List Price: $136.32
Sale Price: $93.33
Today's Bonus: 32% Off
I am a maintenance manager for a seafood processing plant in Alaska. I have 25 years of military Aircraft Maintenance behind me and I love awesome tools. These tools are ok. But... They are not something I would jump through hoops to get. Nor would I call them an investment. I consider all of my tools an investment, but these.
Most of my tools are high end (Snap-on, Proto, Mac and Craftsman). When Gearwrench came out with their ratcheting wrenches, I fell in love. I snatched up the first set I saw in metric and SAE for $15 per set. I think they are the best investment for the dollar I've ever made in tools. I also have a few Gearwrench ratchets which are really awesome as well. So naturally I thought these would be as good as the other Gearwrench products I purchased, and boy was I wrong.
Pros;
They are easy to use.
They look cool.
Functionality is good for light jobs.
Their light.
Case looks cool.
Great for all-thread with standard nuts.
Cons;
* THESE DO NOT REPLACE DEEP WELL SOCKETS! The diameter of the shaft hole is too small when working with narrow walled or undersized nuts. They will work with about 90% of the bolts, but not narrow walled or undersized nuts. A lot of precision equipment use this type of nut, and the nuts outside diameter is closer to the diameter of the bolt. For this type of nut these sockets are useless as a deep well. The bolt or all-thread will not pass through.
* Absolutely useless on bent bolts. Found myself having to use a deep well set or wrenches each time the bolt was bent on the non-grabbing side of the nut.
* Sizes are too hard to read. They don't have as much surface area as most sockets, so the writing is very very very... small. The larger sockets from 5/8 3/4 and 15mm 19mm are decent to read, but below that they are hard to read. The 1/4 drive is dang near impossible to read. I found using a white paint pen to mark over the size, and wiping off the access does make them easier to read.
* The 3/8 dr ratchet's lever is too big, and gets switched to the other direction to easily when working in tight places. I have not had the same problem with the 1/4 dr ratchet.
* Major Pet Peeve the box sucks for functionality. I am all about tool control and this box is terrbile. The box is made of hard plastic and the sockets sit loosely in it and at an angle. Great display case absolutley terrible for functionality. If you bump the box while it is open sockets will fly everywhere. If you do not open it flat, they fly out. If you set it down open, they fly out. I am not kidding on how bad these tools fit in the box. This is truly the worst socket case I have ever used. The first times I responded to a crisis in the plant, I spent as much time digging through fish guts to find my sockets after bumping the box as I did fixing the problem. After a couple of hard lessons, I smartened up. But my workers didn't. Each time they try to help me, we are digging through fish guts looking for sockets.... I also have the 1/4 set and I have the same problem with it, but not as bad as the complete set. You can't just lay it open, because anything that hits the lid or lightly bumps it, will cause the tools to fly out. No kidding the case looks like a popcorn popper when you tap it.
Personal thoughts.
* They are annoying if you are use to looking at the socket and knowing the size. Example, I can take one look at any of the standard sized sockets and know what size it is as long as my metric are separated from my SAE. Which is a great time saver. I cannot do that with these.
* They wasted a lot of space, since the sockets are only on 1/2 of the case. As thick as the case is, you could double the amount it holds.
* I would not let these near an impact-gun, impact-driver or use a cheater bar with them. I really do not think they will take it.
* I wish both ratchets had round handles. Round handles are easier to grip from odd angels.
* Longevity I just do not see these lasting. I have had a Craftsman set, in its original plastic case for 25 years. The tools have been used and used hard, but they were made to last. These are not. I am afraid to use them the way I use my other tools. I think they will be fine for the light stuff, but for heavy work I do not trust them.
Don't get me wrong, they are not terrible. But they are not for industrial use or for someone who loves to turn a wrench. A home mechanic with a good work bench, and really good eyesight would probably appreciate them a lot more than I. But as far as I see it, for the same price I can get an excellent Craftsman's set.
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I have always been a hardcore Craftsman man, and why not? Their warranty is the best in the business. But when I got my hands on this nifty set from GearRatchet(GearWrench)I was all smiles. So much versatility. It even comes with adapters so you can use your regular non-gearwrench sockets.HUGE bang for the buck! Excellent for mechanic or household jobs, and their warranty is now backed by Sears just like Craftsman.
Best Deals for GearWrench 8946 Pass Thru Ratchet 46 Piece Set 1/4-Inch
Bought this set thinking it would be reasonable quality and was dissapointed.Ratchet on smaller driver was faulty and would switch itself over mid drive from 'tighten mode' to 'loosen mode'. Very annoying when you are elbow deep in an engine.
