I had a set of Snap-on semi deep sockets that I found myself using more than my shallow. Unfortunately the Snap-on set was stolen. I've been considering getting a set of the ICON semi deep sockets as Harbor Freight is close by. Some reviewers have reported that the ICON sockets are soft and that the chrome has started to chip with heavy use. I guess I'll have to try them for myself and see. Duralast ratchets are manufactured by Apex Tools. Apex Tools owns Gearwrench and SATA. Apex manufactures The Home Depot Husky ratchets.
A good selection of very nice tools...As somebody else has already mentioned I would get an Outlet tester and maybe a basic multi meter...Fluke are the gold standard, but any with good reviews will do...I like Uni-T for budget meters ect. Consumables like super glue ect have already been mentioned... I also have a flat blade stubby screwdriver with a fairly wide blade specifically for the isolation valves on our cooper water pipes...There is generally one on the pipe to each faucet/tap. If you have a garbage disposal unit built into your kitchen sink, you will need the specialist wrench for it... Finally, lights, lots of lights! I have a small cheap LED penlight as an inspection light for confined spaces, a smallish folding LED rechargeable work light, (icon do a nice one in the States) plus an LED headlamp...Sometimes, it's nice to shine two light sources from two different angels into an area where you are working to minimise shadows ect...
Thank you for the detailed comment and very helpful information! One thing I’ll say (I have a video on my channel about it) but I have a separate electrical “grab and go” bucket that has my multi meter, clamp meter, insulated tools, NCVTs, etc. that’s why this kit in this video has no electrical stuff.
@@SimpleMindReviews I have a similar electrical tool kit in the garage also, but still like to keep a few basic electrical tools and tester on hand in the house. Same for the plumbing side...I would be able to do any major repairs with what I have in the house, but have wrenches ect so I can tighten compression fittings, as already mentioned a stubby that enables me to close various shut off valves in case of a leak. The difficulty comes in trying to keep the tool kit to just essentials so it remains a reasonable size and weight as otherwise it gets continually added to I am not careful!
Hard to figure out that label! Made in South Korea, but then (in Spanish) it says that it was imported by the Klein subsidiary in Mexico, but the ownership of the whole process is Klein Tools of Mansfield, Tx. This is why I have no problems buying foreign tools.
Agree with you 100% on the thin needle nose not sure why so many companies make thick ones. i like the Knipex stork beak and Tsunoda long reach needle nose pliers best of the ones i have. don't sleep on Doyle pliers too. I like them just as well as Klein for 1/2 the price or 1/3 with coupon.
Why did you put a Belgian flag in the thumbnail? The German flag has black, yellow and red HORIZONTAL stripes, while the Belgian flag you used has black, red and yellow VERTICAL stripes.
Funny ive had a knipex plier for years i love it but i contacted them because the teeth are starting to be chewed off and they slip more then when they were new. They said theres nothing they can do. Ive went and warranty replaced lots of icon tools for a whole lot less with no questions asked
That is one thing even Harbor Freight haters have a hard time denying…their warranty experience is generally very painless. I have also heard similar reports about Knipex being a little strict on their warranty. I’ve seen reports of them bending over backwards for obvious manufacturing defects but when it comes to normal wear and tear items, like teeth, they seem to take the stand that their product worked as designed and the item has reached its lifespan.
Everybody copies everybody. Every brand of pliers has a knipex cobra copy husky, lennox, Milwaukee, etc. harbor freight is the only one called out for it.
Exactly!! Literally everyone copies everyone. Look at Vim, they copy the hell out of Tone. Also, if a company doesn't copy someone else, they just rebrand it. They will take the same damn thing, not even a copy, an exact replica, then put their name on it. Im not saying everything at harbor freight is a win, but they have some really great products, especially for the money.
Same with their jack stands from my understanding. I could be wrong, and I probably am because I did not research this before typing this comment. But going off memory, I believe Harbor Freight was the only one to voluntarily recall their jack stands and received negative press over it…but the same stands were branded and sold at other retailers who never recalled and they got a free pass.
they typically also have at least one pair on coupon each round/month of coupons. This last month I picked up the side cutters and the flush cut for $35 for BOTH. my plastic welder which does a metal post that needs to be cut off flush (don't use the flush cuts on these) are pretty stout for a non ferrous metal. the cheap pair included in the kit are already misaligned and another pair has the cutters all dinged but the Icons cut them like butter.
I have all those except for the parrot jaw, twin grip, and the long nose pistol grips. I also have the straight handle long needle-nose. They're honestly very good. They've been worth every penny for me, much better than I had expected at first, and I've had them all for a while now. I do need to get some thinner jawed needle nose, but I'll more than likely be going with Tsunoda for those. Their dollar for quality ratio is just crazy compared to most other brands.
I’m glad you mentioned Tsunoda. They, as well as Engineer and Merry, have some excellent pliers that are really underrated in my opinion. All excellent options and at amazing prices too!
I use their CentroFix bit handle (40331) It's literally the best bit handle you can get. Wera has their quick change chucks on the bit drivers which are pretty impressive but Once you see how the Wiha holds the bits and overall comfort of the handle it just blows Wera out of the water
That is my general opinion too. I always evaluate price to quality for all products, not just tools. I also believe in reaching an equilibrium of price and quality. I have found for many products in life it’s not worth spending 3x more money for 10% better performance.
There’s a mix. Most of them I have had for about a year now, a couple I just added to the collection. I am not a mechanic or maintenance person by career. My day job has nothing to do with hand tools so these are only used as a “hobby” doing basic maintenance and repairs. Because of that they won’t receive the same wear and tear that someone like a mechanic would put on them. That being said, I haven’t had any issues with rust or finish issues. I do keep them indoors and I typically don’t work in the elements unless if it’s a time sensitive repair. But yeah, I haven’t personally had any rusting or finish issues.
The fit is generally good, the finish not such much. Some of the Icons rust fast af! Especially the slip joints I got and they have not even been exposed to the elements. Not sure about the metal they are using. The grayish coating and finish is just a cover up.
Being in New England we typically have to replace brake lines as they rust out so I mainly use flare nut wrenches for assembly purposes. The flare nuts tend to weld themselves to the line and the lines twist when undoing the flare nut. Urrea was once a subsidiary of Proto tools. Proto eventually lost interest in the venture and sold the equipment to Urrea who went on to be an independent company. Mac, Proto, Craftsman, Facom and USAG are all owned by Stanley Black and Decker. A lot of cross technology exists amongst the various lines. All are now produced in Taiwan.
the urrea chrome sockets also say “mexico” but it turns out they are made in taiwan i wonder if these wrenches are also taiwan…not that it really matters but
Thank you for the comment! The Taiwan possibility is interesting. I can’t 100% say these were made in Mexico other than them being stamped Mexico. It’s possible they were manufactured in Taiwan. However, I will say that I suspect these were Mexican made. The shipping originated in Texas near the border and the original packaging and paperwork indicated the package was “born” in Mexico and not elsewhere. It’s tough to say for sure but my gut is leaning Mexican made on these wrenches
Unfortunately I’m not sure if there are any other examples out there. This one was purchased in an antique store and from what I have seen it appears to be a one off item. I think it was homemade from someone who possibly worked or dealt with asbestos. Maybe there are more or maybe someone else makes a similar collection/display
Wiha is indestructible, bought my first Wiha product the Torx L-Keys in 2003 at Fry’s Electronics. Used them basically everyday for electronic work. The tips look brand new little wear.
You can use the white stuff as long as you make sure to wrap it 7 or 8 times. I always do 3 with the good stuff. The video is right, white tape sucks but if that’s all you have it’ll work. My nitpick is I like as little tape showing as possible so I only wrap around the very end and I use about a quarter of the amount of pipe dope
Their screwdrivers and prybars are US made. They have a line of nice adjustable wrenches that are made in Spain, too. But, all their pliers are made by them in the USA. They're one of the last handful of domestic manufacturers that are still American owned. In my lifetime of experience owning Channel Lock pliers, their quality has dipped "slightly" over the last decade or two. I now very much prefer brands like Wilde (US made) for heavy-duty use and Tsunoda and Engineer (Japanese made) for my all-round handy pliers. Don't get me wrong, though. I still like and own some Channel Lock brand pliers and prybars, etc. I've just found those other brands to have better manufacturing and quality control, especially Japanese brands like Tsunoda and Engineer. When I'm holding a tool, I can tell when the craftsman who makes it takes a lot of pride in what they make. They pay close attention to all the small details and make sure that everything lines up just right, that the heat treatment is spot-on, and everything is as close to perfect as it can be. I dont like it when I can tell whoever made it just made sure it was close enough to pass inspection and function, just to get it out and get the day over with. But then, maybe I'm too picky and pay too much attention to my tools.
I agree 100%. You truly can tell with certain brands that there is an extra bit of quality put into making the tool. Once you use high quality ones you just “get it” Thank you for your great comment!
This video is intended for tapered threads where the water tight connection is made by the threads. An o ring would not work for this. O rings/washers are used for straight cut threads where the seal is made on the end only.
Awesome video. Followed your tips and did my first change on my 23 SXT AWD today. I marked my oil filter cap with chalk and put it back exactly as the factory had it, and thankfully I did because I could not tighten it down by hand no matter how many times I seated it. Dodge also changed the interval to 10k, but I did mine at 7k. Thanks!
Glad the video was of some help! It’s rewarding to produce content that directly helps others. Thank you for the comment about the oil filter cap. That seems to be the hardest part about the 3.6 Pentastar engine to do properly as they are known for leaking issues.
If you're sealing medium pressures: like > 50 psi PLEASE pay attention to this video. [Good] pipe thread has gotta be there (at least 4 as he said). The pipe dope has *gotta* be there. You need the pliers to tighten sufficiently. For outdoors *polyethylene* fittings you also need at LEAST TWO clamps (I use three!) And tighten the Beelteguice out of them. If ANY of these steps are skimped on (let alone skipped!) You won't need to wait: it will leak on the spot.
Both screwdrivers are marked #2 Philips and both claim to be manufactured to ISO/DIN standards. The screw is #2 Philips as well. One is just better made.
A few quality precision drivers-YES! Even the best bit driver will have SOME play, and you'll never beat a fixed blade precision driver. I have only a couple for the screws I regularly encounter, YMMV. I've also got a PH#2 fixed blade from Klein. I can get by with bitholders for anything else-if I did more outlet covers I'd want the flippy-blade driver for those, but I don't. Two things I think your go to kit needs. They're cheap, but don't cheap out on them: Non-contact voltage tester, and a plug-in outlet tester. Electrical safety is important! Because I do ham radio/emcomm gear, I've also got an Anderson Powerpole polarity tester. and a couple pairs of powerpole test leads just for testing random 12v circuits. I like having an adjustable spanner and utility shears in my kit, as well as a battery tester. The problem with my current battery tester is mine's basic-1.5v and 9v alkaline. I really want to be able to test NiMH, LiPo cells, LiFePo battery packs, etc. That starts sounding like a voltmeter, testing rig, and cheatsheet, all of which I'd have to make because nobody else has. *sigh*
Exactly! I like the way you think. This is precisely what this toolbox is for. Sure, it doesn’t have every possible thing. Sure, it’s small. But it covers 95% of things that come up inside a home without needing to make a special trip to the garage/shed.
