They were quite good. A lot of there stuff is still just as good as other similar priced brands. I feel some of their newer stuff feels tacky though and more made for a DIY person then a tradesperson. They seem to break ratchet gears etc easier these days as well. Lifetime warranty helps, but when in a trade you still have that inconvenience of waiting for it to get repaired/replaced, and the worry that you're going to break it next time youneed to put some weight behind it.
NZTools,
Sep 24, 7:24pm
Its not just the strength that makes them crap. Powerbuilt and a lot of similar cheaper brands have very coarse teeth in their ratchets. Compare it to a steel handled snap-on ratchet, and they look identical, but that is where the similarity ends.
there is nothing more frustrating than being in a confined space, and and not being able to move the ratchet handle back far enough to engage the next tooth, yet the bolt is still just over hand tight. A good quality ratchet with fine teeth, will be able to utilise a lot more of the available space. I've also found cheaper ratchets with their coarse teeth do not spin as freely, which can mean even though the nut or bolt is just tight enough that you cant undo it by hand, the ratchet turns the bolt backwards each time you move the handle backwards to get another bite.
the same goes for their god-awfull ratchet spanners.
As for powerbuilt screwdrivers, i'd rather stick pins in my eyes than subject my hands to tothe pain those grips can dish out.
dasfi,
Sep 24, 8:16pm
Gotta love the Bacho socket sets, had mine for years, done plenty of major work and broken nothing
16feb08,
Sep 25, 6:39am
It seems powerbuilt are not held in very high regard these days, even some of the salesmen at a few tool shops struggled to find something nice to say about them. Personally I can't complain about my experience with them, but maybe they ain't what they used to be. I was contemplating buying a set of powerbuilt ratchet spanners but I might give them a miss now, might go for the gearwrench set instead. Bonus for me gearwrench has a set that fit perfectly in a drawer in my roller cab!
unbeatabull,
Sep 25, 3:50pm
Gearwrench spanners are bloody marvelous. They are slightly more bulkier then Snap On though.
Only spanners I use now that aren't Gearwrench are my extra long reach Snap On Ratchet spanners (10-21mm - they were rather expensive though) - which are bloody marvelous, no need for a power bar for anything anymore! Break the ratchet, gets replaced no questions asked lol.
sparkles_bc,
Sep 25, 4:02pm
To be honest I bought a Powerbuilt 1/2" torque wrench and found that it feels very light - too light - and the handle and release lock are all made from cheap plastic. Overall it feels like a cheap toy and I don't trust it at all. If their other tools are similar I would steer clear.
haydenk94,
Sep 28, 12:18pm
I have a basic teng set in a top box, the tools are nice looking and feel good to use.,and so far have stood up well to everything I've used them for. The add on sets for the boxes are a tad expensive though
trouser,
Sep 28, 3:31pm
80 tooth snap-on ratchets have 4.5deg arc. 72 tooth powerbuilt ratchets have 5deg.
Big woop.
unbeatabull,
Sep 28, 6:30pm
Until the powerbuilt one looses several teeth after using them on anything tight and you end up down to around 60 teeth.
supernova2,
Sep 28, 6:38pm
What do some of you guys do with your ratchets!I've never stripped the teeth but I did break the handle on a King Dick once with a 5mtr pipe extension.Yes 5 meters!
trouser,
Sep 29, 6:36am
Not got a power bar!
lucus2011,
Sep 29, 8:30am
Powerbuilt centre punches are blunt after a couple of solid hits. Same with the chisels. Absolute rubbish tools. Teng are pretty decent, along with King Tony. I wish Mitutoyo made spanners lol their measuring tools are so damn good
gmphil,
Sep 29, 9:31am
Home use orwork! If homeany set carrying life timewarranty will do ya as used rite in broken will be replaced ! If u can aford get sidcrome ,starwhille or bluepoint
16feb08,
Sep 29, 2:56pm
Sidchrome is another brand I was unsure of these days, are they just stanley with a sidchrome stamp on them or are they still good quality! I only use my tools for home use but i'd rather spend the money on the best quality I can afford. Lifetime warranty is great but i'd rather not be runnning back to george henry, go thru the 20 questions and 2 week wait every time something breaks. I dont think i'm in a position to splash out on Stahlwille or Snap on or even blue point, so I am definitely in the taiwanese range. I am leaning favourably towards Teng and King Tony at the moment. One thing I am not impressed with is the teng top / roller boxes. They just seems flimsy
tool_shop173,
Sep 29, 4:04pm
Sidchrome used to be made in Australia and so did Stanley but both brands have been made in Taiwan for a few years now.
gmphil,
Sep 29, 4:07pm
Cant answer that but stanley are good valve for money Couple years back splashed out on boy wanted to keep him out my stuff lol got him full like apentice set so couldnt streach budget to the name stuff . Ended up with a stanley 1/2 set and one those 3/8 n 1/4 sets together Both are lifetime and have held up sweet Got him one those blue roller cab set on special repco made by same people make 1-11
lucus2011,
Sep 29, 4:10pm
Teng top boxes feel a bit flimsy but are pretty solid, a couple of guys at my work are rough as guts with their gear, they have them and they stand up to their punishment. How are Blue Point tools, haven't used any myself, how do they stack up!
tool_shop173,
Sep 29, 4:58pm
You dont have to answer it, its a fact :)
natedg1,
Sep 29, 5:26pm
Teng tools i've never had a problem with, had a few issues with gear wrench tho and alot of other crap that sulco sell and wont repair under warranty.
Since the public registrations are closed, you must have an invite from a current member to be able to register and post in this thread.
Have an account? Login here.