Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsGood not great
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2019
I was in the need for a decent tool kit. After much research, I decided on this one.
I had narrowed down to this kit, and Craftsmans 220pc set.
At the time they were within around 10 bucks of each other.
The reason Dewalts case sold me, was 72 tooth ratchets, and all 6 pt sockets.
The Craftsmans kit has 45tooth ratchets, and 12 and 6 point sockets.
I have always preferred 6pt sockets, and finer teeth makes for less swing in tight areas.
Sometimes that really matters.
I also like the Dewalt fat handle design. Its easy to find thin tapered handles, or bi-material, but hard
to find heavy thick handles.
The Craftsman kit does have quick release ratchets, but honestly, I am indifferent.
As far as the case goes, mine is fine. Quite robust actually. Not really sure who'd call this flimsy.
When opening, the letters face up. Like always.
Both brands are made over seas now, and have lifetime warranties, so that is a wash to me.
My only complaint would be my 1/4 in ratchet was real "crisp" feeling. Like it may have had some grit in the teeth, or just wasn't oiled from the factory.
It loosened up, but works better now after a blast of WD40.
I consider this an upper tier consumer grade set(not).
Update: 1/4 in drive went back to its old ways. Def has a "square" spot in it. That bothers me.
What bothers me more is there isn't a proper hex included to open and inspect the ratchets! At least not in my set. That itself merits a star reduction.
Lastly, the 1/2 in drive is set NOT a 72 tooth. I finally slow counted clicks over and over and got 36. Rereading the sales description, gives the impression ALL ratchets are 72.
Still an ok set, but maybe not as good as I originally thought.
Update 2:
This is my last update.
After doing a water pump change, these ratchets finally got the best of me.
I dug and scrounged and found an old junky gas station pocket multi-driver, that had the proper
size bit for opening these ratchets up for inspection.
1st observation: Zero lubrication. None. Nada. Not even the tiniest light film. Nothing. Dry.
I normally use a grease designed for fishing reels, but I couldn't find my bottle, so I used a dollop of
STP in each ratchet.
My test, that infuriated my dad, is to hold an extension, and spin them like party favor noise makers.
If grease and that motion, don't smooth them out, they're garbage.
Results:
1/4 drive: smoothed out. It doesn't have that "catch" and "grab" feeling every 30 or 40 clicks.
Knock on wood, it seems good.
3/8 drive: It always felt smooth, although it occasionally reversed direction on me doing the water pump. Now, it barely makes a sound (I accidentally over greased it), and is smooth as butter.
1/2 drive: For whatever reason, presto! It now clicks 72 times! I guess the rocker inside was stuck, don't know.
Popping some water pump bolts free didn't help it, but the STP did. It seems to be fine now. I actually miss the solid 36click sounds now! The 72 clicks sounds weaker, lol. Time will tell. Guess I got used to the louder clicks.
My opinion of this set hasn't changed.
When I buy a set of tools, my first mechanic action should NOT be to repair the tools themselves. That is ridiculous.
For those who want to attempt opening these and greasing them, be very careful not to loose the little spring. I can see that easily happening. Work over a magnetic tray. The 1/4 drive can be tricky since the parts are so tiny inside, but it is doable in just a few minutes. Don't just jerk it apart. Hold the selector in with one hand from behind, and ease the mechanism up little at a time.
