I have a browser window open on my computer, with tabs open to various discounted tools, holiday deals, and “special buys.”
The best deals are posted about as soon as I can after learning about them. The ones I feel so-so about, I leave them be while I think things over. This Tekton wrench set is one of those deals.
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With this Tekton wrench set, you get 22 wrench sizes in inch and metric sizing. The inch wrenches range from 1/4″ to 7/8″, and metric from 8 mm to 19mm.
The box ends have 12pt sockets, and are offset by 15°. Both sets come with “store and go” organizer.
Years ago, I waited for Craftsman Professional wrench sets to drop in price, and that’s when I bought my 9pc sets for $60 each, stepping up from raised panel wrenches. Since then, I’ve bought a couple of other styles of wrenches, with my favorite being USA-made Proto ratcheting wrenches and Facom combination wrenches.
If I were to start over today on a beginner’s tool budget, I think this Tekton 22pc set would be at the top of my list.
I have had good experiences with Tekton tools these past few years. They seem to be holding true to their pledge towards better quality, and I have heard good things about their customer service.
My only hesitation would be whether I’d go with this bundle set, where you appear to save $10 off the regular price, or separate sets. I tend use 11/32″ a lot, on #8 machine screw nuts, and 1″ also. Sometimes buying larger-count sets work out more economically than buying smaller sets and adding other needed wrench sizes. Plus, the larger sets have larger organizers. There’s no way to add a 11/32″ wrench to the inch set, organizer above.
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Most DIYers or homeowners might never need a 11/32″ wrench, or 1″ for that matter. Or the other in-between sizes you get by going with individual wrench sets with higher wrench size counts.
There is a 30pc bundle set, and it’s also said to be discounted from the list price. But with no other sellers or 3rd party listings, it’s hard to tell if it’s currently being discounted, or “discounted.”
With the above-shown 22pc, you do save when compared to the prices of the 11pc inch and metric sets. You save a little with the 30pc set, but not as much.
Bottom line, this seems like a good deal on a wrench set I would expect to perform reasonably well. I’d consider these tools to be on-par with what you find from Husky and Gearwrench these days, and maybe a step above what you’d find from Kobalt.
If I were putting together a DIYer or homeowner tool kit on a budget, this would likely be my top pick. A lot of DIYers tend to use adjustable wrenches for everything, taking too long to realize how much easier work could be with regular combination wrenches. And at just under $50 for inch and metric sets, this bundle isn’t likely to leave such users wanting, at least not unless they have unusual hobbies or needs.
Price as of the time of this posting: $48.19
Buy Now(22pc set via Amazon)
See Also(30pc set via Amazon)
User reviews seem to mirror my own feelings towards the brand.
I have purchased a number of Tekton tools, mainly for review and testing purposes, and have received quite a few, too. I don’t think I’ve tested these wrenches yet, but I have been quite pleased with their ratcheting wrench quality.
I would offer to buy a set for ToolGuyd testing and review, if reader demand was high enough, but I still have a Sunex angled wrench set from a 2015 holiday season Lightning Deal that I haven’t gotten to yet. You could ask, but no promises. I’ve started working on my review backlog, but it’ll probably be 6 months until I’m fully caught up with everything.
KeithinKC
I would mirror your thoughts on Tekton quality. I have impact sockets in 1/2″ and 3/8″ sizes from them, and have been very happy with them. I no longer use them daily so I can’t make comparison to Mac/Snapon/Matco for durability, but from a fitment and usage standpoint, they have handled everything I need for remodels or vehicle repairs.
In fact, we gave sets of the 1/2″ impact sockets to a nephew and my father-in-law last year as xmas gifts due to their “bang for the buck”.
Diplomatic Immunity
I bought both as well a while back and haven’t had any issues with them. Granted I don’t use them every day or something but I’ve never understood why exactly people are willing to pay big money for impact sockets specifically?
Gary
“I would offer to buy a set for ToolGuyd testing and review, if reader demand was high enough”
I’d be more interested to see a review of Milwaukee’s new combination wrenches.
Stuart
I have a set in-hand, from Milwaukee. I need a little more time on them, but if you have any specific questions, let me know and I can try to address them sooner.
Gary T.
Stuart,
How does the I beam shaft on the Milwaukee wrenches compare to the shaft on the Facom 440 wrench in terms of comfort?
Toolfreak
It’d be nice to see an overall comparison of quality and fastener fit of say, Craftsman Pro, Facom, the Milwaukee, and maybe even some others like a non-ratcheting Gearwrench and maybe even some super cheap ones in there too.
Then again I’m sure the Tektons are fine and there’d be a lot of complaints if they weren’t. Might be better to just compare the Milwaukee wrenches to whatever else you have on hand in the same sizes.
Dan
I agree. Tool reviewers that do comparisons are obsessed with cordless tools. I would love to see a 7 brand comparison of wrenches like they do with reciprocating saws, impact drivers etc
Dan
Stahlwille, Facom, Milwaukee, Gearwrench…..and more
Stuart
Some have tried, but botched it badly.
First, you need more than 1 of any given tool. Let’s say the comparison is on 9/16″ wrenches. You would need 5, maybe even 10, for average dimensioning.
And then how is the comparison done? Testing to ANSI forces requires lab equipment and the know-how how to use it.
There’s one abominable individual that loves to show off his used Skidmore torque tester, but mistakes and misinterpretations he’s made in the past leave me with little confidence that he knows what he’s doing.
Wrenches can have different designs and be different lengths.
Then, let’s say we collect a whole bunch of data. How do we interpret the data? One long pattern wrench might be stronger than another, but it might be made of lesser steel that’s built-up with extra thickness to compensate.
One pro wrench might have more precise jaws, but will spread at a certain level, still over-ANSI strength requirements, but less so than a less expensive wrench that is less precise or too much variation between individual wrenches off the production line.
I believe I have the know-how to conduct as fair a comparison as possible, and the knowledge and experience to interpret the data, but presenting the data would likely require too many footnotes.
If given 10 different wrenches, I can tell you which is stronger. But it would be irresponsible to do so without discussing WHY, and that’s the problem.
That said, I ordered my first Stahlwille wrench, and it’s on the way.
I spoke to Stahlwille USA a few months ago, and learned something very interesting. They have limits as to how long their tooling can be used. Once their forged tools are out of their self-imposed specs, they remachine the tooling for a different size, allowing reuse but also ensuring very tight tolerances.
I love my Facom wrenches, but they’re short pattern.
Dan
That does sound like a lot of work but I don’t think it needs to be that in-depth to be useful. Although beneficial, we don’t strength test cordless tools so perhaps it’s not absolutely necessary for a wrench comparison, especially if it’s the reason for not doing a comparison at all.
Personally I would find it extremely useful to see just a comparison of weight, dimensions, features, comfort, fit, finish, and tolerences (take an average of a whole set, they usually come as sets).
I recently bought a new set of wrenches and before deciding I bought a single 15mm from 8 different brands to test out the feel and accuracy of the open/box ends. In those 8 were a Facom 440, Stahlwille 13 series, and Stahlwille 14 series. The Stahlwille 14 felt great, super high quality, great finish, and lightweight, however, the Facom 440 had the best tolerences. They were also the lightest but shortest. The Stahlwille 13 was in the bottom 3 for tolerences!
I nearly went for a set of Stahlwille 14, but ended up going for Sidchrome 440 pro series. They’re identical to the Mac Tools I-Beam wrenches. They felt great, were long in length, were much cheaper (discounted at the time), and had very good non-slip open ends. They were also the second best for tolerances (affected somewhat by the non-slip shape).
Once the whole set arrived I was able to check more than one for tolerences. All of them were very good (0.1 – 0.15 mm greater than the stated wrench size, so a 17mm was 17.15 mm etc).
Anything over 0.22mm larger in my opinion is too loose fitting.
fred
Wow – can this be a can of worms. QA/QC seems to be a sore point with many tools today. To see how consistent a manufacturer is – you probably need to figure out a way to procure samples from different production runs and enough of them to be statistically significant. That might be a part of a perfect comparison – but a side-by side cursory look would be interesting – but maybe not exactly on my need to know list.
Looking over my eclectic collection of box, combination and open_end wrenches I see that I have mostly old Craftsman, Proto, SK, and Williams – but have bought a few from Beta, Bonney, Blackhawk, Elora, Fairmont-Martin, Heyco , Husky (pre HD), Kobalt, Stahwille, Wera and Wright
Toolfreak
I don’t think you need to do one of those test-to-failure reviews, I was thinking more along the lines of how well the box and open end fit both new and old nuts and bolts compared to each others, and an ink/marker test of how much surface area of each wrench is making contact. That, along with weight/dimensions/material specs, and maybe even a feel/comfort judgement is realy all I’d ask for on Toolguyd. I’ll leave the wilder YouTube reviewers to get a bunch of wrenches and break them to assure us that the manufacturers are indeed producing tools that can handle more force than we can generate with our bodies.
Diplomatic Immunity
Saw this awhile back. https://www.reddit.com/r/BuyItForLife/comments/35hfaf/spanner_test_snap_on_mac_facom_etc/
How accurate any of it is I have no idea. I think the better question to be asking is how often does a person use a straight up combination wrench nowadays? While it’s a tool everyone should have just like say a hammer or a phillips screwdriver or a slotted screwdriver; there are a boatload of other tools that can get the job done, in most cases, that are similar. Reversible combination ratcheting wrenches being an example.
Aside from straight up tensile strength there are so many other characteristics that make for a great combination wrench, some of which are completely subjective to the individual user. If you want to start a fight on garagejournal just ask what the best combination wrench is.
fred
I recently ran across these combination wrenches that supposedly are designed for damaged fasteners:
https://www.tools-plus.com/astro-pneumatic-7180xl-x1.html#jmui=f%3A852%3A305419896%3AbDuSvfVYoJVQSi0og*BiuK3%40
Toolfreak
Tekton stuff seems ok for the price, with decent warranty replacement service.
I’d agree they’d make excellent beginner or budget tools.
It’d be nice if the larger set had a 24mm and maybe even a 23mm in there though, there’s not a whole lot of applications for 20 or 22mm and 24mm is a lot more common.
For basic use though, 8-19mm skipping a 9mm is all you usually need, with the SAE set for home/construction stuff. When you need more, you might be better off buying a bigger set rather than just adding wrenches.
harry
I have a couple of sets of those Tekton wrenches that i won in a contest. They are great wrenches. they are Taiwan made, have nice chrome, nice beams, and balance. The boxed end features off corner engagement. They are not really long pattern wrenches but, are a little longer than say a craftsman raised panel wrench. A Tekton 13mm wrench comes in at 7 inches. Most long pattern 13mm wrenches come in at about 8 inches in length. i think the only thing Tekton got wrong with these wrenches is the color of the wrench racks. Red is for SAE not metric.
As for the Milwaukee set, make sure you compare them to their twins Carlyle and Channellock. Channellock is definitely the bargain model of the bunch. All three are made by Infar in Taiwan.
Back to Tekton, for those of you that are severely OCD and want their wrench sets not to skip sizes, you can get Tekton combination wrenches all the way up to two inches or 50 mm without skipping from their website tekton.com now that’s a pretty wide range of sizes.
Speaking of their web site, i have a coupon code from the SEMA show, SEMA20 which gets you 20% off any one order until 12/31/17. Merry Christmas tightwads!!! They also offer free shipping on orders over $30.
Back to Tekton one more time, not all of their tools are great but, most everything made in Taiwan is pretty damn good. Tekton even rebadges Ernst wrench holders and flush rivet pliers by Wilde under their name. Both of which are US made. I’ve some of their tools daily in a professional setting without any issues so, i don’t think they’re just for tool users on a budget or beginner auto techs although more schools seem to be getting on the Tekton band wagon.
Hilton thoughtfully
There seems to be a trend for Metric spanners sold in the Stated to include every size possible which is complete waste as that’s not how metric sizes work. It’s based on the hex bolt head size across the flats.
I suppose it depends on what Standard you prescribe to but I’ve never seen sets with any sizes other than 7, 8, 10, 11(rare M7), 13, 17, 19, 22, 24, 27 and 30. Car battery terminals need a #10 for the negative and a #13 for the positive.
Yes I know some specialist applications will require other sizes but then surely this is now out of the realms of starter/DIY sets?
fred
You are absolutely correct.
Some folks love to buy things in sets. They think that they are getting a bargain on the per-piece cost. Furthermore lots of tools are bought on speculation – not what you really need – but rather based on the thought that covering all bases is a good thing. Sometimes it might be better to buy a few of the most used sizes – rather than a whole big set. It is certainly easier on your pocketbook – and results in less clutter in the shop.
Stuart
But a lot of times, you are getting a bargain.
With my first Craftsman wrench set, I needed 2 sizes. It would have cost me $15 or $16 or so. For $20, I got a 9-piece set, and some of those additional sizes came in handy before my next wrench set upgrade. Needing just 1 of those other 7 sizes justified my decision to buy the set.
This isn’t universally true. But sometimes with things like bit sets, or blade sets, it is definitely more economical to buy a set or bulk quantities.
It’s how they justify getting customers and end users to buy more, and for the most part it works.
fred
As you say its hard to argue against 9 for $20 ($2.22 ea.) versus 2 for $16 ($8 ea.) – because the $4 difference is trivial. But if it were something like 9 for $50 ($5.56 each and still a bargain) – the $34 difference might have been put to better use. With tools like wrenches – where we may have some near-future use (your example) its undoubtedly a sound decision.
But in my halcyon days of tool collecting, I bought things like a set of 10 bench chisels (1/8 to 1 inch) – “on-sale” at the time – only to realize (probably knew it all along) that two or three sizes was all I ever really needed. Furthermore those 10 chisels – even rolled up – require more storage space. Do I use those chisels? Sure – but I probably could have put the money to better use.
Dubs
I recently did some work on my Toyota Camry (which is pretty much the opposite of a specialist application), and encountered bolt heads of size 10, 12, 14, 19, 21, and 22mm. Three of those are not in your list.
Hilton
yes but that’s your fault for driving a Camry 🙂
If a bolt manufacturer using the DIN spec then you just need my list but as I said, standards are not that standard.
Jonathan
Even crazier are some of the Ford/Mazda Vehicles from late 80’s and 90’s during that phase when you could face both SAE and Metric on a F-Series pickup and and/or other cross-badged vehicles i.e Ranger/B-Series. While I can’t recall the last time I needed a 9mm for anything, I have need 10mm-19mm.
One set that I wish I had a complete set for both SAE and Metric ( but alas they were a short run an incomplete was Kobalt had a “X-Beam” style box (non-ratcheting) wrench that was great for leverage and the design avoided busted knuckles. The Gearwrench XL sets are nice but I don’t like using ratcheting wrench for breaking nuts free, and often its were an impact wrench will not fit.
I guess the most expensive wrenches I’ve bought were the individuals wrenches needed that didn’t come in an incomplete set, (chalk it up to Mr. Murphy’s law).
Toolfreak
Gearwrench makes their X-beam XL wrenches in a non-ratcheting style, they are nicer than the Kobalt version.
There’s also the Craftsman Crossforce wrenches too if you want the X-beam comfort style but USA COO, though they do skip some sizes.
John
I’ve needed every single metric size from 5mm up to 25mm. You won’t get very far working on cars without a 12, 14, and 15mm.
Hilton
Again, depends on the standard the manufacturer used to make the bolts. Working on Japanese cars, you will need the 12 & 14 but I doubt the 15 comes into play. What size bolt does this fit?
fred
15 mm is common on bicycle pedals and some other components – but a specialist wrench is probably better for those applications.