Review of the Pittsburgh 60 pc tap and die set we purchased for the bicycle shop. The set has several sizes commonly used on bicycles that are not available through our typical tool suppliers. So far it's been a great tool set.
I am a hobby machinist and have had the HF tap & die set for about a year. My main complaint about the set if that the small tap wrench sucks and does not grip the smaller sized dies worth a damn and the larger tap wrench keeps coming loose during use. As soon as you start tapping a hole (not a clean up) the taps spin in the small tap wrench no matter how much you tighten the the tap in the wrench. Additionally the taps are not very sharp and struggle to tap anything thicker than 3/16". Plus, the cut thread quality is very poor and bolts are very sloppy in the tapped holes. I own and use many HF tools. Some HF tools are good to moderate quality but the tap & die set sucks IMO unless you are just going to use them to clean up existing threads. I very recently purchased a set of GearWrench taps and dies and the difference between the two sets is like night and day. The Gearwrench holders are fantastic and the tap and dies themselves cut like a hot knife through butter and the holes are not sloppy. Granted the GearWrench tap and die set is more money but to me it is worth the extra expense to avoid the frustration I encountered when using the HF tap and die set.
Really cleaning up damaged threads was all we were using this set for. It's been a while since I worked at this shop, so it's hard to say how the've held up. If I were to purchase some on my own, HF has a higher quality set that's either metric or SAE, that look promising. Thanks for your feedback!
@Tom Rumish Thanks for your reply. I'm currently in the market for a tap & die set, but wanted to see quality review of HFT product 1st. Unfortunately we didn't get that with this video. You confirmed my concern that has been an issue with literally almost every tool I've bought. Needle nose pliers that contort under pressure, handle lock on Tin Snips bending closed so they're always open. And rotary drill bits that were total junk
A couple of months after my initial review I "bit the bullet" and bought a set of Gear Wrench taps & dies. They were not cheap but I am EXTREMELY please with them. Taps and dies cut precision threads. Handles and wrench's in the set will actually ratchet and are high quality. Bought the set on Amazon. Here is the link: www.amazon.com/GearWrench-3887-Tap-Die-Piece/dp/B000HBDW48/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3E61TNKLGM3U1&dchild=1&keywords=gearwrench+tap+and+die+set&qid=1587491753&sprefix=gear+wrench+ta%2Caps%2C173&sr=8-3
Not yet. We're moving after next weekend. This was a tap and die set we got about a month ago, and after using it a handful of times, I thought I would review it. As far as the new shop I'll be working at in Denver, I'm not sure what the owners thoughts are on me filming repairs and such, but if it's ok with them, I'll definitely be filming some stuff there.
I don't understand I just purchased a 45 piece set from Fastenal for $640 something dollars everything is made in China extremely cheap including the Box this looks way better quality. The company that I work for paid for it but I'm still very confused did we get robbed?
Yeah, that sounds like a lot for a Chinese made tap and die set. Does it have some really weird sizes? This particular harbor freight set is one of their less expensive sets. They actually have some that are higher quality. There are some nice US made 75 piece kits that are sub $200, so $640 does seem pretty steep!
Wow you got robbed for sure holy shit!! The snap-on master tap and dye kit is 117 pieces and it’s around 600 bucks..plus you can finance it off the truck interest free. Plus you’ll prob get a nice ass jacket too if your dealer is nice lol. Anywho snap on, Mac, Cromwell, matco, blue point etc is branded made in USA, but most of the times that’s not the case. It could be assembled in USA with Chinese parts or made n assembled in China all together. It’s hard to find truly made in USA shit anymore
@@noidontthinksolol someone who appreciates quality tools, but he way over paid for a not so great brand. The snap on 117 piece master set is like 600 bucks. Way more shit, cheaper and I guarantee it’s much better quality. Snap on amd Mac all day
I have this Set . Not Bad . But the Die Stock Set Screw Is Garbage ! I Bought A Irwin Die Stock is Much Better if You're Going to Do Hardened Steel . If they Break I just Replace the Taps with Irwin . Don't have the Spending Money For Something That Mostly Sits in Tool chest .
I don't understand why people think taps and dies are for cleaning up threads that have already been cut! These are for cutting new threads where no threads exists. A thread chaser or thread cleaner kit is for cleaning and repairing existing threads!
This particular set was purchased at a bicycle shop I used to work at. It had more sizes than what we would typically use, but there were a few metric sizes that we needed, and the complete kit was less expensive than trying to purchase a few individual pieces. Bike shops don't typically do a lot of cutting or cleaning threads but we did have thread chasers as well that got used from time to time. Probably 90% of what the taps get used for is cleaning paint out of threaded bores to attach racks and/or fenders into frames. The threads are painted over on steel and aluminum frames and taps seem to work the best for clearing out the paint.
The point is that you can use a tap and die for cleaning up threads. Nothing is set in stone that they shouldn’t be used for such. It’s called making due or better yet using what you got to get the job done, :) 👍
No, the #5 size bolt is 1/8". It looks like this kit has a #4=7/64 and a #6=9/64 www.harborfreight.com/60-pc-sae-metric-tap-and-die-set-60366.html www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/machine-screws/machine-screw-diameter.aspx
For $39.99 I'm going with Home Depot. I may only be getting a 17, 26 or 39pc set, but they'd all be name brands that warranty their shit PLUS I'd be saving 5-7 bucks on the sale price which is usually the most I'll save with a 20% off coupon. Foolish are the people who live for that one day a month when they can use the 25% off coupon.
Say Joe, I *100% believe* that Unior and Park tools are *ripping people off* with their bike crank arm stripped/re-tap taps and inserts. One Unior tap cost as much as this whole set. I was hoping they had 3/8 left handed taps, thank you.
Wow... Fucking Clickbait. Don't call your video a "review" if all you're gonna do is describe info that one could easily get off HFT website or box itself. Really expected to hear something relevant like I dunno, Quality maybe ? HFT stock generally has a poor rep, so it would've been good to see performance...Thread a nail or something like ya know
I know this is off-topic. And I'm a quirky asshole. But... Is it just me, or does anyone else have a hell of a time trying to focus when the narrator "sounds" like he's got a golf ball-sized chunk of phlegm in his throat? Nothing personal. I'm sure you're a great guy.
