Incredible price for such a useful set of tools. High quality set.
Gearwrench 12 Piece Flex Head Combination Metric Ratcheting Spanner Set $99 (RRP $299) Free Delivery @Total Tools
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Lets Make Sandwiches on 29/06/2023 - 20:35 totaltools.com.au (5261 clicks)
Last edited 30/06/2023 - 12:24 by 1 other user
Last edited 30/06/2023 - 12:24 by 1 other user
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Looks like the same kit Sydney Tools is selling for $69.00, but they seem to have different part numbers..
Right you are! Somehow missed that entirely, haha. My mistake, and +1 for the deal.
To be fair, theres not really all that many people who need the flex head, so its good to share awareness that you can save $30 for a more sturdy (but less flexible) product.
@ATangk: These are definitely handy for anyone who works on cars though. I assume most people buying spanner sets are doing automotive work as it’s the most likely place the average DIY’er would actually use them.
@ATangk: I agree - I have some with the flex head and sometimes it's more of a hindrance than a help!
There is a different in flex head and fix head
Thanks for posting. Was finally able to checkout successfully.
Anyone know if these are made in China or Taiwan?
John Cena approves of this comment
That's the issue these days. I recently bought a Bahco socket set, well known brand with a great reputation of quality. Turns out 2 years ago they switched to manufacturing their shit in china. Quality just ain't there. Back to the tool shop it goes
Youll find that is the case for most brands unless their main selling point is the country of manufacture. I went to buy some tools in Japan, even locally sold Makita products were made in China now.
Good find. About $160 on Amazon GEARWRENCH 9901DBE 12 Point Flex Head Ratcheting Combination Metric Wrench/Spanner, Black, 8-19 mm, Set of 12 Piece https://amzn.asia/d/dfDdMiM
Get the cheaper one at Sydney tools
Diy home guy here and I very rarely need the flex head!!!
Eh, this one lands entirely in the "depends what car you own and the depth of your skills" department. There's a crazy amount of of applications where the flex head has been useful for me, to the point where I will probably grab this set..
I have a small 5pc metric set which I picked up from aldri for about 20-25 bucks, but I'm tempted to get this despite also owning the fixed wrench set. I probably won't though, because despite the fact that it's clearly useful, I wouldn't use it unless I I couldn't use the fixed set, the head flopping around is less convenient when you don't need it.
But yeah, consider we're all tool hoarders on this site it's tempting to have both
Guy who dies with the most tools wins.
Starting to build up a bit of a tool collection. Would this or the sidchome socket sets be more useful. Or should I have one of each? And if yes which sidchome size would compliment these the best?
If you want to be able to tackle almost anything, get a socket set + spanner set in both metric + imperial. So, 4 sets all together. A lot of times something you’re working on will need a spanner and socket in the same size.
What size socket set would be good to pair up with. 1/4, 3/8 or 1/2?
Depends on what you intend to use them for:
1/4” Light duty
3/8” Medium duty
1/2” Heavy duty3/8 is what i use mostly now days, have 1/4,3/8,1/2,3/4 sets, 3/8 covers most of the large and small sizes for cars, and strength wise are strong enough …. you won’t break without pipe extension. also diameter of the sockets is a good compromise, 8mm in 1/2” is too bulky. i have a sidchrome sets but now also toolpro-x 3/8 which is better as it’s 6 pt not 12 so grips bolts better and also does ones if a bit rounded, same design as kinchrome lok-on , probabaly same factory …..toolpro-x 3/8 covers 8-19mm.
Get 1/2", ignore imperial. They're just filler in Australia.
both metric + imperial.
Why imperial? Hardly ever use them. Except for particular use cases there are better things to spend tool money on.
I've only needed a spare tyre once in 35 years but I still carry one. It only takes the one time you need them to wish you had them, rather than having to ride a bicycle in the heat because you took the car apart enough not to drive it, and you need to buy an imperial set at full price now because they're not on sale but you need them NOW.
All my cars for the last ~20 or so years have been metric but I've still needed to use the imperial sizes when a bolt or nut got damaged making the metric just slip off. I've also had to use imperial to fix various things around older properties I've lived in rather than waiting 3 months for the REA to send a "tradesman" who proceeds to break more things than they fix.
@[Deactivated]: If your car is metric then it's metric - you're not gonna find a lone imperial, and standard sockets ain't gonna work on the spark plugs anyway. If you really need an imperial spanner you can go to the shop and buy one then. A bit different from an emergency spare. If your car is imperial you'll know before you're in deep.
If you're using an imperial to move a damaged metric you might as well use vice grips or a pipe wrench or heaven forbid a shifter.
If you want to have a set of imperials go for your life. I still want to say it's not the best advice.
If your car is metric then it's metric - you're not gonna find a lone imperial
Not sure what you meant by "not going to find a lone imperial" but what I was referring to is the fact some sizes in both metric and imperial are very close. Wear on a nut/bolt head often means you don't even know whether it's metric or imperial.
A couple of dozen times throughout the years I've had a damaged bolt head a metric or imperial fit but it was damaged enough for the spanner to slip off. But using the similar size in the other system didn't slip. Another situation is mechanics I know buy buckets of old nuts and bolts from wreckers in case they need one for a customer. If the only choice in the bucket that fits is an imperial, of course they're going to use it. Another situation is when a bolt head has some gunk on it that has been there for a couple of decades, making the socket of one system too small, but the other which is slight larger often fits.
Another situation I've struck is old fence hardware. The nut on one side is metric because someone lost it in the grass so had to fit a new one, and screwed a metric nut on without thinking about it. But the bolt is still in the fence and is imperial. So you need two spanners, of roughly the same size, but different system. But the guy who only buys metric has one metric socket set and one metric spanner set. The metric will probably be close to fitting both sides, but maybe the bolt side will keep slipping off, eventually shearing the corners of the bolt. Now you have to waste fuel going to Bunnings ($5-$10) to replace one stupid bolt, but you'll have to buy a whole packet… say $8 of bolts. $18 would have bought a set with imperial included. And that's if it only happens once in their lifetime. If they buy one imperial spanner instead, then next buy another size… everyone gets the idea I'm sure.
I've also had fence hardware that rusted in a salt environment, taking enough metal off to change the bolt head size. It's NEITHER metric or imperial anymore, but one or the other is "close enough." Without one system, it's a 50/50 chance the metric won't slip off.
and standard sockets ain't gonna work on the spark plugs anyway.
Not sure how spark plugs became involved… I never mentioned them. But in that case neither system is going to fit, you know it requires a specialized spark plug socket.
If you really need an imperial spanner you can go to the shop and buy one then. A bit different from an emergency spare. If your car is imperial you'll know before you're in deep.
It's a personal choice but I think getting a combined set is wiser than not getting it. It's like having a battery jump starter pack that you never get to use is still wiser than not having it. I don't do a lot of spanner work the last few years but plenty of sets come with both, so if I'm buying one, may as well get both. I'd rather have it ready than get caught needing it, but I've pulled the car apart requiring me to now put it back together, ride a bicycle, walk, get a taxi, etc (and that's only if it's before 5pm while the store is open, plus you're probably buying when they're not on sale, thus paying double after the fuel or taxi fare, rather than just adding a little to get the full set in the first place).
I still remember a 1976 car I bought where someone had replaced one battery lead, and a few other things I found over the years. The leads from different eras meant two different size terminal nuts. One metric, one imperial. Things like that pop up all the time over the years, especially if as I said, someone lives in an old home.
If you're using an imperial to move a damaged metric you might as well use vice grips or a pipe wrench or heaven forbid a shifter.
If the head was badly damaged, sure. But I wouldn't resort to something so rough at my first choice with its potential to damage the head even more, when there's a similar size in the opposite system sitting right there in the socket tray/spanner pouch. It's just asking to damage the corners further, particularly if you don't have a replacement nut/bolt so need to reuse the same one. Vice grips need a lot of room to turn, pipe wrenches require even more space, and both are more likely to slip, take your skin off, scratch paintwork, etc. I'd use the shifter before those two because at least you can cinch the jaws right up to any weird size but still have the hole at the end to turn it with a screwdriver. i.e. Anyone who has tried to turn vice grips vertically with a screwdriver at the end because space was restricted knows why. Twisting vice grips that way in particular twists the handles, opens them up, can send the internal spring flying into your eye or across the garage/ground… whereas the shifter has a hole you can jam a screwdriver through at 90 degrees to turn. All of this could be avoided by simply having both systems sockets in the first place.
If you want to have a set of imperials go for your life. I still want to say it's not the best advice.
We can disagree but having only metric only seems "better" until an imperial becomes necessary. The moment it does, having both is now the better option after all. And it's not like it's another 10kg of weight like having different mallet sizes. It's something like another 10 sockets/spanners and can be stored in the same box/envelope if they buy that way. It's still personal choice anyway, because it may not be needed most of the time, maybe never. But you might never need anything under 10mm and over 15mm too, where does it end. This is reason we carry spare tyres and jump starter packs. For that one day it's needed, the person will be glad they paid the little extra. And if they never use them it won't bother them. It will bother them if they need them but don't have them.
@[Deactivated]: Enjoy your imperials mate - happy for you to be happy with them.
To the OP: I bought my first mixed socket set about 30 years ago when imperials were more of a thing - used and continue to use the metrics regularly, the imperials can't remember the last time - hardly ever. My second set bought like 10 years ago was larger but just metric - wider range of sizes. IME 2 sets of metric > 1 set of each. YMMV.
PS I also have heaps of imperial tools from my deceased dad who was a tool-maker. They sit in the draw as nostalgic keepsakes. His metric stuff still gets a workout.
@[Deactivated]: You are obviously (like some of us here) a very handy person. Having said that, most of the people buying here for the first time are going to be lucky to dust this set off once a year, and I wouldn't recommend spending money on imperial stuff unless they actually had a specific use case. Everything you have said is valid, but I think anyone who's going to be that handy and truly take advantage of imperial sets in these outlier cases probably doesn't need to be told.
While fully understanding the benefits of the flex head set, I still am hesitant to recommend this over the fixed, and that's likely to be a more useful thing than imperials IMO.
@afoveht: Yes you can, the seat belt bottom bolt on the bottom of the main sash is 7/16 UNF on many, many metric bolted cars:)
@tonywind: Thanks mate. I might go buy a couple of 7/16 spanners now - one for home, the other to keep in the car in case I need to replace my seatbelts while changing the spare tire after I run into an old fence.
@afoveht: Figured out why I don't need an imperial spanner set, never needed to replace seat belts.
Might go grab an imperial spanner set along with losing my will to live.
Heavily consider whether imperial is needed, if you are working on anything Japanese or European past the 90s your imperial set will likely just be a bag filler and not all that useful.
The above advice is overkill unless you're doing mechanical work. Yes it'll have you covered.. but I have half that and most of it's unused. Because I don't go near an engine or machine
Thanks all. If I'm not working on a car etc. Just need one ratchet set for diy around the home. Which size is the best to pair with this
For your use case honestly something like this: https://www.totaltools.com.au/132003-kincrome-49-piece-1-4in…
Aldi sells one for about $30 or $40 from memory yearly, I bought one when i was 16 and I still use it daily at work 10+ years later. I wouldn't bother with a spanner set until you actually need one(I think building a bed frame was the last time I needed a spanner at home as the socket wouldn't fit in the nook where the nut was.
1/4 or 3/8
3/8 is probably most versatile
Thanks OP
OOS
In stock
For me the link is dead, and searching for it doesn’t produce the item
So cheap, just bought a set. Already have the non flexible head set but just couldn't resist lol…
Stimulating the economy, one Gearwrench set at a time.
Same here man. I was like so proud of my find that I felt it was an injustice not to buy. Ive got a good sidchrome socket set but none of these, and they make flat packs far more enjoyable to put together. These are the sort of things you can pass on to your kids anyway.
Can I offer you some ice ? It's made from water 😱
Yes mate I am a sucker i agree!
Bought a set Gearwrench similar to these years ago off amazon, the flexi heads all became loose and now flop around. Very frustrating as you end up trying to hold the head in place.
Have to agree on the quality aspect.
I bought a set also but won't buy again.I will admit i am hard on tools as i do my own car restoration (imperial measures ) , but the one I broke lasted a couple of uses… Maybe just unlucky as the rest of the set is ok.
any suggestions for a good set that's imperial measures? preferably under $200?
I wish…
These days i am mostly buying as needs. If i did this for a living I would spend up, but these days im shopping on price.
Is Gearwrench refusing to warranty the flexheads under normal wear & tear?
It would be comical if they have a lifetime warranty policy on handtools but use "normal wear & tear" to get out of actually doing anything
GEARWRENCH Product Category Applicable Warranty Period Hand tools (excluding product categories listed below) For lifetime of original consumer who purchased (“Lifetime Warranty”) Excludes normal wear & tear Didn't even try warranty, but now you mention it…. Ill have to have a look.
I wish people would produce and build things that just lasted to begin with. Warranty stuff just result in more wasted crap.If you buy from Amazon everything comes with 1 year warranty. GW Australia handles warranties through retailers.
Lifetime warranty. Just get them replaced.
I find a Knipex Pliers Wrench much more useful.
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/681881
Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zyMu9S0gF8I have the none-flexi version of this set. I would never buy those black versions again, they just feel different to the chrome.
I just picked up my order and here are my thoughts of these against another ~$300 RRP ratcheting spanner set (but non-flexhead Milwaukee 48229516) if anyone was interested.
If you were using them around the household (e.g. plumbing) they are probably fine. I think they're a good deal at the moment for $99 vs what you could get from SCA like this ToolPro 7pc Flexhead Ratchet Spanner set for $79.99 but these black ones give me the vibes of a promotional item that was always intended to be steeply discounted for EOFY so to speak.
They're not worthless, but they are not what you'd expect from $300 spanners. The first impression you get out of the box is that the handles on the spanners are noticeably thinner in every dimension. I'm not sure how easily you can tell from these photos but in person it is very obvious and looks to only have 2/3 or 3/4 of the metal found in the thicker Milwaukee handle. The open end of the spanner is also very basic, no teeth to bite onto the flat parts of the bolt/nut, the jaw design is only intended to hold onto 2/6 sizes of the nut and not 4/6 like on the Milwaukee and it doesn't have corner cutouts in the jaw to prevent rounding of the bolt/nut either like found in the Milwaukee. On the ratcheting end, there is an immense amount of free play in the ratcheting mechanism before it engages the next tooth and it only has 72 teeth (vs 144 teeth in the Milwaukee) but at least the flexheads on mine feel tight and there appears to be a hex bolt holding it together so you might be able to tighten/threadlock this bolt if the flexhead becomes loose and you can't be bothered warrantying it.
If you were considering buying this it may be more accurate to think of this deal as a $160 (Amazon price for these) spanner set going for $99, and not a $299 spanner set (as advertised) going for $99.
Thanks for putting the effort into thar comprehensive review. I have a similar view regarding the RRP.
Very nice review. Thanks for the sharing👍
Great review. Thanks. I was annoyed that I missed out but now I am not
The SCA Toolpro listing makes a point of explaining why 'thin is good' Make of that what you will.
Good point about the ratchet teeth number and the 'grabbing' end .
Agree the RRP deliberately high. It's like chumming sharks. I think of this Gearwrench set (or any ratchet swivel head set) as an adjunct to getting the job done, not necessarily the single tool from beginning to end of a job. Don't think I would risk skin, knuckles or the actual spanners via using them as a spanner shaped breaker bar, though.
$300 now.
Updated ad expired now. Thanks for posting.
Still active deal & bought some. If and when you can use another tool, to 'break' the force of nut/bolt and then finish and re-tighten to a certain tension with these spanners, and 'nip up' with a non flex head option. If you use these like a std spanner all the time, you do risk premature wear.Common sense. These are not likely to be a tradespersons choice. Why care if you are a light DIYer and can make them last.
Aids, they refunded my order.
back in stock $99
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