42 Piece Ratcheting Tap & Die Set, Metric - 3886

I had read the reviews here before purchasing and especially took note of the people that reported some gouges in some of the machined taps with this set. I ordered anyway for a couple of reasons. First, this is no small company. It is part of Apex Tools that owns Lufkin Tapes, Crescent Tools, Wiss cutting tools, Nicholson Files and more etc that go back over 100 years. I have all of those tool Brands at home and they have served me exceptionally well for 30-40 years. So, I figured I'd give this set a go and if it was totally unacceptable, I could always return it (thanks to Amazon's service). Bottom-line, its not going back... I'm a home/hobbyist user of Tap and Dies, but I can understand why a Professional who uses these tools in a daily business setting can feel differently about what they need. But for my use at home, this is a great set, and for what you get, a very good price. I could not touch an equally configured Irwin/Hansen set for this price point. I have also used this set and it does a very acceptable job for my needs. Regarding the reports of the small gouges in some of the larger Taps, yes I have those too. But it is only on a couple of the Taps, the gouges are small, and the gouges are not on the cutting edges of the Taps. The cutting edges are clean, in tact and sharp. The very few gouges are on the threaded following surfaces, so that problem (for me) will not affect the tool's ability to cut proper threads. I did find that I needed to clean out a few loosely attached burrs from a couple of the Taps when they were machined. A small brass brush or even the "thread gauges" that come with this set easily dispatched those burrs. I have already used some of the Taps and they cut very well. The accessories that come with this set are quite remarkable and they work well too. I especially like the Tap Adapters that come with this set and they way they lock into the T-wrenches. My only complaint about the T-wrenches is that I can't lock the ratchet into place. You either go forward or backward via the selector flip/switch. If you have done much tapping of harder metals, you know that going forward and back quite often is needed to dislodge the burrs that you cut. I can accomplish it with the flip-lever, it would just be easier (at times) if the T-wrench didn't ratchet. But for cutting soft metal, I love that ratchet and the ability to move the handle without changing my grip is very appreciated. Overall, I think this set is a winner. I understand that it is not an Irwin/Hansen or even higher quality set. But for my use, that is OK and I expect to get many years of use from this set. I already have a much smaller, very cheap quality Tap and Die set that I've owned for 30+ years. Take care of your tools, use some finesse vs brute force, use cutting fluid, etc. and you can get many years even from a lesser quality Tap and Die set. :^) One update (4/23/16): I also purchased the Gator Tools V-Tap Guides that help keep the tap vertical (especially when starting the threads). The Gator Tools Tap Guide is a well made/machined part that earns a full 5-stars all by itself. Unfortunately, for this particular Tap set from GearWrench, on their smaller Taps (the Metric M5 and smaller) and (the Standard #10 and smaller), these Taps will not pass through the Big Gator Tools Tap Guide. That is because GearWrench makes the barrel (above the cutting portion of the Tap) slightly larger. Because of that design on their smaller Taps, it prevents the Tap from passing through the Big Gator Tape Guide. I've looked at these sizes in the Irwin Taps and it appears that Irwin maintains the barrel diameter so that it is not larger than the cutting portion diameter of the Tap. If something like this is important to you, then it may be worth considering Irwin vs GearWrench. I'm still happy with my GearWrench set and have some older Taps that will pass through the Big Gator tool just fine. Just thought I'd mention it as a difference for those considering this GearWrench set.

7yrs Update: Still recommend this to my friends and family. 5 stars. This tap and die set definitely paid for itself. I have used it to repair cross threads with every major car or mechanical projects. I am sick and tired of sale people telling you that their tools are an investment. To me, an investment is something that pays for itself over and over. Anyhow, I finally found a tool set that paid for itself. I bought this Tap and Die set because I was building up my tool collection. Last summer I was helping my younger brother overhaul his car and this tool set came to the rescue when we accidently stripped holes for the oil pan bolts and suspension components. This set help fixed our mistakes and minimize our down time. the cheapest mechanic we found would charge us $50 to tap each hole. This doesn't include the time waste on removing the pieces or towing the entire car all together. I am giving this product a 5 stars due to the pros and cons below: Pros: -great set for weekend warrior DIYers like myself. -standard and metric size. all the popular common size you can find -has ratcheting device. great for tight spaces where you can't do complete turns -comes with a high quality carrying/storage case. everything is labled -has "EZ" outs (aka extractors) Cons: -expensive but this investment will pay for itself -warranty is only 1 year -not made in the USA I hope you find this review useful. thanks for reading Some tips: use some cutting oil/fluid. it will make the job easier and helps protect the tools -use the die set to help clean out your rusted bolts. no need to buy new bolts. -this set compliments any time-sert, big-sert, or hexicoil repairs. We used the ratcheting device to repair our engine head bolts/studs

I purchased this tap and die set in a pinch, since I had to make a repair on my car and realized I did not have a good set of metric taps or dies. I debated whether or not I should go to the local chinese-discount-tool store and buy the cheap set to finish this one job, or spend quite a bit more on this set from a known reputable brand and have it last. Boy, am I glad I spent the money...even if this set didn't break the bank. This set should last me a lifetime, and metric is the future don't you know! (Also there's a lifetime warranty). It's great value for money. This tap and die set has been used many times since I purchased it, and it still looks just like new. The taps and dies themselves are of excellent quality, similar to a Snap-on set I have borrowed from work many times. I was able to even tap threads into the hardened end portion of a wrench without the tap breaking! I'm very impressed. Another thing that I did not know before I purchased was that the tap and die handles themselves are ratcheting. I've never had a tap and die set before that had this feature, and I tell you what: I'll never own one without it again. Having the handles ratchet makes tapping straight holes SO EASY, and it makes the traditional struggle of fumbling with a die handle non-existent. Even if you decide not to buy this specific set, buy a set with ratcheting handles. That said, the ratchets themselves were of very high quality, and only needed a few degrees to turn properly, it works excellent if you have a tight space where you wouldn't be able to turn a tap normally (I used to use a pair of locking pliers, not anymore!) The case is excellent quality too, and holds all of the pieces securely (this matters to me because my "garage" is often a parking lot somewhere, wherever I am broken down or helping a friend with a repair). In all, great tap and die set (if you're in the market for metric sizes only), and I highly recommend it.

Can’t fault it. Only issue is self inflicted and that’s that the ratchet changes direction as I hold it too close to the switch. Ratchets have been around long enough now for designs to have moved on to stop this happening but other than that am very pleased

Calidad suficiente para uso ocasional

Many uses

As a retired homeowner I don’t use this as much as a lot of other mechanics might. But sure is handy to have when you have nuts and bolts that need to be straightened out. Seems to be a good quality product. I have two now, one in standard and one in metric.

I got this for less than 100 USD in Singapore, for what I got, I can't complain. Die cutter can't bite into stainless steel properly. Mild steel and other metals aren't problem. Ratchet handle isn't very good, it's not stable in XY axis, you will have problem threading a screw with the die... unless the rod you have for making the screw you have is properly tapered at the top and fastened. Achieving 90 degree angle consistently is hard. I couldn't cut a chamfered 10mm rod, because when I press hard on handle to make it bite, ratcheting center will wobble. Coming to the taps, cheaper tap I got from China (a local, less known brand) cuts better into mild steel vs this one. I didn't attempt with harder metals. It's acceptable quality for softer metals. Thread gauges for measuring pitch, they are fine so far, tested normal and very fine threads, the match is good. I wish the ratcheting handle was better, not sure if I need to separately buy a die handle now. You can probably use a vertical press drill, attach your rod there and put the die in the drill vise, cut the initial 2-3 threads before moving onto ratchet. Not good for my taste.