agree, I think you're right. I still stand by my statement that Chinese Craftsman are still the best budget wrenches based off my testing. The Chrome on these other wrenches are very low quality compared to Snap-On and Mac. I'd rather have no chrome than a low quality chrome.
@@diamond_spotlight Yes, they are for sure great wrenches. The insides of them are not smooth and not chromed. While I am not a professional, I have had no issues with my Craftsman RP wrenches (USA or China). It is worth noting though ... there was a period during the switch from USA to China made wrenches that the China wrenches were absolutely horrible. Based on the appearance of the wrench you tested, that is not part of that batch though.
Chroming the inside area of the open jaw gives a smoother finish which allows slippage. A rough finish will allow for more gripping. So that doesn't necessarily make the Craftsman stronger than the other wrenches.
Do you really want a wrench that can break a bolt head off? Seems like you would rather have the wrench round off the head rather than break the head off and really fuck you over.
I work industrial, have seen GW fail a few times (ratchet mech on wrenches, snapped taps) however their wrenches are perfect in function. Thinner means a lot. Because I HAVE to have at least 2 of each wrench, I'd rather have one break once in a year than to not being able to fit in tight spaces constantly or be awkward. They're not all that expensive to replace. If I had $$$ I'd probably spring for Proto or any top tier brand, but for the job at hand GW is the best.
Do you have the taiwan or china made gearwrenches? I was dissapointed to find out they moved alot of production to china. I wonder if the quality is still there
What is the reason for chromeplating? There are several reasons: minimize wear, prevent seizing or galling, reduce friction and facilitate cleaning, and minimize or prevent corrosion. Your test is somewhat not straightforward. The chrome on the inside of the open jaw is to allow slippage as to not damage parts. Your tests are to damage parts. The smoother the finish the less friction you will have and vise versa. Put a better chrome smooth finish on the Craftsman and it will slip as well. Tools are designed for a specific purpose in mind. Yes we mechanics tend to use tools for other than normal uses instead of using the right tool. Many mechanics use regular sockets as impact sockets until they fail or break.
I've had Tekton tools for probably at least 3-4 years now never had an issue with them at all and I am a decent mechanic. I use them hard. I completely disagree with this author
I started with a set of Craftsman wrenches my dad bought me in the early 90's, then went straight for the Snap-On flank drive plus. I used a LOT of wrenches, and honestly the only reason I didn't stick with the Craftsmans, is they're so uncomfortable in the hand. Other than that, they performed as good or better than any tool truck brand I used, except for those snap-ons. I had a tool theft, and started buying shitty tools because I had to - and I no longer work on cars for a living, but I miss the snap-on. I just don't miss them enough to spend 400 bucks to get a 10-19mm set. So I'm building another box, and Its looking like its down to tekton or gearwrench - which is how I found this video. Also, I have previously seen the other video :D
A lot of pros value snap on flank drive precisely for the open end. If you work on many cars, inevitably you will come to a situation where the open end is the only choice and you need a lot of torque.
You actually want the wrench to fail before the bolt. You're already working hard to get it loose, what kind of work are you looking at if you rip the head off? At least if it rounds you still have something to work with. You want the wrench to put as much torque as possible but fail before the bolt does, or at least I do.
Does anyone know what year gearwrench moved some of their production to china? I recently ordered a ratcheting wrench set off ebay that is probably 3 or 4 years old i havent recieved it yet but was concerned about the quality if its chinese. Also does anyone know how to identify if a gearwrench is taiwan or china made?
I feel like I'm watching gearwrench propaganda, these wrenches are WAY over priced, nearly ½" thick, shoddy warranty, AND CHINA 🇨🇳- for $275 +tax $300 for their 16pc reversible set. Something is jiving well here. For the money id get Husky or Icon stubby reversible for $99 at harbor freight, and these are full sets to 24 or 25mm.
Professional Honda mechanic here. I use Tekton for about three years and never had an issue like this author did. You must use a tool for what it is intended for and not abuse it. That being said I can understand why some my choose other companies but for me Tekton is perfect.
Also Tekton make an amazing 6-point ratchet-wrench that is so much better to use over ANY 12-point ratchet-wrench made, even gearwrench! Why other companies like Gearwrench don't make their ratcheting-wrenches 6-point is beyond me.
@@The1stDuhZeez I don't get why I see boxes with full sets of 12 point sockets. 12 point fasteners exist (driveshaft flange on my mustang for example) but they aren't common enough to warrant the space / expense. When you have a ratchet, that 12 point gains you NOTHING. The only 12 point anything I own are box wrenches, and I don't own 6 point box wrenches because you have to have a lot of space to use them - and that doesn't happen on a car. Even if you do have the space, I need that extra grab so little compared to how often I need an extra few degrees...
Anyway - you just sold me a set of Tekton ratcheting wrenches, because I had no idea they made a 6 point - nobody else does and it triggers my OCD!
Had recently ordered Gearwrench set and the quality in no longer there.
The new set did not have numbers stamped on open end, metallurgy was very different than the old stuff… looked like crappy Chinese stuff, even worse than the cheapest Pittsburgh wrenches.
Another thing to note, the newer Gearwrench wrenches no longer have the pronounced anti-slip notches and the box end is also chamfered and flat in the weirdest way that the wrenches don’t even look evenly round.
Needless to say, sent them back and now ordered a full set of Tekton wrenches.
I really do wish HF made bigger sizes and without skips in the Icon brand, that would definitely make the Icon wrenches worth buying
Craftsman won because of the rough finish inside the jaws. High polish chrome is going to provide more slippage as well as size variations in the jaws. If you use paper between the head of the bolt and the wrench jaws you will get less slippage however wrenchs are not made to sheer bolts, so although paper will aid in a better grip, it will only go so far before it will fail. When used as intended, most brands can get the job done. If there's a tough situation then a specialized tool would have to be considered. It understandable that the test provided in previous videos was to provide a better understanding of the performance of different tool brands, but it doesn't necessarily reflect superior quality of one brand over another. Just my opinion.
I have many issues with Gearwrench, aside from the inconsistent stamping. I believe that one issue on wrenches today is the chrome. On the inside of the open end jaw, Gearwrench and Tekton have a layer of shiny chrome. If we look at the Craftsman wrenches, they do not have that smooth surface. Aside from issues when the change first happened, I see no real difference between Craftsman USA and Sears China Craftsman. That statement applies only to wrenches and sockets. It seems many manufacturers are chroming the insides of tools, even sockets, that has more of an impact than people might realize.
I agree, I think you're right. I still stand by my statement that Chinese Craftsman are still the best budget wrenches based off my testing. The Chrome on these other wrenches are very low quality compared to Snap-On and Mac. I'd rather have no chrome than a low quality chrome.
@@diamond_spotlight Yes, they are for sure great wrenches. The insides of them are not smooth and not chromed. While I am not a professional, I have had no issues with my Craftsman RP wrenches (USA or China). It is worth noting though ... there was a period during the switch from USA to China made wrenches that the China wrenches were absolutely horrible. Based on the appearance of the wrench you tested, that is not part of that batch though.
Chroming the inside area of the open jaw gives a smoother finish which allows slippage. A rough finish will allow for more gripping. So that doesn't necessarily make the Craftsman stronger than the other wrenches.
Do you really want a wrench that can break a bolt head off? Seems like you would rather have the wrench round off the head rather than break the head off and really fuck you over.
Good point. Didn’t even think about it like that.
I work industrial, have seen GW fail a few times (ratchet mech on wrenches, snapped taps) however their wrenches are perfect in function. Thinner means a lot. Because I HAVE to have at least 2 of each wrench, I'd rather have one break once in a year than to not being able to fit in tight spaces constantly or be awkward. They're not all that expensive to replace. If I had $$$ I'd probably spring for Proto or any top tier brand, but for the job at hand GW is the best.
Do you have the taiwan or china made gearwrenches? I was dissapointed to find out they moved alot of production to china. I wonder if the quality is still there
What is the reason for chromeplating? There are several reasons: minimize wear, prevent seizing or galling, reduce friction and facilitate cleaning, and minimize or prevent corrosion. Your test is somewhat not straightforward. The chrome on the inside of the open jaw is to allow slippage as to not damage parts. Your tests are to damage parts. The smoother the finish the less friction you will have and vise versa. Put a better chrome smooth finish on the Craftsman and it will slip as well. Tools are designed for a specific purpose in mind. Yes we mechanics tend to use tools for other than normal uses instead of using the right tool. Many mechanics use regular sockets as impact sockets until they fail or break.
I've had Tekton tools for probably at least 3-4 years now never had an issue with them at all and I am a decent mechanic. I use them hard.
I completely disagree with this author
The Carlyle wrench is manufactured by a company called Infar. They also manufacture the channel lock wrench brand
Why go any farther craftsman tool did the job ready for the next job.
I started with a set of Craftsman wrenches my dad bought me in the early 90's, then went straight for the Snap-On flank drive plus. I used a LOT of wrenches, and honestly the only reason I didn't stick with the Craftsmans, is they're so uncomfortable in the hand. Other than that, they performed as good or better than any tool truck brand I used, except for those snap-ons.
I had a tool theft, and started buying shitty tools because I had to - and I no longer work on cars for a living, but I miss the snap-on. I just don't miss them enough to spend 400 bucks to get a 10-19mm set.
So I'm building another box, and Its looking like its down to tekton or gearwrench - which is how I found this video. Also, I have previously seen the other video :D
I could use a long 6pt combo just to have the box end for breaking fasteners loose without stripping them. Or even as a double box end.
Who uses a open end of a wrench like that?
Exactly!! Tekton is a great wrench at a cheap price with a great warranty you can't beat it
An idiot. An idiot uses a wrench like this to be noticed.
A lot of pros value snap on flank drive precisely for the open end. If you work on many cars, inevitably you will come to a situation where the open end is the only choice and you need a lot of torque.
I have a set of wrenches I haven't even been able to open it some tell me how to unlock the case
If its that tight I'll start with the box end so it doesn't matter, its a great wrench for the price until you get into a professional grade tool 😉
You actually want the wrench to fail before the bolt. You're already working hard to get it loose, what kind of work are you looking at if you rip the head off? At least if it rounds you still have something to work with. You want the wrench to put as much torque as possible but fail before the bolt does, or at least I do.
@@binbashbuddy Yep
Does anyone know what year gearwrench moved some of their production to china? I recently ordered a ratcheting wrench set off ebay that is probably 3 or 4 years old i havent recieved it yet but was concerned about the quality if its chinese. Also does anyone know how to identify if a gearwrench is taiwan or china made?
Gearwrench against the others is designed more inline to 'professional' the Tekton ones are short and clunky.
Compared to what?
I feel like I'm watching gearwrench propaganda, these wrenches are WAY over priced, nearly ½" thick, shoddy warranty, AND CHINA 🇨🇳- for $275 +tax $300 for their 16pc reversible set. Something is jiving well here. For the money id get Husky or Icon stubby reversible for $99 at harbor freight, and these are full sets to 24 or 25mm.
Hey bro
New subs here from NZ. Can you try next GW and sp tools. Cheers
Dang craftsman is Chinese. It looks like an American brand
GW is junk. They don't even sell complete sets without skips.
it even looked like the pittsburgh beat the tekton hahaa
They dont
@@Jdl223 tekton is trash lol
@@toolsonabudget7763 ok harbor freight
@@Jdl223 i own tekton hf snap on ect and i can tell u tekton is trash lol
@@toolsonabudget7763 I disagree still, great product at a reasonable price and good customer service. Not proto or snapon but she'll do