Set of tools... which one?

[Pig-Pen]

Never heard of Tekton till i joined this site. Ill have to look into them more.

If you have a harbor freight nearby, they are really good about exchanging tools with their extended warranty. No questions asked just in and out.

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[Pig-Pen]

Anyone have any good recommendations for battery operated wratchet? Milwaukee seems good but pricey and doesnt even come with battery or charger

 

[anotherWS6]

It's been 8 months, I imagine the OP has either purchased some items or decided agasint it.

ANy feedback OP?

I'm a major house and car tool nut, been using them professionally for 3+ decades. I certainly have my opinions.

 

[S2k Chris]

Anyone have any good recommendations for battery operated wratchet? Milwaukee seems good but pricey and doesnt even come with battery or charger

When you buy a battery tool, it's important to look at the whole battery ecosystem you are buying into. Any big-name company should be good, but you are likely not going to stop at one battery tool, you will continue adding them, so think about what you might need.

I was given a Craftsman C3 cordless drill when I first moved out on my own 15 years ago, it was not a bad call at the time, but now that Craftsman has gone nearly kaput it kinda sucks. I have probably 15+ tools and 5+ batteries in that set, everything from impact drivers to a weedeater to a vacuum to flashlights, so it's a pretty significant investment. I finished up a big project a couple years ago (basement remodel) so I don't really have a reason to invest in anything new, but when the next project comes along (I'm going to need a new shed one of these years..) I'll probably upgrade.

IMO, Ryobi has about the best range of products, zillions of things, but they aren't as heavy duty as a DeWalt or Milwaukee for pure tools, so that's the tradeoff I'll have to consider.


Edit to add: usually there are some pretty solid Black Friday deals on starter tool sets (cordless drill + impact driver + battery + charger for instance) so if you can hold out it might be a good idea.

 

[D60]

Never heard of Tekton till i joined this site. Ill have to look into them more.

If you have a harbor freight nearby, they are really good about exchanging tools with their extended warranty. No questions asked just in and out.

Tekton has quickly become my new favorite for value tools. Decent quality, fantastic price, and they're actually great about standing behind their stuff. Much like JeepCares hangs out here Tekton has reps on some tool boards and if you PM them they'll often just send out another tool (ditto for AP - Astro Pneumatic).

Not quite as convenient as HF unless, like me, you're rarely near a HF.

For a battery powered ratchet Milwaukee is arguably the leader, but many people - myself included - prefer the first gen ratchets. The second gen are HUGE. In fact just last night I was replacing ignition coils on an '03 F150 and my first gen BARELY fit where I needed to be. I remember thinking if I had the larger Gen2 I couldn't have used it there. That said, the Gen2's have a more robust build.

Most important is remember these are nut spinners. They don't have power to break tight fasteners. But they ratchet like a normal ratchet when not under power so break it with your manpower, then pull trigger to spin it out, etc

edit: buy Tekton on their site. Free shipping on everything if you create an account and they have a loyalty program where you accrue "cash" on each purchase. Otherwise Amazon can have competitive pricing on Tekton. Tekton is even striving to have some US-made wrenches and I think their screwdrivers are still Wilde - made in KS? IIRC....

 

[Gropax]

if you got a Harbor Freight near you it will cost a lot less and they have lifetime warranties on them. i got all the metric tools i needed for less then $50 and even got 2 .50 ammo cans to put them in so i can take them with me if i need to.

 

[S2k Chris]

if you got a Harbor Freight near you it will cost a lot less and they have lifetime warranties on them. i got all the metric tools i needed for less then $50 and even got 2 .50 ammo cans to put them in so i can take them with me if i need to.

Harbor Freight is okay for some stuff, but no matter what the warranty is, it's always a PITA to go back to the store to replace a tool mid-job, and might not be possible if that job is occurring late at night, Sunday afternoon, whatever.

I buy Harbor Freight stuff for single-use tools, or for stuff even they can't screw up (say, a socket, or a plastic trim tool or something). I don't trust their longevity, nor do I trust them for stuff that can be dangerous when it breaks (for instance, I'm not buying a chinesium HF breaker bar).

 

[Carlton]

if you got a Harbor Freight near you it will cost a lot less and they have lifetime warranties on them. i got all the metric tools i needed for less then $50 and even got 2 .50 ammo cans to put them in so i can take them with me if i need to.

I love Harbor Freight and lucky enough to have one 1.5 miles away. You can get a whole ratchet set for the price of one piece elsewhere. Tools have always worked great for me. Over the years, I have only had one break. Walked in and showed them. They grabbed another for me and said have a nice day. No questions or issues.

 

[D60]

Stepped into the shop just now and realized I was using one of my favorite "problem solver" tools - my Tekton 1/4" stubby ratchet.

Good feel in the hand, high tooth count (just standard 72 I think) and very low backdrag (very important for tiny fasteners)

Anyway, just thought it was timely with the recent mention of Tekton

 

[D60]

Harbor Freight is okay for some stuff, but no matter what the warranty is, it's always a PITA to go back to the store to replace a tool mid-job, and might not be possible if that job is occurring late at night, Sunday afternoon, whatever.

I buy Harbor Freight stuff for single-use tools, or for stuff even they can't screw up (say, a socket, or a plastic trim tool or something). I don't trust their longevity, nor do I trust them for stuff that can be dangerous when it breaks (for instance, I'm not buying a chinesium HF breaker bar).

So I don't disagree. I don't. Really.

And consistency of metallurgy from the cheap brands combined with the Chinese culture of quality fade is ALWAYS a concern.

But if you've got time to kill this breaker bar shootout is entertaining, if ya like tools. Some say RTR is a schill, and I don't necessarily disagree with that either.

Still, if you have your man card or need to renew it tool videos are always fun:

 

[D60]

Also, FWIW, I did opt for the HF Pro breaker bar.

And I'm not afraid to spend $ on quality tools. Just the wrenches pictured are nearly $700 retail (not kidding - Snappy next gen ratcheting wrenches) and across the top is my lowly $20 breaker bar. I just couldn't see paying tool truck prices for a steel bar with a square on the end.

Doesn't mean I'm right. Doesn't mean others are wrong. I just spend $ where it makes sense to me (but the Snappy wrenches were a luxury splurge fo sho)

 

[IronScott]

Anyone have any good recommendations for battery operated wratchet? Milwaukee seems good but pricey and doesnt even come with battery or charger

This is not going to be the quality of a Milwaukee or other name brand but for the price it’s pretty darn good. Comes with two batteries and charger.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CZWBYBK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Pig-Pen]

Almost all my wrenches and sockets are craftsman. I do have some HF handtools and some electric stuff like bench grinder, belt sander and die grinder. I have the crap out of my hf sawzall and and angle grinder. The only hf tool i have broken yet is the die grinder. Walked in and out with a replacement thanks to the $5 extended warranty lol. Hf is quick with exchanges. For Craftsman i used to have to go to the MALL to go to sears. And it was down in basement level. Huge pain.

I also have HF Daytona floor jack. That thing is a beast. Has standard 3 year warranty included. So far so good.
Every floor jack i have ever owned ended up failing eventually. We’ll see with hf.

They seemed to have raised their quality the past few years. I know that they have full time tool testers/torturers at their nearby hq in Camarillo, CA

I was checking out their electric ratchet. Half the price of Milwaukee and comes with battery and charger. Not like id be using it all the time and i do have 3 electric impact guns and air as well (never needed).

I used to be makita guy thanks to my father. I like dewalt as well. My buddy turned me on to Ryobi. I have a bunch of their +1 lithium tools. Always enough for my uses and nothing has broken in over ten years of abuse. Too bad they dont make an electric ratchet.

 

[word302]

Also, FWIW, I did opt for the HF Pro breaker bar.

And I'm not afraid to spend $ on quality tools. Just the wrenches pictured are nearly $700 retail (not kidding - Snappy next gen ratcheting wrenches) and across the top is my lowly $20 breaker bar. I just couldn't see paying tool truck prices for a steel bar with a square on the end.

Doesn't mean I'm right. Doesn't mean others are wrong. I just spend $ where it makes sense to me (but the Snappy wrenches were a luxury splurge fo sho)

Tekton makes great ratcheting wrenches as well. A few bucks less than the Snappy.

 

[D60]

Tekton makes great ratcheting wrenches as well. A few bucks less than the Snappy.

I completely agree! But AFAIK all Tektons are 6pt and I actually prefer the 12pt.

But I've got the extra long DBE flex ratcheting Tektons

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