Any opinions on a decent set ?

I'd like to have this milwaukee set , but too rich for my blood .

The second might work , not using them often

I have sets of craftsman that have served me well. Like any brand they all have their limits.

Blackhawks are the ones I went with. Used to work in a shop we used them daily.

I've never seen the point. I have ratchet sets and wrench sets. Why do I need ratchet wrench sets?

Because some times a ratchet and socket will not get on what you want to turn and if you can only get 1/4 a turn it is nice to have the ratchet wrench. Yes I know you can take a wrench off and put it back on.

If you're not using them often, Get them at Harbor Freight. That way you can buy every tool you need. I have a complete set of things I need in every vehicle and both side by sides for not much more than a set of those wrenches from Milwaukee

The Craftsman tools worked for a lot of years until I saw some were China made. I started gathering any name brand tools that were made in the USA. I have amassed a large amount of Proto,Snap-on, Williams, Bonney, S-K, Thorsen, Barcalo, Indestro,Vlcheck, Klein, Wizard (western Auto), Power-Kraft (Wards), Lectrolite, OTC, KD, Kraeuter, Herbrand, and others. These tools were made back when the tool companies were proud of the products they made. Unfortunately, many of these names have gone out of business or been bought out by companies that are now sourcing those tools from China and the like. I have bought all of these tools from flea markets, pawn shops, auctions, and yard sales. If I loose or break a tool, I can just get into my inventory for a replacement. No need to make a trip to town.

X2

I'm glad 99.9% of the tools I bought years ago are USA manufactured and made well. I have Craftsman , Gearwrench and Snap-on ratchet wrenches.


I'm currently cleaning and reorganizing my tool boxes , this is what 100lbs plus of wrenches look like just dumped into one large drawer.

I use performance tool brand ratcheting wrenches. My local auto parts store has a lifetime warranty on them. I paid $60 for the set. I use mine all the time. Like them better than the combination wrenches or plain ratchets. But the long handle ratcheting wrenches get pricey fast such as Icon from harbor freight. I don't have the Milwaukee brand yet but I have watched YouTube videos that say Milwaukee brand is better than snap on . Yes, I know there's BS on the Internet.

Also try a reversible ratcheting wrench set.

Many of my tools are 50+ years old, and of mixed origin. I have lots of duplicate wrenches and sockets. If I need something I go to Harbor Freight. Their Pittsburg product line is OK and I think they warranty them.

the first one I had was on a Matco battery set
had the 2 most common sizes for side terminal batteries

it was very handy

there are times you can't easily get a socket on , like a long threaded rod that you need to put a nut on

very handy on certain brakes and in tight places where you can get a wrench on but you can only swing it a few degrees , speeds up being able to just swing it back and forth and not on and off 50 times

Tekton are nice they used to be Michigan Industrial tool
https://www.tekton.com/wrenches/ratcheting-wrenches

I have grearwrench for my ratcheting combo end wrenches , I had already bought them before I knew about Tekton
gear wrench are ok they work , you flip them over to change direction and they are only strait.

tekton has a good warranty decent prices and NO SKIPS I hate skips , it ends up being the wrench I need and it isn't a part of any set.

This is my favorite set, just bought the add on set that added 21mm, 22mm, and 24mm. Pricey but the double flex is very handy to have. Now I rarely pick up my non flex ratcheting wrenches. But I am use them every day at work. For at home gearwrench would be worth a look.

I've got a small set of the Harbor Freight ones. They can be handy at times, but the head on the ratchet wrenches is much larger than the head on a standard wrench, so many times that tight place that you want them for because a ratchet and socket won't fit? The ratchet wrench won't fit either. I bought them specifically because I was pulling a transmission on a Toyota with the 22RE (replacing clutch) and those top two bolts are a real pain (most of those rigs have been around long enough now that they have been worked on and they will only have one bolt, because most mechanics toss one and only put one back in when the reinstall) no room to get a socket on and you can get at most an 1/8 of a turn with a wrench. Got home with my fancy new ratchet wrenches and headed to the shop... the bigger heads on the ratchet wrench caused them not to fit either!

They are handy to have at times, but I don't use them enough to buy an expensive set, and there are Harbor Freights everywhere, so if you break a Pittsburgh one you can take it in and exchange it no questions. I've got a couple big sets of Craftsman tools, but there are no Sears around any more and no place to exchange them when they break. Snap on are a great tool and I have a few of them as well as a few S&K and other brands that are "lifetime warranty" but again, a real pain to exchange if/when you break them due to a lack of local dealers.

I’m sorry, but you must not wrench a lot. They definitely have their place in low profile places. I also believe to need straights and off sets to really git-r-done. Those Milwaukee ones are nice and take a beatin daily. Blue point makes a nice reasonable set too.

I have these langs I believe they’re still made in the USA and mine work good I like that I can clean and oil the gear part directly unlike the gear wrench style that’s enclosed.

https://langtools.com/flat-wrenches/

The last difficult repair I ran into was replacing the lift pump on my Kubota L35. It was one of those situations MJM described where you could just barely get a combo wrench on and get at best a 1/4 turn. I was cursing the engineers that designed that bit of stupidity.

After spending about forty-five minutes getting the first nut off I called my the neighbor kid who is a diesel mechanic and he brought his metric ratchet wrench set over. Like bearcat said, it wouldn't fit. The recessed flanges on the lift pump were just big enough to get the closed end of a combo wrench on. No way to get a socket or a ratchet wrench on.

I'm sure there are times they might come in handy but not enough for me to buy a set. Especially when I could borrow the neighbors.

I caught a sale on the gearwrench set at Farm and fleet 59 dollars
45 minutes to loosen one bolt when there are a bunch to do , time is money and have never regretted good tools that last and make my life easier.
would be a lot harder if I had to justify 590 dollars for a snap on set

Yeah, but the ratchet wrench wouldn't fit GCP.

The ones I got from Harbor Freight are still going strong after 8+ years. They will replace them if they ever break I'm told but I haven't had to test that yet.

Thanx for all the replies , I went with this cheap set for 79.97 free shipping, 26 pc set .

Hope I don't regret it , if I'm disappointed I'll garage sell them and go with one of the other recommendations you guys gave on here



Photos to follow if I can resize or some stupid crap like that

I use ratchet wrenches less frequently but nice to have in the lineup… this morning on the power washer- no Z clearance for a socket - could use a box wrench but nice to have, not a must have.

at least they included the 18 in that set
to many sets exclude 18mm
and you need it for a lot of GM brake jobs

I have a set of these...don't have to flip them Ovah...has a direction switch..and a swivel head

i like snap on but they are not cheap

I bet I used my ratchet wrenches more than any other tool since I've had them. Slick tool.

I think you made a good choice for the money, I will tell you this though, Milwaukee hand tool's are the real thing.

I have blue point also, use the devil out of them.

As much as it pains me to say it. Harbor Freight has a pretty good deal with the lifetime warranty no questions asked replacement. The tools are knockoffs but work fairly well.

Fairly well doesn't cut it when its your profession and the customer is waiting for their car to be finished.

For the shade tree mechanic, those knock offs are great. The old saying....

Different strokes for different folks.

That looks like my wrench’s when I’m looking for a certain one .

Agree

That's a heck of a deal. For non-professional use that's all ya need. To own pro grade tools , especially Snap-On for a homeowner is almost stupid. Because Snap-On has stupid prices. I know , I put the Snap-On guy's kids through college......lol


FYI - pro tip for all ,
Never use a ratcheting wrench to break loose a tight or stuck fastener if you can help it. Use a normal wrench to get it loose , then switch to the ratcheting wrench.

As a young mechanic still learning , I broke many , many ratcheting socket wrenches. Craftsman , S-K , Mac , Matco and Snap-On , broke them all , even 1/2" drive. Yeah , ya got new ones for free but after a while , I learned to pick up a breaker bar ( non-ratcheting ) and use that instead. I spent less time returning tools I broke. Good thing years ago Sears didn't have a rigorous process to return tools , because if they collected my data they might have blacklisted me for the large amount of tools I replaced.

I was expecting to see a old ratchet wrench being used as a scent post when I opened this. You can imagine my disappointment. Lol. Mine are American made Craftsman.