I posted about Gearwrench’s drawer-friendly mechanics tool set last month, and ordered a set for use, testing, and review earlier this month.
It seems like a solid selection of tools, and I do like that the ratchets are from the 120XP line, providing one of the smallest minimum swing arcs on the market today.
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There are much larger sets out there, but this one is nicely equipped while also being very compact and space-efficient. I think it’s a fantastic one-drawer solution. It doesn’t have everything, such as a breaker bar or flex-head ratchet, but that’s okay.
Anyway, that’s why I’m interested in this set. I bought one to test out, to see how well it fits my needs. Plus, enough readers expressed interest that it shoved me off the fence and into “must buy it” territory. (Thank you also to Gearwrench for being a ToolGuyd sponsor!)
I was checking my Home Depot order history and noticed that the price is now lower than what I paid.
I paid $229 with free shipping, and the price is now $199 with free shipping!
Sale Price: $199
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(I called up the Home Depot Pro line and it took just 4 minutes to get the $30 plus tax price adjustment, and this includes the 3-question after-call survey I waited to fill out. I am seriously impressed with how easy and fast this was!)
I tend to prefer 6pt sockets over 12pt – this set has a mix of the two styles – but I haven’t had issues with 12pt sockets and have been warming up to them. I might feel differently if I predominantly worked with rusted and damaged fasteners, I’m not really sure.
Please let me know if you have any questions – I’ve got this set on my test bench (until I can clear out some space in my tool box) and at the ready.
Read More:
Gearwrench Mechanics Tool Set w/ Foam Tray – What’s Your Take on it?
Jared
Glad to hear you went ahead and bought it! I also think this looks like a fantastic set. Excellent value and Gearwrench offers solid performance. The foam tray looks awesome. I think this set would be my recommendation for someone looking to buy into a quality set without breaking the bank.
TomD
That’s a nice lineup of extensions – the only thing I’d like to see is a swivel-joint and maybe another adapter.
It’s nice to have multiple sizes so you can hit a 9/16 from both sides, for example.
audiovideofreak
I don’t need the set, just the foam insert.
Jared
You can buy Kaizen foam and other similar products, to accomplish something like this – but it is time consuming and not inexpensive (and its tricky to make it look good). The foam insert is a real value-add in my opinion. Having your tools organized like this is super helpful.
I’d like some company (Gearwrench could do it), to come out with tools in foam “modules” so you could cobble together a kit yourself. E.g. release socket sets where you can buy each drive size individually in a foam tray that only fills 1/3rd of a drawer, maybe have ratchets available in a module, extensions etc. Then you could just add the pieces you need and organize how you please.
Husky sort of has a set like that, just for the ratchets. It was on Toolguyd somewhat recently. I just want more components in matching foam modules.
Jared
Here’s the Husky set I was thinking of:
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/husky-144-position-ratchet-set-review/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Great idea! More of this please.
Maybe a foam tray with pliers? A blank option for customizing. Perhaps a hollow segment for loose bits?
Jared
After posting this I remembered seeing some sockets from OEMtools that were done up like that. After a quick Amazon search I see they pretty much did what I was thinking!
Check out OEMtools 239980 (3/8″ sockets and ratchet set),
23992 (bit sockets), 23981 (3/8ths deep sockets), 23986 (1/4″ deep), 23987 (locking pliers), 23999 (screwdriver set), etc… There’s a bunch of them!
I don’t know anything about OEMtools though. Is it decent? I might have to pick up one of these sets just to check it out. It is after all, the concept I was imagining.
TonyT
From one Amazon answer, OEMTools are made in Taiwan, China, or USA. All the OEMTools listings that I looked at were made in Taiwan, but I didn’t do extensive research.
Patrick T
Jared’s comments got me looking. Saw that Ares, MotivX and a few other companies on Amazon have them too. Same factories?
Surprised it’s so hard to find these empty. Found some people reselling empty ones on Amazon. Also found a guy on Etsy selling custom made ones. Must be using a laser cutter. OrganizedFoam is his name. https://www.etsy.com/listing/968508768/custom-machine-cut-foam-organizer-for