Actually, your Blue Point has a fine tooth mechanism and it's just as strong as the Gearwrench. People think finer tooth = weaker. This myth has been disproven - even I was guilty of believing it at one point. The Williams has two pawls vs a single in the GW.Also, flip the wrench over and you'll see the ratchet is just as thick as the GearWrench. I tore two 13/16 apart - a GW and a Williams (EXACTLY the same wrench as your Blue Point, just marked different) and the ratchet was the same size. Also, the GW has 5 pawl teeth mesh onto the ratchet and the Williams, 7. So, it is definitely a better ratchet, not by leaps and bounds, but still better. Oh, did I mention you can rebuild/grease the Blue Point/Williams?
I've been buying a lot of huskey teckton and stuff from harbor freight now even when I buy expensive stuff now it's junk so it's all about watentee for me no matter how crappy huskey teckton and harbor freight might be they have amazing warentees no questions asked
Good overview. Much prefer stamped vs etched especially in a service truck environment. I have multiple brands but think my set of Dewalt are my favorite.
Keep in mind the concept of diminishing returns. There is absolutely no doubt that most expensive brand tools are of higher quality. The question is: are they 2 times better to cost twice as much? Often, the answer is no: you pay twice the price for say, a 30% better tool (steel may be harder and tougher, but it's certainly not twice as hard or though). Sometimes you really need that extra 30% (I wouldn't equip a space station with anything but the very best equipment) but most of the time you won't. Truth is, unless you go for the bottom of the barrel stuff, most modern tools will last for a long time if they are not abused / well cared for. The main benefit of buying budget brands with decent quality is that they allow you to have more diverse tools with the same budget. Honestly, who in his right mind would choose to have just a single set of expensive wrenches over a mid of the road set of wrenches, sockets, screw drivers and pliers? Now, people who already owns a good tool set do not really have to choose between variety and quality, and should generally strive to get single piece replacements of the highest quality they can afford.
I want to know where the Blue Point set is just a little more than the Gearwrench. Because it seems to me like the Blue Points are about 6 times more expensive.
Here in the UK, the blue point reversible set is £220. To my knowledge, we can only get gearwrench through amazon over here which will cost us £140 + £20 for shipping costs. So it's only a £60 difference between the two sets for us.
+Paul Frederick if we go to halfords (I think harbor freight is the american equivalent) we can get a set that is very similar to the gearwrench 85597 set for about £50. The only difference is that they're not reversible, they have standard open ends, and come with a 0 degree offset. Look up 'halfords 12 piece ratchet spanner set' and you'll see that even the case they come in is very similar to the gearwrench one.
ihavenousername1805 Nah, their Harbor Freight is like the cheap Chinese market stall & eBay stuff over here. You get some good stuff & some shockers in the same way. I would say Halfords is like their Auto zone . The Halfords Pro (now Advanced) isn't that bad. Plus they sell brand name stuff as well. I've had some Halfords Professional metric hex keys since an Engineering apprentice (1998+) besides the odd rust speckle here & there they're fine still.
I have worked heavy industrial maintenance for 24 years and have been researching ratcheting wrenches for the last 4 weeks, as I am tired of replacing GearWrench/HUSKY/Craftsman wrenches that fall apart. Most all named american wrenches, Snap-on/ Blue Point/ JH Williams/ Proto/ BlackHawk, are now made in TAIWAN. I tried a set of PROTO BlackHawk from Taiwan a few years back and they were equal to GearWrench at 3 times the money. I have started buying German made wrenches as their quality is well known. Yes, they are pricey, but if you make your living turning wrenches they are worth the extra$$. I prefer GEDORE and StahlWillie. HAZET's are good too, but are top $$. I just bought a set of StahlWillie 17/12 15 degree reversible Ratchet Spanners and they seen to be good German quality. Only time will tell.
A lot of the German companies are slippping Asian-made goods into their lines, which has become a point of contention here. They also seem to have no requirement anywhere to say where stuff is made, so one may not know. Many of the highest German tools are made in the Czech Republic now, if not Asia. People are now getting wise to that and this is why they are just buying cheap Proxxon crap or KS Tools. Also, all the big lines have promotional packs and who knows where those were made.
Blue Points are glorified overpriced Taiwan tools at their finest. No better than every other Taiwanese made tool but at a huge premium because they live next door to Snap-On. And the gearwrench looks and performs just as good as any ratcheting wrench on the market.
No way grab the Williams set off Amazon for 100$ instead of 80$ for the gearwrench you can rebuild the Williams ( or bluepoint same thing for ratchet wrenches just Williams is half the price) the Williams is just so much better you can feel it when you hold it in your hand it weighs twice as much per wrench because the mettle is so much better... I'm not a fanboy but better is just better gearwrench just break all the time and the watentee takes forever
I started off with Gearwrench. They’re decent, but have dropped quality in the past few years. I’ve upgraded over the years and like my Macs a lot better. They’ve got a set of Gearwrench at my shop, and I don’t like them near as much. Head is thicker, gears are weaker, and they don’t grab near as well as nicer wrenches. If someone is happy with them, I got no problem with that. I personally don’t like them as much as my Precision Torques.
Blue point is much nicer than the GW. Biggest thing that pisses me off with my hand tools is the chrome flaking like a year after I bought them. I notice the blue point has different chrome so fuck it lets see if it lasts longer. The reason I buy super expensive snap on tools though (i have a bunch of SO stuff AND bp) is because Ive never seen a snap on tool flake, the chrome just wears through eventually. I have a 2 year old SK 17-19mm flare wrench that was like 33 bucks and its already flaking on the tips of the jaws. Ok so fuck it ill just buy SO and make payments to build my credit.
Some snap on stuff is a bit over price but you cant beat stuff they got. Not even Milwaukee can compete. People complain how expensive stuff is. But in all honestly it's a investment. First tool I ever brought on the truck was a cordless quater inch electric ratchet. And I say I got my money's back from it. Haven't had any problems with it and the battery life is crazy good.
vinnieoff i have cheap craftsman tools that are 20 yrs older than any snap on i have and they are still working fine and look fine. So im sure snap on is more than a "bit" over priced. I have broken 3 of their ratchets in the past yr or so and I do not use them near as much as my gear wrench fine tooth ones. So you are not exactly paying over price for better quality.
You buy a new tool because a 2 year old tool is "flaking".....you are either a special kind of stupid or have a tool box full of shiney new tools and don't know the first thing on how to use them 😂😂.....but hey spend away 💸💸
That lazer etching goes real dull really fast. Becomes hard to read. The new spline drive wrenches constantly change direction while in use when you touch stuff as you work.
Both are good ratchet wrenches, but speaking from personal experience from someone who wrenches for a living and puts there ratchet wrenches through serious daily use, the Bluepoint are better for that. I have warrantied two in 8 years. I started out with Gear Wrench but I was warranting them like crazy. They were always seizing up, cracking in half where the teeth are or having the gear strip on the inside. I will say though having the Gear Wrench at home is definitely more cost effective and since your not using them professionally they will last there. Not saying this is the way it is for everyone, do know of people that use their Gear Wrench ratchet wrenches professionally and don't have any problems.
I have Carlyle for all my standard size wrenches/sockets since I don't use them quite as often. They represent a great quality and value imho, much better than GW. But I wonder about the longevity of the brand sometimes since its such a new company. I guess time will tell.
My local Napa is great when it comes to tool warranties. I buy a lot of tooling and supplies from them for my shop, so I see those guys a few times a week.
I have gone through 2 10mm Gearwrench, they constantly strip the teeth without much torque. But I quess the lifetime warranty makes up for it...other then being a pain in the ass
Glad to find someone that breaks things. Can you do me a favor? Grab a Tekton 10mm ratchet and see if it breaks, if it does, compare the warranty to the GearWrench
The gearwrench flexhead ratcheting wrenches get floppy and don't tighten up. Also.. the gearwrench slip... and after awhile you can't even hear them click. The heads are fucking huge. They don't fit in a lot of applications where something else will.
You can get blue point on Amazon and even at our local ACE hardware or anywhere Blue Point tools are sold. For the ones that don't want to pay tool truck prices, order it online. I have both and its preference to which one you would like, both are great products. Thanks for taking the time for the review.
Blue-point is far eastern stuff that's been given a higher price point. Not saying it's bad, but anyone with sense would buy the same thing for less in this case from another brand. Some things may be worth buying but, I would usually buy Britool Expert which Mac sells as Expert over Blue-point because Facom or whoever makes Facom tools make it (not Stanley that's just a parent company sticker). If it's Taiwan it will be Rotar Group, they make the best stuff from there. Plus Britool was well respected here for decades (our tool truck brand).They look nice enough (Blue-point) just overpriced for what they are.
Stanley Black and Recker bought out Britool. Everything labelled Britool Expert is not the same as the original made in England Britool. It is made in the far east. But here is the good bit, the professional arm of Britool, known as Britool Hallmark which was sold on the tool trucks remained independent. You can still buy it. Look for Chrometrader on Ebay.UK. Top quality stuff.
Not everything built in Taiwan or wherever is equal. There's manufacturing tolerances, and material quality are taken into account, and negotiated into the deal between the tool brand and the actual manufacturer.
I bought a set of bluepoint ones, some have mushroomed in the open end. I bought a halfords (not advanced) set of spanners for £50 and have beaten the crap out of them and there is not even a dent in any of them. I also have the bluepoint 100 piece set, the ratchets feel sloppy and constantly skip gears. From my experience bluepoint makes an overpriced product out of dire materials.
Pretty much the same damn wrenches, both made offshore and probably the same factory - but Bluepoint comes at twice the price. Did you use a inside micrometer to measure the jaw opening or did you use a snap gauge to transfer the measurement to the micrometer to get the reading?
Too bad the American made craftsman's aren't around anymore. They had some that looked almost identical to the gearwrench, but we're manufactured in Texas. By all accounts they were an excellent tool.
That's because they are, basically, Gearwrench. Apex owns Gearwrench - guess who owned the facility that produced them in the USA before they shipped them over to Taiwan? Apex. They were a supplier to Sears, and also owned the patent on the original ratcheting wrenches which expired a few years ago.
Alex C just buy a used blue point set and order a 6 and 7 mm to go with it its expensive but they will last you forever ive never met a person that had a problem with them and they are life time waranty no ?
Seems like the "cream" and the "crap" tools have all settled into a state of homologous mediocrity. The junk is "ok", and the stuff that WAS made well seems to disappoint. Guess you have to find a price bracket that works for you and then settle in. I know I can't afford Snap On tools, but even a Kobalt tool will give you the same warranty at a helluva price savings. Hard to justify the 20x price increase simply for the designer name.
Hello sir fine post. Seamed like your letting us decide for are self's which one is better, it's a personal thing really, I have the gearwrench ratchet wrenches, many in fact and I like them all, one set was on sale at Napa for 15. Bucks, to good a deal to turn down a 5pc set but that comes out to 3. Dollars a wrench. My first set I got for Xmas from my son. Oh and ps. I'm sure Stanley Black and Decker own gearwrench
Hello Martin... Gearwrench is not owned by Stanley Black/Decker; Gearwrench, SATA, K-D Tools and Crescent are owned by the Apex Group (as far as hand tools) !!! Stanley Black Decker owns: Black/Decker, Stanley, Facom, Proto, Mac Tools, DeWalt, Craftsman, Irwin and Lenox (as far as hand tools) ... stay safe
The blue point doesn’t have teeth or edges on the open end? If it had a flank drive like the snap on then this would be a no brainer. But it seems like snap on is better but then I have to pay the outrageous prices
Flank drive just ruins fasteners it's definitely not a nessity if you are worried about striping bolts what you want is 6 point socket or 6 point closed end on a wrench
yes, my set was about $250 off the truck. The equivalent snap on set goes for $425. Gearwrenches usually run $100-$150 online but a tool truck may charge you close to retail price which is listed on their website at $256
Apex owns all these companies., firm believer in 🇺🇸 tool’s but I’m very impressed with gear wrench , considering I’m coming from craftsman professional the USA version that I bought in 2003 , But I’m retiring that set . Gear wrench feels like The same as the highest end , Not bad and you don’t care about messing them up
If you understand that ratcheting wrenches have lower torque capacities that ratchets, including the best of the best, then any quality ratcheting wrench will last a lifetime. My Gearwrenches have been in service for ten years now without an issue.
Excellent point. I don't use my Gearwrenches to break loose fasteners, that's what a good box end wrench is for. I break them loose with a non-ratcheting box end and then use the gearwrench to ratchet it off quickly. I hardly ever use the open end on the Gearwrenches. Not much need to, and they do seem to be soft (when I've used them before on tight fasteners they've spread or dinged the jaws- but again not much point of open ends on these wrenches, if I'm forced to use an open end I'd rather grab a better quality wrench). The benefit of geaerwreches is having an extremely low profile ratchet, and for that they work excellent and are a great value. But don't expect a $150 set of ratcheting wrenches to be as strong as a $300+ set of Snap-On non ratcheting combination wrenches.
used to own properties ranches in I went all the way what American Tool Set because the blue point overdoing it same durable it was not and I could work with the Harbor Freight which seemed a lot more durable than these two
I agree with you buy snap on is a rip off they are over priced and the "lifetime warrentee" is bullshit if you take em to a different tool truck they wont honor it, its the same company they should sears lowers home depot even harbor freight dont care where you buy it from they will replace it no question asked
+Nicholas Weber Snap on warranty isn't worth shit, they should change it from, life time warranty, to, we'll warranty it for as long as you're buying shit from us.
the blue point has more teeth hence why it sounds cheaper and more fine, me personally i could care less if my wrench has 10 teeth less lol, as long as it works and i dont break a knuckle due to chinese "stainless"
The jaw on my 1/2" open end gear wrench busted off. It cracked right in the crotch with no excessive force or cheater attached. I've turned wrenches for over 40 years and never had that happen with any other open end wrench, regardless of brand. That immediately told me the quality of these wrenches are no different than any of the myriad of other wrenches popping up in every hardware, home improvement and big box store. When you buy a hand tool (or any tool for that matter) in todays world you have no idea what the quality control consists of unless of course you are buying professional grade tools such as Snap-On or Matco (or Craftsman tools of the past) who will actually warranty the tools. It's all a gamble when you buy any other brand from GearWrench, Husky, Stanley, B&D, Harbor Freight to Crescent or any of the other non-professional hand tools. And that's not to say that none of these brands or similar brand of hand tools out there don't have some quality tools there but it's not like it was 50 years ago where tradesmen actually manufactured tools to high standards in plants where that's all they manufactured. And now that Sears is going bankrupt at warp speed and sold off Craftsman I assume they will join the ranks of these hobbyist weekender brand tools.
Gearwrench was the original ratchet wrench and everything after is copy cat. Had my set for like 10 years. Bluepoint/Snap on is over rated but in the end is all about your budget right. You see that PAT Stamped on its tool.
Symon Channel lol. How old are you? I bought my first set of ratcheting wrenches at least 20 years before gearwrench was invented....Just because you are not old enough to know does not mean gear wrench invented the fucking things....
iv broken both of them with daily use as a mechanic... but i hit them with hammers to break stubborn bolts free in tignt spaces...they about the same and my snap on guy sells gear wrench...video waist of my time
you must be a snap on tool dealer, by the sounds of it, i also sell tools for 12 years, and i know snap on tools are overpriced , many great tools are found for much less, OTC, SK, ingersol rand etc,..
orlex fiallos and you don't believe most of them low cost no name brands are trumped by quality steel and warrantee of snap on? Price isn't the discussion here. Anyways, it's pretty obviius gearwrench isn't snap on. Gearwrench is a japanese company pretty sure, manufacturing in Taiwan and or China* not 100% on the china part, I bought an autocraft torque wrench and it was made in China and had lead in it
circulation booster and more Not only are you wrong, you are an idiot. Craftsman and many other tool companies had ratchet wrenchs for decades before gear wrench was invented...
both wrenches are made in China with Chinese metal most likely made by the same company to me the gear wrench is better and it is also cheaper than the blue point
Taiwan is a part of China, but politically, economically, and culturally different. This is not a polar answer of is it or it isn't. It's a complicated relationship and there is a reason why goods from Taiwan will say "Taiwan", and ROC after.
Great to see side by side. Thanks for taking the time to look at them.
Those Blue-Point wrenches have a nice look to them. Nice comparison video. Thanks. :)
Actually, your Blue Point has a fine tooth mechanism and it's just as strong as the Gearwrench. People think finer tooth = weaker. This myth has been disproven - even I was guilty of believing it at one point. The Williams has two pawls vs a single in the GW.Also, flip the wrench over and you'll see the ratchet is just as thick as the GearWrench. I tore two 13/16 apart - a GW and a Williams (EXACTLY the same wrench as your Blue Point, just marked different) and the ratchet was the same size. Also, the GW has 5 pawl teeth mesh onto the ratchet and the Williams, 7. So, it is definitely a better ratchet, not by leaps and bounds, but still better. Oh, did I mention you can rebuild/grease the Blue Point/Williams?
That Blue Point looks amazing next to that Gearwrench. Thank you for comparing them!
Just a heads up for ppl thinking of grabbing a GW wrench, the metal in the open end relatively soft and will likely slip of frozen a fastener
I have the identical blue point set, they're great, and damn near bullet proof. I have the flex heads as well, and am equally impressed.
I've been buying a lot of huskey teckton and stuff from harbor freight now even when I buy expensive stuff now it's junk so it's all about watentee for me no matter how crappy huskey teckton and harbor freight might be they have amazing warentees no questions asked
"Some people prefer the wider head"
Huh huh huh Beavis.
Banshee365 lmfao GOLD
lmao
Good overview. Much prefer stamped vs etched especially in a service truck environment. I have multiple brands but think my set of Dewalt are my favorite.
Keep in mind the concept of diminishing returns. There is absolutely no doubt that most expensive brand tools are of higher quality. The question is: are they 2 times better to cost twice as much? Often, the answer is no: you pay twice the price for say, a 30% better tool (steel may be harder and tougher, but it's certainly not twice as hard or though). Sometimes you really need that extra 30% (I wouldn't equip a space station with anything but the very best equipment) but most of the time you won't. Truth is, unless you go for the bottom of the barrel stuff, most modern tools will last for a long time if they are not abused / well cared for. The main benefit of buying budget brands with decent quality is that they allow you to have more diverse tools with the same budget. Honestly, who in his right mind would choose to have just a single set of expensive wrenches over a mid of the road set of wrenches, sockets, screw drivers and pliers? Now, people who already owns a good tool set do not really have to choose between variety and quality, and should generally strive to get single piece replacements of the highest quality they can afford.
I abuse my gearwrench set everyday. I have had them for over a year still work like new.
cody colina mine do not have switches they are the first model that came out. you just turn wrench over.
Yeah I think the ratchet parts on them gearwrench are a shit load weaker than good brands.
Wait till they drop their guts. 2 in 3 years.
I want to know where the Blue Point set is just a little more than the Gearwrench. Because it seems to me like the Blue Points are about 6 times more expensive.
Here in the UK, the blue point reversible set is £220. To my knowledge, we can only get gearwrench through amazon over here which will cost us £140 + £20 for shipping costs. So it's only a £60 difference between the two sets for us.
ihavenousername1805
only £60? We can get the whole metric, and standard Gear Wrench 20 piece set here for $50. Which is less than your difference.
+Paul Frederick if we go to halfords (I think harbor freight is the american equivalent) we can get a set that is very similar to the gearwrench 85597 set for about £50. The only difference is that they're not reversible, they have standard open ends, and come with a 0 degree offset. Look up 'halfords 12 piece ratchet spanner set' and you'll see that even the case they come in is very similar to the gearwrench one.
ihavenousername1805 Nah, their Harbor Freight is like the cheap Chinese market stall & eBay stuff over here. You get some good stuff & some shockers in the same way. I would say Halfords is like their Auto zone . The Halfords Pro (now Advanced) isn't that bad. Plus they sell brand name stuff as well. I've had some Halfords Professional metric hex keys since an Engineering apprentice (1998+) besides the odd rust speckle here & there they're fine still.
Paul Frederick lol snap on is the most overpriced tools that you can buy. even Mac is faaaaaar cheaper.
I'd like to see a comparison between a Snap-on Dual 80 Ratchet and some comparable ratchets, like the GearWrench 120XP etc.
You cannot compare Gearwrench to Snap On ratchets if you are a technician and do this for a living
I have worked heavy industrial maintenance for 24 years and have been researching ratcheting wrenches for the last 4 weeks, as I am tired of replacing GearWrench/HUSKY/Craftsman wrenches that fall apart. Most all named american wrenches, Snap-on/ Blue Point/ JH Williams/ Proto/ BlackHawk, are now made in TAIWAN. I tried a set of PROTO BlackHawk from Taiwan a few years back and they were equal to GearWrench at 3 times the money. I have started buying German made wrenches as their quality is well known. Yes, they are pricey, but if you make your living turning wrenches they are worth the extra$$. I prefer GEDORE and StahlWillie. HAZET's are good too, but are top $$. I just bought a set of StahlWillie 17/12 15 degree reversible Ratchet Spanners and they seen to be good German quality. Only time will tell.
A lot of the German companies are slippping Asian-made goods into their lines, which has become a point of contention here. They also seem to have no requirement anywhere to say where stuff is made, so one may not know. Many of the highest German tools are made in the Czech Republic now, if not Asia. People are now getting wise to that and this is why they are just buying cheap Proxxon crap or KS Tools. Also, all the big lines have promotional packs and who knows where those were made.
Proto has a US version better than either one of these
Triple the price and it appears to be better quality never heard of such a thing
Is it a technicians normal practice to use an opened end on a frozen bolt or nut?
Williams is identical to the blue point . Williams is also available in flexible head
Flexible head and reversible without flipping them over only wrench that does I think
Blue Points are glorified overpriced Taiwan tools at their finest. No better than every other Taiwanese made tool but at a huge premium because they live next door to Snap-On. And the gearwrench looks and performs just as good as any ratcheting wrench on the market.
No way grab the Williams set off Amazon for 100$ instead of 80$ for the gearwrench you can rebuild the Williams ( or bluepoint same thing for ratchet wrenches just Williams is half the price) the Williams is just so much better you can feel it when you hold it in your hand it weighs twice as much per wrench because the mettle is so much better... I'm not a fanboy but better is just better gearwrench just break all the time and the watentee takes forever
I started off with Gearwrench. They’re decent, but have dropped quality in the past few years. I’ve upgraded over the years and like my Macs a lot better. They’ve got a set of Gearwrench at my shop, and I don’t like them near as much. Head is thicker, gears are weaker, and they don’t grab near as well as nicer wrenches. If someone is happy with them, I got no problem with that. I personally don’t like them as much as my Precision Torques.
Blue point is much nicer than the GW. Biggest thing that pisses me off with my hand tools is the chrome flaking like a year after I bought them. I notice the blue point has different chrome so fuck it lets see if it lasts longer. The reason I buy super expensive snap on tools though (i have a bunch of SO stuff AND bp) is because Ive never seen a snap on tool flake, the chrome just wears through eventually. I have a 2 year old SK 17-19mm flare wrench that was like 33 bucks and its already flaking on the tips of the jaws. Ok so fuck it ill just buy SO and make payments to build my credit.
Some snap on stuff is a bit over price but you cant beat stuff they got. Not even Milwaukee can compete. People complain how expensive stuff is. But in all honestly it's a investment. First tool I ever brought on the truck was a cordless quater inch electric ratchet. And I say I got my money's back from it. Haven't had any problems with it and the battery life is crazy good.
vinnieoff i have cheap craftsman tools that are 20 yrs older than any snap on i have and they are still working fine and look fine. So im sure snap on is more than a "bit" over priced. I have broken 3 of their ratchets in the past yr or so and I do not use them near as much as my gear wrench fine tooth ones. So you are not exactly paying over price for better quality.
I buy people’s used snap on tools off offer up I got a 3/8 ratchet chrome is flaking but it works perfect
You buy a new tool because a 2 year old tool is "flaking".....you are either a special kind of stupid or have a tool box full of shiney new tools and don't know the first thing on how to use them 😂😂.....but hey spend away 💸💸
That lazer etching goes real dull really fast. Becomes hard to read. The new spline drive wrenches constantly change direction while in use when you touch stuff as you work.
I love my mac ratcheting wrenches best money I ever spent
Both are good ratchet wrenches, but speaking from personal experience from someone who wrenches for a living and puts there ratchet wrenches through serious daily use, the Bluepoint are better for that. I have warrantied two in 8 years. I started out with Gear Wrench but I was warranting them like crazy. They were always seizing up, cracking in half where the teeth are or having the gear strip on the inside. I will say though having the Gear Wrench at home is definitely more cost effective and since your not using them professionally they will last there. Not saying this is the way it is for everyone, do know of people that use their Gear Wrench ratchet wrenches professionally and don't have any problems.
Good review. I buy Carlyle though, Napa is right around the corner from my shop.
It's hard to beat.
I have Carlyle for all my standard size wrenches/sockets since I don't use them quite as often. They represent a great quality and value imho, much better than GW. But I wonder about the longevity of the brand sometimes since its such a new company. I guess time will tell.
GreaseMonkey Supreme Just started using Carlyle a few months ago and they are slow replacing my old sets as I lose tools since tools hardly break.
My local Napa is great when it comes to tool warranties. I buy a lot of tooling and supplies from them for my shop, so I see those guys a few times a week.
love my Carlyle tools and they're around the corner. They are pro tools for far less than snapon.
I have the gearwrench sae. Looking at one or the other for mm. Think I'll go with bluepoint now. Thanks!
I have gone through 2 10mm Gearwrench, they constantly strip the teeth without much torque. But I quess the lifetime warranty makes up for it...other then being a pain in the ass
The Craftsman ones are GREAT!!!!
+ddd228 only the USA made ones
I have 3 sets,just as good as Blue Point.
Glad to find someone that breaks things. Can you do me a favor? Grab a Tekton 10mm ratchet and see if it breaks, if it does, compare the warranty to the GearWrench
I must have better luck than you because I threw a cheater bar on mine all the time and I haven't had a single issue yet
The gearwrench flexhead ratcheting wrenches get floppy and don't tighten up. Also.. the gearwrench slip... and after awhile you can't even hear them click. The heads are fucking huge. They don't fit in a lot of applications where something else will.
You can get blue point on Amazon and even at our local ACE hardware or anywhere Blue Point tools are sold. For the ones that don't want to pay tool truck prices, order it online. I have both and its preference to which one you would like, both are great products. Thanks for taking the time for the review.
Moot point. As Pass Through Sockets are replacing the Ratchet wrench. Hell some you can still use Pass Through Sockets on the Gear Wrench it self.
Blue-point is far eastern stuff that's been given a higher price point. Not saying it's bad, but anyone with sense would buy the same thing for less in this case from another brand. Some things may be worth buying but, I would usually buy Britool Expert which Mac sells as Expert over Blue-point because Facom or whoever makes Facom tools make it (not Stanley that's just a parent company sticker). If it's Taiwan it will be Rotar Group, they make the best stuff from there. Plus Britool was well respected here for decades (our tool truck brand).They look nice enough (Blue-point) just overpriced for what they are.
Stanley Black and Recker bought out Britool. Everything labelled Britool Expert is not the same as the original made in England Britool. It is made in the far east.
But here is the good bit, the professional arm of Britool, known as Britool Hallmark which was sold on the tool trucks remained independent.
You can still buy it. Look for Chrometrader on Ebay.UK. Top quality stuff.
Not everything built in Taiwan or wherever is equal. There's manufacturing tolerances, and material quality are taken into account, and negotiated into the deal between the tool brand and the actual manufacturer.
My 17mm failed on me twice. Easy walk in swap though.
I bought a set of bluepoint ones, some have mushroomed in the open end. I bought a halfords (not advanced) set of spanners for £50 and have beaten the crap out of them and there is not even a dent in any of them. I also have the bluepoint 100 piece set, the ratchets feel sloppy and constantly skip gears. From my experience bluepoint makes an overpriced product out of dire materials.
Blue point has around 30t or so the insides look like a old craftsman almost
Pretty much the same damn wrenches, both made offshore and probably the same factory - but Bluepoint comes at twice the price.
Did you use a inside micrometer to measure the jaw opening or did you use a snap gauge to transfer the measurement to the micrometer to get the reading?
Wrong
Too bad the American made craftsman's aren't around anymore.
They had some that looked almost identical to the gearwrench, but we're manufactured in Texas.
By all accounts they were an excellent tool.
That's because they are, basically, Gearwrench. Apex owns Gearwrench - guess who owned the facility that produced them in the USA before they shipped them over to Taiwan? Apex. They were a supplier to Sears, and also owned the patent on the original ratcheting wrenches which expired a few years ago.
@American Pride Well then by all means tell us why...
seems both have positive points. i never dealt with bluepoint not that i wont
Larry Somers fuck u, u sleeveless piece of shit
look someone is upset at my comment
My etching wore away in my Bluepoints. I had to engrave the size on the wrench.
Blue point etching is terrible. I have the ratchet spanners with the direction on the side. Wish I never bought them.
This review is heavily biased towards the Bluepoint, so much so that the viewer cannot make a fair assessment between both ratchet wrenches
Alex C just buy a used blue point set and order a 6 and 7 mm to go with it its expensive but they will last you forever ive never met a person that had a problem with them and they are life time waranty no ?
The laser etching wears off quickly.
Thanks for the review
snap on rip off.....
+Richard Cowtails snap on owns blue point
+marvin romero you're right. snap owns most of their competition ... not worth the price either.
buy mastercraft ,you brake it ,they replace it the same day ,no questions asked .
Seems like the "cream" and the "crap" tools have all settled into a state of homologous mediocrity. The junk is "ok", and the stuff that WAS made well seems to disappoint. Guess you have to find a price bracket that works for you and then settle in. I know I can't afford Snap On tools, but even a Kobalt tool will give you the same warranty at a helluva price savings. Hard to justify the 20x price increase simply for the designer name.
Hello sir fine post. Seamed like your letting us decide for are self's which one is better, it's a personal thing really, I have the gearwrench ratchet wrenches, many in fact and I like them all, one set was on sale at Napa for 15. Bucks, to good a deal to turn down a 5pc set but that comes out to 3. Dollars a wrench. My first set I got for Xmas from my son. Oh and ps. I'm sure Stanley Black and Decker own gearwrench
Hello Martin... Gearwrench is not owned by Stanley Black/Decker; Gearwrench, SATA, K-D Tools and Crescent are owned by the Apex Group (as far as hand tools) !!! Stanley Black Decker owns: Black/Decker, Stanley, Facom, Proto, Mac Tools, DeWalt, Craftsman, Irwin and Lenox (as far as hand tools) ... stay safe
It’s a damn shame that most of everything is made overseas….. Made in USA seems to be a thing of the past
The differences are so minor it doesn't justify the hefty price of the blue point and blue point is NOT snapon . gearwrench is a winner.
Scratch both and get Williams they are the same as bluepoint
The blue point doesn’t have teeth or edges on the open end? If it had a flank drive like the snap on then this would be a no brainer. But it seems like snap on is better but then I have to pay the outrageous prices
Flank drive just ruins fasteners it's definitely not a nessity if you are worried about striping bolts what you want is 6 point socket or 6 point closed end on a wrench
@@WHATDATTOOLDOIt ruins fasteners that are already wasted or nearing that. For new stuff it’s not an issue.
Hi. I'm not a mechanic and I use tools once in a blue moon. What's the round end for? The switch? Thx.
Marc Bertrand the round end is for changing from standard to metric
It's a candy dispenser.
I just prefer the head any way i can get it. Lol!
Can you buy blue point from the snap on truck? And how much cheaper is it?
yes, my set was about $250 off the truck. The equivalent snap on set goes for $425. Gearwrenches usually run $100-$150 online but a tool truck may charge you close to retail price which is listed on their website at $256
+Newbguy Gear Reviews z and blue point has the same warranty? But it's half the price??
Yes, its because snap-on wrenches are made in the USA and Bluepoint is made in Taiwan.
Buy Proto buy American made, buy the best
Apex owns all these companies., firm believer in 🇺🇸 tool’s but I’m very impressed with gear wrench , considering I’m coming from craftsman professional the USA version that I bought in 2003 , But I’m retiring that set . Gear wrench feels like The same as the highest end , Not bad and you don’t care about messing them up
If you understand that ratcheting wrenches have lower torque capacities that ratchets, including the best of the best, then any quality ratcheting wrench will last a lifetime. My Gearwrenches have been in service for ten years now without an issue.
Excellent point. I don't use my Gearwrenches to break loose fasteners, that's what a good box end wrench is for. I break them loose with a non-ratcheting box end and then use the gearwrench to ratchet it off quickly. I hardly ever use the open end on the Gearwrenches. Not much need to, and they do seem to be soft (when I've used them before on tight fasteners they've spread or dinged the jaws- but again not much point of open ends on these wrenches, if I'm forced to use an open end I'd rather grab a better quality wrench).
The benefit of geaerwreches is having an extremely low profile ratchet, and for that they work excellent and are a great value. But don't expect a $150 set of ratcheting wrenches to be as strong as a $300+ set of Snap-On non ratcheting combination wrenches.
Blue point open end on the ratchet wrenches are soft.
I sold my strap-ons and bought Proto
how much does a strap on go for these days?
lol
more than a proto.
Proto shit sucks dick. Its all oilfield heavy industry crude shit. Not auto suited nowadays.
@@JPammo461 Dude , Proto has a pro US made version way better than either one of these
gearwrench leaver switch is identical to dewalt
is it just me or iis the blue point switch maid of plastic ?
no its metal
@@franktib feewww
Great stuff Wera Joker switch ar better and cheaper.
I’ve seen those online, but never in person. They look nice, though.
Blue point is not snap on it's an overpriced gear wrench. Lol
Josh Martinez completely wrong
Gearwrench better snapon can warrant
used to own properties ranches in I went all the way what American Tool Set because the blue point overdoing it same durable it was not and I could work with the Harbor Freight which seemed a lot more durable than these two
Richard Cowtails. You obviously dont wrench for a living. Good quality tools cost more but save you money in the long run
I agree with you buy snap on is a rip off they are over priced and the "lifetime warrentee" is bullshit if you take em to a different tool truck they wont honor it, its the same company they should sears lowers home depot even harbor freight dont care where you buy it from they will replace it no question asked
+Nicholas Weber Snap on warranty isn't worth shit, they should change it from, life time warranty, to, we'll warranty it for as long as you're buying shit from us.
+Dixinormus I agree. why have a lifetime warranty and throw a fit when it needs used.
Dixinormus some snap on tools are worth the price tho.
the blue point has more teeth hence why it sounds cheaper and more fine, me personally i could care less if my wrench has 10 teeth less lol, as long as it works and i dont break a knuckle due to chinese "stainless"
The jaw on my 1/2" open end gear wrench busted off. It cracked right in the crotch with no excessive force or cheater attached.
I've turned wrenches for over 40 years and never had that happen with any other open end wrench, regardless of brand. That immediately told me the quality of these wrenches are no different than any of the myriad of other wrenches popping up in every hardware, home improvement and big box store.
When you buy a hand tool (or any tool for that matter) in todays world you have no idea what the quality control consists of unless of course you are buying professional grade tools such as Snap-On or Matco (or Craftsman tools of the past) who will actually warranty the tools.
It's all a gamble when you buy any other brand from GearWrench, Husky, Stanley, B&D, Harbor Freight to Crescent or any of the other non-professional hand tools. And that's not to say that none of these brands or similar brand of hand tools out there don't have some quality tools there but it's not like it was 50 years ago where tradesmen actually manufactured tools to high standards in plants where that's all they manufactured.
And now that Sears is going bankrupt at warp speed and sold off Craftsman I assume they will join the ranks of these hobbyist weekender brand tools.
Have had gearwrench drop 2 ratchet internals I'm 3 years.
Gearwrench tiwan was fine they are going all china tho that's why teckton or Williams is a much better choice
Sounds like a one sided video.
Jorge Quevedo sounds like you bought gear wrench 😂
Gearwrench was the original ratchet wrench and everything after is copy cat. Had my set for like 10 years. Bluepoint/Snap on is over rated but in the end is all about your budget right. You see that PAT Stamped on its tool.
Symon Channel lol. How old are you? I bought my first set of ratcheting wrenches at least 20 years before gearwrench was invented....Just because you are not old enough to know does not mean gear wrench invented the fucking things....
iv broken both of them with daily use as a mechanic... but i hit them with hammers to break stubborn bolts free in tignt spaces...they about the same and my snap on guy sells gear wrench...video waist of my time
BOTH of them are made by the SAME company, trust me i know,, matter of fact GEARWRENCH INVENTED that tool, hence the name gearwrench,,
you must be a snap on tool dealer, by the sounds of it, i also sell tools for 12 years, and i know snap on tools are overpriced , many great tools are found for much less, OTC, SK, ingersol rand etc,..
orlex fiallos and you don't believe most of them low cost no name brands are trumped by quality steel and warrantee of snap on? Price isn't the discussion here. Anyways, it's pretty obviius gearwrench isn't snap on. Gearwrench is a japanese company pretty sure, manufacturing in Taiwan and or China* not 100% on the china part, I bought an autocraft torque wrench and it was made in China and had lead in it
circulation booster and more you're a special kinda stupid lol. Have a great day
Not made by the same company. The Gear Wrench is made in China and the Blue Point is made in Taiwan.
circulation booster and more Not only are you wrong, you are an idiot. Craftsman and many other tool companies had ratchet wrenchs for decades before gear wrench was invented...
both wrenches are made in China with Chinese metal most likely made by the same company to me the gear wrench is better and it is also cheaper than the blue point
my Blue-Point BOERMF13A says taiwan.
DerekJ yes some most likely are made there but people have to understand the Taiwan is a part of China same metal quality
Taiwan is a part of China, but politically, economically, and culturally different. This is not a polar answer of is it or it isn't. It's a complicated relationship and there is a reason why goods from Taiwan will say "Taiwan", and ROC after.
+sachelle babbar What do you mean ? Don't you know anything !Taiwan is NOT a part of china, Go asked taiwanese they all will says" not a part of CH.
Of course I know that Taiwan is not a part of Switzerland.