According to new product listings on Amazon and other online tool stores, Dewalt has launched new ToughSeries combination wrenches.
Dewalt ToughSeries line of hand tools, is advertised as being designed with industry-shattering innovation.
These new wrenches feature “powerjaw technology” that delivers “30% more torque on rounded fasteners.”
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There are grooves on the open end, and similar ridges on the 6pt box ends. We’ve seen wrench profiles like this before – more on that below.
The smaller wrench sets ship in a plastic tool case with removable tray.
Price: $79 for the 8pc set
Models: DWMT45426 for metric, DWMT45427 for inch
I could not find any list where Dewalt specifies the sizes of wrenches you get with each set.
Discussion
We’ve seen very similar if not identical wrenches before, such as in Craftsman Overdrive. (Craftsman and Dewalt are both part of the same company, Stanley Black & Decker.)
From just the online images, the Craftsman and Dewalt combination wrenches look the same to me, aside from branding and minor differences in aesthetics.
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It’s unclear what “industry-shattering innovation” was done to differentiate the new Dewalt ToughSeries wrenches from Craftsman Overdrive.
Amazon has the 11pc SAE set and 11pc metric set at $69 each, and Lowe’s has the 11pc SAE set and 11pc metric set at $75 each.
If you don’t need the Dewalt tool case or tray, $69-$75 for 11 combination wrenches is a much better value than $79 for 8 wrenches. The craftsman sets come with a compact carrying case.
Here are closeups of the Dewalt ToughSeries and Craftsman Overdrive wrench open ends.
And here are the closed ends.
Can you tell which is which?
The Craftsman Overdrive wrenches are very good. As they’re less expensive than the Dewalt ToughSeries tools, with no clear indication of if or how the Dewalt wrenches are better aside from a different storage case option and brand association, I’d just get the Craftsman sets.
I wonder if we’re going to see more Dewalt ToughSeries adaptations of Craftsman hand tools.
MKY
Stuart –
“The smaller wrench sets ***shop*** (ship?) in a plastic tool case with removable tray.”
Stuart
Sorry, *ship*.
Jared
I wouldn’t pick 6pt box-end wrenches for regular use, but if used specifically for stuck and damaged fasteners? Might be useful.
Caleb
I bought the 17 piece toughseries sae set in a wrench roll for $99 from farm and fleet. I like them a lot so far.
https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/1571963-dewalt-17-piece-toughseries-sae-combination-wrench-set.html
CMF
I don’t get it, these are newly launched and they are on clearance?
ToolFollower
Likely overstock shipped to farm and fleet at a large discount.
ToolFollower
I agree, using a 6pt wrench for daily use is infuriating. A boxed end really needs to be 12pt for the wrench to swing in tight spaces. The 60degrees of swing from a 6pt is virtually impossible to use.
Blocky
I thought I knew which was which based off the outline font, which I’ve seen on some recent craftsman sockets, but I was wrong!
MKY
Not sure how accurate it would be in real life, but the picture of the ToughSystem SAE 8pc set depicted on Amazon shows the wrenches with the following sizes as being 1/4 thru 11/16 in 1/16 in. increments.
Robert
Pity the industry shattered by innovation.
eddiesky
AI Wrenches!
You – “Wrench, loosen that nut for me”
AI Wrench: ?
John Blair
Ai: The nut is now lost. Is there anything else I can do for you?
You: Nooo… loose, not lose!
Ai: The most common misapplication of the English language is people who use loose when they mean lose, so I made the required correction.
I love imaginary conversations, I can have them with myself all day!
Kentucky fan
I have the overdrive wrenches in sae and they are excellent for stubborn fasteners. They are not daily drivers however they will mar and damage fasteners but once latched on they don’t let go.
fred
Sounds like just re-badging by SBD. I’m reminded of GM’s stupid attempt to re-badge the so-so Chevy Cavalier with minor cosmetic changes as a Cadillac Cimarron. In this case we get a re-badged Craftsman wrench in a Dewalt plastic case and SBD wants more money for fewer wrenches. Gee that sounds like the old switcheroo to me. But I guess the Dewalt name sells – just like the Cadillac name once did.
PW
I feel like the GM analogy is very apt for SBD, with their increasingly overlapping and redundant brands. I don’t understand why “DeWalt” needs to have hand tools at all. They already have Stanley for the low end, Craftsman for low-mid, Proto and Mac for professional tools. Somewhere in the mix is Facom, Irwin, Stanley FATMAX… it’s ridiculous.
Instead of reducing overlap and focusing their brands, they’re running amok with mission creep on all fronts.
Stuart
Dewalt also has duct tape. Dewalt has had hand tools for a long time now, and I think most are a good fit for the brand.
fred
Black & Decker did a wonderful (almost textbook) job of transforming the Dewalt brand from one known perhaps best for radial arm saws into their flagship. They (B&D) had bought the brand in 1960 from AMF – but it was not until after they divested the RAS business that they started in earnest to develop Dewalt into the well-respected professional brand that it became. One could argue that they (B&D) almost had to do something like this, because that had tarnished their own brand name selling low-end tools (typically in orange plastic shells) at home centers and discount stores. While B&D could produce some great tools (the Super Sawcat comes to mind) – by the 1990’s many professionals were not taking the B&D brand as a serious choice for power tools.
B&D (now SBD) worked hard to build the Dewalt brand – and I’m glad of your thought that most of what SBD attaches it to represents a good fit. But it is easy to overuse a brand and dilute it in the name of profits. I’d argue that SBD might be better served in the long run with a “stick to your knitting” posture for Dewalt so that everything bearing the name of their “professional brand” represents truly professional quality.
Justin
I think you make some good points, on the other hand, I am confused as to which spaces they are moving into. For example, Home Depot now has DeWalt drywall tools. Since when has DeWalt ever been associated with the trowel trades? At one point, SB&D owned Goldblatt, which was a fairly esteemed name. Seeing DeWalt on the shelves once dominated by Wal-Board, Red Devil, Marshalltown, and Goldblatt is just weird. I’d be much happier to see them expand their storied brands (Mac, Proto, Stanley, Craftsman, Blackhawk, Irwin, Lenox, etc) and leave DeWalt for power tools and heavy equipment.
At this stage, it feels like they are just trying to outdo Milwaukee with DeWalt, and I am absolutely displeased with nearly every hand tool under the Milwaukee label, except for the USA made screwdrivers and USA made lineman tools. Milwaukee is creeping into many segments that they have absolutely no business in. With Milwaukee all over HD and my local Ace Hardware, it honestly feels like walking into a college bookstore and seeing bunch of overpriced merch from hoodies to mugs, with their red logo on it. Sure, it generates cashflow for their owners in Taiwan, but I no longer see Milwaukee as being an industry leader, as much as I see it as a fast fashion brand. I am starting to see DeWalt in the same light.
Stuart
@Justin, those are licensed tools. https://toolguyd.com/dewalt-putty-knives-drywall-taping-knives-mud-pans/ https://toolguyd.com/dewalt-level-5-one-piece-drywall-knives-stainless-steel/
SamR
Sometimes rebranding works for a different market, such as the non-NA America market!
ITCD
Or the GMT360 platform which was the TrailBlazer, Envoy, Ascender, Rainier, 9-7x, and I’m sure there’s another one I can’t think of off the top of my head. Granted they did offer some minor differences in features but all in all were practically the same exact vehicle.
It does give an SBD eating its own lunch vibe but I guess perhaps for places selling one of their brands but not another, this allows them to bring their tech into those places as well? I dunno. I feel like people who want this specific tech already know about Craftsman, or have already stepped on the Mac truck.
Joel
Late reply, but the third generation Oldsmobile Bravada was also GMT 360. The Chevrolet SSR retro pickup was also based on a modified version of the platform.
Getting back to tools, I don’t personally see a need to buy DeWalt-branded tools, but I think that they can make some business sense. It can’t cost too much to rebrand them. If it helps capture a larger part of the total addressable market (by sales to people who’ve soured on Craftsman, for example), or allows price discrimination, that might make it worth the investment. Most people aren’t informed enough to comparison shop between otherwise identical tool sets offered under different branding at different retailers.
Nathan
But you only get 8 vs 11 so if lean craftsman too. Seems like a case like those gearwrench turbo sockets. The fluted tapper spiral so it grabs regardless of the flats.
Frobo
Lol. Whoever wrote that ad copy must’ve gotten an A+ in Hyperbole 101.
ColeTrain
Industry shattering? It’s amazing you need a degree for marketing these days. The tool hyperbole is almost as bad as a golf nowadays.
OldDominionDIYer
“I could not find any list where Dewalt specifies the sizes of wrenches you get with each set.”
That statement speaks volumes! No real marketing group would omit the wrench sizes if they had any clue about their likely customer, just unbelievable how bad that is!
I remember when Chevy, Olds, Buick and Pontiac all had cars that were nearly identical, we all know how that worked out. This is just a terrible effort on the part of SB&D. They need to get courageous and separate their products by tool type. For example, leave hand tools with Craftsman, cordless general power tools to Dewalt, Woodworking centric specialty and power tools to Porter Cable, OPE with Cub Cadet, etc…
Marketing at SB&D seems to be way out of touch for this industry, what did they do hire the team from Bosch! LOL!
Mark M.
I have two complete sets each of SAE and metric open ended wrenches. One set is Milwaukee with the same grooves as the ones here, and the other is a smooth USA-made craftsman. The Milwaukees are arguably the nicer wrench but I grab the smooth Craftsman 9 times out of 10. Those grooves will mar up a fastener. Proof that sometimes innovation isn’t better. Not saying the Milwaukee wrenches are bad, they aren’t, but they aren’t my go-to. Buyer beware.
Christian
Blaine’s Farm and Fleet has had a 17 piece set on sale for quite a while. I paid $70 for mine but the current $99 price still beats the 11 piece sets.
Joe E.
Can someone please explain to me why DeWalt mechanics tools appear more professional than Craftsman? Why can’t SB&D use the same tools for the Craftsman lineup? Craftsman doesn’t deserve raised panel wrenches made in India, cheap chunky grip pot metal pliers and mechanic sets full of bullshit filler. Why can’t SB&D do for Craftsman what they’re doing for DeWalt? I don’t understand their marketing strategies at all.
fred
Craftsman held onto a particular niche when they were a Sears brand. The brand was never quite “industrial” or up to Snap-On quality – but they were a household name, more available than most anything else, sponsor of Nascar etc. – and good enough for the large majority of users. They were USA made by contractors like Easco, National Hand Tool et. al. for Sears and IMO they gained a nostalgic image that perhaps exceeded their actual quality.
Now SBD owns the brand – want to sell it via Lowes, Ace and other retail outlets- and not cannibalize sales of its tool truck brand Mac, nor its industrial brand Proto. How they slot Craftsman vs Dewalt, Irwin or some of the other brands that they promote in the USA is a bit of an enigma. They (SBD) seem to be trying to “milk” the Dewalt brand for all its worth – perhaps trying to match TTI’s Milwaukee – that also makes/sells mechanics tools. It seems that they want the Craftsman brand to be slotted in a notch lower than Dewalt – perhaps at the Stanley level. Some would argue that SBD has too many brands (sort of like the car brands GM once sold) doing the same thing and competing for market share. At least with Irwin, Lenox, and Bostich brands – SBD has thus far demurred from having them enter the full-line mechanic’s tool market. They have also kept their Facom and USAG mechanics tools on the other side of the pond – except when their designs might turn up as a Proto or other rebrand.
ITCD
They did do a drill and impact driver as Bostitch before, I had the drill. Actually a decently solid little fella for the price, had a battery connector similar to DeWalt but with a couple springs so when you pushed the release it popped itself off for you. I passed it on when I moved up to Makita.
Oarman
The Overdrive stuff is nice but all the stuff I’ve seen is made in Taiwan, which is in a bad spot with tariffs. I’ve been seeing it discounted a lot lately. I figured this was the same as the Kobalt stuff at the other side of the Lowes aisle, being replaced with Indian country of origin (which isn’t entirely trustworthy.)
It makes me wonder who/where is making the Dewalt tools, and what it means for the future of Craftsman. Every day the brand image of Craftsman as American value sold at Sears ages further out to the horizon.
At least the OEM making the Milwaukee tools (I assume it’s HGI based on similar A/B comparisons as well as HD relations) seems to be making decent stuff.
ITCD
Possibly the same facility. People sometimes get a random DeWalt socket in their Craftsman kit and vice versa. Doesn’t make sense to run individual facilities to make the same or very similar thing just under a different brand, especially when their current CEO has been on a huge tear with layoffs and closings and consolidation to trim I think he promised like $1-2B in expenses by the end of I believe it is this year. Interchangeable tooling is much cheaper.
Dave
While going through my tool chest a few years ago I ended up pulling out my Craftsman 6 pt combination wrench set as I was trying to get more needed room. Although it seemed a good idea when I originally purchased the set decades ago I never used it. Most of the time I used one of my flare nut wrenches or a 6 point socket when I was concerned with gripping power. Since selling the set I have never once wished I had kept it. The 6 pt closed end really limits where you can use the wrench. BTW I do have a large set of the Dewalt Metric Combination wrenches with 12 point and I like the Dewalt wrenches. Not sure why so few places available to purchase these.
Eric
Me personally I think Stanley Black &Decker has way too many pokers in the fire. I’ll be the first to tell you, I do like Dewalt power tools. I do like Proto hand tools. I do like their V series by Craftsman, which is a shame they discontinued them. I think what Stanley Black and Decker is trying to do is make MAC and Proto stuff in their top tier. Keep Dewalt as a mid tier. Craftsman as their DIY brand. If I were Stanley Black &Decker, what I’d do is put rebranded Facom currently of the V series by Craftsman products in the Dewalt lineup. To me that would make more sense for a mid tier tool lineup. That right there would directly compete with Milwaukee hand tools. Truth be told There’s really no discernable difference between Craftsman and Dewalt main drive tools. Sure Craftsman has the over drive. Now Dewalt has this lineup with wrenches. Me personally I think six point wrenches on the box end can make things more difficult. There’s a reason why most manufacturers use 12 point. I think the six point design has it’s place but not as a daily driver, MAC has the Facom version of this design called the RBRT. Dewalt and Craftsman have theirs.. different design wrench and profile of wrench. My Biggest gripe with Stanley is, every brand has overlap in products. MAC and Proto share designs. Dewalt and Craftsman hand tools share designs. Stanley’s companies across the pond Facom, USAG, Sidcrome share designs. Porter Cable and Craftsman power tools share the same designs. There’s no originality in design from brand to brand. Dewalt and MAC power tools are the same. It sort of reminds me of GM..
Walt Bordett
I don’t need to buy many more tools at my 77 year age. I have learned over this time that you cannot use the brand name, the advertising budget or the price tag. The Law of Diminishing Returns applies to tools as to many other things. Sometimes the perfect is the enemy of the good enough.
I own a few tool truck items, some original USA Craftsman and other brand tools, a few box store grade import wrench sets, and some flea market finds. All of them are adequate for my use.
I have a few six-point box wrenches. Mostly used to slug on crankcase drain plugs. Don’t judge me. I would hate to have only six-point box wrenches available.