Carlyle wrenches
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Nice to see a full set -- Craftsman sometimes skips the less-common sizes in their sets.
The will be handy at your work and on cars.
Where are they made?
looks like a really nice set.
Interesting open end on these wrenches. This old design fell from favor because of stress risers but on these it looks like they relieved those areas by rounding the corners.
There are some decent tools coming out of Taiwan these days, Triangle comes to mind, they are making some good steel.
I like them, they should provide good service for a long time going from things i have read about them.
Nice to have a wife and kids like that, your a lucky man.
There are some decent tools coming out of Taiwan these days, Triangle comes to mind, they are making some good steel.
I like them, they should provide good service for a long time going from things i have read about them.
Nice to have a wife and kids like that, your a lucky man.
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Where are they made?
Most NAPA wrenches used to be American-made, but most of the Carlyle wrenches are now from Taiwan. The NAPA stores should warranty the old wrenches, but it really all depends on the store manager. Still, of the ones that I've seen, the Carlyle brand of tools appears to be top-notch.
Where are they made?
Most NAPA wrenches used to be American-made, but most of the Carlyle wrenches are now from Taiwan. The NAPA stores should warranty the old wrenches, but it really all depends on the store manager. Still, of the ones that I've seen, the Carlyle brand of tools appears to be top-notch.
Thanks, guys! I got to use them only a little bit, but here are my impressions so far. They seem really well-made. The fit onto nuts/bolts was excellent, though I haven't really put the "non-slip" open-end to the test yet. The only thing strange was that the box-end seems to have a bit more of an angle to it than I'm used to. I guess that could be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on the situation. Overall, though, I like them.
Originally Posted By: Trav
There are some decent tools coming out of Taiwan these days, Triangle comes to mind, they are making some good steel.
Taiwan has not raised the quality of their tools so much as China/India/Sears has lowered the standard. I have lost track of how many times I warranted my Shop Force universal joint before I lost the sales receipt...
There are some decent tools coming out of Taiwan these days, Triangle comes to mind, they are making some good steel.
Taiwan has not raised the quality of their tools so much as China/India/Sears has lowered the standard. I have lost track of how many times I warranted my Shop Force universal joint before I lost the sales receipt...
Originally Posted By: Gabe
Originally Posted By: Trav
There are some decent tools coming out of Taiwan these days, Triangle comes to mind, they are making some good steel.
Taiwan has not raised the quality of their tools so much as China/India/Sears has lowered the standard. I have lost track of how many times I warranted my Shop Force universal joint before I lost the sales receipt...
I disagree with Taiwan has not raised the quality of their tools. Some huge investments with Japanese steel companies certainly has improved their tool steel quality.
Triange for example has some tools designed by Germans and made to DIN norm, quality is good to very good (not Snap-On, Hazet, Stahlwille, etc quality) regardless of COO.
Japanese tools were taboo many years ago, i remember those times well. Now Nippon Steel, Sumitomo Metal, Hitachi Metal, etc are some of the highest grade steels on the market.
I agree Chinese manufacturers seem to have lowered their already low standards and India was never in the game to begin with.
http://www.japanmetalbulletin.com/?p=20586
Originally Posted By: Trav
There are some decent tools coming out of Taiwan these days, Triangle comes to mind, they are making some good steel.
Taiwan has not raised the quality of their tools so much as China/India/Sears has lowered the standard. I have lost track of how many times I warranted my Shop Force universal joint before I lost the sales receipt...
I disagree with Taiwan has not raised the quality of their tools. Some huge investments with Japanese steel companies certainly has improved their tool steel quality.
Triange for example has some tools designed by Germans and made to DIN norm, quality is good to very good (not Snap-On, Hazet, Stahlwille, etc quality) regardless of COO.
Japanese tools were taboo many years ago, i remember those times well. Now Nippon Steel, Sumitomo Metal, Hitachi Metal, etc are some of the highest grade steels on the market.
I agree Chinese manufacturers seem to have lowered their already low standards and India was never in the game to begin with.
http://www.japanmetalbulletin.com/?p=20586
Originally Posted By: Gabe
Originally Posted By: Trav
There are some decent tools coming out of Taiwan these days, Triangle comes to mind, they are making some good steel.
Taiwan has not raised the quality of their tools so much as China/India/Sears has lowered the standard. I have lost track of how many times I warranted my Shop Force universal joint before I lost the sales receipt...
There actually are a lot of good tools coming out of Taiwan. Taiwan and China are often very different, from a quality perspective. And Indian products often seem to be the worst of all. Of course, not every tool that comes out of Taiwan is good and not every tool that comes out of China is bad, but if you don't recognize that there are quality tools coming out of Taiwan then you must not be looking at very many tools.
And, the country of origin nerds here and other places generally realize that there are human rights, economic and political reasons to purchase Taiwanese over Chinese products.
Now, I prefer products made in the USA, Europe, Japan, etc., but I have no problem buying Taiwanese products.
Originally Posted By: Trav
There are some decent tools coming out of Taiwan these days, Triangle comes to mind, they are making some good steel.
Taiwan has not raised the quality of their tools so much as China/India/Sears has lowered the standard. I have lost track of how many times I warranted my Shop Force universal joint before I lost the sales receipt...
There actually are a lot of good tools coming out of Taiwan. Taiwan and China are often very different, from a quality perspective. And Indian products often seem to be the worst of all. Of course, not every tool that comes out of Taiwan is good and not every tool that comes out of China is bad, but if you don't recognize that there are quality tools coming out of Taiwan then you must not be looking at very many tools.
And, the country of origin nerds here and other places generally realize that there are human rights, economic and political reasons to purchase Taiwanese over Chinese products.
Now, I prefer products made in the USA, Europe, Japan, etc., but I have no problem buying Taiwanese products.
The gap in durability between American tools and Taiwan tools has not changed in the past 20 years.
GearWrench's (a premium Taiwan brand) legendary ratcheting wrenches still falls completely short of Snap On and Armstrong's ratcheting wrenches. I have no problem tugging on an SK ratchet unlike my older auto-reversing AutoCraft ratchet.
Taiwanese tools, on average, are a definite step up from Chinese but still a far cry from the American brands.
GearWrench's (a premium Taiwan brand) legendary ratcheting wrenches still falls completely short of Snap On and Armstrong's ratcheting wrenches. I have no problem tugging on an SK ratchet unlike my older auto-reversing AutoCraft ratchet.
Taiwanese tools, on average, are a definite step up from Chinese but still a far cry from the American brands.
Look at some of the last American made Craftsman ratchets or some of the last Crescent adjustable wrenches. Neither is worth scrap metal.
I've broken my share of Craftsman sockets, but I've never broken a Snap-on socket. Only wore one out by abusing it continuously with a cheater bar.
Originally Posted By: Trav
Look at some of the last American made Craftsman ratchets or some of the last Crescent adjustable wrenches. Neither is worth scrap metal.
+1. The latest sets of USA-made Craftsman 'raised panel' wrenches I saw at Sears are complete $hit. Worse than my throwaway Harbor Freight wrenches. For the same price I can buy decent GearWrench or Kobalt tools.
Look at some of the last American made Craftsman ratchets or some of the last Crescent adjustable wrenches. Neither is worth scrap metal.
+1. The latest sets of USA-made Craftsman 'raised panel' wrenches I saw at Sears are complete $hit. Worse than my throwaway Harbor Freight wrenches. For the same price I can buy decent GearWrench or Kobalt tools.
LOVE the surface drive non slip open head. I've been looking to get a similar set myself.
Ok I just bought the same set of these on eBay for $45/shipped brand new. That seems to be about $100 less than list price, so very happy about the price. They look like very high quality wrenches and appear to be made in Taiwan at the Gearwrench factory. I own a set of Napa Professional wrenches that are almost an exact copy of Gearwrench wrenches, but are a a little thicker and seam a little more heavy duty.
I bought a 3/8 round head Carlyle ratchet, the folding hex key set and the 4 piece plyer set from NAPA just to check them out. I am really impressed! The material quality, Fit & finish, ergonomics and overall designs look excellent. It is too soon for me to say how the durability will be but all indications point upwards. The napa pro brand hand tools have always been high quality and good value, especially when they send out the 20% off coupons, the new carlyle line seems to continue the reputation for quality.
Some people may feel that carlyle tools are over priced for being made in taiwan but so far, they are the finest offshore produced tools I have ever seen. Before Carlyle came long, Stanley tool works had a Pro-Grade mechanics tool line that were extremely high quality, made in taiwan tools that I thought were the best value for the average joe but stanley has ended the pro-grade mechanics tool line.
For the gearhead that wants real pro-grade quality without the tool truck price, Carlyle is the way to go. Kobalt and Gearwrench tools are also a good quality and value tool from taiwan.
If you want American made tools that are a good value, Craftsman is pretty much the only choice these days and even some of their tools are saying made in China now. While I feel the overall quality and durability of Craftsman has gone way down, they are still good enough for most of us and have a good warranty.
Some people may feel that carlyle tools are over priced for being made in taiwan but so far, they are the finest offshore produced tools I have ever seen. Before Carlyle came long, Stanley tool works had a Pro-Grade mechanics tool line that were extremely high quality, made in taiwan tools that I thought were the best value for the average joe but stanley has ended the pro-grade mechanics tool line.
If you want American made tools that are a good value, Craftsman is pretty much the only choice these days and even some of their tools are saying made in China now. While I feel the overall quality and durability of Craftsman has gone way down, they are still good enough for most of us and have a good warranty.
My $45 set of eBay Carlyle wrenches came in. Sizes 7mm to 18mm (minus 16mm). I am extremely satisfied with the wrenches, especially at the price. These are great.
I recently bought a set of Napa Professional wrenches from eBay also for $16. These are made by Gearwrench also. They have a surface drive on the open end, but not as aggressive at the Carlyle wrenches.
The Napa Professional and Gearwrench sets have a similar part number. Napa 18mm wrench on top, Gearwrench 19mm on bottom.
All three wrenches together.
I recently bought a set of Napa Professional wrenches from eBay also for $16. These are made by Gearwrench also. They have a surface drive on the open end, but not as aggressive at the Carlyle wrenches.
The Napa Professional and Gearwrench sets have a similar part number. Napa 18mm wrench on top, Gearwrench 19mm on bottom.
All three wrenches together.
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