@@Senkino5o I know economics are hard for people to grasp but let me give you a quick lesson because sometimes things cost more doesn't mean more profit. For instance gearwrench dealers make .45 cents on the dollar and snap-on dealers make .35 cents thats the difference of paying good wages vs sweat shop wages. Since Americans want to have better pay but demand a lower cost of product this is why globalization is a problem you can't have your cake and eat it also.
The Armstrong closure was just sad man. Armstrong had AWESOME quality and some great designs. Of course apex just took their designs and just sent it to China.
@@WVCBUS08 They had the plants in China but they didn't transfer a lot of Armstrong designs until after the closure. They built a plant in South Carolina and then moved people from the original location and then closed it.
@@willr6596 that plant in Sumter already existed and was where they made Wiss. Armstrong went there Arkansas and Texas. They always had China & Taiwan. The forging process was terrible and the machines got sabotaged if you really want the truth.
@@WVCBUS08 Sabotaged by who tho? Wasn't it a very short time between the move and the cease of production of armstrong? it seemed like a move to just stop production in the USA.
@@willr6596 nope, everything was moved from TX to SC. Unfortunately none of the machinists decided to make the move. All of the expertise was lost plus the cost of chroming was beyond ridiculous (to establish new chroming facility). Had nothing to do with stopping production in the USA.
In Australia, it says this on their warranty page: “This warranty is provided in addition to other rights and remedies you have under law: Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and for compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.” So in other words, their warranty is largely meaningless as consumer law trumps it.
I still user my original gearwrench ratcheting wrenches I bought when they first came out and have had no issues with them. I've been using sata sockets for over a year with no issues. I received the 3 piece ratchet set for Christmas and use the 3/8 and 1/4 daily . I've also been using the gearwrench 1/4 master set with the 84 tooth ratchet for around 12 years and other than replacing the ratchet once it's still all the original pieces.
I bought a 1/2"Dr. Flex-head 18" long XP120 ratchet from my Matco dealer for $38 about 7 years ago . It has worked perfectly fine. As with ALL of my many many ratchets dating back to the 1930's , I took it apart , lightly lubed it with Super Lube , & reassembled it before use . For what I paid ... I had to buy it for my traveL set .
The amount of gearwrench tools that come to me for warranty from costumers who bought them off Amazon is astonishing. Especially that swivel spark plug set, the magnets just fall out after one use. Great video as always brother
Definitely noticed the Chinese level of quality control when I decided to buy the big kit of extra long wrenches. 50+ metric & fractional, 38mm & 1 5/8" to 6mm no skips. Thought I had a deal for the price. They showed up loose in a cardboard box, scratched, I'm pretty sure the wrenches are slightly out of size they don't seem to fit nearly as tight as some of my other brands. There's a place for out of size wrenches, you can definitely fit them on a nut faster but the point of extra long wrenches is the extra torque you can put on them and a loose fit means less torque, more rounding which defeats the purpose. Their 120 & 90t ratchets, especially the locking ones are top notch though. No complaints.
YEARS AGO, I was a truck mech in a Union shop. Part of the union agreement with the shop is that they had to insure our tools. The company insurance insisted we do a YEARLY tool inventory & submit it to our shop steward who submitted them all to the boss. Our shop foreman was a tough old guy who couldnt me bothered with such nonsense SO he would get the latest tool catalog from the MACK TOOLS truck that came around each week, he would tear out the page that showed MACK biggest & most extensive tool set & that he turned in. !
My last Gearwrench buy was a set of line wrenches. One was not finished. 3 Months to warranty it. At one point I phoned to ask where my replacement was and was told higher ups had to approve the claim. A monkey could have looked at it and known it was defective. My last Gearwrench.
I like my gear wrench wrenches and ratchets, but I do agree I've seen the price point become higher than normal. With that being said, I think they're an okay value especially their 90T line. What would you suggest would be the best value for a prosumer/DIY guy?
I'm sure in some yt testing videos Tekton came near the top, and they beat gear wrench on performance, that's what counts over cost imo, my knuckles hurt just looking at cheap tools. lol
The 90 tooth ratchets aren’t bad, I’ll admit I have a few but honestly the old 84 tooth that shadowed the Matco 88s were nicer and I feel tighter and more robust. I was very disappointed with the 6 point combination wrench set but then in the same day very impressed with the puller sets and slide hammer. Unfortunately Apex is just hit and miss. Two tools under different labels may be identical or may be completely different. It makes buying online difficult because until you have it in your hand, you don’t know what your getting. I like the Duralast line which is basically Sata/Gearwrench packaged for Autozone but the actual packaging allows you to inspect the tool before you commit to buying it.
In my opinion, this race to get to a higher tooth count in ratchets is causing more problems than they solve. Impact guns allow for a technician to get into tighter spaces that lower tooth count ratchets made difficult. The higher the tooth count, the weaker the overall torque of the ratchet and you also pay the price in back drag. I listen to actual mechanics who swear by 72 tooth count and below ratchets. I’m not suggesting that there isn’t a need for an 80 count tooth ratchet from time to time, but I’m not going out of my way for one. If you watch the RUclips channel Project Farm and how he tests swing arc of these high tooth ratchets, they almost never come close to the swing arc they advertise.
In canada, if you want gear wrench ratchets/ratchet wrenches. Go to canadian tire, the mastercraft maximum is made by gear wrench and the warrenty through canadian tire is way easier to deal with
Good evening all: CP thank you for your video discussing the pros & cons of the Gearwrench brand. I feel the need to confirm your thoughts. The mother brand ( GW ) has become a crash cow brand for the Apex tool group. I've seen the prices of there products propell into the universe by as much as 50% . I can't justify that much of a price increase. On today's JDTCO latest video he had mentioned how unhappy he was with the GW Brand. Thank you again for your honesty, your friend in N.J. TMP 👍.
I commented in a previous video of yours about Matco being on the way out of the shop I work for because his prices were so crazy. 90$ for a box of nitrile gloves, full blown Snap-On prices for the tools on this Matco truck. I am very new to this industry but after pricing like that you would have a hard time convincing any tech in the shop I work for that buying gear wrench from the independent truck is a bad idea. The independent dealer takes way better care of all of us apparently more than the Matco guy ever did. I am new to this industry and shop so I don't know the entire history between the Matco dealer and this shop.
I've just bought some 90t flex head ratchet wrenches metric set feels good but the standard set feels like they are dry no lube and feels like a lot of slop in the gear set and hangs up if put pressure on it.
GW ratcheting wrenches are manufactured with a dry lube. Over time the dry lube may crystalize and feel a bit clunky. Run your RW wrenches through a parts washer or lube with a very viscus oil (sewing machine oil) and they will function like a fine Swiss watch. The reason for the dry lube is because the packaging would be destroyed from a liquid lubricant in shipping.
Taiwan tools are great in my experience too, even tool truck branded tools are made there, afaik Halfords professional (UK diy auto store) are made by Gearwrench, some China made tools oh dear, I've had tougher chocolate bars.
The 90t ratchets are good to go. So are the sockets and wrenches from Gearwrench. Highly recommend them to those needing to watch money. Another go to for basic stuff is Husky. Apex makes Husky sockets and basic wrenches. Fair quality, good price and easy to warranty.
Sata used to have the Matco label because Sata is/was Matco, made in China. All of the Matco Silver Eagle, second tier line was made by Sata. It is all Apex Tool. Apex was formed when Cooper Tool Group, and Danaher Tooll group merged in 2012. They make shit tons of money, but killed off several excellent American made tool lines in the process, and foisted off way to much inferior Chinese crap, for American made prices on the buying public. Gear Wrench made really nice ratcheting wrenches when they first came out. They were made in Taiwan, and were good quality. The manufacturing was switched to China, and they went to s**t. I have had good luck with ratchets, and sockets, but will not waste my money on cheaply made Chinese ratcheting wrenches. Those have become the equal to the old American made Sears Craftsman raised panel ratchets before they were moved to China. Complete crap.
fyi, the GW mobile dealer has lifetime warranty on everything except torque wrenches and toolboxes. if you buy your taps and dies from a GW dealer, you get lifetime warranty.
Unfortunately the dealer may give that warranty but gearwrench specifically says on there website no lifetime warranty on taps and dies they are garbage to me at that point.
I do like Gearwrench standard wrenches, but their ratcheting wrenches have seized up on me too many times. I have slowly been changing my wrenches for Snap On.
Hey CP I have been listening to you on and off for a few months and i have just become a SUB ...... With tonights discussion going forward about the whole Gearwrench saga ..... Alot of people who keep buyiong GW tools is the simple fact that Most people DO NOT KNOW THAT GW IS OWNED BY APEX ...... MYSELF INCLUDED !!! Now I am a Tech and i have been for over 25years and i have my SnapOn , Mac and Limited Matco due to the fact there was not a consistant Matco dealer in my area . Now when i started in the business there was no internet ,all there was to use was Crapsman, and SNappy was there every week . I started with my Crapsman like everyone but the only reason i did not keep up was everytime i went back to warranty something , the did not have it in stock ....So .... Instead of going to sears 5 times i just purchased the same tool/tools from Snappy who came EVERY WEEK . you could set your watch by this guy . Well i am going to cut it short or i will type up a comment too large that you and everyone ele will fall sleep.....Keep up the good work informing us unknowledgeable folks of the if ands & butts about who owns who and the mistakes of the rebranded toola nd the coming attractions. Remember like i said above most people have no clue who owns who....so keep us informed CP and enjoy your week !!!
I used to love gearwrench when they first came out, the tools were great and prices were cheap. Now they are getting way to expensive for where they are made. They are charging USA prices for made in Taiwan
If your on a budget, Gearwrench is decent for the money you spend. Better then Snap On, Mac, Cornwell and Matco? No but they're good to help you get the job done. I have some Gearwrench tools and its helped me get the job done with no issue.
Warrantys don't mean anything anymore i have a ratchet that broke i had it for over 30 years and called the manufacturer and they asked me if I still had the receipt if i did have it it would be a blank piece of paper because the ink disappears after a couple of years so I will just continue to buy good quality tools and hope for the best
Most of my ratchets are Snap-on mac and matco at home i have some cheaper brand tools like craftsman gearwrench and the one i broke was frum a old set i got for Christmas over 30 years ago it was a popular mechanics sae and metric 3/8 drive socket set it probably should have broke 20 years ago it's one of my cheaper tool sets i use around the house i will try to find a replacement on ebay it has some sentimental value that's the only reason I tried to get a head kit for it
I bought the gw flex head flare wrenches SAE an Metric. I put the first one to use an it just went to a flimsy flex head loose hinge pos after one use. Tried tightening the micro screw nah doesnt help. Got took.
Apex is like the Evil Empire in Star Wars. I would love to be able to get the capital to buy the Armstrong name and start making those tools in the US again. They had one of the most badass tool logos of all times.
Maybe when apex starts feels the crunch hopefully Matco buys the old Armstrong plant and instead of rebrand tools they own the plant that use to make the stuff they had that was great
i have a few 84 tooth gearwrench ratchets that rusted internally, i have the 84pc bit set that is half rusty within plastic case!!! gearwrench will not warranty rust issue! Anthony, rust is not a warranty issue. We simply do not have an issue, regardless of the tooth count or head style and the fact that you are experiencing rust on multiple type tools leads me to believe it is something on your end. I have dealt with thousands of customer warranty claims and rust just hasn’t been an issue. The issues of rust can be geographical, occupation, poor storage or handling etc. You’ve had the 84T for quite some time and if it was a control issue the rust would have formed quickly. I’m sorry but rust voids all warranties. done with a tool with warranty not worth the drying ink!!!!!!!!!!
I have some old gearwrench tools and they are not bad but the new stuff is crap i need a new serpent belt set and i like what comes in the gearwrench set does anyone else have a good set you can recommend
Not sure what the concern is with the margin a tool dealer makes. The reason GW dealers can make more profit is because they have the freedom to do that. The key flags have contracts stating what margins they can make. Unfortunately the flag guys get penalized; however, their corporate offices are making their full profit. That's why I moved away from the flags and went GW.
I'm not a fan of anything from Asia. I prefer buying MUSA. But those of you saying the Taiwan GW product is better than the China GW product may have had some bad luck with the China stuff. Both locations use the same steel, tooling, processes. Both products test out at 200% to AMSE specs. FYI, due to a 25% VAT tax, Apex is moving manufacturing out of China.
Just bought a large GW sae/metric impact socket set. Price point was good for me and they appear to be high quality. I did consider less expensive sets but all things considered, GW was an easy call.
I’ve bought some gear wrench stuff over the years & my cornwell guy had a fall out with cornwell & he became a gearwrench tool truck he had no prob warranting out stuff even though he knew I didn’t buy it from hime
Seems to be a lot of different opinions about GW pricing. Some think they are expensive and some think they are a great value. I don't think you have to look too hard to find a good price. There are a number of online resellers where you should find a good price but you may not get the service you are looking for.
My employer bought a bunch of gear wrench stuff when I started. The socket sets are OK. The ratcheting floppy head. Wrenches, not so good. The regular non-watching metric wrenches = weak
I didn't even know gear wrench had tool truck dealers. I thought they just sold online and in stores. I've never seen a gear wrench tool truck other than the pictures of them online.
I loved KD and Armstrong, so sad there gone. I have the old original Gearwrench stuff that was made in Taiwan but stay away from the new stuff the last few years.
Their stuff is okay. I own a set of six point wrenches. Indexing pry bars, and some socket rails. I don’t plan on buying much more GW but I’ve been content with what I bought.
I have a few gear wrench tool. A couple have been great. Have a 14mm ratcheting wrench, it's workes just fine for about 15 years. Also have their locking flex head 1/4 ratchet, that has been used a lot, and it's held up just as good as my Snap On ratchets. But I also have some chrome 1/4 sockets that seem pretty soft.
I like gearwrench tools. I'll take gearwrench over husky or duralast etc anyday! Duralast make good ratchets though and sockets but i dont like how they organize their tool sets. Still like some craftsman but sic of them.
I have three wrenches out of the $300 120xp wrenches set , bind up. If they worked they're very nice. Not confidence inspiring, and the warranty is a two month back order on my few sizes, 13/16, 3/4, and 3/8, totally busted new from the box.
I bought a GearWrench ratchet wrench set a few years ago from Sears. The first time I went to use one the C-clip fell out and got lost. I tried to return it to Sears who told me to call the number on the packaging from GearWrench. Neither Sears or GearWrench would send me a replacement wrench or piece so I bought a wrench just so I had a complete set. That was the last GW tool I bought.
I've got different gear wrench products. I'm pleased with the stuff this far. But I only bought stuff I can't hardly destroy like sockets for example. The sockets have held up well and were priced reasonable. As far as warranty goes it kind of sucks. I call the 800 number she takes my info and part number and I get a new tool in the mail. It's very simple to do but the shipping take for ever.
I’m done with gearwrench because of the warranty. I had their 1/2” drive 84 t ratchet and the selector switch broke after just a few uses. Gearwrench forwarded me to apex for the warranty. Apex warranty page was glitching so I had to call them. They sent me a warranty link to send photos. I did and waited 3 weeks for a response. They Responded that a replacement ratchet (90t) would ship to me the next month. So overall Im out a ratchet for over 2 months
Not a fan of gear wrench anything. I'd buy tekton or Capri before going to gearwrench. However I'm holding out that craftsman usa is going to be the only diy tool again.🇺🇲
I've bought Gearwrench products in the past. I will admit they do make decent ratchets and sockets. I agree their warranty is very sketchy. I did learn a hack with their 84 tooth ratchets, I saw several RUclips creators put Matco internals in Gearwrench 84 tooth ratchets. It does work. I won't buy anything else Gearwrench. This is going to piss someone off, In my opinion Harbor Freight Icon ratchet wrenches I think are better than anything Gearwrench has. Those are INFAR made. One that note, I've been buying Craftsman V series for my tool bag for work. I work the maintenance and utilities dept for my town. Craftsman V series are essentially Facom products with a Craftsman logo. Damn good tools for imports and I think are a better buy and are overall a superior product. I'm definitely giving Craftsman a 2nd Chance, with their V series. When their USA stuff starts rolling out, I'll definitely be going back to Craftsman for my personal home tools. Of course I got my Craftsman box full of USA made industrial tools for shop use.
I love my Facom wrenches so much that I sold my SK and Milwaukee wrenches cause I only used the Facom, and ironically enough, my Gearwrench X beam wrenches lol
I own many GW pieces, (KD Tool days) but I bought them years ago, for ridiculously low prices. I have yet to have one fail on me, and that is working on cars and mainly semis. Today, they have gotten too stupid for me on their prices.
What is the best flex head ratchet wrench’s? I use a lot of SAE . Is the Milwaukee brand a good one to buy? Thanks for your time and the videos that you make
The only Gearwrench stuff I have is their 120xp set, only bc I can't find anything like them for the money. I find otherwise, if I see them making it, I'll check Harbor Freight and make the comparison before I spend the premium on what seems like either a very comparable or identical tool.
ill be honest CP I've never owned super expensive "nice" tools but i got a 20 peice SAE and metric 72 tooth GW set for $50!! better than HF prices, im only 17 workikg on my first car do you think these will hold up nice ( I DO NOT break nuts loose with these )
I just got the 90t locking flexhead ratchets off amaz and am extremely disappointed. The heads feel loose and sloppy and can barely hold their own weight. The non locking 120xp flex I've used for 2 years feels way higher quality. I guess I'll be biting the bullet and buying tooltruck or trying to find locking 120xp versions if those exist
I have few sets of their wrenches, sockets, and ratchets. The ratchets definitely hold up. I have the 3/8 locking flex head comfort grip one. And it definitely performed better than my Matco one of which pissed me off. A lot of mechanics that I know at least have one brand of GW in their tool box. Or a rebranded one. Never got the concept of the mobile tool trucks when you can find all the GW stuff online and in box stores. Including the rebranded ones. Autozone-Duralast Tools Advance Auto Parts-Teq Correct/Die Hard Home Depot-Huskey Just to name a few.
Man i owned the longest handle 1/2" matco and i wasn't even sending it, i could not keep the guts in the thing. The last time i ever used it i was turning over a little diesel and all the sudden no ratcheting pawls were stripped. and the 14" (i think) 3/8 i bought it for slack adjusters. Couldn't keep the thing in one piece.
So as far made made in America tools beside tool truck companies and sk. What else would you personally recommend? I have koxed tools of sk, kd, Allen, Kal tools, Wright. Just trying to get away from some Taiwan tools. I have sunnex impacts that are surprisingly very good. They are better then my gearwrench impact sockets.
I disagree with the spark plug socket set. I have that and I think the 11" is the absolute best I have ever used to do plugs on the Toyota trucks. I can change the plugs on the Tacoma 3.5 without having to take other things off. The only one I have found to do that with.
I grew up watching Gear Wrench be the tool for DIYers and Weekend Warriors. Then I started seeing it on the truck…?! And it was marked up 50%. I didn’t know how to feel. To compare it to another brand blowing up. Think about see info Tekton on the truck. Some tools just need to stay on Amazon
The 120XP is a 60 tooth gear with 2x pawls which are offset to get the equivalent of a 120 tooth ratchet. It's weaker than a single pawl design as there are 2 slim pawls stuffed in there. If you want a stronger ratchet buy a single pawl ratchet, but usually the flex joints are weaker than the ratchet mechanism anyway Project Farm tested a lot of ratchets to failure and the single pawl Gearwrench 90T (286.2ftlb) was right up there with the Snap Off (295.4ftlb) at the top of the pack
@@scod3908 I agree. I have about 60 ratchets, many of which are stronger than the 120XP one. However, I just did an alternator with very limited access and this ratchet was perfect for the job.
I can't remember exactly, but I think the 120XP was tested at around 80-85%% failure torque of the 90T single pawl It should hold up as long as you reach for the breaker bar when appropriate and don't abuse it (keep the ratchet mechanism cleaned and oiled, no cheater bar or hammer, etc)
All GW mobile dealers have above and beyond warranty coverage for items purchased off of our trucks. We are allowed to warranty taps, dies, bit sockets, etc. where the average consumer buying from Amazon, THD, etc. doesn't get. The only exclusions are torque wrenches and tool boxes.
KD Tools and Easco were the same US manufacturer and they also produced sockets for Sears-Craftsman back in the day. KD Tools were very well made and affordable. Also had specialty automotive tools. Don't know if Apex Tools owned Gearwrench over 20 years ago when their ratcheting wrenches came out, but now, the quality has dropped under Apex with moving Gearwrench manufacturing to China. Now there is a two-tier quality offering. The old, better quality line is from Taiwan.
Well here's the thing kd and gearwrench have been together since 1920 but the gearwrench factory wasn't established until 1965 and the company wasn't established until 1995 when they invented the ratchet wrenches and now obviously they combined kd with gearwrench but I'm pretty sure apex has owned the gearwrench name the entire time.
Gearwrench tools are made both in Taiwan and China. The older the model, the more likely it's made in China. For example, the 84 tooth tools for sale at Christmas at tractor supply are all China made, when they first came out several years back they were made in Taiwan. As new tools are developed, the older designs are moved to China. This set my son just received from home Depot is the 90t version, very good quality set, had him personally check every tool including the lash.
Myself and those I work with have had "mixed results" with gearwrench. There are definitely different grades of thier products. The tiawan stuff is decent. All the china stuff is junk no matter who's name is on it.
What up cp l hope you can help me out. lm looking for a set of t handle hex wrenches where the hex shaft pulls out and slides into the side of the handle turning it into a straight handle driver or vice versa. Have you ever seen a set or know were l could get one?
@@CPthetooladdict do you have any part #s l cant seem to find the ones l described only regular t wrenches lve looked everywhere lve seen them on a few episodes of sams garage
i got the 90t and 120xp gw ratchets. the 120s have a ton of backdrag on them. i might use them more and they might loosen up but they aggravate me so much i dont even mess with them. the 90t are a lot better imo
I like GW because Amazon is always running sales on them I only buy stuff when it’s 25-50% off. their torque wrench’s and 90 tooth ratchets are pretty nice. But only about 25% of my tools are GW I just buy what I believe is the best bang for my buck. I’m a professional diesel mechanic
Like most businesses if they get greedy and don’t stand behind their product. They don’t care they get rich and if the company goes backrupt. They still have their personal income and retire
You know big brother, we lamented Armstrong together in comments more than once. Had Apex not done that, I think they would have the respect of quite a few more professionals. I have a set of double open end metrics from Sata I scored for like $27 when they came out, like 8mm - 24mm. Should have been the greatest deal ever except there’s no 13 and no 11? Something ridiculous like that. Another time I drank the kool aid and bought the deal of a lifetime sae and metric 6 point combination wrench sets as a package, 44 pieces for less than $150. They are adequate but the boxed ends are poorly forged like the die and punch didn’t line up correctly. They function fine for drain plug wrenches but old Snappy’s double box 6 points are the best, especially with the long handle. I believe I had a 14/17 combo years ago for Mercedes, BMW and Audi/Volkswagen soft drain plugs (And those awful solid steel line banjo fittings). I think some of the independent guys are steering away from Gearwrench these days with Mobile Tool Network. There’s more options for them. With GW and Tekton approaching Wright in price, I think my money is better spent with Wright or Williams USA
Hello again CP Thank you for another Great Video 👍 CP. I have the original ratchet wrenches that Gearwrench produced 1997-98. Were they great no. But then, they were the only one who had it. Today, my friend you are correct in your statement. Thank you for being Honest with all of us.
My 90t ratchets have been great, also have extra long spline wrenches with flex head and zero degree offset which have saved me many times. If you can find gearwrench stuff on sale, then it can be a good value. Otherwise yes, it is over priced!
I was really surprised that gearwrench somehow pushed there way into the nhra circuit. Not sure how they made it happen. Don't make much sense to me. Just like drivers all have to run Goodyear tires instead tire of their choosing.
So, while I bitch about the lack of updating and refinement in Snap’s ratchets, one thing is for sure, virtually everything they make is of great quality. Other companies? Well, they can be hit and miss. Gearwrench is one of those. I’ve noticed it also has a bit to do with where the various tools are made. The Taiwan stuff seems to be better executed than the China & Vietnam stuff. It wasn’t until you showed the newer 120xp that I realized they’d done a redesign. I think we both hate their impact swivel sockets. I used one while replacing the transmission in a Frontier and it was just too big and bulky. Took me forever to get it back out when I reinstalled that transmission. Also, let’s face it, Gearwrench is mostly just readily available over the counter and is probably coasting on their older name. But then, I’ve had good luck finding pretty good prices on their stuff. And it’s still better than the Dewalt hand tools. Lol
I have pretty much every 84 tooth ratchet Gearwrench Ratchet. Mostly they are my go to ones. I have a bunch of Tektons, some SK, and craftsman. Oh and a couple of Wera. But honestly, the first ones I go to are the GearWrench 84 Tooth ones. They are smooth, they are strong mechanisms, Not being a Fan boy but Sometimes I'll grab an SK, or a Craftsman At home, working on a washer or dryer, I'll prolly grab a Tekton. Breaking Suspension stuff on a 1954 Ford? I'll trust SK. A 1990 Volvo? Gearwrench. IDK what drives my choices, shrugs? And maybe I'm weird, but my first choice is 1/2". That is what I learned on
I will never understand all the good brand names that Apex killed off in order to push Gearwrench. The name brand means nothing to me. Armstrong, K-D, Allen and other American brands killed off by Apex meant somthing to me but not Gearwrench. I have some Sata ratchets and I like them. My understanding is that Sata was the Chinese licensee of Matco way back in the day. In all the horse trading that made ATG Matco and Sata wound up with different owners and Sata had to change their logo. Their older tools used the same logo as Matco. BTW who would you say is the worst tool company? Could you give us a top (or is that bottom) 5 or 10 list?
For gearwrench is on par with harbour freight or princess auto. At a low price it has value. Some of their kits are great like hex bits etc but otherwise it's pretty crap
Gearwrench dealers also make more profit per tool than snap-on dealers thats a fact.
Then snap-on needs to allow their distributors to make more money. That's NOT Gearwrenches fault, that's snap-on's fault.
That's because all their stuff is overseas borderline junk. Made in Chinese sweatshops
Exactly what Darren said only a closed minded simp wouldn't understand like jo tu
@@Senkino5o I'm pretty sure we're all talking about percentage profit
@@Senkino5o I know economics are hard for people to grasp but let me give you a quick lesson because sometimes things cost more doesn't mean more profit. For instance gearwrench dealers make .45 cents on the dollar and snap-on dealers make .35 cents thats the difference of paying good wages vs sweat shop wages. Since Americans want to have better pay but demand a lower cost of product this is why globalization is a problem you can't have your cake and eat it also.
The Armstrong closure was just sad man. Armstrong had AWESOME quality and some great designs. Of course apex just took their designs and just sent it to China.
Apex owned those plants over there before they killed Armstrong. That brand went away because they tried to escape heavy labor costs in the northeast.
@@WVCBUS08 They had the plants in China but they didn't transfer a lot of Armstrong designs until after the closure. They built a plant in South Carolina and then moved people from the original location and then closed it.
@@willr6596 that plant in Sumter already existed and was where they made Wiss. Armstrong went there Arkansas and Texas. They always had China & Taiwan. The forging process was terrible and the machines got sabotaged if you really want the truth.
@@WVCBUS08 Sabotaged by who tho? Wasn't it a very short time between the move and the cease of production of armstrong? it seemed like a move to just stop production in the USA.
@@willr6596 nope, everything was moved from TX to SC. Unfortunately none of the machinists decided to make the move. All of the expertise was lost plus the cost of chroming was beyond ridiculous (to establish new chroming facility). Had nothing to do with stopping production in the USA.
In Australia, it says this on their warranty page: “This warranty is provided in addition to other rights and remedies you have under law: Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and for compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.” So in other words, their warranty is largely meaningless as consumer law trumps it.
I still user my original gearwrench ratcheting wrenches I bought when they first came out and have had no issues with them. I've been using sata sockets for over a year with no issues. I received the 3 piece ratchet set for Christmas and use the 3/8 and 1/4 daily . I've also been using the gearwrench 1/4 master set with the 84 tooth ratchet for around 12 years and other than replacing the ratchet once it's still all the original pieces.
I bought a 1/2"Dr. Flex-head 18" long XP120 ratchet from my Matco dealer for $38 about 7 years ago . It has worked perfectly fine.
As with ALL of my many many ratchets dating back to the 1930's , I took it apart , lightly lubed it with Super Lube , & reassembled it before use .
For what I paid ... I had to buy it for my traveL set .
The amount of gearwrench tools that come to me for warranty from costumers who bought them off Amazon is astonishing. Especially that swivel spark plug set, the magnets just fall out after one use. Great video as always brother
It's definitely not good and really isn't for to people who sell gearwrench and have to warranty Amazon stuff. Great to hear from you sir!!
And people can't figure out to just epoxy the magnet's back in?
Mine still works great.
Definitely noticed the Chinese level of quality control when I decided to buy the big kit of extra long wrenches. 50+ metric & fractional, 38mm & 1 5/8" to 6mm no skips. Thought I had a deal for the price.
They showed up loose in a cardboard box, scratched, I'm pretty sure the wrenches are slightly out of size they don't seem to fit nearly as tight as some of my other brands.
There's a place for out of size wrenches, you can definitely fit them on a nut faster but the point of extra long wrenches is the extra torque you can put on them and a loose fit means less torque, more rounding which defeats the purpose.
Their 120 & 90t ratchets, especially the locking ones are top notch though. No complaints.
YEARS AGO,
I was a truck mech in a Union shop. Part of the union agreement with the shop is that they had to insure our tools.
The company insurance insisted we do a YEARLY tool inventory & submit it to our shop steward who submitted
them all to the boss. Our shop foreman was a tough old guy who couldnt me bothered with such nonsense SO
he would get the latest tool catalog from the MACK TOOLS truck that came around each week, he would tear out
the page that showed MACK biggest & most extensive tool set & that he turned in.
!
My last Gearwrench buy was a set of line wrenches. One was not finished. 3 Months to warranty it. At one point I phoned to ask where my replacement was and was told higher ups had to approve the claim. A monkey could have looked at it and known it was defective. My last Gearwrench.
I like my gear wrench wrenches and ratchets, but I do agree I've seen the price point become higher than normal. With that being said, I think they're an okay value especially their 90T line.
What would you suggest would be the best value for a prosumer/DIY guy?
Same price line as Tekton.
I'm sure in some yt testing videos Tekton came near the top, and they beat gear wrench on performance, that's what counts over cost imo, my knuckles hurt just looking at cheap tools. lol
@@ratchetwise440 Don't Williams make some snap on stuff, screwdrivers I think.
@@ratchetwise440 It's a shame about Williams going down hill, Bahco are from Sweden and Palmera from Spain, both bought by snap on years ago.
@@olivertaylor4779
I have a tekton socket set I got on closeout. And some screwdrivers. Honestly I am impressed.
The 90 tooth ratchets aren’t bad, I’ll admit I have a few but honestly the old 84 tooth that shadowed the Matco 88s were nicer and I feel tighter and more robust. I was very disappointed with the 6 point combination wrench set but then in the same day very impressed with the puller sets and slide hammer. Unfortunately Apex is just hit and miss. Two tools under different labels may be identical or may be completely different. It makes buying online difficult because until you have it in your hand, you don’t know what your getting. I like the Duralast line which is basically Sata/Gearwrench packaged for Autozone but the actual packaging allows you to inspect the tool before you commit to buying it.
In my opinion, this race to get to a higher tooth count in ratchets is causing more problems than they solve. Impact guns allow for a technician to get into tighter spaces that lower tooth count ratchets made difficult. The higher the tooth count, the weaker the overall torque of the ratchet and you also pay the price in back drag. I listen to actual mechanics who swear by 72 tooth count and below ratchets. I’m not suggesting that there isn’t a need for an 80 count tooth ratchet from time to time, but I’m not going out of my way for one. If you watch the RUclips channel Project Farm and how he tests swing arc of these high tooth ratchets, they almost never come close to the swing arc they advertise.
You are definitely not wrong!! It's a sales gimmick!
I only buy GW when it’s on sale. Otherwise I’ve had no issues with their tools.
In canada, if you want gear wrench ratchets/ratchet wrenches. Go to canadian tire, the mastercraft maximum is made by gear wrench and the warrenty through canadian tire is way easier to deal with
Good evening all: CP thank you for your video discussing the pros & cons of the Gearwrench brand. I feel the need to confirm your thoughts. The mother brand ( GW ) has become a crash cow brand for the Apex tool group. I've seen the prices of there products propell into the universe by as much as 50% . I can't justify that much of a price increase. On today's JDTCO latest video he had mentioned how unhappy he was with the GW Brand. Thank you again for your honesty, your friend in N.J. TMP 👍.
I have various tools from just about every tool manufacturer. My Gearwrench stuff hasn't let me down. Good video.
I commented in a previous video of yours about Matco being on the way out of the shop I work for because his prices were so crazy. 90$ for a box of nitrile gloves, full blown Snap-On prices for the tools on this Matco truck. I am very new to this industry but after pricing like that you would have a hard time convincing any tech in the shop I work for that buying gear wrench from the independent truck is a bad idea. The independent dealer takes way better care of all of us apparently more than the Matco guy ever did. I am new to this industry and shop so I don't know the entire history between the Matco dealer and this shop.
I've just bought some 90t flex head ratchet wrenches metric set feels good but the standard set feels like they are dry no lube and feels like a lot of slop in the gear set and hangs up if put pressure on it.
GW ratcheting wrenches are manufactured with a dry lube. Over time the dry lube may crystalize and feel a bit clunky. Run your RW wrenches through a parts washer or lube with a very viscus oil (sewing machine oil) and they will function like a fine Swiss watch. The reason for the dry lube is because the packaging would be destroyed from a liquid lubricant in shipping.
The Original GearWrench Ratcheting Wrenches Were Made In Tiawan And Were Awesome. The Newer China Made Wrenches Don't Compare.
Absolutely
Taiwan tools are great in my experience too, even tool truck branded tools are made there, afaik Halfords professional (UK diy auto store) are made by Gearwrench, some China made tools oh dear, I've had tougher chocolate bars.
The 90t ratchets are good to go. So are the sockets and wrenches from Gearwrench. Highly recommend them to those needing to watch money. Another go to for basic stuff is Husky. Apex makes Husky sockets and basic wrenches. Fair quality, good price and easy to warranty.
Wasn’t that power steering puller also sold under the Mac Tool brand back in the early 90’s?
Sata used to have the Matco label because Sata is/was Matco, made in China. All of the Matco Silver Eagle, second tier line was made by Sata. It is all Apex Tool. Apex was formed when Cooper Tool Group, and Danaher Tooll group merged in 2012. They make shit tons of money, but killed off several excellent American made tool lines in the process, and foisted off way to much inferior Chinese crap, for American made prices on the buying public.
Gear Wrench made really nice ratcheting wrenches when they first came out. They were made in Taiwan, and were good quality. The manufacturing was switched to China, and they went to s**t.
I have had good luck with ratchets, and sockets, but will not waste my money on cheaply made Chinese ratcheting wrenches. Those have become the equal to the old American made Sears Craftsman raised panel ratchets before they were moved to China. Complete crap.
fyi, the GW mobile dealer has lifetime warranty on everything except torque wrenches and toolboxes. if you buy your taps and dies from a GW dealer, you get lifetime warranty.
Unfortunately the dealer may give that warranty but gearwrench specifically says on there website no lifetime warranty on taps and dies they are garbage to me at that point.
I’ve got a metric and standard set of Armstrong wrenches that I got from the military. They were replaced by snapon shortly after
I do like Gearwrench standard wrenches, but their ratcheting wrenches have seized up on me too many times. I have slowly been changing my wrenches for Snap On.
Hey CP I have been listening to you on and off for a few months and i have just become a SUB ......
With tonights discussion going forward about the whole Gearwrench saga .....
Alot of people who keep buyiong GW tools is the simple fact that Most people DO NOT KNOW THAT GW IS OWNED BY APEX ...... MYSELF INCLUDED !!!
Now I am a Tech and i have been for over 25years and i have my SnapOn , Mac and Limited Matco due to the fact there was not a consistant Matco dealer in my area .
Now when i started in the business there was no internet ,all there was to use was Crapsman, and SNappy was there every week .
I started with my Crapsman like everyone but the only reason i did not keep up was everytime i went back to warranty something , the did not have it in stock ....So ....
Instead of going to sears 5 times i just purchased the same tool/tools from Snappy who came EVERY WEEK . you could set your watch by this guy .
Well i am going to cut it short or i will type up a comment too large that you and everyone ele will fall sleep.....Keep up the good work informing us unknowledgeable folks of the if ands & butts about who owns who and the mistakes of the rebranded toola nd the coming attractions.
Remember like i said above most people have no clue who owns who....so keep us informed CP and enjoy your week !!!
Thansk I appreciate comments like this very good I read the whole thing and didn't snooze off!! Lol
I used to love gearwrench when they first came out, the tools were great and prices were cheap. Now they are getting way to expensive for where they are made. They are charging USA prices for made in Taiwan
I have some sata 3/8 drive sockets and a 120xp ratchet and they seem pretty good to me. Price was right
If your on a budget, Gearwrench is decent for the money you spend. Better then Snap On, Mac, Cornwell and Matco? No but they're good to help you get the job done. I have some Gearwrench tools and its helped me get the job done with no issue.
Warrantys don't mean anything anymore i have a ratchet that broke i had it for over 30 years and called the manufacturer and they asked me if I still had the receipt if i did have it it would be a blank piece of paper because the ink disappears after a couple of years so I will just continue to buy good quality tools and hope for the best
Who was that from?
Most of my ratchets are Snap-on mac and matco at home i have some cheaper brand tools like craftsman gearwrench and the one i broke was frum a old set i got for Christmas over 30 years ago it was a popular mechanics sae and metric 3/8 drive socket set it probably should have broke 20 years ago it's one of my cheaper tool sets i use around the house i will try to find a replacement on ebay it has some sentimental value that's the only reason I tried to get a head kit for it
I bought the gw flex head flare wrenches SAE an Metric. I put the first one to use an it just went to a flimsy flex head loose hinge pos after one use. Tried tightening the micro screw nah doesnt help. Got took.
Apex is like the Evil Empire in Star Wars. I would love to be able to get the capital to buy the Armstrong name and start making those tools in the US again. They had one of the most badass tool logos of all times.
Maybe when apex starts feels the crunch hopefully Matco buys the old Armstrong plant and instead of rebrand tools they own the plant that use to make the stuff they had that was great
That'd be a solid F U to the man and a solid MAGA for the average consumer
i have a few 84 tooth gearwrench ratchets that rusted internally, i have the 84pc bit set that is half rusty within plastic case!!! gearwrench will not warranty rust issue! Anthony, rust is not a warranty issue. We simply do not have an issue, regardless of the tooth count or head style and the fact that you are experiencing rust on multiple type tools leads me to believe it is something on your end. I have dealt with thousands of customer warranty claims and rust just hasn’t been an issue. The issues of rust can be geographical, occupation, poor storage or handling etc. You’ve had the 84T for quite some time and if it was a control issue the rust would have formed quickly. I’m sorry but rust voids all warranties. done with a tool with warranty not worth the drying ink!!!!!!!!!!
Are those lifetime warranties on Gearwrench and SATA not transferable 🤔?
Not technically according to the policy
I have some old gearwrench tools and they are not bad but the new stuff is crap i need a new serpent belt set and i like what comes in the gearwrench set does anyone else have a good set you can recommend
Gear wrench is okay but the prices are a bit too high lately. I do like Thier 120xp tools a lot.
Vipermods my man long time no see brother how you been?
@@CPthetooladdict good just working a lot, I'll message you on ig
Not sure what the concern is with the margin a tool dealer makes. The reason GW dealers can make more profit is because they have the freedom to do that. The key flags have contracts stating what margins they can make. Unfortunately the flag guys get penalized; however, their corporate offices are making their full profit. That's why I moved away from the flags and went GW.
I'm not a fan of anything from Asia. I prefer buying MUSA. But those of you saying the Taiwan GW product is better than the China GW product may have had some bad luck with the China stuff. Both locations use the same steel, tooling, processes. Both products test out at 200% to AMSE specs. FYI, due to a 25% VAT tax, Apex is moving manufacturing out of China.
I agree I try to buy usa or German or Japan before anything else
Just bought a large GW sae/metric impact socket set. Price point was good for me and they appear to be high quality. I did consider less expensive sets but all things considered, GW was an easy call.
I’ve bought some gear wrench stuff over the years & my cornwell guy had a fall out with cornwell & he became a gearwrench tool truck he had no prob warranting out stuff even though he knew I didn’t buy it from hime
Seems to be a lot of different opinions about GW pricing. Some think they are expensive and some think they are a great value. I don't think you have to look too hard to find a good price. There are a number of online resellers where you should find a good price but you may not get the service you are looking for.
My employer bought a bunch of gear wrench stuff when I started. The socket sets are OK. The ratcheting floppy head. Wrenches, not so good. The regular non-watching metric wrenches = weak
I didn't even know gear wrench had tool truck dealers. I thought they just sold online and in stores. I've never seen a gear wrench tool truck other than the pictures of them online.
I loved KD and Armstrong, so sad there gone. I have the old original Gearwrench stuff that was made in Taiwan but stay away from the new stuff the last few years.
Their stuff is okay. I own a set of six point wrenches. Indexing pry bars, and some socket rails. I don’t plan on buying much more GW but I’ve been content with what I bought.
I’ve got 3 90T wrenches and 120T and
Never missed a beat
I have a few gear wrench tool. A couple have been great. Have a 14mm ratcheting wrench, it's workes just fine for about 15 years. Also have their locking flex head 1/4 ratchet, that has been used a lot, and it's held up just as good as my Snap On ratchets. But I also have some chrome 1/4 sockets that seem pretty soft.
Great wrench flocking flex rachet dubble rachting wrench set an belt tool can't live without
Thats why I use the mountain styles zero offset!!
I like gearwrench tools. I'll take gearwrench over husky or duralast etc anyday! Duralast make good ratchets though and sockets but i dont like how they organize their tool sets. Still like some craftsman but sic of them.
Easco/kd used to make napa New Britain and craftsman....thats long gone.
Don't forget Allen Armstrong matco WF SK
I have three wrenches out of the $300 120xp wrenches set , bind up. If they worked they're very nice. Not confidence inspiring, and the warranty is a two month back order on my few sizes, 13/16, 3/4, and 3/8, totally busted new from the box.
I bought a GearWrench ratchet wrench set a few years ago from Sears. The first time I went to use one the C-clip fell out and got lost. I tried to return it to Sears who told me to call the number on the packaging from GearWrench. Neither Sears or GearWrench would send me a replacement wrench or piece so I bought a wrench just so I had a complete set. That was the last GW tool I bought.
Apex Tool Group also makes Husky Tools for Home Depot, and Duralast Tools for AutoZone. But Husky and Duralast tools are not the same as Gearwrench.
I've got different gear wrench products. I'm pleased with the stuff this far. But I only bought stuff I can't hardly destroy like sockets for example. The sockets have held up well and were priced reasonable.
As far as warranty goes it kind of sucks. I call the 800 number she takes my info and part number and I get a new tool in the mail. It's very simple to do but the shipping take for ever.
I’m done with gearwrench because of the warranty. I had their 1/2” drive 84 t ratchet and the selector switch broke after just a few uses. Gearwrench forwarded me to apex for the warranty. Apex warranty page was glitching so I had to call them. They sent me a warranty link to send photos. I did and waited 3 weeks for a response. They Responded that a replacement ratchet (90t) would ship to me the next month. So overall Im out a ratchet for over 2 months
Thanks for sharing
Not a fan of gear wrench anything. I'd buy tekton or Capri before going to gearwrench. However I'm holding out that craftsman usa is going to be the only diy tool again.🇺🇲
Very much agree
I'm holding out for SK
Agreed…..I don’t see myself ever buying a Gearwrench item.
I have alot of tekton tools they are great and affordable
10-4 homeslice same
I've bought Gearwrench products in the past. I will admit they do make decent ratchets and sockets. I agree their warranty is very sketchy. I did learn a hack with their 84 tooth ratchets, I saw several RUclips creators put Matco internals in Gearwrench 84 tooth ratchets. It does work. I won't buy anything else Gearwrench. This is going to piss someone off, In my opinion Harbor Freight Icon ratchet wrenches I think are better than anything Gearwrench has. Those are INFAR made. One that note, I've been buying Craftsman V series for my tool bag for work. I work the maintenance and utilities dept for my town. Craftsman V series are essentially Facom products with a Craftsman logo. Damn good tools for imports and I think are a better buy and are overall a superior product. I'm definitely giving Craftsman a 2nd Chance, with their V series. When their USA stuff starts rolling out, I'll definitely be going back to Craftsman for my personal home tools. Of course I got my Craftsman box full of USA made industrial tools for shop use.
I love my Facom wrenches so much that I sold my SK and Milwaukee wrenches cause I only used the Facom, and ironically enough, my Gearwrench X beam wrenches lol
I own many GW pieces, (KD Tool days) but I bought them years ago, for ridiculously low prices. I have yet to have one fail on me, and that is working on cars and mainly semis. Today, they have gotten too stupid for me on their prices.
What is the best flex head ratchet wrench’s? I use a lot of SAE . Is the Milwaukee brand a good one to buy?
Thanks for your time and the videos that you make
Great point!
I have a serpentine belt tool that says KD gearwrench on it
When I saw SATA. First thought I had was made in Japan. Wonder if anyone else had that idea? Thanks for the info
You watch too much karate kid Satooooo!
The only Gearwrench stuff I have is their 120xp set, only bc I can't find anything like them for the money. I find otherwise, if I see them making it, I'll check Harbor Freight and make the comparison before I spend the premium on what seems like either a very comparable or identical tool.
ill be honest CP I've never owned super expensive "nice" tools but i got a 20 peice SAE and metric 72 tooth GW set for $50!! better than HF prices, im only 17 workikg on my first car do you think these will hold up nice ( I DO NOT break nuts loose with these )
I just got the 90t locking flexhead ratchets off amaz and am extremely disappointed. The heads feel loose and sloppy and can barely hold their own weight. The non locking 120xp flex I've used for 2 years feels way higher quality. I guess I'll be biting the bullet and buying tooltruck or trying to find locking 120xp versions if those exist
I have few sets of their wrenches, sockets, and ratchets. The ratchets definitely hold up. I have the 3/8 locking flex head comfort grip one. And it definitely performed better than my Matco one of which pissed me off.
A lot of mechanics that I know at least have one brand of GW in their tool box. Or a rebranded one.
Never got the concept of the mobile tool trucks when you can find all the GW stuff online and in box stores. Including the rebranded ones.
Autozone-Duralast Tools
Advance Auto Parts-Teq Correct/Die Hard
Home Depot-Huskey
Just to name a few.
So Die Hard is basically rebranded Gear Wrench tools?
I got the data ratchet wrench set because it was half price of the gearwrench set. Exactly the same wrenches just different logo lol
*sata
I understood you brother lol
Man i owned the longest handle 1/2" matco and i wasn't even sending it, i could not keep the guts in the thing. The last time i ever used it i was turning over a little diesel and all the sudden no ratcheting pawls were stripped. and the 14" (i think) 3/8 i bought it for slack adjusters. Couldn't keep the thing in one piece.
Agreed, it's not that great!
So as far made made in America tools beside tool truck companies and sk. What else would you personally recommend? I have koxed tools of sk, kd, Allen, Kal tools, Wright. Just trying to get away from some Taiwan tools. I have sunnex impacts that are surprisingly very good. They are better then my gearwrench impact sockets.
Channel lock wright klien just to name a few
I disagree with the spark plug socket set. I have that and I think the 11" is the absolute best I have ever used to do plugs on the Toyota trucks. I can change the plugs on the Tacoma 3.5 without having to take other things off. The only one I have found to do that with.
I grew up watching Gear Wrench be the tool for DIYers and Weekend Warriors.
Then I started seeing it on the truck…?! And it was marked up 50%. I didn’t know how to feel.
To compare it to another brand blowing up. Think about see info Tekton on the truck.
Some tools just need to stay on Amazon
I think gearwrench will keep Chinese production and bring some tools back here like craftsman and milwaukee taiwan is done
I confess. I got sucked into the gear wrench vortex. Picked up a 120xp 3/8 long flex head which is nice but sometimes feels like it's gonna break.
The 120XP is a 60 tooth gear with 2x pawls which are offset to get the equivalent of a 120 tooth ratchet. It's weaker than a single pawl design as there are 2 slim pawls stuffed in there. If you want a stronger ratchet buy a single pawl ratchet, but usually the flex joints are weaker than the ratchet mechanism anyway
Project Farm tested a lot of ratchets to failure and the single pawl Gearwrench 90T (286.2ftlb) was right up there with the Snap Off (295.4ftlb) at the top of the pack
@@scod3908 I agree. I have about 60 ratchets, many of which are stronger than the 120XP one. However, I just did an alternator with very limited access and this ratchet was perfect for the job.
I can't remember exactly, but I think the 120XP was tested at around 80-85%% failure torque of the 90T single pawl
It should hold up as long as you reach for the breaker bar when appropriate and don't abuse it (keep the ratchet mechanism cleaned and oiled, no cheater bar or hammer, etc)
@@MarzNet256 If it dies and you can't get a rebuild kit for whatever reason, you can always buy the SATA 1/2" 120P and swap the mech out of it ;)
@@scod3908 Good call.
All GW mobile dealers have above and beyond warranty coverage for items purchased off of our trucks. We are allowed to warranty taps, dies, bit sockets, etc. where the average consumer buying from Amazon, THD, etc. doesn't get. The only exclusions are torque wrenches and tool boxes.
KD Tools and Easco were the same US manufacturer and they also produced sockets for Sears-Craftsman back in the day. KD Tools were very well made and affordable. Also had specialty automotive tools. Don't know if Apex Tools owned Gearwrench over 20 years ago when their ratcheting wrenches came out, but now, the quality has dropped under Apex with moving Gearwrench manufacturing to China. Now there is a two-tier quality offering. The old, better quality line is from Taiwan.
Well here's the thing kd and gearwrench have been together since 1920 but the gearwrench factory wasn't established until 1965 and the company wasn't established until 1995 when they invented the ratchet wrenches and now obviously they combined kd with gearwrench but I'm pretty sure apex has owned the gearwrench name the entire time.
Gearwrench tools are made both in Taiwan and China. The older the model, the more likely it's made in China. For example, the 84 tooth tools for sale at Christmas at tractor supply are all China made, when they first came out several years back they were made in Taiwan. As new tools are developed, the older designs are moved to China. This set my son just received from home Depot is the 90t version, very good quality set, had him personally check every tool including the lash.
Myself and those I work with have had "mixed results" with gearwrench. There are definitely different grades of thier products. The tiawan stuff is decent. All the china stuff is junk no matter who's name is on it.
Live in ND and they honored the warranty in 10 days
I used to be a Gearwrench street team dealer. Ask me anything you want to know about the tool sales end
Tell me more
Just started watching your videos. Definitely words spoken with experience! You always pass on interesting information.
Thanks
Great stuff! @ 4:35 Rad Dan looks like he travelled back to 1980 to get that mullet! =D
What up cp l hope you can help me out. lm looking for a set of t handle hex wrenches where the hex shaft pulls out and slides into the side of the handle turning it into a straight handle driver or vice versa. Have you ever seen a set or know were l could get one?
My three choices would be bondus, klien or powerbuilt
@@CPthetooladdict do you have any part #s l cant seem to find the ones l described only regular t wrenches lve looked everywhere lve seen them on a few episodes of sams garage
i got the 90t and 120xp gw ratchets. the 120s have a ton of backdrag on them. i might use them more and they might loosen up but they aggravate me so much i dont even mess with them. the 90t are a lot better imo
The new locking flexes have little to none they are sick
Would like to see side by side sata and gearwrench video
I have one I believe I showed some sata
I like GW because Amazon is always running sales on them I only buy stuff when it’s 25-50% off. their torque wrench’s and 90 tooth ratchets are pretty nice. But only about 25% of my tools are GW I just buy what I believe is the best bang for my buck. I’m a professional diesel mechanic
Not long discovered your channel but love the enthusiasm , knowledge and passion . Look forward to more soon .
Thank you I appreciate this!!
I like gearwrench .. especially the ratchets ..I just love tools lol 😂
Like most businesses if they get greedy and don’t stand behind their product. They don’t care they get rich and if the company goes backrupt. They still have their personal income and retire
I dont like that you have to ship out the tool to get it warranty
You know big brother, we lamented Armstrong together in comments more than once. Had Apex not done that, I think they would have the respect of quite a few more professionals. I have a set of double open end metrics from Sata I scored for like $27 when they came out, like 8mm - 24mm. Should have been the greatest deal ever except there’s no 13 and no 11? Something ridiculous like that. Another time I drank the kool aid and bought the deal of a lifetime sae and metric 6 point combination wrench sets as a package, 44 pieces for less than $150. They are adequate but the boxed ends are poorly forged like the die and punch didn’t line up correctly. They function fine for drain plug wrenches but old Snappy’s double box 6 points are the best, especially with the long handle. I believe I had a 14/17 combo years ago for Mercedes, BMW and Audi/Volkswagen soft drain plugs (And those awful solid steel line banjo fittings). I think some of the independent guys are steering away from Gearwrench these days with Mobile Tool Network. There’s more options for them. With GW and Tekton approaching Wright in price, I think my money is better spent with Wright or Williams USA
apex ended up with what was left of herbrand when they bought the cooper tool group 😳
Hello again CP
Thank you for another Great Video 👍 CP. I have the original ratchet wrenches that Gearwrench produced 1997-98. Were they great no. But then, they were the only one who had it. Today, my friend you are correct in your statement. Thank you for being Honest with all of us.
My 90t ratchets have been great, also have extra long spline wrenches with flex head and zero degree offset which have saved me many times. If you can find gearwrench stuff on sale, then it can be a good value. Otherwise yes, it is over priced!
I was really surprised that gearwrench somehow pushed there way into the nhra circuit. Not sure how they made it happen. Don't make much sense to me. Just like drivers all have to run Goodyear tires instead tire of their choosing.
They didn't push their way in. They partnered with NAPA and Ron Capps. The secret is just write a big enough check and you too can play.
So, while I bitch about the lack of updating and refinement in Snap’s ratchets, one thing is for sure, virtually everything they make is of great quality. Other companies? Well, they can be hit and miss. Gearwrench is one of those. I’ve noticed it also has a bit to do with where the various tools are made. The Taiwan stuff seems to be better executed than the China & Vietnam stuff. It wasn’t until you showed the newer 120xp that I realized they’d done a redesign. I think we both hate their impact swivel sockets. I used one while replacing the transmission in a Frontier and it was just too big and bulky. Took me forever to get it back out when I reinstalled that transmission.
Also, let’s face it, Gearwrench is mostly just readily available over the counter and is probably coasting on their older name. But then, I’ve had good luck finding pretty good prices on their stuff. And it’s still better than the Dewalt hand tools. Lol
Just stumbled across this and as always it's a dam good video. I love your attention too detail Mr CP 👍🇨🇦🔧
Welcome aboard!
@@CPthetooladdict Thanks! Can you kindly point me to my destinated muster point 👍🇨🇦🤣🔧
Oh JDTCO Nick glad I have USA 🇺🇸 tools
I have pretty much every 84 tooth ratchet Gearwrench Ratchet.
Mostly they are my go to ones.
I have a bunch of Tektons, some SK, and craftsman. Oh and a couple of Wera.
But honestly, the first ones I go to are the GearWrench 84 Tooth ones.
They are smooth, they are strong mechanisms, Not being a Fan boy but
Sometimes I'll grab an SK, or a Craftsman
At home, working on a washer or dryer, I'll prolly grab a Tekton.
Breaking Suspension stuff on a 1954 Ford? I'll trust SK.
A 1990 Volvo? Gearwrench.
IDK what drives my choices, shrugs?
And maybe I'm weird, but my first choice is 1/2". That is what I learned on
Gearwrench has lost their MoJo?
CP please review the SATA tools and compare
To others tools for us! 👍
I will never understand all the good brand names that Apex killed off in order to push Gearwrench.
The name brand means nothing to me.
Armstrong, K-D, Allen and other American brands killed off by Apex meant somthing to me but not Gearwrench.
I have some Sata ratchets and I like them.
My understanding is that Sata was the Chinese licensee of Matco way back in the day.
In all the horse trading that made ATG Matco and Sata wound up with different owners and Sata had to change their logo.
Their older tools used the same logo as Matco.
BTW who would you say is the worst tool company?
Could you give us a top (or is that bottom) 5 or 10 list?
Sata tools was always Danaher apex Asia based market for tools and had the matco eagle nut logo
For gearwrench is on par with harbour freight or princess auto. At a low price it has value. Some of their kits are great like hex bits etc but otherwise it's pretty crap