Great video fellas. Thanks I work at Harbor Freight. The store you are going to is doing it wrong. Our policy is if it was sold as a set we replace the tool with the same one from the smallest set we have in stock. That way you get your tool replaced without any headache. You're in and out in five minutes if we're not busy. We'll just discount the price of the set we stole the tool from by 20% and still make money. We don't even open a ticket if we do that. Somebody will buy it. It's as easy as it gets. Just like Sears used to do with Craftsman. Tell that store to look up our policy. Nobody brings in the whole set. We sell tool kits with over 300 pieces. Do they expect customers to bring in the whole 300bajillion piece kit back to the store just for that broken 13mm socket? F that noise and the dirty trash bag/cardboard box all those sets will be inevitably be returned in. All our hand tools have a lifetime warranty. We make it easy. They made a mistake and work for themselves. Please enlighten them for me haha
Appreciate it! It's why we post in the morning, so you guys can watch it whenever you want throughout the day. Our YT analytics tab yells at us often about how we're not posting when our audience is awake/watching most, with lots of highlighted data. I'm like nah, I'm usually with the family Friday evening - people should just watch it whenever they want. We've had several creators larger than us tell us we're crazy.
@@TorqueTestChannel I almost always watch on Friday. I rarely let it slip to another day. I don't even use these type of tools often, I just like testing things, measuring them, and writing it down.
@damienirvin777 You're paying for lifetime warranty, the tool truck visiting YOU, USA made (supporting American workers), and the best overall wrench available on the market.
Project Farm has been testing arc and back drag for years...the OG of ratcheting drivers, wrenches, and even things that shouldn't actually, well, ratchet at all. I pretty much bounce between you here at TTC and PF. You're great at producing concise content! Thank you b
my 7 year old daughter got a GW ratcheting wrench to give out with one hand ona 12mm nut...instant return. i have an old 2000s GW 10mm and i can put whole body weight on it and it wont skip. GW is trash now
One has to imagine that this is a trickle down of metallurgy and mechanical engineering with the technology available in software modeling packages and foundries just getting better and more consistent when making good steel. When I worked at a store selling knives there was a point where any decent knife maker had the equipment to machine and temper designer knife steel. Then the knock offs got access and the game change. Even Spyderco had to come up with their own “copycat” brand (Byrd) to compete with the actual copycats. These days you can get knives made with various tool and ball bearing steels that have been processed in such a way that you can get them sharp enough to shave, do stupid crap that would break the tips off or chip the edge in a 440 blade at the same hardness, and then actually sharpen them back. As people like to say, “we are living in the future.”
@@rileychu4489 There's a guy here who sells well finished but cheap Chinese tools. A few years ago he refused to carry the 10 mm ratcheting wrench because they're used the most and therefore break the most. These wrenches were definitely light duty tools at one time.
Considering Icon regularly has 25-30% sales on their tools. $157 for their set sounds like the best deal to me. Especially with their lifetime super easy to use warranty. I just wish it wasn't a skip set...
They recently had the 40% off ICON sale. I spent way to much but I could justify it by knowing I would only have to buy all of them once and they would never be on sale for less.
I guess the Harbor Freight has gotten better but somewhat not as cheap as when it first opened ? Especially the "Icon" or "Doyle" compared against the original Pittsburgh ?
Out of the box comparisons are great apples to apples. I have seen many say the grease or lube in the Icon are lacking and once changed/or added in some cases it's back drag is much better! This is one of the few channels I would trust to test that. Icon out of the box vs Icon post servicing!
Unlike normal ratchets, most of these wrenches are sealed and non-serviceable.... I guess you could dunk them in some ATF overnight, I've hear that helps some of these units you cannot open up.
I was thinking exactly this. Todd over at Projectfarm taught me that no 2 lubricants perform the same and that there can be significant variance even in items that look identical. I would totally believe that HF cheaped out on the grease quality, and it would be cool to see some comparisons of one tools performance but with various types of lubricants.
I usually give all my new tools a shot of grease out of the grease gun. Either disassembled directly into the mechanism or peripherally through the gaps and worked in.
I’m 53 and I’ve been using tools since I first started riding bikes. My father worked and didn’t always have time or energy to fix things, so he taught me, at 14 cars, and been working on aircraft for 27 years. Tools and tool manufacturers have expanded and changed. Once upon a time only a few companies accommodated the professional, and they even brought the tools to you on their truck. I have many off the truck tools, even though I started with Craftsman. Craftsman was the tool to go to for most “home mechanics”. Now their are tons of tools and choices, many of them trying to out the truck. Most don’t usually stand up, but work 80% of the time. I pick the tool for the job, and it’s many companies in my toolbox. At least if I break a Harbor Freight tool, there’s 5 around me to replace it.
I bought a 22mm one from gearwrench, the one with a non reversible end and a fixed end, and absolutely love it, it has a singular use, for drain bungs on a case IH 50 series combine with tracks, for the final drives where you have to thread the wrench into the side of the drive wheel, a regular ratchet and socket is too tall to fit and you get extremely limited swing, but with the long handle spanner you can easily get a full swing on the bung. And due to the way the flex head works, it means you can much easier remove a bung that has been severely worn down until it has practically nothing left to grip on to. I loved it so much I got a 24mm and a 13mm version for other jobs of similar fashion
It would just be a straight line ramping up until the wrench broke. Impact wrenches on the torque absorber are putting out variable torques as they ramp up to their max, pushy is outputting consistent torque until failure.
Correct, the impact dyno is torque over time because each impact hits differently and climbs at a different rate. Pushy is a fixed rate, the time aspect isn't based on tool performance
@@TorqueTestChannel is it, though? Pushy rotates at a constant rate, but the output shaft won't necessarily get a linear response. Kinda like you feel when a wrench is going to slip or bolt is going to break. Force over angle would be an awesome graph to see!
@@kain0m The difference between tools would be primarily the amount the length of the wrench deflects, which I'm not convinced is a worthwhile dyno graph as most people will not understand what the X axis vs y means, and it's not all that informative in buying one vs the other
The concept you are sharing was pioneered by Matco over 20 years ago. I have a set of the tools to prove it. It has a swivel head and sockets fit into the ratchet handle, metric and fractional.
Oh Snap-On... If only you didn't exist somewhere out there well beyond my personal threshold of diminishing returns. $800 for that set is legit insane. (And yes, that implies that the crazy is on both sides of the offerer/purchaser arrangement).
Snap on was king back in the days before amazon where when you needed something special it was cheaper and more convenient than buying a tool from the dealer, or you wanted something nicer than craftsman with the same warranty and they'd come to you to boot. Nowadays you can get stuff nearly as nice with the same warranty for a quarter the price, so it's only worth it if you've got the strap on truck coming by more than once a week or will make a detour if you call them. I've had three snappy guys service my area in my career, only one of which would go out of their way to warranty your stuff for you, the other two pretty much only showed up to collect payments and would piss and moan and take a week or more to bring you a replacement if it wasn't on their truck when you tried to warranty something.
They're basically now just conspicuous consumption merchandise; bragging rights for mechanics who make a lot off money. Yes, it's nice to have the truck come by to replace a broken tool, but it's not $600 better service. Well, maybe of you're dealing with a stuck bolt on a nuclear sub which has to be fixed immediately.
I bought the Icon set a year ago. I didn't like the price but I really wanted the wrenches. I bought them with a Super Coupon and a $10 voucher so I got them for $190. It was still a lot but I absolutely love them. They are so handy and looking back, well worth the price. I would definitely do it again. Harbor Freight is everywhere these days and they have a lifetime warranty. Easier for me than a tool truck return that I would have a hard time setting up. One thing I especially like is you don't have to flip the wrench over to reverse the direction. No more having to worry about getting stuck with a ratcheting wrench.
The only snap on tools I have came in a tool box of tools I bought at an auction. Not to everyone... Don't drink and go to an auction... All I wanted was the Kennedy Tool box. I was going to dump the tool... Went through the box found 6 Snap-on wrenches. No 10mm... today they just hang on the wall.. like a 12 point rack
I’m one of the weird guys who has examples of all three brands. My Snap-On wrenches are pretty old, but still really good. I use the Gearwrench 7/16” ratcheting wrench for truck slack adjusters, and I really like it. Finally, I bought the ICON when they had a sale. I’m really pleased with those. Ratcheting wrenches have come a long way over my career, and it’s good to see that there are several good options.
You're not weird. I am in the same boat. I bought S-O for over 30 years, with some MAC and Matco mixed in (usually oversized wrenches by those brands). About 5 years ago, I fired my S-O tool truck guy. He started showing up less often, and rarely had my replacement parts even though I had requested them on multiple visits. It started to feel like he only cared about making money (I know, that is important) and less about servicing the customer now that I had a very complete collection of tools and wasn't buying as many. In a moment of frustration, I bought some ICON tools, and had the guys in the shop try them. They all thought they were as nice in the hand, and as functional, as the S-O tools, and they started buying them for themselves. Make no mistake, there is a sense of refinement with S-O tools, but because the ICONs are basically copies, I can't tell the difference when in use. My mistake was buying a very comprehensive set of Gearwrench tools for my sons. They are good-ish, just not great. The biggest issue is the chamfer on the sockets and box ends of the wrenches. It is too pronounced and too often allows them to cam off a fastener, rounding it or burring it. It might sound petty, but a small feature like this is enough to make me refuse to use them.
Bro that ain’t weird picking things that are appropriate for your situation. It’s weird when there are better options in a supposed free market but people pay for the name in some instances .
Man, i don't envy you on having gigs of spreadsheets and data, but damn do you produce some excellent test results and quality information. Thank you for being awesome! Keep it coming! 😁
I don't know. I've broken a few wrenches, but that backdrag factor should weigh more heavily on the overall score. That means more tools or my other hand to hold the bolt to keep it from turning. I'd say that alone would justify the extra cost of the Snap-On if only I had that kind of money.
I dont know ,if backdrag is so important then the gear wrench with only 1 degree away for $160 for the whole set makes more sense. I understand Snapon was the best here hands down but to say the margins it beat them by is worth 8x the price is a hard swallow. I think at $500ish the Snapon have a great argument for being worth it, but at over $800 it’s like damn what are we doing lol
@@bigbrown2690 The backdrag weighting is important, because with the current score-weight, the Snap-On's backdrag could be 0.25 lb-ft or 3 lb-in (!) and it'd still come out ahead in this ranking.
@@MrMartinSchou Yeah I think backdrag is super important too, I just meant Gearwrench was only 1 degree away from Snapon so to say Snapon is worth 8x the price over 1 degree is where I was like ehhhhh. Honestly surprised the Icon backdrag was so bad!
I bought a set of these back in 2018 off Amazon. The box says Platinum Tech but the order lists as ATD Tools 99650. $140 at the time and they're one of my most used tool sets. Reversible, splined, and slimmer than the ones I see here.
The harder reset backtrack problem is somewhat solved with one hand by torqueing the wrench in a screwdriver motion, that usually binds the bolt into the hole more on one side. Delicate sometimes to not keep slipping off. You get a feel for it. Basically try to take it out at an angle, it won't b/c the hole is straight till it is about out, use that friction to control it. Good way to get a loose long bolt out with one hand with regular wrenches too.
Really waking up all techs to the Snap-On "better steel" sales pitch, because everyone loves to have the privilege to blow $800 to take their wrench to 366Nm.
I just purchased a set of these made by "mountain " I am told some of the tool trucks will warranty them, 155 for a set. Incredible quality, no need to hold the fastner to get them to ratchet.
As a DIY guy that Icon set I bought with a coupon a couple of years ago and it was a fantastic deal. Probably the best wrench buy I've made in quite a long time. The stiff back drag I don't consider to be that big of a deal. If I were a professional then maybe it would be worth consideration. I wish they offered an SAE set (I work on older stuff fairly often). I've seen Mountain SAE versions on other mechanic youtube videos but I can't find anywhere to buy them! Now that I know K-tools are the same maybe just maybe I can find a set.
Mountain wrenches! My Mac guy carried them back in the day before he retired, but I bought mountain brand on Amazon years ago. I had to get a 21-24mm set and they showed up branded "Platinum." I have loved mine so much.
Have had the Platinum XL flex head offset wrenches for about 6 years and haven't broke one yet, but I'm not trying to! Flex is weak looking but very impressed with durability. GEARWRENCH, not so much. Have the non-reversing XL and the quad box wrenches fail often but I do use them hard daily. Warranty is an issue as the stores I bought them from can't seem to get replacements, and others that handle Gearwrench don't sell the same types of wrenches. The Snap-On non-reversing has been similar in duribility and not able to disassemble to repair, but easy to get warranty. Snap-On also does not make the larger sizes, stopping at 3/4, 19mm. As I use 21 & 24 mm every day for front end work on cars this is the sizes I need the most. PS have the Platinum XL reversing flex wrenches through 27x30mm.
Keep testing the 19mm. I think the larger wrenches are popular to use with these style double box ratcheting. My vote: See if other ones die the same or less
Issue going to be on horizon as Chinese companies keep buying out Taiwan manufacturers and moving the production to mainland China tools will be harder to obtain thats the plan to get Taiwan hurt its manufacturing hurt its economy take them over with out invading usa needs to be manufacturing more products period
I bought the Snap-on gearless ratchets, the 1/4 and 3/8 drive, they sit in my tool box and never get used. I tried to undo something fairly tight with the 3/8 one and the sprauge bearings bit into the body and put dents there, I can feel them. Gearless is not so great.
Here's some additional tid-bits. Mountain is a tool line by ISN or Integrated Supply Network. A massive tool warehouse in the USA that sells to a lot of tool retailers. They used to have a somewhat extensive line in Mountain, then developed Monster tools and Mountain got left behind except for these wrenches which always sold well. Monster tools got sued into oblivion by Monster energy drinks because they used a similar color and sort of font like idiots, so only a few tools like these remain from their old line left. Their most recent line is K-Tool also discussed here, same set.
The first ones I saw was Blue Point, this was 15 years ago, I have a set and they work great. The first ones I saw with the deeper drive was a brand called Kabo, I think they're a Taiwanese brand, a work mate has a set. What I do with my 19mm blue point one is sometimes add through sockets on it as the through sockets have a 19mm drive hex, this is great for serpentine belts. As for cracking bolts and nuts, my argument is, why would they be made long to work like a normal ratchet spanner? I crack stuff lose all the time with my set, the 14-12mm just got replaced only because it was skipping teeth due to the play at the drive. If you break them often, you're doing something wrong lol.
I ponnied up an bought the Snap-On. Right off the truck the first nut I tried to remove it broke! The truck owner, and corporate would not refund for diss-satifation. I was so disappointed. I bought the Icon for less than $200 on sale. Icon got the job done, and still going strong a year later. Stoked to watch this!
The fact that Snap-On doesn't have a HF-like warranty today just blows my mind - if there was ANY brand that should have a legit 'no questions asked' lifetime warranty, I mean...
I have been a automotive mechanic for about 40 yrs now. Bought a lot of snapon and many others. Warranty the tool first , probably just a defect every manufacture has them. However frankly when I hear someone breaks a tool either it be a snap on or cheapo they usually chose the wrong tool for the job. I have never broken a wrench. Ratchest maybe have worn out the heads maybe 5 times due to heavy use. Sockets(impact) maybe 6 or so after a lot of impact gun use, chrome never.
I have a set of these made by SK Tool back in the day, around 2008. XXL flex, they were great. SK discontinued them and as they broke, I was unable to get them warrantied. Soon after they were discontinued, Mountain began making them, then EZRED. The EZRED ones seemed to have issues with the chrome flaking. I now have a set of these ICONs, they're virtually identical. In performance, they are very similar, but it does seem that the ICON has more backdrag, which is something I've noticed with their ratchets as well. The ICONs were well worth it with a 25% off We Miss You coupon.
The S•K version of these wrenches were also manufactured by Kabo. They were the G Pro Series S•K offered for a short time. I have locking flexhead SAE ratcheting S•K wrenches that were also made by Kabo.
ratchet wrenches aren't really used for nut busting torque...usually you loosen the nut then finish it off with the ratchet wrench...I get the test shows extreme situations but generally speaking, the I con and Gear Wrench will do the trick 98% of the time...the snap on will get the other 2%....for 800 bucks???, not sold on that unless you like giving the tool guy money every week, which they LOVE
Lol, I'm a technician with 17 years experience all on the tools, no office years. I have had my blue point set for 15 years of double box ratchet spanners, with flex heads. I break lose everything with them, I never grab another spanner to break stuff lose, I don't get failures very often I think two have broke in 15 years, both replaced under warranty. Plus they don't make flex head non ratchet spanners, likely because the ratchet ones are strong enough.
@NONO-hz4vo dude, they're tools, they eventually will wear out or break. It's how long they last that is what matters, when you get 15 years out of a set 5 day weeks using them every work day, then that is a reasonable amount of work they have done, with only two failures in the set 8-19mm It's also a time saver for me, so I buy tools to save time, I don't buy tools for them to be perfect mantel peice items, they're bought to work.
I'd looked at that set on the shelf a few times already and that was my concern. Are you bumping it often enough to where it's worth the snap-on premium and wait?
@@michaelstjohn6086 automotive... I've used the mountains every single day 5 days a week for over 3 years now and not once have I had an issue with them.
Matco had the Special Forces sets way back in the late 90's early 2000's. They had SAE and metric sockets, 3/8 adapter, flex head ratchet, straight ratchet and an air ratchet. Still have my set, held up very well and works great.
For those on a budget, you can get a set of non-reversing, flex head, ratcheting box end, extra long format wrenches for $56 from Orion Motor Tech. I was going to buy Mountain wrenches then decided I could break a lot of these before I'd regret buying them. So far, no breakage.
Double box end wrenches have become an after thought with pass through ratchets. It’s been one of the last tools Id buy because I’ve never run into a problem that couldn’t be addressed with a ratchet or wrench. So 800$ is absurd and totally not worth it.
I bought an EZ Red set from the Matco guy before Gear Wrench was selling them. I broke one and he replaced it with a Mountain brand because apparently EZ Red got absorbed by someone. I broken the 14mm twice because it's the size I use most. The same part failed twice. The black ring cracked, making it slip like a cracked socket.
I have had the Platinum brand version of these wrenches for a couple of years, and they're alright, but that direction switch can be a pain. When Snap-On came out with theirs I snatched up the only set my dealer had... once I got past the eye-watering pricetag. But they're fantastic wrenches and do everything you need them to perfectly. The backdrag on these is a really big deal since they're usually being used in very tight spaces with limited access.
Yep. The ability to work this sort of wrench in tight spaces is huge reason why you buy them in the first place. Something which seems to be lost on many of the CCP bots ragging on Snap-On. If you're a shadetree mech, buy the cheaper stuff and be happy. Stop crying about Snap-On.
The XL GearWrench 10mm/8mm ratcheting flex boxhead is literally the only tool that makes doing a waterpump on a R56 Mini somewhat easy. It makes doing the waterpump a 1-2 hour job, everything else and its almost a full day of work. One of my favorite purchases.
I work on heavy equipment and use the icon set especially the 10,13,16, and 18 daily and I love it. I’ve only had the selector issue one time but understand how it could happen to people more often. Honestly one of my favorite sets of wrenches I own! Is the snap on set better? Maybe but not 600 better!
Btw, can you please provide the actual Lb-Ft torque spec that the wrenches achieve or break at besides just the % value of the official spec? It would be helpful to know what they can actually handle. Thanks!
@@TheOnlySgtRockMy point is it's not in the charts/spreadsheets. So you'd have to go back to every video to try and catch that spec. Also not sure that's the properly calculated applied torque at the lever point/head on the wrench, or just the torque figure for the force the machine is applying elsewhere. Those could be two totally different numbers, and probably are.
@@BigBear-- In the end all the torque numbers were acceptable to me and I would use a breaker bar for anything that is extremely tight and if I happen to break it, it's going to warranty anyways.
@@TheOnlySgtRockYeah, I agree in general on using the right tool for the job, ie: breaker bars. Prob is some bolts are just not accessible with a breaker bar. At least not without having to do a ton more work, like pulling an engine, or dropping sub frames, transmissions, etc. Still, generally, I agree.
I've had them and Lowe's make me bring in whole sets and at least once I was missing pieces. Luckily they didn't check. I know some companies have to send back the old set for the store to get credit for replacing the tool but don't see the difference with taking one out of a new set and sending the rest back with the broken tool. I don't think harbor freight even does that though since they always have a few of this particular set with a missing wrench in the clearance section
I'm a pro, and I have had a set of Snap On ratcheting wrenches for ~15 years (flex head open/ratchet, not double), and I have never broken one. None have ever needed serviced. down-time costs us money, so we pay a lot to avoid it. I have used them in situations I was sure would destroy them, and they have survived, unscathed. I paid a lot, but they have been worth every cent!
Come from a family of auto mechanics working in both their own shops or in dealerships, just don't buy the cheapest tools your and are fine. Unless you are making $800 and hr and going to get a tool you don't have a backup for or an alternate means then maybe it is too costly. This is why for some of the specialty tools the Snap-On is worth the price, but for a standard box end set, you are wasting your money.
@@NONO-hz4vo I want the finest of everything to do my jobs. I charge enough to warrant it. It’s taken me decades to achieve this level so it should come as no surprise.
@@TorqueTestChannel I wrote that before I saw the rest of the video. The part where Pushy broke, the wrench was also bending....but I didn't write that down.
I bought the matco non reversible ones 8 years ago. Extra long standard and metric. The other guys had them and we would literally stand on the big ones to lossen things in certain places these were required working on combines. Mine all still work just fine and $250 a set
I've warrantied single wrenches from Icon (only broke one in several years, was a 10mm that I was putting way too much torque one) without any issue. They just pull the set off the shelf and set it on the discount rack.
I’m in the Air Force and work at an aircraft maintenance unit. We only use Snap-on. Snap On WILL NOT honor our warranty claims; we have thousands of dollars worth of broken tools that are just sitting, waiting for the warranty. But they don’t have anything in stock. Don’t buy snap-on.
years ago I worked at a different location and needed a tool warranted, snap-off says he couldn't warranty it because I didn't buy it from him. Snapoff sucks.
@@scottyee707 They come up with excuses not to warranty, you rarely hear about it because Snappy fan-girls will bite your ankles at anyone not justifying their $130,000 in wasted money. Snappy is so self-entitled they claimed I "abused" my tools, the truth is their sockets are prone to cracking and any veteran mechanic will tell you this. Their metal is strong but it's also a touch too hard. It's not the quality it was 40 years ago.
Vim tools also makes a wrench like this but it appears to be their own design (DFXL100), might be worth a test. They also make “normal” sized ones (DDF100A)
I like the extra long gear wrench double box, but the one side being non ratcheting. Break it loose with the non ratcheting side and then take it off the rest of the way with the ratchet side. Imo a ratchet side will never hold up to high torque/tight bolts and nuts compared to the solid box end.
Yes. Absolutely yes. I have some, they will go to my son because I am buying the Snap-On set after seeing this video. The $800 is still hard to swallow, but after seeing this, and the rest of the details (better design, Made in USA, what others are successfully selling the chinesum ones for, etc), it's a little bit easier to swallow, especially with a cold beer to wash it down...
Matco did offer those exact style wrenches for a short time but they now offer my preferred style back-of-head switch under the part numbers SRWFXLM52T 5pc - 8mm-19mm set and the SRWFXLM22T 2pc - 21mm-27mm set
I was really hoping you guys would of gotten the EZ-Red version of this wrench, as the reverse selector is on the face and is a locking flex head, also it has a lip on the socket so the bolt can not pass all the way through the socket. E-Z Red WR5ML , I think they also sell a version of this pattern also.
The mountain wrenches are awesome, love them. I’ve had the 8-19 set, as well as a 21-22, and a 24-27 for better’n 2 years now, daily use, I’m the front end and suspension tech, so they do not get treated gently. Think the only one I’ve broke is the 13-15, don’t remember how I broke it, but I do remember that I’ve put a 5 foot snipe on it and leaned on it really hard and it didn’t break. I’ve seen my head tech snap the heads off of 21MM bolts with his. They’re exceedingly tough. They’ve become my go to Christmas gift for anyone who pulls wrenches, including a 220 pound relative who’s a firm believer in’the tighter the better’, and a very good friend who’s a farmer and equipment mechanic, and those wrenches are never more than 10 feet from him and he’s not broken one yet.
As a Snap-on owner for many years, one must remember that the Snap-on truck comes to you at your shop or place of business and shows you new tools or swaps out broken ones you have damaged. The business practice is also part of their big price for tools
Unless they don't swap out your tools, maybe you bought them from a different truck guy and he doesn't want to warranty yours. My dad had a LOT of trouble with this, because he bought his snap on tools through his fortune 500 workplace.
Yeah if the tool truck came monday morning and you broke a tool monday afternoon, you dont have a tool for a week when that truck comes back around. With my icon i can go out that night after work and pick one up. And with the $355 i saved pit it towards a nice dinner. Shit with all the money saved from buying icon over snap on i can literally buy a brand new car.
Wow, you know it did cost me $500 to drive to harbor freight the other day with my Osprey and the cost of jet fuel. Maybe Snap on is worth it for the service!
A caution about backdrag being an issue for some. I generally find that if we're talking about similar designed tools, meaning the general parts and operation are similar. That ratcheting wrenches mostly, that have a very low back drag up front when new, tend to later have problems with skipping teeth, or jamming either "open", or "locked". Especially when going slower. Not sure if it's just debri that get in there, or the already looser springs wear out over time and start misbehaving. Just I never had good luck with them. So I usually try, if I can, to test them before buying, and actually prefer to have a more positive click/backdrag. Also I never completely remove any nuts or bolts with the wrench anyway, so I have no problem breaking them loose with the wrench, and running then out with my fingers once loose. Same for going back in, I'll start them in by hand, until I get them finger tight, then usually finish off with a wrench. Granted this is all within reason, I don't want them too stiff either. Just don't like them realky loose. I want them feeling and sounding similar both both directions, with same sounding/feeling positive clicks for the full 360°.
We don't submit THESE from testing for warranty unless it's for info in the video about the process. We still have these broken. We do warranty our own tools though that we break doing just as stupid stuff by hand using them.
I bought the same snap on 13/15 as it is the most used sizes for me mainly working on GM and it is well worth the money. Dealer offered the entire set for $675 and dang near went for it. But its only really worth the extra money in the smaller sixes as shown. The larger sizes don't matter as much and is why i still have my 120xp gearwrench set.
Some of us prefer quality over chinesium garbage. Don't get me wrong, I am far from a "Snap-On fanboi". Most of my tools are old school Craftsman, SK, Armstrong, Lang, Proto, Wright, etc, but most of those other companies have "dried up" when it comes to quality Made in USA tools; leaving Snap-On with little competition in that regard.
@@puterg0d Kind of why I find myself with some Snap-On. I try to get SK or Proto as they are made in USA mostly but sometimes Snap-On is close enough in price or has a special tool that is worth it.
@@NONO-hz4vo SK isn't anymore. You can still find some NOS SK tools, and I've even bought some myself recently, due to the quality for the price, but you can kiss that warranty goodbye unless you're OK with having your Made in USA SK replaced with a Made in China SK (I'm not - I'll throw it in the trash if it breaks and by a Wright or Snap-On). I do have a decent amount of SK tools before they got bought out, but again, I now look at them as "disposal" IF they ever break (which is not likely, as they are very good quality tools) since any replacement would be a lesser chinesium tool that I don't want.
Two suggestions: could you test the Tekton version of these? Also, how about testing the Astro 78318 with the nano sockets against these wrenches? They're a little different, but it would be somewhat comparable. Thanks for your testing!
I've had Mountain wrenches break. Trying to get them replaced under warranty was like pulling teeth. I've had Icon wrenches break too. Still having to run to the store is inconvenient. If those Snap On wrenches are stronger that might mean the job will get done _that day_ rather than after _running to harbor freight_ or _in a few weeks_ trying to warranty the Mountain wrenches.
Or you take the $600 you saved and invest in and in the odd chance you break a wrench that $600+ covers your inconvenience. The only reason I buy anything from Snap-On is because they are American made. I don't particularly care to send so much money to China or Taiwan when I can keep it here.
Been using this Icon set for a few years, got them back when they were $200 for the set and it's honestly become my favorite sets of wrenches. Been using them in a professional environment as a tech at Tesla and it's made me want to fully swear off the tool trucks and just go Icon for anything I need in the future. Having the offset and reversing features has made these super useful.
I only have 2 sizes from the ones I will actually use from snap on. The switch on the back compared to the side switches is what sold me. I used the snap-on 12mm and 14mm so much I have had it warranty once. Doing hino dpf's have tight spots and the side switches would engage and lock the icon in place and had to use pry bar to get it out. Snap-on never got stuck like that.
Food for thought. During a last year's tool event Harbor Frieght put out- they would start providing individual tool sales online. So if you lose a tool for a set you need to warranty, you could purchase the individual tool online then warranty the whole set
You need a negative points column for price like you have for the impacts, thr Snapons might be better, but if you can buy a complete set for what one wrench costs (your k tools example vs snapon) then that has to figure into most folks buying decision.
Agree. And also, possibly, an "Warranty Coverage and Availability", measuring both the length of the warranty and how easy it is to use. Be hard to measure, maybe, but it is definitely a major consideration.
The delicate nature of the fine ratcheting mechanism is actually why I like these. When you can't reach the bolt with your hand it's so frustrating when the ratchet won't click on the back stroke because its resistance is too high. Having a light touch is what makes them useful. I really never broke one in all my years wrenching because I knew they aren't as robust as a solid wrench. Don't torque on them and don't make them more robust. Just use them correctly. I found the gearwrench brand to be excellent and affordable.
My local harbor freight will swap individual wrenches. Had to warranty a couple of those but I've been using them daily as a professional mechanic. Icon seems Tobe holding up better than the mountain/platinum/EZ-RED wrenches I've had through the years
People will complain about snap on prices but we often dont pay list price. What complainers dont get is a pro who uses a tool every day all day and it holds up and also gets replaced for free if it does break. Oh yeah for their whole life....that is snap on prices
All these brands are lifetime warranty, also snap-on technically has a clause that their tool warranties are only for original purchaser, not something any other brand limits people on.
Harbor Freight is also a lifetime warranty, they don’t give a crap about who the original purchaser is, and you don’t have to wait in the tool truck guy to show up. Just take it to the store and exchange it. So ya know… there’s that
Not true, retail stores also impose that original purchaser limit, they often arent checked at the counter, but per corporate rules its original purchaser only. @greasemonkeymechanic1
Kabo Tools is the original mfg, they're the ONLY mfg. Mountain is the Amazon brand. Mountain, Icon, Matco, Cornwell, etc ... they are all made by Kabo because Kabo isn't licensing their patent.
@@silicon212 Correct. Thought Mountain isn't an Amazon brand, Mountain is a tool line by ISN, Integrated Supply Network. A massive tool warehouse in the USA to sell to a lot of tool retailers. They used to have a somewhat extensive line, then developed Monster tools and mountain got left behind except for these wrenches which always sold well. Monster tools got sued into oblivion by Monster energy drinks because they used a similar color and sort of font like idiots, so only a few tools like these remain from their old line left.
@rawalqayyum5128 Kabo released in 3rd quarter 2020, mountain released in 1st quarter 2019. There is a trail all over the net and on review sites showing this. Thank you for playing.
Mountain is a brand owned by Integrated Supply Network (ISN). ISN is a pretty large tool distributor, they import, market, and sometimes brand other OEM tools like these wrenches. They also supply other companies such as MAC and Snapon (not these Snapon wrenches obviously but other tools) as well as a bunch of store brands. The OEM for these wrenches is Kabo in Taiwan. ISN is just the an importer/distributor and launched them under their Mountain brand. Dollars to donuts they are the ones importing them for all the other brands selling them. They also own KTool which was mentioned in the video as well.
Arent the snap on ones an updated versions? I feel like i ordered the non ratcheting version several years ago and got a ratcheting set of an accident. Maybe they were standard box on one end and ratcheting on the other.
I have the “Matco” branded ones. I have used them a lot. Never broken one and have definitely abused them. One of the best wrenches I have ever purchased. I believe I payed around $300. In my opinion worth the money. That being said if the Icons were available I would have purchased those over any other brand.
I wanted only the 13/15mm and found out Platinum Tools sells individuals! Usually about $20-30 each, it seems to vary during the year and the reseller. I've also seen replacement heads sold for $10-15, so you could possible retrofit a head on a cheap ratcheting wrench. These are fantastic for transmission bellhousing bolts that have very little room around the head (recessed) AND against a firewall (GM V8's).
I have the Mountain brand set, I bought it off the Snapon Truck probably 4 years ago. It was like $180 and I have only warranty exchanged the 10/8 once. 👍
I forget I have them most of the time. Regular sockets do most things. Got them and S curve wrenches for a near impossible nut. Turns out it was welded to the radiator suppot/front clip on the backside. Only one my car has as far as I've seen. Now all the special reach wrenches are in the same tool box as the 1/2 stuff I don't use either.
I remember seeing the EZ-Red version of the Mountain wrenches in the Snap On alternative brands catalog at one point. I'm not sure if EZ-Red even still offers that set, or if they just have other similar sets now. My Cornwell dealer cut me a hell of a deal on my metric and SAE sets, so I have those.
Great video fellas. Thanks
I work at Harbor Freight. The store you are going to is doing it wrong. Our policy is if it was sold as a set we replace the tool with the same one from the smallest set we have in stock. That way you get your tool replaced without any headache. You're in and out in five minutes if we're not busy. We'll just discount the price of the set we stole the tool from by 20% and still make money. We don't even open a ticket if we do that. Somebody will buy it. It's as easy as it gets. Just like Sears used to do with Craftsman.
Tell that store to look up our policy. Nobody brings in the whole set. We sell tool kits with over 300 pieces. Do they expect customers to bring in the whole 300bajillion piece kit back to the store just for that broken 13mm socket? F that noise and the dirty trash bag/cardboard box all those sets will be inevitably be returned in. All our hand tools have a lifetime warranty. We make it easy. They made a mistake and work for themselves. Please enlighten them for me haha
Thank you for being a good one!
@@TorqueTestChannelI'll add that I've never even had a slight problem with their warranty at either of my stores
This explains why I see tons of stuff on the discount rack at my local store with a single missing piece!
Thanks for the insider info. I always heard the sold-as-set then replaced-as-set
@@Typh3621I always wondered about that too.
TTC is becoming a weekly 'Friday morning with my coffee' ritual.
Appreciate it! It's why we post in the morning, so you guys can watch it whenever you want throughout the day.
Our YT analytics tab yells at us often about how we're not posting when our audience is awake/watching most, with lots of highlighted data. I'm like nah, I'm usually with the family Friday evening - people should just watch it whenever they want. We've had several creators larger than us tell us we're crazy.
@@TorqueTestChannel ❤😀😄 makes my Fridays better ❤
"what new tool am I going to want to buy on this bright Friday morning?"
@@TorqueTestChannel If you have a good idea, it's quite common to be told you're crazy in spite of compelling evidence to the contrary. 😉
@@TorqueTestChannel I almost always watch on Friday. I rarely let it slip to another day. I don't even use these type of tools often, I just like testing things, measuring them, and writing it down.
160 PER WRENCH? Snapon is smoking actual crack.
With these you do get top notch performance though
@@CranAlleydoesn't matter, they're not worth $160. You're paying for the name.
That's why they gotta charge so much. Rock ain't cheap.
@damienirvin777 You're paying for lifetime warranty, the tool truck visiting YOU, USA made (supporting American workers), and the best overall wrench available on the market.
@@CranAlleyI'll stick with my mountain
Project Farm has been testing arc and back drag for years...the OG of ratcheting drivers, wrenches, and even things that shouldn't actually, well, ratchet at all. I pretty much bounce between you here at TTC and PF. You're great at producing concise content! Thank you b
@@Barrett_Fodder 2 best tool channels by a long shot. Empire Outdoors has done some cool (lol) cooler tests though with an enormous sample size.
I did not imagine these traditionally delicate wrenches had become so tough. I guess I can stop babying my Gear Wrench ones now. 😊
Butts were puckered around the set-up well before these broke. Things have definitely changed in the last 10-15 years!
my 7 year old daughter got a GW ratcheting wrench to give out with one hand ona 12mm nut...instant return. i have an old 2000s GW 10mm and i can put whole body weight on it and it wont skip. GW is trash now
ive been using my gearwrench ratcheting wreches as breaker bars for awhile now and no issues lol
One has to imagine that this is a trickle down of metallurgy and mechanical engineering with the technology available in software modeling packages and foundries just getting better and more consistent when making good steel.
When I worked at a store selling knives there was a point where any decent knife maker had the equipment to machine and temper designer knife steel. Then the knock offs got access and the game change. Even Spyderco had to come up with their own “copycat” brand (Byrd) to compete with the actual copycats.
These days you can get knives made with various tool and ball bearing steels that have been processed in such a way that you can get them sharp enough to shave, do stupid crap that would break the tips off or chip the edge in a 440 blade at the same hardness, and then actually sharpen them back.
As people like to say, “we are living in the future.”
@@rileychu4489 There's a guy here who sells well finished but cheap Chinese tools. A few years ago he refused to carry the 10 mm ratcheting wrench because they're used the most and therefore break the most. These wrenches were definitely light duty tools at one time.
Considering Icon regularly has 25-30% sales on their tools. $157 for their set sounds like the best deal to me. Especially with their lifetime super easy to use warranty. I just wish it wasn't a skip set...
Agreed on all points
They recently had the 40% off ICON sale. I spent way to much but I could justify it by knowing I would only have to buy all of them once and they would never be on sale for less.
Easy warranty makes this style wrench from Icon a no brainer. If I didn't already own Mountain wrenches, I'd buy them from Icon.
I guess the Harbor Freight has gotten better but somewhat not as cheap as when it first opened ? Especially the "Icon" or "Doyle" compared against the original Pittsburgh ?
@@thebarslug it did not apply to these wrenches and they have not gone on sale for a long time unless your a ITC member.
Out of the box comparisons are great apples to apples. I have seen many say the grease or lube in the Icon are lacking and once changed/or added in some cases it's back drag is much better! This is one of the few channels I would trust to test that. Icon out of the box vs Icon post servicing!
Unlike normal ratchets, most of these wrenches are sealed and non-serviceable.... I guess you could dunk them in some ATF overnight, I've hear that helps some of these units you cannot open up.
The icon's felt plenty greasy! Maybe it only made it to the outside of the wrench :P
I was thinking exactly this. Todd over at Projectfarm taught me that no 2 lubricants perform the same and that there can be significant variance even in items that look identical. I would totally believe that HF cheaped out on the grease quality, and it would be cool to see some comparisons of one tools performance but with various types of lubricants.
I usually give all my new tools a shot of grease out of the grease gun. Either disassembled directly into the mechanism or peripherally through the gaps and worked in.
I’m 53 and I’ve been using tools since I first started riding bikes. My father worked and didn’t always have time or energy to fix things, so he taught me, at 14 cars, and been working on aircraft for 27 years. Tools and tool manufacturers have expanded and changed. Once upon a time only a few companies accommodated the professional, and they even brought the tools to you on their truck. I have many off the truck tools, even though I started with Craftsman. Craftsman was the tool to go to for most “home mechanics”. Now their are tons of tools and choices, many of them trying to out the truck. Most don’t usually stand up, but work 80% of the time.
I pick the tool for the job, and it’s many companies in my toolbox. At least if I break a Harbor Freight tool, there’s 5 around me to replace it.
I bought a 22mm one from gearwrench, the one with a non reversible end and a fixed end, and absolutely love it, it has a singular use, for drain bungs on a case IH 50 series combine with tracks, for the final drives where you have to thread the wrench into the side of the drive wheel, a regular ratchet and socket is too tall to fit and you get extremely limited swing, but with the long handle spanner you can easily get a full swing on the bung.
And due to the way the flex head works, it means you can much easier remove a bung that has been severely worn down until it has practically nothing left to grip on to.
I loved it so much I got a 24mm and a 13mm version for other jobs of similar fashion
i wish pushy would display his findings on a graph like his torque absorbing big brother
It would just be a straight line ramping up until the wrench broke.
Impact wrenches on the torque absorber are putting out variable torques as they ramp up to their max, pushy is outputting consistent torque until failure.
Correct, the impact dyno is torque over time because each impact hits differently and climbs at a different rate. Pushy is a fixed rate, the time aspect isn't based on tool performance
@@TorqueTestChannel is it, though? Pushy rotates at a constant rate, but the output shaft won't necessarily get a linear response. Kinda like you feel when a wrench is going to slip or bolt is going to break. Force over angle would be an awesome graph to see!
@@kain0m The difference between tools would be primarily the amount the length of the wrench deflects, which I'm not convinced is a worthwhile dyno graph as most people will not understand what the X axis vs y means, and it's not all that informative in buying one vs the other
@@TorqueTestChannel it would be fun for those in the know though, maybe a small graph in the corner of the screen
The concept you are sharing was pioneered by Matco over 20 years ago. I have a set of the tools to prove it. It has a swivel head and sockets fit into the ratchet handle, metric and fractional.
That's the best design imo, iirc they can even fit in things like torx and Allen drivers?
Oh Snap-On... If only you didn't exist somewhere out there well beyond my personal threshold of diminishing returns. $800 for that set is legit insane. (And yes, that implies that the crazy is on both sides of the offerer/purchaser arrangement).
Snap on was king back in the days before amazon where when you needed something special it was cheaper and more convenient than buying a tool from the dealer, or you wanted something nicer than craftsman with the same warranty and they'd come to you to boot. Nowadays you can get stuff nearly as nice with the same warranty for a quarter the price, so it's only worth it if you've got the strap on truck coming by more than once a week or will make a detour if you call them.
I've had three snappy guys service my area in my career, only one of which would go out of their way to warranty your stuff for you, the other two pretty much only showed up to collect payments and would piss and moan and take a week or more to bring you a replacement if it wasn't on their truck when you tried to warranty something.
They're basically now just conspicuous consumption merchandise; bragging rights for mechanics who make a lot off money. Yes, it's nice to have the truck come by to replace a broken tool, but it's not $600 better service. Well, maybe of you're dealing with a stuck bolt on a nuclear sub which has to be fixed immediately.
@@d.e.b.b5788 "Dealing with a stuck bolt that has to be fixed immediately" = when the Snap=On truck goes AWOL for 2 weeks
The real champion here is TTC 🥳 Thank you for another great video that puts out raw information for us to chew on.
I bought the Icon set a year ago. I didn't like the price but I really wanted the wrenches. I bought them with a Super Coupon and a $10 voucher so I got them for $190. It was still a lot but I absolutely love them. They are so handy and looking back, well worth the price. I would definitely do it again. Harbor Freight is everywhere these days and they have a lifetime warranty. Easier for me than a tool truck return that I would have a hard time setting up. One thing I especially like is you don't have to flip the wrench over to reverse the direction. No more having to worry about getting stuck with a ratcheting wrench.
The only snap on tools I have came in a tool box of tools I bought at an auction. Not to everyone... Don't drink and go to an auction... All I wanted was the Kennedy Tool box. I was going to dump the tool... Went through the box found 6 Snap-on wrenches. No 10mm... today they just hang on the wall.. like a 12 point rack
the 10 mm socket and wrench are urban legends , people claim to have seen the , even owned one...but ask for proof.. they just smile and walk away
Need to include the matco updated version with recessed reversing lever...beefier then the original kabo version
I’m one of the weird guys who has examples of all three brands. My Snap-On wrenches are pretty old, but still really good. I use the Gearwrench 7/16” ratcheting wrench for truck slack adjusters, and I really like it. Finally, I bought the ICON when they had a sale. I’m really pleased with those. Ratcheting wrenches have come a long way over my career, and it’s good to see that there are several good options.
You're not weird. I am in the same boat. I bought S-O for over 30 years, with some MAC and Matco mixed in (usually oversized wrenches by those brands). About 5 years ago, I fired my S-O tool truck guy. He started showing up less often, and rarely had my replacement parts even though I had requested them on multiple visits. It started to feel like he only cared about making money (I know, that is important) and less about servicing the customer now that I had a very complete collection of tools and wasn't buying as many. In a moment of frustration, I bought some ICON tools, and had the guys in the shop try them. They all thought they were as nice in the hand, and as functional, as the S-O tools, and they started buying them for themselves. Make no mistake, there is a sense of refinement with S-O tools, but because the ICONs are basically copies, I can't tell the difference when in use. My mistake was buying a very comprehensive set of Gearwrench tools for my sons. They are good-ish, just not great. The biggest issue is the chamfer on the sockets and box ends of the wrenches. It is too pronounced and too often allows them to cam off a fastener, rounding it or burring it. It might sound petty, but a small feature like this is enough to make me refuse to use them.
Bro that ain’t weird picking things that are appropriate for your situation. It’s weird when there are better options in a supposed free market but people pay for the name in some instances .
@@matthewpeterson3329not petty if it's mangling your fasteners
@@Jjmartin1530 some people are happy to drive in a chevette some people want to drive in a cadillac , personal choice.
The icon 10/8 is also perfect for air disc brake adjustment. It stays in my pm box for that very reason.
Man, i don't envy you on having gigs of spreadsheets and data, but damn do you produce some excellent test results and quality information.
Thank you for being awesome! Keep it coming! 😁
I don't know. I've broken a few wrenches, but that backdrag factor should weigh more heavily on the overall score. That means more tools or my other hand to hold the bolt to keep it from turning. I'd say that alone would justify the extra cost of the Snap-On if only I had that kind of money.
Thanks, we'll discuss here about its weighting.
I dont know ,if backdrag is so important then the gear wrench with only 1 degree away for $160 for the whole set makes more sense.
I understand Snapon was the best here hands down but to say the margins it beat them by is worth 8x the price is a hard swallow.
I think at $500ish the Snapon have a great argument for being worth it, but at over $800 it’s like damn what are we doing lol
@@bigbrown2690 The backdrag weighting is important, because with the current score-weight, the Snap-On's backdrag could be 0.25 lb-ft or 3 lb-in (!) and it'd still come out ahead in this ranking.
@@MrMartinSchou Yeah I think backdrag is super important too, I just meant Gearwrench was only 1 degree away from Snapon so to say Snapon is worth 8x the price over 1 degree is where I was like ehhhhh.
Honestly surprised the Icon backdrag was so bad!
I was going to say move the decimal over one on strength and it would look about right to me
I bought a set of these back in 2018 off Amazon. The box says Platinum Tech but the order lists as ATD Tools 99650. $140 at the time and they're one of my most used tool sets.
Reversible, splined, and slimmer than the ones I see here.
I have the ICON ones and I LOVE them! They were expensive for harbor freight but worth every penny. Favorite tool in my box
Me too
Same, literally my go to on everything
@@wIzKid16100 yup
@@martinsmith2948 i wish I had these 20 years ago
The harder reset backtrack problem is somewhat solved with one hand by torqueing the wrench in a screwdriver motion, that usually binds the bolt into the hole more on one side. Delicate sometimes to not keep slipping off. You get a feel for it. Basically try to take it out at an angle, it won't b/c the hole is straight till it is about out, use that friction to control it. Good way to get a loose long bolt out with one hand with regular wrenches too.
Reallly keeping Harbon Freight on their toes.
Really waking up all techs to the Snap-On "better steel" sales pitch, because everyone loves to have the privilege to blow $800 to take their wrench to 366Nm.
HF doesn't have anything to do with it. They get it from KABO.
Also $800 set not really making HF shudder.
@@reubensandwich9249 HF sets the price though.
YO!!!!!!!!! Never thought I’d see you comment here! Love your videos bro!
I just purchased a set of these made by "mountain " I am told some of the tool trucks will warranty them, 155 for a set. Incredible quality, no need to hold the fastner to get them to ratchet.
As a DIY guy that Icon set I bought with a coupon a couple of years ago and it was a fantastic deal. Probably the best wrench buy I've made in quite a long time. The stiff back drag I don't consider to be that big of a deal. If I were a professional then maybe it would be worth consideration. I wish they offered an SAE set (I work on older stuff fairly often). I've seen Mountain SAE versions on other mechanic youtube videos but I can't find anywhere to buy them! Now that I know K-tools are the same maybe just maybe I can find a set.
I haven't had a problem with the stiff back drag on my Icon set either. I'm a weekend warrior though.
I bought mine under the platinum name, less expensive then anyone's. Another great video guys!!!!!
ATD K-tool mountain icon platinum all the same wrenches
Mountain wrenches! My Mac guy carried them back in the day before he retired, but I bought mountain brand on Amazon years ago. I had to get a 21-24mm set and they showed up branded "Platinum." I have loved mine so much.
Have had the Platinum XL flex head offset wrenches for about 6 years and haven't broke one yet, but I'm not trying to! Flex is weak looking but very impressed with durability.
GEARWRENCH, not so much. Have the non-reversing XL and the quad box wrenches fail often but I do use them hard daily. Warranty is an issue as the stores I bought them from can't seem to get replacements, and others that handle Gearwrench don't sell the same types of wrenches.
The Snap-On non-reversing has been similar in duribility and not able to disassemble to repair, but easy to get warranty. Snap-On also does not make the larger sizes, stopping at 3/4, 19mm. As I use 21 & 24 mm every day for front end work on cars this is the sizes I need the most.
PS have the Platinum XL reversing flex wrenches through 27x30mm.
Great video! I bought the Icon set for $179.99 on sale and am very happy with them so far.
At the end of the day, nobody beats Pushy. NOBODY! Thanks for another great video. Cheers! 😎👍🔧🛠
Keep testing the 19mm. I think the larger wrenches are popular to use with these style double box ratcheting.
My vote: See if other ones die the same or less
I break the tool. Drive to store 10 minutes. Replace tool. Advantage for Icon in my book.
Can't usually leave work unless it's your lunch time in my experience, but the weekend access is nice which tool trucks cant touch.
@@TorqueTestChannel true. Tool trucks don't show up every day though. At least not ours.
facts i drive by harbor on the way to work and to home it's only 5 minutes from my work so it's a win win
Until you drive their and they don't have any in stock 😢
Issue going to be on horizon as Chinese companies keep buying out Taiwan manufacturers and moving the production to mainland China tools will be harder to obtain thats the plan to get Taiwan hurt its manufacturing hurt its economy take them over with out invading usa needs to be manufacturing more products period
Glad to see more hand tools return to the channel.
I know 0 degree has some gearless "ratchet" wrenches. Would you folks giving those a test?
I remember in their own short the ratchet wasn’t actually making any progress in the demo, watch the socket.
I bought the Snap-on gearless ratchets, the 1/4 and 3/8 drive, they sit in my tool box and never get used.
I tried to undo something fairly tight with the 3/8 one and the sprauge bearings bit into the body and put dents there, I can feel them.
Gearless is not so great.
I thought Mountain was the original and they sold under EZ-RED name. Appreciate the history explanation.
Here's some additional tid-bits. Mountain is a tool line by ISN or Integrated Supply Network. A massive tool warehouse in the USA that sells to a lot of tool retailers. They used to have a somewhat extensive line in Mountain, then developed Monster tools and Mountain got left behind except for these wrenches which always sold well. Monster tools got sued into oblivion by Monster energy drinks because they used a similar color and sort of font like idiots, so only a few tools like these remain from their old line left. Their most recent line is K-Tool also discussed here, same set.
I have some of EZRED's 1/4 drive flex head ratchet wrenches. So so dang handy.
@@operator8014Pretty sweet indeed
What about the ones VIM tools sells ?
@@nathanhakala4859 are they double Ratcheting ends like these?
the ICONS are great. i use these specific wrenches professionally. cant justify buying the snap ons
I'm excited because my DCF964 finally shipped!
The first ones I saw was Blue Point, this was 15 years ago, I have a set and they work great.
The first ones I saw with the deeper drive was a brand called Kabo, I think they're a Taiwanese brand, a work mate has a set.
What I do with my 19mm blue point one is sometimes add through sockets on it as the through sockets have a 19mm drive hex, this is great for serpentine belts.
As for cracking bolts and nuts, my argument is, why would they be made long to work like a normal ratchet spanner?
I crack stuff lose all the time with my set, the 14-12mm just got replaced only because it was skipping teeth due to the play at the drive.
If you break them often, you're doing something wrong lol.
I ponnied up an bought the Snap-On. Right off the truck the first nut I tried to remove it broke! The truck owner, and corporate would not refund for diss-satifation. I was so disappointed. I bought the Icon for less than $200 on sale. Icon got the job done, and still going strong a year later. Stoked to watch this!
Did they replace the obviously defective wrench ?
The fact that Snap-On doesn't have a HF-like warranty today just blows my mind - if there was ANY brand that should have a legit 'no questions asked' lifetime warranty, I mean...
And then everyone clapped
what ? wow . snap on not giving lifetime warranty on these but charging outrageous prices .what the hell
I have been a automotive mechanic for about 40 yrs now. Bought a lot of snapon and many others. Warranty the tool first , probably just a defect every manufacture has them. However frankly when I hear someone breaks a tool either it be a snap on or cheapo they usually chose the wrong tool for the job. I have never broken a wrench. Ratchest maybe have worn out the heads maybe 5 times due to heavy use. Sockets(impact) maybe 6 or so after a lot of impact gun use, chrome never.
I have a set of these made by SK Tool back in the day, around 2008. XXL flex, they were great. SK discontinued them and as they broke, I was unable to get them warrantied. Soon after they were discontinued, Mountain began making them, then EZRED. The EZRED ones seemed to have issues with the chrome flaking.
I now have a set of these ICONs, they're virtually identical. In performance, they are very similar, but it does seem that the ICON has more backdrag, which is something I've noticed with their ratchets as well. The ICONs were well worth it with a 25% off We Miss You coupon.
The S•K version of these wrenches were also manufactured by Kabo. They were the G Pro Series S•K offered for a short time. I have locking flexhead SAE ratcheting S•K wrenches that were also made by Kabo.
ratchet wrenches aren't really used for nut busting torque...usually you loosen the nut then finish it off with the ratchet wrench...I get the test shows extreme situations but generally speaking, the I con and Gear Wrench will do the trick 98% of the time...the snap on will get the other 2%....for 800 bucks???, not sold on that unless you like giving the tool guy money every week, which they LOVE
If it is really stuck on a sharp rap with a hammer may be needed and there is no way I want to do that on a ratcheting set.
Lol, I'm a technician with 17 years experience all on the tools, no office years.
I have had my blue point set for 15 years of double box ratchet spanners, with flex heads.
I break lose everything with them, I never grab another spanner to break stuff lose, I don't get failures very often I think two have broke in 15 years, both replaced under warranty.
Plus they don't make flex head non ratchet spanners, likely because the ratchet ones are strong enough.
@@NONO-hz4vo I do it all the time. That's why high quality wrenches exist, and why that's what I buy.
@puterg0d yeah there is no way that is good for it.
@NONO-hz4vo dude, they're tools, they eventually will wear out or break.
It's how long they last that is what matters, when you get 15 years out of a set 5 day weeks using them every work day, then that is a reasonable amount of work they have done, with only two failures in the set 8-19mm
It's also a time saver for me, so I buy tools to save time, I don't buy tools for them to be perfect mantel peice items, they're bought to work.
Have both, bump the Icon selector the other way a lot!
I'd looked at that set on the shelf a few times already and that was my concern. Are you bumping it often enough to where it's worth the snap-on premium and wait?
@@zrobotics$800? Don't think it's possible to be worth that much.
@@zroboticsI use mine every day for 3 years... I don't bump it very often at all
@@FusionBoost2.0 what are you working on? I love the Snapon ones, and especially the regular box end Snapon ratcheting wrenches.
@@michaelstjohn6086 automotive... I've used the mountains every single day 5 days a week for over 3 years now and not once have I had an issue with them.
Matco had the Special Forces sets way back in the late 90's early 2000's. They had SAE and metric sockets, 3/8 adapter, flex head ratchet, straight ratchet and an air ratchet. Still have my set, held up very well and works great.
Don't tell Mr. Subaru, he gonna be BIG MAD!
That Snap-On won?
@@afellowinnewengland6142 that snapon won while putting mechanics into crippling debt
For those on a budget, you can get a set of non-reversing, flex head, ratcheting box end, extra long format wrenches for $56 from Orion Motor Tech. I was going to buy Mountain wrenches then decided I could break a lot of these before I'd regret buying them. So far, no breakage.
Double box end wrenches have become an after thought with pass through ratchets. It’s been one of the last tools Id buy because I’ve never run into a problem that couldn’t be addressed with a ratchet or wrench. So 800$ is absurd and totally not worth it.
I bought an EZ Red set from the Matco guy before Gear Wrench was selling them. I broke one and he replaced it with a Mountain brand because apparently EZ Red got absorbed by someone. I broken the 14mm twice because it's the size I use most. The same part failed twice. The black ring cracked, making it slip like a cracked socket.
It's amazing that people willingly delude themselves into paying snap off prices
*Somewhere, PT Barnum is laughing...*
I have had the Platinum brand version of these wrenches for a couple of years, and they're alright, but that direction switch can be a pain. When Snap-On came out with theirs I snatched up the only set my dealer had... once I got past the eye-watering pricetag. But they're fantastic wrenches and do everything you need them to perfectly. The backdrag on these is a really big deal since they're usually being used in very tight spaces with limited access.
Yep. The ability to work this sort of wrench in tight spaces is huge reason why you buy them in the first place. Something which seems to be lost on many of the CCP bots ragging on Snap-On.
If you're a shadetree mech, buy the cheaper stuff and be happy. Stop crying about Snap-On.
Need to really be drinking the snap on cool aid to buy those... I'll stick with my mountain wrenches
Your Mountain wrenches are the EXACT wrenches as the ICON (Kabo).
@@nordicpride9708 But for less money, so
@@nordicpride9708 I know they are lol
The Snap-On costs more, but it's so much easier to hand the dealer your paycheck than having to take it to the check cashing place.
The XL GearWrench 10mm/8mm ratcheting flex boxhead is literally the only tool that makes doing a waterpump on a R56 Mini somewhat easy. It makes doing the waterpump a 1-2 hour job, everything else and its almost a full day of work. One of my favorite purchases.
Every time pushy appears I yell "PUSHY!!!"
Pavlov at work.
Client graphics. Enjoyed that channel
Please test the new hyper tough brushless 20v tools🙏
I work on heavy equipment and use the icon set especially the 10,13,16, and 18 daily and I love it. I’ve only had the selector issue one time but understand how it could happen to people more often. Honestly one of my favorite sets of wrenches I own! Is the snap on set better? Maybe but not 600 better!
Btw, can you please provide the actual Lb-Ft torque spec that the wrenches achieve or break at besides just the % value of the official spec? It would be helpful to know what they can actually handle. Thanks!
Watch the meter when it breaks. It is showing the actual Torque.
@@TheOnlySgtRockMy point is it's not in the charts/spreadsheets. So you'd have to go back to every video to try and catch that spec. Also not sure that's the properly calculated applied torque at the lever point/head on the wrench, or just the torque figure for the force the machine is applying elsewhere. Those could be two totally different numbers, and probably are.
@@BigBear-- In the end all the torque numbers were acceptable to me and I would use a breaker bar for anything that is extremely tight and if I happen to break it, it's going to warranty anyways.
@@TheOnlySgtRockYeah, I agree in general on using the right tool for the job, ie: breaker bars. Prob is some bolts are just not accessible with a breaker bar. At least not without having to do a ton more work, like pulling an engine, or dropping sub frames, transmissions, etc. Still, generally, I agree.
I've had them and Lowe's make me bring in whole sets and at least once I was missing pieces. Luckily they didn't check. I know some companies have to send back the old set for the store to get credit for replacing the tool but don't see the difference with taking one out of a new set and sending the rest back with the broken tool. I don't think harbor freight even does that though since they always have a few of this particular set with a missing wrench in the clearance section
“As much as it’s a fidget spinner now” 😂😂😂
Thanks for this video. I know a few of us haven’t pushed these wrenches as hard as we would have liked to, but these results are impressive.
I'm a pro, and I have had a set of Snap On ratcheting wrenches for ~15 years (flex head open/ratchet, not double), and I have never broken one. None have ever needed serviced.
down-time costs us money, so we pay a lot to avoid it. I have used them in situations I was sure would destroy them, and they have survived, unscathed. I paid a lot, but they have been worth every cent!
Come from a family of auto mechanics working in both their own shops or in dealerships, just don't buy the cheapest tools your and are fine. Unless you are making $800 and hr and going to get a tool you don't have a backup for or an alternate means then maybe it is too costly. This is why for some of the specialty tools the Snap-On is worth the price, but for a standard box end set, you are wasting your money.
I only buy snap on and Mac. My customers pay for the best of the best. No compromise.
@JackTorrance333 you need snap on or mac to do a good job?
@@NONO-hz4vo I want the finest of everything to do my jobs. I charge enough to warrant it. It’s taken me decades to achieve this level so it should come as no surprise.
@@JackTorrance333 fair enough. F1 teams almost exclusively use Facom Beta and Snap On.
Great set of tests!
My set of mountain wrenches are certainly my go-to.
At 8:11
Snap-on test....
If you look carefully, you can see the entire wrench bending slightly....
Only a little bit :P
@@TorqueTestChannel
I wrote that before I saw the rest of the video. The part where Pushy broke, the wrench was also bending....but I didn't write that down.
I bought the matco non reversible ones 8 years ago. Extra long standard and metric. The other guys had them and we would literally stand on the big ones to lossen things in certain places these were required working on combines. Mine all still work just fine and $250 a set
Snap-On is just the Apple of tools
Except you can repair their products and they don't become obsolete after a few years
Says the poor person that can’t afford them
@@nordicpride9708 we calling people poor for not buying 80 dollar wrenches now? Thats food for a week
@@Delalcon $800 for the reversible set of 5 wrenches.
@@nordicpride9708 How do you know he is poor? I stuff the money I save buying Harbor Freight instead of Snap on in the S&P 500 and pull 10% returns.
I've warrantied single wrenches from Icon (only broke one in several years, was a 10mm that I was putting way too much torque one) without any issue. They just pull the set off the shelf and set it on the discount rack.
I’m in the Air Force and work at an aircraft maintenance unit. We only use Snap-on. Snap On WILL NOT honor our warranty claims; we have thousands of dollars worth of broken tools that are just sitting, waiting for the warranty. But they don’t have anything in stock.
Don’t buy snap-on.
I've been trying to tell people this for 20 years. At least a dozen broken sockets & several ratchets they refused to warranty.
Have an officer put a stop on tool orders until that gets resolved and they'll warranty things very quickly. Gotta keep the cash flowing.
years ago I worked at a different location and needed a tool warranted, snap-off says he couldn't warranty it because I didn't buy it from him. Snapoff sucks.
so they wont or cant?
@@scottyee707 They come up with excuses not to warranty, you rarely hear about it because Snappy fan-girls will bite your ankles at anyone not justifying their $130,000 in wasted money.
Snappy is so self-entitled they claimed I "abused" my tools, the truth is their sockets are prone to cracking and any veteran mechanic will tell you this. Their metal is strong but it's also a touch too hard. It's not the quality it was 40 years ago.
Vim tools also makes a wrench like this but it appears to be their own design (DFXL100), might be worth a test. They also make “normal” sized ones (DDF100A)
Took me until 12:18 to notice the googley eye.
Your comment is the only reason I noticed it lmao
I like the extra long gear wrench double box, but the one side being non ratcheting.
Break it loose with the non ratcheting side and then take it off the rest of the way with the ratchet side.
Imo a ratchet side will never hold up to high torque/tight bolts and nuts compared to the solid box end.
Wait... so HF icon, mountain and all others with the side switch are all just made by one manufacture? So you should just get the one who's cheapest?
Correct, depending on how much ease of warranty factors for you
Yes. Absolutely yes.
I have some, they will go to my son because I am buying the Snap-On set after seeing this video. The $800 is still hard to swallow, but after seeing this, and the rest of the details (better design, Made in USA, what others are successfully selling the chinesum ones for, etc), it's a little bit easier to swallow, especially with a cold beer to wash it down...
@@puterg0dI have the Snap-Ons and wouldn’t give them up for any of the others. 10/10 would buy them again.
And so therefore they should all have the same gearing and back drag but according to his video they had differing back drag amounts.
@@TheOnlySgtRock It's called quality/consistency... Something that's lacking in chinesium tools.
Matco did offer those exact style wrenches for a short time but they now offer my preferred style back-of-head switch under the part numbers SRWFXLM52T 5pc - 8mm-19mm set and the SRWFXLM22T 2pc - 21mm-27mm set
Snap-on - "very impressive!"
I was really hoping you guys would of gotten the EZ-Red version of this wrench, as the reverse selector is on the face and is a locking flex head, also it has a lip on the socket so the bolt can not pass all the way through the socket. E-Z Red WR5ML , I think they also sell a version of this pattern also.
Nice video. Please do the Dura tech next and the Astro nano ratchets too. In 3/8 and 1/4.. 😊
The mountain wrenches are awesome, love them. I’ve had the 8-19 set, as well as a 21-22, and a 24-27 for better’n 2 years now, daily use, I’m the front end and suspension tech, so they do not get treated gently. Think the only one I’ve broke is the 13-15, don’t remember how I broke it, but I do remember that I’ve put a 5 foot snipe on it and leaned on it really hard and it didn’t break. I’ve seen my head tech snap the heads off of 21MM bolts with his. They’re exceedingly tough. They’ve become my go to Christmas gift for anyone who pulls wrenches, including a 220 pound relative who’s a firm believer in’the tighter the better’, and a very good friend who’s a farmer and equipment mechanic, and those wrenches are never more than 10 feet from him and he’s not broken one yet.
As a Snap-on owner for many years, one must remember that the Snap-on truck comes to you at your shop
or place of business and shows you new tools or swaps out broken ones you have damaged.
The business practice is also part of their big price for tools
Unless they don't swap out your tools, maybe you bought them from a different truck guy and he doesn't want to warranty yours. My dad had a LOT of trouble with this, because he bought his snap on tools through his fortune 500 workplace.
Exactly
Yeah if the tool truck came monday morning and you broke a tool monday afternoon, you dont have a tool for a week when that truck comes back around. With my icon i can go out that night after work and pick one up. And with the $355 i saved pit it towards a nice dinner. Shit with all the money saved from buying icon over snap on i can literally buy a brand new car.
Wow, you know it did cost me $500 to drive to harbor freight the other day with my Osprey and the cost of jet fuel. Maybe Snap on is worth it for the service!
@@BigInjun05 I've never had a Snap-on franchisee that wasn't willing to make a trip to me on an off day. Try again.
A caution about backdrag being an issue for some. I generally find that if we're talking about similar designed tools, meaning the general parts and operation are similar. That ratcheting wrenches mostly, that have a very low back drag up front when new, tend to later have problems with skipping teeth, or jamming either "open", or "locked". Especially when going slower. Not sure if it's just debri that get in there, or the already looser springs wear out over time and start misbehaving. Just I never had good luck with them. So I usually try, if I can, to test them before buying, and actually prefer to have a more positive click/backdrag. Also I never completely remove any nuts or bolts with the wrench anyway, so I have no problem breaking them loose with the wrench, and running then out with my fingers once loose. Same for going back in, I'll start them in by hand, until I get them finger tight, then usually finish off with a wrench. Granted this is all within reason, I don't want them too stiff either. Just don't like them realky loose. I want them feeling and sounding similar both both directions, with same sounding/feeling positive clicks for the full 360°.
You submit these for warranty? That seems to fly in the face of the _spirit_ of the warranty if not the letter.
We don't submit THESE from testing for warranty unless it's for info in the video about the process. We still have these broken. We do warranty our own tools though that we break doing just as stupid stuff by hand using them.
@@TorqueTestChannel OK. That seems very reasonable.
I bought the same snap on 13/15 as it is the most used sizes for me mainly working on GM and it is well worth the money. Dealer offered the entire set for $675 and dang near went for it.
But its only really worth the extra money in the smaller sixes as shown. The larger sizes don't matter as much and is why i still have my 120xp gearwrench set.
Baffling why anyone still buys Snap-off. The prices are laughably absurd.
There’s tons of funny out there that love to show off “ it’s snap on”. 😂
I buy some of their stuff but the prices on sets like this are asinine. I let them know they don't care.
Some of us prefer quality over chinesium garbage. Don't get me wrong, I am far from a "Snap-On fanboi". Most of my tools are old school Craftsman, SK, Armstrong, Lang, Proto, Wright, etc, but most of those other companies have "dried up" when it comes to quality Made in USA tools; leaving Snap-On with little competition in that regard.
@@puterg0d Kind of why I find myself with some Snap-On. I try to get SK or Proto as they are made in USA mostly but sometimes Snap-On is close enough in price or has a special tool that is worth it.
@@NONO-hz4vo SK isn't anymore. You can still find some NOS SK tools, and I've even bought some myself recently, due to the quality for the price, but you can kiss that warranty goodbye unless you're OK with having your Made in USA SK replaced with a Made in China SK (I'm not - I'll throw it in the trash if it breaks and by a Wright or Snap-On). I do have a decent amount of SK tools before they got bought out, but again, I now look at them as "disposal" IF they ever break (which is not likely, as they are very good quality tools) since any replacement would be a lesser chinesium tool that I don't want.
Two suggestions: could you test the Tekton version of these? Also, how about testing the Astro 78318 with the nano sockets against these wrenches? They're a little different, but it would be somewhat comparable. Thanks for your testing!
I've had Mountain wrenches break. Trying to get them replaced under warranty was like pulling teeth.
I've had Icon wrenches break too. Still having to run to the store is inconvenient.
If those Snap On wrenches are stronger that might mean the job will get done _that day_ rather than after _running to harbor freight_ or _in a few weeks_ trying to warranty the Mountain wrenches.
Yep. I really like my Mountain wrenches, but I know 100% that they aren't very heavy duty.
Or you take the $600 you saved and invest in and in the odd chance you break a wrench that $600+ covers your inconvenience.
The only reason I buy anything from Snap-On is because they are American made. I don't particularly care to send so much money to China or Taiwan when I can keep it here.
@@mediocreman2 I've never broke one yet, been 3 years
Been using this Icon set for a few years, got them back when they were $200 for the set and it's honestly become my favorite sets of wrenches. Been using them in a professional environment as a tech at Tesla and it's made me want to fully swear off the tool trucks and just go Icon for anything I need in the future. Having the offset and reversing features has made these super useful.
I only have 2 sizes from the ones I will actually use from snap on. The switch on the back compared to the side switches is what sold me. I used the snap-on 12mm and 14mm so much I have had it warranty once. Doing hino dpf's have tight spots and the side switches would engage and lock the icon in place and had to use pry bar to get it out. Snap-on never got stuck like that.
I have a lifetime 50% discount with Snap-On thanks to my tech school…
I only got 1/2 off for the time I was in school.
Food for thought. During a last year's tool event Harbor Frieght put out- they would start providing individual tool sales online. So if you lose a tool for a set you need to warranty, you could purchase the individual tool online then warranty the whole set
You need a negative points column for price like you have for the impacts, thr Snapons might be better, but if you can buy a complete set for what one wrench costs (your k tools example vs snapon) then that has to figure into most folks buying decision.
A separate "value" column would be nice.
Agree. And also, possibly, an "Warranty Coverage and Availability", measuring both the length of the warranty and how easy it is to use. Be hard to measure, maybe, but it is definitely a major consideration.
The delicate nature of the fine ratcheting mechanism is actually why I like these. When you can't reach the bolt with your hand it's so frustrating when the ratchet won't click on the back stroke because its resistance is too high. Having a light touch is what makes them useful. I really never broke one in all my years wrenching because I knew they aren't as robust as a solid wrench. Don't torque on them and don't make them more robust. Just use them correctly. I found the gearwrench brand to be excellent and affordable.
Harbor freight's brands hold a middle finger to everyone else's patents, about time a brand give 'em the finger back.
My local harbor freight will swap individual wrenches. Had to warranty a couple of those but I've been using them daily as a professional mechanic. Icon seems Tobe holding up better than the mountain/platinum/EZ-RED wrenches I've had through the years
People will complain about snap on prices but we often dont pay list price. What complainers dont get is a pro who uses a tool every day all day and it holds up and also gets replaced for free if it does break. Oh yeah for their whole life....that is snap on prices
All these brands are lifetime warranty, also snap-on technically has a clause that their tool warranties are only for original purchaser, not something any other brand limits people on.
Even with everything you've mentioned, they're still not worth their laughably absurd prices.
Harbor Freight is also a lifetime warranty, they don’t give a crap about who the original purchaser is, and you don’t have to wait in the tool truck guy to show up.
Just take it to the store and exchange it. So ya know… there’s that
Found the snap-on dealer lol
Not true, retail stores also impose that original purchaser limit, they often arent checked at the counter, but per corporate rules its original purchaser only. @greasemonkeymechanic1
I do like the Mountain version of this wrench. It helped with a nut in a radiator shroud/low clearance situation.
Incoming broke snap-on haters
Seeing Pushy work is mesmerizing. Who ever dreamt up Pushy deserves a raise.
Mountain is the original manufacturer. So anyone else building that wrench is copying them, including icon.
Kabo Tools is the original mfg, they're the ONLY mfg. Mountain is the Amazon brand. Mountain, Icon, Matco, Cornwell, etc ... they are all made by Kabo because Kabo isn't licensing their patent.
Weird way to announce how wrong you are 😭
@@silicon212 Correct. Thought Mountain isn't an Amazon brand, Mountain is a tool line by ISN, Integrated Supply Network. A massive tool warehouse in the USA to sell to a lot of tool retailers. They used to have a somewhat extensive line, then developed Monster tools and mountain got left behind except for these wrenches which always sold well. Monster tools got sued into oblivion by Monster energy drinks because they used a similar color and sort of font like idiots, so only a few tools like these remain from their old line left.
@rawalqayyum5128 Kabo released in 3rd quarter 2020, mountain released in 1st quarter 2019. There is a trail all over the net and on review sites showing this. Thank you for playing.
Mountain is a brand owned by Integrated Supply Network (ISN). ISN is a pretty large tool distributor, they import, market, and sometimes brand other OEM tools like these wrenches. They also supply other companies such as MAC and Snapon (not these Snapon wrenches obviously but other tools) as well as a bunch of store brands. The OEM for these wrenches is Kabo in Taiwan. ISN is just the an importer/distributor and launched them under their Mountain brand. Dollars to donuts they are the ones importing them for all the other brands selling them.
They also own KTool which was mentioned in the video as well.
Arent the snap on ones an updated versions? I feel like i ordered the non ratcheting version several years ago and got a ratcheting set of an accident. Maybe they were standard box on one end and ratcheting on the other.
I have the “Matco” branded ones. I have used them a lot. Never broken one and have definitely abused them. One of the best wrenches I have ever purchased. I believe I payed around $300. In my opinion worth the money. That being said if the Icons were available I would have purchased those over any other brand.
I wanted only the 13/15mm and found out Platinum Tools sells individuals! Usually about $20-30 each, it seems to vary during the year and the reseller. I've also seen replacement heads sold for $10-15, so you could possible retrofit a head on a cheap ratcheting wrench.
These are fantastic for transmission bellhousing bolts that have very little room around the head (recessed) AND against a firewall (GM V8's).
I have the Mountain brand set, I bought it off the Snapon Truck probably 4 years ago. It was like $180 and I have only warranty exchanged the 10/8 once. 👍
I forget I have them most of the time. Regular sockets do most things. Got them and S curve wrenches for a near impossible nut. Turns out it was welded to the radiator suppot/front clip on the backside. Only one my car has as far as I've seen. Now all the special reach wrenches are in the same tool box as the 1/2 stuff I don't use either.
I remember seeing the EZ-Red version of the Mountain wrenches in the Snap On alternative brands catalog at one point. I'm not sure if EZ-Red even still offers that set, or if they just have other similar sets now. My Cornwell dealer cut me a hell of a deal on my metric and SAE sets, so I have those.