I don't mind if a product is re-branded.. as long as the quality is there, and the price is right to match, I'll be first in line to buy a re-branded product. I sure as hell am not going to pay extra for re-branded crap though (quality-wise).
I’m ok with rebranded tools I look at The warranty factor I’d rather pay a lil more for something off matco , cornwell, snap on truck just for the fact that they come to me !!! Awesome video brother keep up the good work I’m waiting on the ratchet wrenches
matco serpentine belt tool (actually made by gearwrench) 162.70. SAME TOOL with gearwrench branding instead of matco, bought at napa, 69.99. and on amazon, 42.23. why the hell am i going to pay 120 dollars for a name? that's what i think of a tools rebranding.
I’ve had great luck with ICON & TEKTON. And this is coming from a guy who owns a lot of Snap On stuff. The lesson, focus less on buying the absolute “best” and just get a quality/affordable tool. The person behind the tool is what really matters!
I remember when I could walk into sears with a broken craftsman tool show it to the salesman and walk out with a new tool. It was that easy. I just don't even consider craftsman anymore
I remember that too. I was one of those guys you took the tools to.....50 years ago while working my way through college . I have many Craftsman tools from back in the day, all US made. Great quality. Reasonable price and no risk because of warranty. But, like you, never more.
@@RedemptionGarage I still have my huge Craftsman socket set that I bought 30 years ago for $120.00. I do not remember how many pieces it came with but it was around 400 pieces if I do remember correctly. This set I bought also came with a really good wrench selection. In all this time of using this set, I think I have broken no more then 10 pieces. Craftsman was really great quality back then.
I agree 100 percent about Craftsman. They could have been MAC tools version of Blue Point. Compared to US made vintage Craftsman, The "new" craftsman feels very chinsey and cheap.
I work in a diesel shop and my boss bought a icon torque wrench we use it all the time and just for giggles we had it tested on the matco truck. Our matco dealer was impressed with the quality. Harbour freight is stepping their game up with this icon line hopefully they come out with icon tool carts to compete with tool truck brands
95% of all my tools are Carlyle. When you buy only during sales like Black Friday and Mother’s Day you can get some serious deals. Great tools, cheap price.
Perfectly said about CRAFTSMAN, I actually just wrote a college school paper for my marketing class and discussed how Craftsman use to have customer loyalty. I inherited my grandfathers tools after he passed and he stood behind Craftsman as did I for many years up until recently. I do like Tekton so far and only own a few socket sets but plan to get some more.
Grew up using Craftsman tools from Dad and his Dad....back when you could buy a tool and know if it failed or the quality wasn't up to par you could walk in and get a replacement or a refund. I think the beginning of the end for Craftsman(and Sears) was when they released the "EVOLV" line of 'Craftsman' that were made in China. They should have kept the 'Companion' line of inexpensive, lower-quality, Made in China tools and kept Craftsman higher quality (even if it meant going higher on prices). They basically just lowered the value of their own name....and if the name doesn't stand for the Highest Quality and being Made in USA - then why not just buy the Chinese stuff from another store like Home Depot or Lowes for a better price...? Hind-sight is 20/20 - they're probably kicking themselves now.
I agree! You are doing a good job and trying very hard to produce quality content. Attempting to make up for the distance between you and the microphone by shouting does result in better voice recognition for the viewer. IMHO, it also appears that you are nervous and yelling at me (Your are really neither) the entire presentation, Lol. Even a cheap corded lapel or stand mic hanging above your head would work? Keep up the good work!
Haha there are two that are similar looking and one that looks nothing like the other two. I thought it was funny that he began with the Tekton comparison when it was obviously different.
@@kevinragsdale6256 they are tough. You may only be working on newer cars that aren't left outside. I've removed a 32mm axle nut with a 24" breaker bar and the wheel would spin on the ground.
I was impressed by Icon when I first saw they didnt skip any sizes. You're telling me I can get an affordable wrench set that includes 16mm? That right there is what separates them from the Craftsmans and the DeWalts. Anyone who has done any serious amount of wrenching knows how big of a deal that is. Now I'm trying to fill out my box with as much Icon as I can before they realize they should be charging much more than they are.
I do believe that the wrench's are manufactured by the same company. However, the ratchets are similarly designed but the icon is definitely of heavy quality over the carlyle which is a advantage in my opinion, especially for people who are depending on them day in, day out and make a living with their tools. I am pretty impressed from what I've seen from u and Justin Dow on the icon brand. Keep up the good work harbor freight.
Back in the day, Craftsman tool were made by subcontractors.....the Craftsman Tool Co never made any tools that I know of. Various companies made tools for Craftsman and the people who collect Craftsman as a hobby know who made the tools and when.
Hey man, just a thought for future videos - the metallurgy of the parts will determine more of the quality of a tool than just the size of the components. Having lighter, smaller, stronger components will make a better tool and will mean less fatigue for the tech using them. I appreciate you putting these videos together and look forward to more content!
Hey! Great video! It was nice to see the internals of those ratchets and that Harbor Freight is putting out truly competitive products. However, I tend to disagree with the conclusions made in the video. there is more to quality than just the size of the the internals. Yes, the Icon has larger internal components, but a closer look reveals that the Tekton seems better engineered to my eye in some areas. Starting with the switches, the o-ring is a nice touch on the icon, but the switch is made of die-cast aluminum where the Tekton's is made of some steel alloy (I know from owning one). As far as the pawls go, while I'm not entirely sure the materials of either, you can tell the tekton's pawl is a steel alloy due to it's reaction to the slightly magnetic scribe at 15:53. Another point i noticed is that the tekton's gear and tang has a boss on the rear which seats in a pocket in the housing, providing more support. This is indeed a more sturdy design compared to the Icon, which has no positive attachment to the ratchet other than the face plate. The final thing i notice is the lack of radii in the corners of the anvil where it meets the gear on the icon. This would likely lead to a stress concentration and i would guess this to be the weak point of the ratchet. The tekton by comparison has a much larger corner radius, so I would expect the gear / tang to be more robust. From my experience, i have seen far more fatigue failures at the base of the anvil, than internals of ratchets. I can personally attest to the strength of this exact tekton in the video from putting a 4ft cheater tube over it and literally standing on it to break a stubborn axle nut loose. I do not have any personal experience with the icon, but overall seems like a good product! I've been using tekton for the past few years now and never once had a single issue from the multitude of dumb shit i've put them through. Keep up the great vids! Thanks!
100% agree about Craftsman not taking advantage of the opportunity to really bring back their name. I had big hopes that they were gonna come out swinging, and I was severely disappointed. I was also a bit skeptical of HF with this Icon launch and I have to admit they are pretty close to nailing it on the head. Appreciate the videos.
About 20yrs ago I was walking around a Sam's club and came across a 150+ piece wrench/ratchet socket/bit driver Channel Lock set for $60. I bought it figuring this would be a decent set for home use, what surprised me when I opened it up was how similar the tools were to my Snap On sets. That's when I looked into hand tool manufacturing and which factories produce what and for who. Also, 20yrs later beating the hell out of them and I haven't had to replace any of them under warranty.
Re-branded or not.. If the ICON tool line is a good, quality tool, which hopefully they are.. I'll be buying them. The pricing that @ClientGraphics has shown in his vids is pretty much right in line with what I was hoping they would be. So, yeah.. I'm definitely going to be picking up the ICON series tools. Already have the 1/2" drive ICON breaker bar.. which has been out for awhile now.
I can agree. Lowes screwed up by taking on craftsman as their store brand. I have taken a ratchet to lowes and asked them to warranty it and was told that the tool was not sold by lowes and they would not honer the warranty. So much for craftsman lifetime warranty
Yeah I like the Kobalt stuff. They had some Kobalt metric combos on closeout for $20 and I got two sets on for my main box and one for my mobile box. They are really nice wrenches and I have had not problems with them.
Doesnt matter if its rebranded really if its a good price. Theres only so many tool factories in Taiwan, its a small country ya know. So whoever is making icon is making some other taiwan tool brand. Does Icon have its own designs and specs though? Steel composition? Tighter or looser tolerances? Those are the real questions.
Milwaukee is good but eventually, there wil be someone better. i use the Kobalt XTR and im going to stick with them over Milwaukee since im not really a pro.
I agree with you, a lot of tools are re-branded. The same factories in Taiwan or China make tools for various tool name companies. I read that the Daytona floor jacks at HF are made in the same factory in Asia that makes floor jacks for SnapOn, there is some suttle differences (Snap-On even tried suing HF not long ago over the floor jacks).
@@TheTyrial86 there was a court case. Snap-on sued Harbor Freight for copying their design. It was thrown out. The jacks are not made in the same factory. Snap-on makes their jacks in house.
I'm not a pro. Just a DIY'er. Like you, I'm very disappointed, disgusted with Craftsman/Stanley-Black and Decker. I've been watching tool channels for a year or 2 now, trying to get input on what my next choice will be. Ive bought some Cobalt, Husky and Pittsburgh. Now theres something else I gotta consider, Icon. Harbor Freight is definitely in the mix with the other 2 big box stores. Once Icon hits the public, I'll be making a decision then, which will get my loyalty and which my money will allow. Coupons are great for a guy like me. Something else to consider. I agree with the real world testing. Loosen a couple bolts and dunk it in some fluids isnt "real". Try it for 6 months then give an "educated" opinion. Great videos, keep them coming brother.
Back around 1998 I had to weld two wrenches together to make a ford alternator/tensioner wrench. I refused to do my craftsman that way so I ran out and got some cheapos .
I just wanted to let you know that I am super proud of you B, you've made the life you've once dreamed of. I'm always happy to see my friends shine while we all finally live our dreams!! Keep shinnin B it's only going up.
Rebranded or most likely made in the very same factories. I don’t mind and at that point it comes down to price and warranty as probably the quality is the same
Perhaps made in the same factory but the ratchets are not even close to being the same tool with different names stamp on them which is what the term "Re-branded" means.
bill Don’t forget he said the same font. What dumb comment. He doesn’t know what the word same means. Their offset does not look the same either. Everything else does tho.
@@richardaguilar8582 I agree that by the eye on TV they look darn close but he said "rebrand" not "copy" he needs to measure all dimensions not just one to ascertain that but first someone needs to hand him a dictionary.
I've been buying Craftman tools since 1978 with my Dad, at the age of 4! It's true that Sears really dropped they're quality. I just spent over $800.00/ dollars on auto parts for my 1999 Toyota 4Runner 4x4 with a 5speed. I'll be looking at some new tool sets, and Icon is the first name that comes to mind as of recent. The other brand is Tekton! Thank you!
I've watched a few of your vids before, but I didn't subscribe until after watching this one. I appreciate your thoughts about quality, price, and honesty. I also think you hit the nail on the head regarding the situation with craftsman. thanks for making this vid.
I took apart the Tekton 3/8 and the Kobalt 3/8. Both look similar, but, when you feel the ratchet action of both, the Tekton is significantly higher quality. Also, the Tekton is made in Taiwan and the Kobalt is made in China. I assume that some of these companies are making knock offs of each other. And it really doesn't matter how big the components inside the ratchet are. The quality of the metal is what matters. On the Icon, the direction selector is made of pot metal. The Tekton has a gear selector made of a higher quality metal. That makes me question what the other components in the Icon are made of. And I prefer the Tektons smaller head design.
When using calipers, take your measurement as close to th body of the caliper as possible. This minimizes the error introduced by flexing of the jaws or any play in the system.
You compared the size of internals, which is a good and valid comparison, however there is another component to strength. The metallurgy and heat treat of those components. Without that we can’t say definitively that the larger parts are stronger.
That is true and all I can do is make a guess and with both being from Taiwan, the price, and the look is all I have to go on so I made a guess. I don't claim to be right only my opinion. With everything considered I still think I'm right but who knows only time will tell. Thanks for you input brother.
Metallurgy? You did a nice job of comparing size but, your assumption that bigger is stronger only holds true if the metal is the same. I agree with your thoughts on Craftsman. I have some old Craftsman Professional tools that I love but, I refuse to buy the new crap.
Small better quality internals would make for a smaller but stronger ratchet that can fit into smaller places that the bigger bulkier one might not be able to. Also they are both 90 tooth but the tekton has a smaller diameter gear so that leads to reduced swing angle to engage the next gear and less slop in the ratchet.
No his meter malfunctioned it went straight from 200 to 600 he didn't put that much torque on it. Then the anvil of the tekton broke at about the same torque as the rest of them. When the handle bent it just saved the head from snapping. Either way you'll never put over 200 lbs of torque on a 3/8 ratchet anyway and if you do you're using the wrong tool. They're all comparable in quality imo
Any ideas of what the smallest Icon tool box will be and when the boxes will be in the store's? Any idea what the prices will be? I am a fist time watcher and I just subscribed. I am strictly a hobbyist who likes to save money, but is wants quality tools. I am in the market for a box right now. I have definitely figured out that the US General box is a better box then the Craftsman one I looked at. I would love to see a small Icon box as I don't need a bigger one.
Yes i do... if you go to this playlist you can find all the information i have about the ICON system. Hope it helps and glad you are staying around. ua-cam.com/play/PLoIXfcvyBYAH3kLgykv6u4B4Z7Ex1kvet.html
The pawl, gear and switch on the ICON is HUGE compared to the Tekton. The ICON gear thickness, and pawl length is a huge strength advantage. The wrenches are very, very close. I'd still buy the ICON line! Makes me want to purchase the ICON even more!!! The ICON tool line is going to go FAR!!! The ICON is built very good!! I hope that they take a bite out of snap-on.
The Tekton won one you tube channels ratchet test outright, at over 800 ft lbs the handle bent at 30° but the ratchet mechanism still Worked perfectly. They straightened it out, and it was good to go.
One day my trusty old 3/8 Long Flex Head USA craftsman ratchet I'd had for 20 years let go about 4 years ago doing some head bolts. I took it back and got an identical looking one that didn't have USA on it. I used it for a week and it broke and I busted my knuckles. I took it back got another one, and 3 days later it let go and I hurt myself again. I threw it in the trash and that was pretty much the end of Craftsman for me. They still had a few good USA made tools and I bought them up with specials and free cash points as they were going under, but now they are gone. I am not unhappy that Stanley bought them though, I have always been happy with my Stanley tools. I am sure this happened with a lot of people, and Sears probably thought, we are not seeing that many exchanges so the china stuff must be working. In reality it was in peoples trash cans and they just gave up and didn't come back.
When I break any of my craftsman ratchets I guess I have to toss them in the garbage. Sears nail in their coffin was when they cut ties with western forge. After that they spiraled to their doom
Agreed that the "extreme" testing by Justin Dow for one whole day was a joke. Any tool will hold up for atleast one day. Like you said, how good will the stuff last for 6 months.
First time I watch your channel. I've been watching other youtube channels that do tool reviews and it seems you have a great channel going here. Subbed. Cheers!
Rebranded stuff has happened for a long time. Manufacturers are gonna buy whatever is gonna work for their platform at whatever cost. Other companies are a group, meaning a company usually a enterprise has tons of different brand names under one umbrella.
Hi Bryan I was just wondering if you have ever seen or used and Eastwood ratchet and if they were any good, I can't find any reviews on the Eastwood ratchet anywhere on UA-cam, if you know anything about them I would love to hear it.
Nice addition to your ICON release coverage!! I'm a DIY guy and Pittsburgh is great most of the time, but I do appreciate quality. The ratchets and combo wrenches look really sweet. I'm looking out for intro deals from HF. Black Friday is coming up , too!!
Those Tekton ratchets are absolutely great. They are my absolute most used ratchet and the only brand I do not own is Mac. That 18” tekton ratchet is great for suspension work. Edit: I kinda lied, the wright 3430 is my absolute favorite ratchet but not most used. This ratchet is like a piece of jewelry.
RStanley also makes Husky tools. I had a Husky breaker bar that needed warranty replacement - Home Depot gave me a number to call- it was Stanley and they sent me a free replacement.
I have those same Icon and Carlyle wrenches. I bought few separate Carlyle wrenches for work on my press, and i got the 14 pc Icon for my tool box. I noticed that too that they both the same. Nice thing about Icon is much less expensive and you get the very nice tray with it
Im excited for this line but not releasing it with the bigger sizes from the start is a mistake. I want to buy the entire line but i cant not have a 21,22, and 24mm wrench for who knows how long waiting on them to release the expansion sets. Thats what i dont like about snap on now.
They just aren't truly dedicated to the professional at least yet. Consider no large size wrenches, no mid length sockets, no ratcheting line wrenches, crows feet, and for Pete's sake not even offering 12 point sockets. They are going to have to up their game because the real pros aren't going to have it
Very well-done and comprehensive comparisons, good info. I personally like the in depth info more than real world demos, at least with hand tools. However when testing impacts that is a different story. It's nice to see where an impact can fit and how powerful it is. Either way will continue watching your quality content vids.
Guys (and girls if any) try your best not to let the hype get to you. Sit it out, wait and see if they hold up. In mean time do like me and give Home Depot a chance.Their Husky tool brand is lifetime warranty. For you start up mechanics you can't go wrong. Keep your money in your pocket man. Trust me in my day 1 -10mm Snap On box wrench was what?About $20-25? No Home Depot,No Lowes,No Amazon and Sears was 567 miles away. I paid $80 (bluepoint) for drill bit set (about 25 bits)back in the 90s. They took all my damn money man. At Home Depot you can get a set box ratcheting wrenches with swivel head for $35 (I believe about 6,7 wrenches).I mean what else do you really need? If a tool breaks/fail go to any Home Depot and swap. Give them a try. Don't like em? Return them.
@@RedemptionGarage you can but I mean there's Home Depot seems to every other block and no issue ever returning/replacing.So convenient. Good job on your channel btw.
aircraft mechanic here. would definitely not suggest Husky/Kobalt anything for a professional setting. they always break, their tolerances are atrocious, and the stores will NOT exchange your tool if they find out you used it for work.
I just bought the 3/8 and the 1/2 flex head ex long with comfort grip. Liking then so far. They were out of the 1/2 regular rachet. Needed something to replace my craftsman, ratchets are junk and don't hold up.
Depends on where each of those wrenches were made icons are Taiwan I'm not sure we're the Carlyle s are made and they might look the same but how good is the chrome plating on each of them after usage
The Wrenches are the same the Icon is a Copy of the Carlyle. As shown by your video. Icon found it cheaper to have Carlyle to make them for Icon. No doubt. As for the ratchets they where not the same as the Teckon. They maybe of some other tool company we have never seen. Taiwan does make a lot of hand Tools. So Harbour Freight could have sourced them from any of these manufacturers.
Props for reaching out and speaking your mind, I could not agree more! I think any company worth their salt should heavily take in to consideration professional reviews from the people that use their products regardless of what that is. When they decide not to respond it gives them a poor image and I wonder if they understand the influence that forums such as UA-cam have… One bit of advice for a person who is serious about having their message heard, would be to proofread what you are sending so that the initial message is not clouded by typos and grammatical errors. Much love and I hope that you hear back from them! Please let us know if you do...
The 10 piece set is 50 so thats a fair deal the 17 piece set is 150 which is still a fair deal. The 14 piece ICON is 100 so they are pretty similar in price it would come down to ease of warranty for me. But looking at the channel lock wrenches online they do look similar and are from Taiwan so they probably are the same.
Good comparisons and thank you for breaking down the differences in the ratchets. You are right Craftsman missed the opportunity for re-branding. Keep up the good work!!!
I've thought this myself.... But it doesn't matter... good tools that work are good tools....👍... I don't really view it as rebranding... I look at it as there's a good manufacturer that makes good tools and multiple tool companies (distributors) buy their manufacturing.... Really doesn't matter to me as long as the tool is a quality piece and the price is right....✔ Now... Price isn't always the main reason I will purchase a particular tool... Take the Carlyle wrenches for instance with the Max Bite technology that Milwaukee also sells (and others) I went with the Milwaukee set because, 1st of all they offered more wrenches and they also have the nice wrench holders that fit in the drawer and lay out really nice...Carlyle doesn't offer that... And sometimes, depending on the tool I might pay a little more because I want certain things to match other tools that I have... Thanks bro...
I definitely want to get a set of the Icon ratchets, perhaps the comfort grip if they come out with green. The first thing I do is take apart the head to make sure they're greased and I like how those internals look on the Icon. Also digging the teeth on the combination wrenches. The Cummins service techs that come out and work on our equipment have Tekton mixed in along side Snap On combination wrenches and old school Craftsman mixed in alongside Snap On Sockets and knowing how much abuse they put them through so that's why I was turned on to Tekton. I work in a fleet shop for a local railroad I know our Matco click torque wrenches get repeatedly sent back to our tool lab for repair and re-calibration. The same failures across 3 different shifts, different people so it's not technician error. I'm not really impressed with whatever brand they used for those torque wrenches.
Stanley ain't gonna go full out on rebuilding the craftsman name until they are they sole distributor. Sears cam still sell craftsman for 2 more years. Wait until that runs out and stanley is gonna bring it.....
@@nathanr.8556 if you can't see the difference between multiple sellers selling the same product and 2 companies manufacturing different products under the same brand then I don't know what to tell you... whoopdie doo I guess
I believe Stanley will be going all out next year with Craftsman when their 1/2 million square foot manufacturing facility they are building in Texas is complete.
Hey, thanks for the video, it’s good for people to know who makes who. Us in the tool community already pretty much know and could put two and two together, but for the people in the market trying to make a decision (depending on their situation) who don’t know can make a better choice if one is on sale and the other one isn’t.
Despite the smaller size, the Tekton ratchets seem to dominate in the failure testing. They probably use decent alloys. Also, the bump on the back of the anvil gear is to keep it centered better. I handled an ICON ratchet for the first time today. The back drag from that massive pawl was unbearable. I honestly prefer their 72 tooth Pittsburg Pro ratchets more.
Yes but he guaranteed that the ICON was better. That means he put his reputation on the line over the claim. Aaaand the Tekton is better so this guy is useless for tool reviews.
I like how Icon went after Snap-on with now shame but the V-Series craftsman ratchets are a smoother performing ratchet when you put the Icon head to head to craftsman v series ratchet.
@@RedemptionGarage I own a Carlyle 90T 1/4" drive ratchet and it's held with a snap ring. I own many other Carlyle 3/8" ratchets but none of the P90 series so I'm not sure if they are the same as Icon.
The Tekton blew everything outta the water including Snap on.... this guy has no clue.... Tekton is far of a superior tool.... Icon doesn't come close in quality
I use tekton for a couple reasons. Their blow molded cases are hard to beat especially for a mobile industrial mechanic who's gotta lug all his crap into multiple locations, i can fit a 3/8 and 1/2 socket set into a backpack and still have room for more stuff and still not feel weighed down. I don't have to worry about sockets spilling out in my bag or snagging on anything else in the bag. Also having a set that has absolutely no skips is really really nice especially when that set comes in both deep and shallow SAE and Metric. The warrenty is also hard to beat and yes shipping is always an unknown variable but you've always got either a shallow or deep socket to replace your broken one. And most everything on tektons catalog is reasonably priced
What helps with the Icon design that they have a former snap-on employee helping design the tools. It would be Kool if they could design the tools in the USA and create jobs for the US people and that definitely would hurt Snap on, Matco, and MAC .
Going to play the devil's advocate a bit here, first Icon isnt really a competitor with Snap on or other USA made hand tools, and they know it; it's a competitor with Taiwan tools I.e. Gp, Lisle, bluepoint, etc. Second craftsman failed because of Sears not vise versa and Sears is failing for reasons far beyond the scope of the Craftsman brand.
Sears ruined craftsman but sears and craftsman were one. And i think you're right they may get a little but people will continue to pay 150 for a ratchet etc etc. Thanks for watching and sharing your input
Hi it's his mic settings. Or his eq. Or just his vocal box. Needs to watm up. Or it could be the food he had the night prior to recording or just his adrenaline.
Channellock makes the same wrenches as icon and carlyle at a fraction of the price. 9-19 (skips 16, but you can buy seperately) for $32. toolsourcedirect.com/shop/channellock-309443-10-piece-metric-combination-wrench-set/
I agree with the comments about the Tekton ratchet strength test. It blew awsy competition. He is missing the quality/hardness testing of the forging in these ratchets and wrenches, in all the parts. My great great uncle, Bill Petersen, invented the vice grip. The reason they lasted for decades was his insistence on the forging, particularly the jaws and the cutter. They sold the business to American Tool Co. and they continued with that quality. When Irwin bought it the quality dropped But they aren't terribly bad in my opinion but not as rugged. But now everyone makes them at all levels of quality. Same size of parts but softer jaws and loose joints etc. But 30 year old used original Petersen vice grips are still commanding a high sale price and people buy them to use and beat the crap out of them. And they last....and last...and last. Just because a piece of metal is bigger doesnt make it better. Its hardness and tolerances of assembly are the key factors.
SBD will bring Craftsman back to the U.S.A. and when they do I will buy it as long as it's affordable. And I will choose American quality over anything under Harbor Freight's roof!
@@everytoolashammer9427 I didn't say I would base my decision on country of origin only. Try reading my comment before portraying your ignorance. I said IF it was affordable
I feel the same way. I wanna buy more tools but been putting it off because craftsman will be putting out USA made ratchet,sockets and wrenches in a year or so. And definitely gonna get the drill and impact that's built in USA. qc is just better in US.
Thank s for taking the time to compare the ICON to the Tekton and Carlisle tools for the "know it all's" that really don't know it all. The ICON stands alone in its game.
I’ll say this - even if they were rebranded, the fact that they are easily competitive its tool truck quality, but come with a lifetime warranty for a 1/3 of the price or less, buddy icon wins straight up. Not to mention if you need to warranty them walk into harbor, hand them your icon and grab a new one and wad leave. Way better than dealing with a tool truck and paying $175 for a ratchet and they may have to order your warranty replaced while you are out a tool for a week or two. My shop is going all in with icon tools. Maybe they will reach out to me for feedback haha, I don’t have a channel but I work in a shop with 9 other techs and they are all now interested in looking at icon
The newer Craftsman 72 tooth from Lowes CMMT 99442 (3/8), 99427 (long 3/8) and 99441 (1/2) look like Tekton products. I took them all apart and see no differences. The smaller 3/8 is the single pawl. The longer 3/8 and 1/2 use a beefy double pawl. Externally things like the handle and lever color are different. However, it really looks like the 72 tooth chrome ratchets listed are simply slightly older Tekton products. All three ratchets are made nice, tight and smooth. They are a notable exception to Craftsman sucking. To be honest, Tekton and Craftsman chose the same the same Taiwan company to make them. There is another ratchet in the series, it's the 1/4 CMMT 81747. It's a cheap Stanley 89.818 and feels awful.
The large majority of “professional” hand tools are made by a small number plants in Taiwan or China, all in the same industrial complexes. And it makes sense - the setup necessary to start from scratch would be a huge investment. And the final product wouldn’t be much different. All tools, even at the highest end, are manufactured to a price point. Not much wiggle room for more value engineering / optimization at this point.
There's a benefit to Carlyle over icon and that is, if you lose one you can go buy a single. The other thing is you can expand the set. The Carlyle wrenches and sockets have a massive range. With icon, even though the quality is virtually identical, what you get in the box is all there is. Harbor freight needs to address that because they could make icon a true professional line but it's going to require expanded sizes and singles
What do you think of Re-branded tools?
Easiest to warranty 1st then price, unless one has way bigger line up and u want em to match. #ocd
I don't mind if a product is re-branded.. as long as the quality is there, and the price is right to match, I'll be first in line to buy a re-branded product. I sure as hell am not going to pay extra for re-branded crap though (quality-wise).
I don’t mind at all. The Carlyle wrenches are great quality. They picked a good design to put their name on.
I’m ok with rebranded tools I look at The warranty factor I’d rather pay a lil more for something off matco , cornwell, snap on truck just for the fact that they come to me !!! Awesome video brother keep up the good work I’m waiting on the ratchet wrenches
matco serpentine belt tool (actually made by gearwrench) 162.70. SAME TOOL with gearwrench branding instead of matco, bought at napa, 69.99. and on amazon, 42.23. why the hell am i going to pay 120 dollars for a name? that's what i think of a tools rebranding.
I’ve had great luck with ICON & TEKTON. And this is coming from a guy who owns a lot of Snap On stuff. The lesson, focus less on buying the absolute “best” and just get a quality/affordable tool. The person behind the tool is what really matters!
I remember when I could walk into sears with a broken craftsman tool show it to the salesman and walk out with a new tool. It was that easy. I just don't even consider craftsman anymore
I remember that as well and I used to have a lot of Craftsman tools. Those were the days lol
Redemption Garage they always gave me a “refurbished” ratchet. Craftsman is poop
I just took 2 ratchets back to lowes and got new ones. No problem. Had the ratchets years.
I remember that too. I was one of those guys you took the tools to.....50 years ago while working my way through college . I have many Craftsman tools from back in the day, all US made. Great quality. Reasonable price and no risk because of warranty. But, like you, never more.
@@RedemptionGarage I still have my huge Craftsman socket set that I bought 30 years ago for $120.00. I do not remember how many pieces it came with but it was around 400 pieces if I do remember correctly. This set I bought also came with a really good wrench selection. In all this time of using this set, I think I have broken no more then 10 pieces. Craftsman was really great quality back then.
I agree 100 percent about Craftsman. They could have been MAC tools version of Blue Point. Compared to US made vintage Craftsman, The "new" craftsman feels very chinsey and cheap.
Tool review starts at 09:27 there your welcome!
Mudfish4X4 thank you
Thanks
Oh Lord thank you good sir
Thank you. I have when people are long winded.
Thank u lord lol
I work in a diesel shop and my boss bought a icon torque wrench we use it all the time and just for giggles we had it tested on the matco truck. Our matco dealer was impressed with the quality. Harbour freight is stepping their game up with this icon line hopefully they come out with icon tool carts to compete with tool truck brands
my friend, have you heard of our lord and savior U.S. General
Eric Barrows 😂😂😂😂
You are 100% right about Craftsman. The missed opportunity of the century. Thanks for the video
95% of all my tools are Carlyle. When you buy only during sales like Black Friday and Mother’s Day you can get some serious deals. Great tools, cheap price.
Perfectly said about CRAFTSMAN, I actually just wrote a college school paper for my marketing class and discussed how Craftsman use to have customer loyalty. I inherited my grandfathers tools after he passed and he stood behind Craftsman as did I for many years up until recently. I do like Tekton so far and only own a few socket sets but plan to get some more.
I’d like to read your paper, is it posted anywhere? I used to be a dedicated Craftsman hand tool customer. It’s a shame what happened to them.
@@todd718 ...what happened to SEARS (and how quickly they declined) should definitely be in the back of EVERY companies mind.
Grew up using Craftsman tools from Dad and his Dad....back when you could buy a tool and know if it failed or the quality wasn't up to par you could walk in and get a replacement or a refund. I think the beginning of the end for Craftsman(and Sears) was when they released the "EVOLV" line of 'Craftsman' that were made in China.
They should have kept the 'Companion' line of inexpensive, lower-quality, Made in China tools and kept Craftsman higher quality (even if it meant going higher on prices).
They basically just lowered the value of their own name....and if the name doesn't stand for the Highest Quality and being Made in USA - then why not just buy the Chinese stuff from another store like Home Depot or Lowes for a better price...?
Hind-sight is 20/20 - they're probably kicking themselves now.
Stop yelling at me.
I agree! You are doing a good job and trying very hard to produce quality content. Attempting to make up for the distance between you and the microphone by shouting does result in better voice recognition for the viewer. IMHO, it also appears that you are nervous and yelling at me (Your are really neither) the entire presentation, Lol. Even a cheap corded lapel or stand mic hanging above your head would work? Keep up the good work!
😂
Agreed
For that matter, stop repeating yourself. Too much talking, too little said.
@@AnonymousCow you dont have to be a dick all your life just remember that
tekton beat icon on strength on 3/8 drive on vid i watched on here,plus these ratchets looks absolutley nothing alike.
Yeah no way its Tekton
Haha there are two that are similar looking and one that looks nothing like the other two. I thought it was funny that he began with the Tekton comparison when it was obviously different.
Seem like icon promoter. I test and use tekton 1/2 wrench to remove axle nuts all-day haven't failed no 1/2 can do that
@@minsoeuy1613 yes they can, axle nuts are not that tight. Go bust the pinion nut off a dana 80 with it for a real test.
@@kevinragsdale6256 they are tough. You may only be working on newer cars that aren't left outside. I've removed a 32mm axle nut with a 24" breaker bar and the wheel would spin on the ground.
I was impressed by Icon when I first saw they didnt skip any sizes. You're telling me I can get an affordable wrench set that includes 16mm? That right there is what separates them from the Craftsmans and the DeWalts. Anyone who has done any serious amount of wrenching knows how big of a deal that is.
Now I'm trying to fill out my box with as much Icon as I can before they realize they should be charging much more than they are.
New ford bronco sports use a 16 mm oil drain bolt :)
Agreed with your view on Craftsman, I grew up with my dad and uncles using craftsman when they were mechanics and Craftsman was legit back in the day.
I do believe that the wrench's are manufactured by the same company. However, the ratchets are similarly designed but the icon is definitely of heavy quality over the carlyle which is a advantage in my opinion, especially for people who are depending on them day in, day out and make a living with their tools. I am pretty impressed from what I've seen from u and Justin Dow on the icon brand. Keep up the good work harbor freight.
Back in the day, Craftsman tool were made by subcontractors.....the Craftsman Tool Co never made any tools that I know of. Various companies made tools for Craftsman and the people who collect Craftsman as a hobby know who made the tools and when.
Hey man, just a thought for future videos - the metallurgy of the parts will determine more of the quality of a tool than just the size of the components. Having lighter, smaller, stronger components will make a better tool and will mean less fatigue for the tech using them. I appreciate you putting these videos together and look forward to more content!
Yeah, ive seen plenty of test on the tekton ratchets that have it destroy icon ratchets, comparing size alone is like comparing apples to oranges
Hardness testing would be easy to do and would be a good indicator.
Hey! Great video! It was nice to see the internals of those ratchets and that Harbor Freight is putting out truly competitive products. However, I tend to disagree with the conclusions made in the video. there is more to quality than just the size of the the internals. Yes, the Icon has larger internal components, but a closer look reveals that the Tekton seems better engineered to my eye in some areas. Starting with the switches, the o-ring is a nice touch on the icon, but the switch is made of die-cast aluminum where the Tekton's is made of some steel alloy (I know from owning one). As far as the pawls go, while I'm not entirely sure the materials of either, you can tell the tekton's pawl is a steel alloy due to it's reaction to the slightly magnetic scribe at 15:53. Another point i noticed is that the tekton's gear and tang has a boss on the rear which seats in a pocket in the housing, providing more support. This is indeed a more sturdy design compared to the Icon, which has no positive attachment to the ratchet other than the face plate. The final thing i notice is the lack of radii in the corners of the anvil where it meets the gear on the icon. This would likely lead to a stress concentration and i would guess this to be the weak point of the ratchet. The tekton by comparison has a much larger corner radius, so I would expect the gear / tang to be more robust. From my experience, i have seen far more fatigue failures at the base of the anvil, than internals of ratchets. I can personally attest to the strength of this exact tekton in the video from putting a 4ft cheater tube over it and literally standing on it to break a stubborn axle nut loose. I do not have any personal experience with the icon, but overall seems like a good product! I've been using tekton for the past few years now and never once had a single issue from the multitude of dumb shit i've put them through. Keep up the great vids! Thanks!
Thanks for your feedback I appreciate that!
Blah blah blah... hahaha
@@MrSupernova111 what are ya? poor and stupid?
100% agree about Craftsman not taking advantage of the opportunity to really bring back their name. I had big hopes that they were gonna come out swinging, and I was severely disappointed. I was also a bit skeptical of HF with this Icon launch and I have to admit they are pretty close to nailing it on the head. Appreciate the videos.
About 20yrs ago I was walking around a Sam's club and came across a 150+ piece wrench/ratchet socket/bit driver Channel Lock set for $60. I bought it figuring this would be a decent set for home use, what surprised me when I opened it up was how similar the tools were to my Snap On sets. That's when I looked into hand tool manufacturing and which factories produce what and for who.
Also, 20yrs later beating the hell out of them and I haven't had to replace any of them under warranty.
Re-branded or not.. If the ICON tool line is a good, quality tool, which hopefully they are.. I'll be buying them. The pricing that @ClientGraphics has shown in his vids is pretty much right in line with what I was hoping they would be. So, yeah.. I'm definitely going to be picking up the ICON series tools. Already have the 1/2" drive ICON breaker bar.. which has been out for awhile now.
I am definitely impressed with the complete ICON line of tools thus far, Thanks to You, Justin and Chris. Thanks Guys!
That's exactly what I hoped they would do with Craftsman. Get rid of Expert. Tbh I would rather if Lowes kept Kobalt as their main brand.
Love kobalt tools I went from craftsman made in USA to kobalt when I got started
I can agree. Lowes screwed up by taking on craftsman as their store brand. I have taken a ratchet to lowes and asked them to warranty it and was told that the tool was not sold by lowes and they would not honer the warranty. So much for craftsman lifetime warranty
Yeah same
Yeah I like the Kobalt stuff. They had some Kobalt metric combos on closeout for $20 and I got two sets on for my main box and one for my mobile box. They are really nice wrenches and I have had not problems with them.
Kobalt is just like Pittsburgh pro but cost way too much I tried Kobalt and switched back to craftsman
Doesnt matter if its rebranded really if its a good price. Theres only so many tool factories in Taiwan, its a small country ya know. So whoever is making icon is making some other taiwan tool brand. Does Icon have its own designs and specs though? Steel composition? Tighter or looser tolerances? Those are the real questions.
I totally agree,Thanks for the heads up on the ChannelLock wrenches.
Everything matters, it’s all relative. Obviously nobody thought HF opened their own factory and hired their own workers etc etc.
I agree entirely as far as the real questions though
I agree completely. Quality of Steel and parts and tolerances make a huge difference.
Exactly, just like for example, the Pontiac Vibe is the same as the Matrix/Corolla, just few outer differences but 95% a Toyota made vehicle.
Those tekton ratchets are really durable, and they have exceptional customer service.
The icon ratchets should be awesome.
I'm mad about Lowe's pushing the craftsman tools over there Kobalt tool line
When I finally decided to start getting more tools I went specifically looking for Kobalt. There's almost nothing left. Sad times. So Husky it is 😒
Milwaukee is good but eventually, there wil be someone better. i use the Kobalt XTR and im going to stick with them over Milwaukee since im not really a pro.
@@ayowheredeeway the Kobalt cordless tools are made by Skil power tools
Kobalt and husky new tools are garbage compared to older versions.
@@ebusive i hesrd duralast is very similiar to kobalt. Ive alsk seen husky ratchets and tekton ratchets be stronger then mac or snap on.
I agree with you, a lot of tools are re-branded. The same factories in Taiwan or China make tools for various tool name companies. I read that the Daytona floor jacks at HF are made in the same factory in Asia that makes floor jacks for SnapOn, there is some suttle differences (Snap-On even tried suing HF not long ago over the floor jacks).
Wrong.
@@MrSubaru1387
No it is true... There is a court case on it.
@@TheTyrial86 there was a court case. Snap-on sued Harbor Freight for copying their design. It was thrown out. The jacks are not made in the same factory. Snap-on makes their jacks in house.
"They didn't get back to me" proceeds to talk about how the head of quality assurance had a conference call with him
Good video, but you can stop yelling at me at any time. I'd appreciate it
I'm not a pro. Just a DIY'er. Like you, I'm very disappointed, disgusted with Craftsman/Stanley-Black and Decker. I've been watching tool channels for a year or 2 now, trying to get input on what my next choice will be. Ive bought some Cobalt, Husky and Pittsburgh. Now theres something else I gotta consider, Icon. Harbor Freight is definitely in the mix with the other 2 big box stores. Once Icon hits the public, I'll be making a decision then, which will get my loyalty and which my money will allow. Coupons are great for a guy like me. Something else to consider.
I agree with the real world testing. Loosen a couple bolts and dunk it in some fluids isnt "real". Try it for 6 months then give an "educated" opinion. Great videos, keep them coming brother.
So I had a Mac wrench newer style made in Tawain vs a Craftsman USA wrench I needed to modify. I cut up the Mac.
Back around 1998 I had to weld two wrenches together to make a ford alternator/tensioner wrench. I refused to do my craftsman that way so I ran out and got some cheapos .
This channel won’t be small for long brother! One of the best I’ve came across in awhile. 👊🏻
I appreciate thay brother it made my day
I just wanted to let you know that I am super proud of you B, you've made the life you've once dreamed of. I'm always happy to see my friends shine while we all finally live our dreams!! Keep shinnin B it's only going up.
Awwe Thank you Ashley!
Tekton has become my new Craftsman. Thanks for the video!
Rebranded or most likely made in the very same factories. I don’t mind and at that point it comes down to price and warranty as probably the quality is the same
Perhaps made in the same factory but the ratchets are not even close to being the same tool with different names stamp on them which is what the term "Re-branded" means.
bill
Don’t forget he said the same font. What dumb comment. He doesn’t know what the word same means. Their offset does not look the same either. Everything else does tho.
@@richardaguilar8582 I agree that by the eye on TV they look darn close but he said "rebrand" not "copy" he needs to measure all dimensions not just one to ascertain that but first someone needs to hand him a dictionary.
I've been buying Craftman tools since 1978 with my Dad, at the age of 4! It's true that Sears really dropped they're quality. I just spent over $800.00/ dollars on auto parts for my 1999 Toyota 4Runner 4x4 with a 5speed. I'll be looking at some new tool sets, and Icon is the first name that comes to mind as of recent. The other brand is Tekton! Thank you!
I still have old craftsman tools as well SK tools that was my dads from back in 70’s. They are still going strong.
Same.
I've watched a few of your vids before, but I didn't subscribe until after watching this one. I appreciate your thoughts about quality, price, and honesty. I also think you hit the nail on the head regarding the situation with craftsman. thanks for making this vid.
Well I'm glad you decided to subscribe David hopefully you enjoy more of my future videos.
I took apart the Tekton 3/8 and the Kobalt 3/8. Both look similar, but, when you feel the ratchet action of both, the Tekton is significantly higher quality. Also, the Tekton is made in Taiwan and the Kobalt is made in China. I assume that some of these companies are making knock offs of each other. And it really doesn't matter how big the components inside the ratchet are. The quality of the metal is what matters. On the Icon, the direction selector is made of pot metal. The Tekton has a gear selector made of a higher quality metal. That makes me question what the other components in the Icon are made of. And I prefer the Tektons smaller head design.
Some tekton tools are made in the 🇺🇸 usa
The tekton gear is supported on the back side better also by the boss that fits in the back of the head making it a sturdier design.
Major respect for Icon willing to talk to you. That says a lot of what we can expect from Icon in the present and the future.
When using calipers, take your measurement as close to th body of the caliper as possible. This minimizes the error introduced by flexing of the jaws or any play in the system.
You compared the size of internals, which is a good and valid comparison, however there is another component to strength. The metallurgy and heat treat of those components. Without that we can’t say definitively that the larger parts are stronger.
That is true and all I can do is make a guess and with both being from Taiwan, the price, and the look is all I have to go on so I made a guess. I don't claim to be right only my opinion. With everything considered I still think I'm right but who knows only time will tell. Thanks for you input brother.
Metallurgy? You did a nice job of comparing size but, your assumption that bigger is stronger only holds true if the metal is the same. I agree with your thoughts on Craftsman. I have some old Craftsman Professional tools that I love but, I refuse to buy the new crap.
I have almost every ICON tool available use daily and haven’t had a failure yet.
I’m convinced and excellent for the price point and performance.
I’d really like to see the wrenches and ratchets used on some torque test to see what it takes to break them.
Client graphics did a few tests with them
Tool Barn UA-camr does it
Small better quality internals would make for a smaller but stronger ratchet that can fit into smaller places that the bigger bulkier one might not be able to. Also they are both 90 tooth but the tekton has a smaller diameter gear so that leads to reduced swing angle to engage the next gear and less slop in the ratchet.
watch clientgraphics video of strongest ratchets Tekton 3/8 went to 682 ft lbs and bent the ratchet but the ratchet still functioned.
Way better quality than Icon!! Tekton blee even Snap on outta the water
No his meter malfunctioned it went straight from 200 to 600 he didn't put that much torque on it. Then the anvil of the tekton broke at about the same torque as the rest of them. When the handle bent it just saved the head from snapping. Either way you'll never put over 200 lbs of torque on a 3/8 ratchet anyway and if you do you're using the wrong tool. They're all comparable in quality imo
@@tylerparker3024 I just watched that video and it didn't goo from 200 straight to 600 but nice try. just slap yourself real good!
You got it buddy
@@2001redz28 no it didn't the handle yielded and it threw the numbers off, he tried again and it broke at like 290ftlb, but nice try.
Any ideas of what the smallest Icon tool box will be and when the boxes will be in the store's? Any idea what the prices will be? I am a fist time watcher and I just subscribed. I am strictly a hobbyist who likes to save money, but is wants quality tools. I am in the market for a box right now. I have definitely figured out that the US General box is a better box then the Craftsman one I looked at. I would love to see a small Icon box as I don't need a bigger one.
Yes i do... if you go to this playlist you can find all the information i have about the ICON system. Hope it helps and glad you are staying around.
ua-cam.com/play/PLoIXfcvyBYAH3kLgykv6u4B4Z7Ex1kvet.html
The pawl, gear and switch on the ICON is HUGE compared to the Tekton. The ICON gear thickness, and pawl length is a huge strength advantage.
The wrenches are very, very close.
I'd still buy the ICON line!
Makes me want to purchase the ICON even more!!! The ICON tool line is going to go FAR!!!
The ICON is built very good!!
I hope that they take a bite out of snap-on.
The Tekton won one you tube channels ratchet test outright, at over 800 ft lbs the handle bent at 30° but the ratchet mechanism still
Worked perfectly.
They straightened it out, and it was good to go.
One day my trusty old 3/8 Long Flex Head USA craftsman ratchet I'd had for 20 years let go about 4 years ago doing some head bolts. I took it back and got an identical looking one that didn't have USA on it. I used it for a week and it broke and I busted my knuckles. I took it back got another one, and 3 days later it let go and I hurt myself again. I threw it in the trash and that was pretty much the end of Craftsman for me. They still had a few good USA made tools and I bought them up with specials and free cash points as they were going under, but now they are gone. I am not unhappy that Stanley bought them though, I have always been happy with my Stanley tools. I am sure this happened with a lot of people, and Sears probably thought, we are not seeing that many exchanges so the china stuff must be working. In reality it was in peoples trash cans and they just gave up and didn't come back.
When I break any of my craftsman ratchets I guess I have to toss them in the garbage. Sears nail in their coffin was when they cut ties with western forge. After that they spiraled to their doom
Agreed that the "extreme" testing by Justin Dow for one whole day was a joke. Any tool will hold up for atleast one day. Like you said, how good will the stuff last for 6 months.
First time I watch your channel. I've been watching other youtube channels that do tool reviews and it seems you have a great channel going here. Subbed. Cheers!
Doesn’t bother me at all! Long as it’s a good price, well made and they are lifetime warranty.
Rebranded stuff has happened for a long time. Manufacturers are gonna buy whatever is gonna work for their platform at whatever cost. Other companies are a group, meaning a company usually a enterprise has tons of different brand names under one umbrella.
Dewalt is actually owned by SBD so it wasnt a surprise when all their ratchets came out looking exactly like the rest
Hi Bryan I was just wondering if you have ever seen or used and Eastwood ratchet and if they were any good, I can't find any reviews on the Eastwood ratchet anywhere on UA-cam, if you know anything about them I would love to hear it.
Nice addition to your ICON release coverage!! I'm a DIY guy and Pittsburgh is great most of the time, but I do appreciate quality. The ratchets and combo wrenches look really sweet. I'm looking out for intro deals from HF. Black Friday is coming up , too!!
Those Tekton ratchets are absolutely great. They are my absolute most used ratchet and the only brand I do not own is Mac. That 18” tekton ratchet is great for suspension work.
Edit: I kinda lied, the wright 3430 is my absolute favorite ratchet but not most used. This ratchet is like a piece of jewelry.
RStanley also makes Husky tools. I had a Husky breaker bar that needed warranty replacement - Home Depot gave me a number to call- it was Stanley and they sent me a free replacement.
BS, Apex owns husky.
I have those same Icon and Carlyle wrenches. I bought few separate Carlyle wrenches for work on my press, and i got the 14 pc Icon for my tool box. I noticed that too that they both the same. Nice thing about Icon is much less expensive and you get the very nice tray with it
Im excited for this line but not releasing it with the bigger sizes from the start is a mistake. I want to buy the entire line but i cant not have a 21,22, and 24mm wrench for who knows how long waiting on them to release the expansion sets. Thats what i dont like about snap on now.
They just aren't truly dedicated to the professional at least yet. Consider no large size wrenches, no mid length sockets, no ratcheting line wrenches, crows feet, and for Pete's sake not even offering 12 point sockets. They are going to have to up their game because the real pros aren't going to have it
Bryan Anderson they already have the expansion sets of the larger size wrenches on display in my local store.
Seeing is believing
Very well-done and comprehensive comparisons, good info. I personally like the in depth info more than real world demos, at least with hand tools. However when testing impacts that is a different story. It's nice to see where an impact can fit and how powerful it is. Either way will continue watching your quality content vids.
Guys (and girls if any) try your best not to let the hype get to you. Sit it out, wait and see if they hold up. In mean time do like me and give Home Depot a chance.Their Husky tool brand is lifetime warranty. For you start up mechanics you can't go wrong. Keep your money in your pocket man. Trust me in my day 1 -10mm Snap On box wrench was what?About $20-25? No Home Depot,No Lowes,No Amazon and Sears was 567 miles away. I paid $80 (bluepoint) for drill bit set (about 25 bits)back in the 90s. They took all my damn money man. At Home Depot you can get a set box ratcheting wrenches with swivel head for $35 (I believe about 6,7 wrenches).I mean what else do you really need? If a tool breaks/fail go to any Home Depot and swap. Give them a try. Don't like em? Return them.
You could do the same with any tool brand right? I have had good luck with some Husky I think they could be right for a lot of people.
@@RedemptionGarage you can but I mean there's Home Depot seems to every other block and no issue ever returning/replacing.So convenient. Good job on your channel btw.
aircraft mechanic here. would definitely not suggest Husky/Kobalt anything for a professional setting. they always break, their tolerances are atrocious, and the stores will NOT exchange your tool if they find out you used it for work.
The craftsman tools I have from my Grandpa from the 60's and 70's are still on par with tools today
That's because they were American made. 💪👍
I feel like this man leaving out the steel used makes it an unfair hype up
I just bought the 3/8 and the 1/2 flex head ex long with comfort grip. Liking then so far. They were out of the 1/2 regular rachet. Needed something to replace my craftsman, ratchets are junk and don't hold up.
Well Napa Carlyle wrenches and the Carlyle line is supplied by ptp professional tool products affiliated with sunex in travelers rest south Carolina
Depends on where each of those wrenches were made icons are Taiwan I'm not sure we're the Carlyle s are made and they might look the same but how good is the chrome plating on each of them after usage
The Wrenches are the same the Icon is a Copy of the Carlyle. As shown by your video. Icon found it cheaper to have Carlyle to make them for Icon. No doubt.
As for the ratchets they where not the same as the Teckon. They maybe of some other tool company we have never seen. Taiwan does make a lot of hand Tools. So Harbour Freight could have sourced them from any of these manufacturers.
Carlyle doesn't make anything. It's all outsourced
Props for reaching out and speaking your mind, I could not agree more! I think any company worth their salt should heavily take in to consideration professional reviews from the people that use their products regardless of what that is. When they decide not to respond it gives them a poor image and I wonder if they understand the influence that forums such as UA-cam have… One bit of advice for a person who is serious about having their message heard, would be to proofread what you are sending so that the initial message is not clouded by typos and grammatical errors. Much love and I hope that you hear back from them! Please let us know if you do...
This is good news for Channellock. Their identical wrenches at half the price will be selling like hot cakes
The 10 piece set is 50 so thats a fair deal the 17 piece set is 150 which is still a fair deal. The 14 piece ICON is 100 so they are pretty similar in price it would come down to ease of warranty for me. But looking at the channel lock wrenches online they do look similar and are from Taiwan so they probably are the same.
Good comparisons and thank you for breaking down the differences in the ratchets. You are right Craftsman missed the opportunity for re-branding. Keep up the good work!!!
I've thought this myself....
But it doesn't matter... good tools that work are good tools....👍... I don't really view it as rebranding... I look at it as there's a good manufacturer that makes good tools and multiple tool companies (distributors) buy their manufacturing.... Really doesn't matter to me as long as the tool is a quality piece and the price is right....✔
Now... Price isn't always the main reason I will purchase a particular tool... Take the Carlyle wrenches for instance with the Max Bite technology that Milwaukee also sells (and others) I went with the Milwaukee set because, 1st of all they offered more wrenches and they also have the nice wrench holders that fit in the drawer and lay out really nice...Carlyle doesn't offer that... And sometimes, depending on the tool I might pay a little more because I want certain things to match other tools that I have...
Thanks bro...
I definitely want to get a set of the Icon ratchets, perhaps the comfort grip if they come out with green. The first thing I do is take apart the head to make sure they're greased and I like how those internals look on the Icon. Also digging the teeth on the combination wrenches.
The Cummins service techs that come out and work on our equipment have Tekton mixed in along side Snap On combination wrenches and old school Craftsman mixed in alongside Snap On Sockets and knowing how much abuse they put them through so that's why I was turned on to Tekton.
I work in a fleet shop for a local railroad I know our Matco click torque wrenches get repeatedly sent back to our tool lab for repair and re-calibration. The same failures across 3 different shifts, different people so it's not technician error. I'm not really impressed with whatever brand they used for those torque wrenches.
Not sure about Matco on torque wrenches, but Snap on is made by precision instruments.
Stanley ain't gonna go full out on rebuilding the craftsman name until they are they sole distributor. Sears cam still sell craftsman for 2 more years. Wait until that runs out and stanley is gonna bring it.....
@@nathanr.8556 if you can't see the difference between multiple sellers selling the same product and 2 companies manufacturing different products under the same brand then I don't know what to tell you... whoopdie doo I guess
I believe Stanley will be going all out next year with Craftsman when their 1/2 million square foot manufacturing facility they are building in Texas is complete.
@@frugalprepper Yes I agree. And the new U.S. made stuff might be the best Craftsman ever made!
Hey, thanks for the video, it’s good for people to know who makes who. Us in the tool community already pretty much know and could put two and two together, but for the people in the market trying to make a decision (depending on their situation) who don’t know can make a better choice if one is on sale and the other one isn’t.
Despite the smaller size, the Tekton ratchets seem to dominate in the failure testing. They probably use decent alloys. Also, the bump on the back of the anvil gear is to keep it centered better. I handled an ICON ratchet for the first time today. The back drag from that massive pawl was unbearable. I honestly prefer their 72 tooth Pittsburg Pro ratchets more.
Yes but he guaranteed that the ICON was better. That means he put his reputation on the line over the claim. Aaaand the Tekton is better so this guy is useless for tool reviews.
I like how Icon went after Snap-on with now shame but the V-Series craftsman ratchets are a smoother performing ratchet when you put the Icon head to head to craftsman v series ratchet.
Maybe compare the Icon 90T ratchet to the Carlyle 90T ratchet?
I can do that
@@RedemptionGarage I own a Carlyle 90T 1/4" drive ratchet and it's held with a snap ring. I own many other Carlyle 3/8" ratchets but none of the P90 series so I'm not sure if they are the same as Icon.
I've got Carlyle SAE wrenches and I have no complaints, if the wrenches are made by the same company they will be some good tools.
There is a video that they tested the new icon and tekton ratchet and a few others and the tekton did better then the icon all 3/8s
The Tekton blew everything outta the water including Snap on.... this guy has no clue.... Tekton is far of a superior tool.... Icon doesn't come close in quality
I use tekton for a couple reasons. Their blow molded cases are hard to beat especially for a mobile industrial mechanic who's gotta lug all his crap into multiple locations, i can fit a 3/8 and 1/2 socket set into a backpack and still have room for more stuff and still not feel weighed down. I don't have to worry about sockets spilling out in my bag or snagging on anything else in the bag. Also having a set that has absolutely no skips is really really nice especially when that set comes in both deep and shallow SAE and Metric. The warrenty is also hard to beat and yes shipping is always an unknown variable but you've always got either a shallow or deep socket to replace your broken one. And most everything on tektons catalog is reasonably priced
What helps with the Icon design that they have a former snap-on employee helping design the tools. It would be Kool if they could design the tools in the USA and create jobs for the US people and that definitely would hurt Snap on, Matco, and MAC .
They don't. 🤦🏻♂️
I bought a set of Matco 1/2 shallow impact sockets, and one of them, in the brand new package had Snap-On on it, instead of Matco.
Tyler Boden that’s good juju
Watching you use a ratchet to teardown a ratchet just felt wrong to me. Lol
Finally, someone is telling the truth. Thank God
Going to play the devil's advocate a bit here, first Icon isnt really a competitor with Snap on or other USA made hand tools, and they know it; it's a competitor with Taiwan tools I.e. Gp, Lisle, bluepoint, etc. Second craftsman failed because of Sears not vise versa and Sears is failing for reasons far beyond the scope of the Craftsman brand.
Sears ruined craftsman but sears and craftsman were one. And i think you're right they may get a little but people will continue to pay 150 for a ratchet etc etc. Thanks for watching and sharing your input
Hi it's his mic settings. Or his eq. Or just his vocal box. Needs to watm up. Or it could be the food he had the night prior to recording or just his adrenaline.
Great comparison video, the icon and Carlyle wrenches have also the same features as capri tools wrenches.
Channellock makes the same wrenches as icon and carlyle at a fraction of the price. 9-19 (skips 16, but you can buy seperately) for $32. toolsourcedirect.com/shop/channellock-309443-10-piece-metric-combination-wrench-set/
Interesting decision to put 11mm in that set, good deal none the less
I agree with the comments about the Tekton ratchet strength test. It blew awsy competition. He is missing the quality/hardness testing of the forging in these ratchets and wrenches, in all the parts. My great great uncle, Bill Petersen, invented the vice grip. The reason they lasted for decades was his insistence on the forging, particularly the jaws and the cutter. They sold the business to American Tool Co. and they continued with that quality. When Irwin bought it the quality dropped But they aren't terribly bad in my opinion but not as rugged. But now everyone makes them at all levels of quality. Same size of parts but softer jaws and loose joints etc. But 30 year old used original Petersen vice grips are still commanding a high sale price and people buy them to use and beat the crap out of them. And they last....and last...and last. Just because a piece of metal is bigger doesnt make it better. Its hardness and tolerances of assembly are the key factors.
Those ratchets look nothing alike...
I'm glad Justin Dow mentioned this channel. These dudes make some good content for any automotive professional or tool enthusiast
So am I and I really appreciate that brother.
SBD will bring Craftsman back to the U.S.A. and when they do I will buy it as long as it's affordable. And I will choose American quality over anything under Harbor Freight's roof!
What's the point of buying something based solely on what country it's made in?
@@everytoolashammer9427 I didn't say I would base my decision on country of origin only. Try reading my comment before portraying your ignorance. I said IF it was affordable
I feel the same way. I wanna buy more tools but been putting it off because craftsman will be putting out USA made ratchet,sockets and wrenches in a year or so. And definitely gonna get the drill and impact that's built in USA. qc is just better in US.
Okay let me ask differently, why would you buy Craftsman over other brands when they are "made" back in the US?
"I've heard people say that Icon will be the demise of Harbor Freight and they will disappear like Sears."
Where did you hear that?
Thank s for taking the time to compare the ICON to the Tekton and Carlisle tools for the "know it all's" that really don't know it all.
The ICON stands alone in its game.
I’ll say this - even if they were rebranded, the fact that they are easily competitive its tool truck quality, but come with a lifetime warranty for a 1/3 of the price or less, buddy icon wins straight up.
Not to mention if you need to warranty them walk into harbor, hand them your icon and grab a new one and wad leave. Way better than dealing with a tool truck and paying $175 for a ratchet and they may have to order your warranty replaced while you are out a tool for a week or two. My shop is going all in with icon tools.
Maybe they will reach out to me for feedback haha, I don’t have a channel but I work in a shop with 9 other techs and they are all now interested in looking at icon
Re branding dont matter to me as long as it's a good tool at a good price
Harbor Freight's Pittsburgh Pro line is a pretty good line too. I've got the 25 inch 1/2 drive breaker bar. Nice long tough bar.
Definitely buying sum icon tools when they drop
The newer Craftsman 72 tooth from Lowes CMMT 99442 (3/8), 99427 (long 3/8) and 99441 (1/2) look like Tekton products. I took them all apart and see no differences. The smaller 3/8 is the single pawl. The longer 3/8 and 1/2 use a beefy double pawl. Externally things like the handle and lever color are different. However, it really looks like the 72 tooth chrome ratchets listed are simply slightly older Tekton products. All three ratchets are made nice, tight and smooth. They are a notable exception to Craftsman sucking.
To be honest, Tekton and Craftsman chose the same the same Taiwan company to make them.
There is another ratchet in the series, it's the 1/4 CMMT 81747. It's a cheap Stanley 89.818 and feels awful.
I'll get icon harbor freight is 2 blocks from me lol
The large majority of “professional” hand tools are made by a small number plants in Taiwan or China, all in the same industrial complexes. And it makes sense - the setup necessary to start from scratch would be a huge investment. And the final product wouldn’t be much different. All tools, even at the highest end, are manufactured to a price point. Not much wiggle room for more value engineering / optimization at this point.
10 minutes in and you're still yelling about something unrelated to the title of the video. Couldn't watch anymore.
There's a benefit to Carlyle over icon and that is, if you lose one you can go buy a single. The other thing is you can expand the set. The Carlyle wrenches and sockets have a massive range. With icon, even though the quality is virtually identical, what you get in the box is all there is. Harbor freight needs to address that because they could make icon a true professional line but it's going to require expanded sizes and singles