Ratcheting wrenches - Flex head worth it?

[Anonymous No.1966039]

I was eyeballing this Milwaukee set but seems a tad expensive.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-SAE-Metric-Combination-Ratcheting-Wrench-Mechanics-Tool-Set-30-Piece-48-22-9416-48-22-9516/309800942
But at the same time it is 30 pc set and no other brand sells one so complete, most are 20 pc, like this kobalt set: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-20-Piece-12-Point-Standard-SAE-and-Metric-Ratchet-Wrench-Set/1000224979 But hell that shits only like $50! And I can easily trade in a broken one at any Lowes right?

But then maybe I want the kind with the flexible head? Those seem to be 2-3X more expensive!?
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-8-Piece-12-Point-Metric-Flexible-Head-Ratchet-Wrench-Set/3367222
8 piece set for $90!? Damn is the flex head worth the price?

-The Milwakuee ones do look damn nice but I don't think I can justify the price, but damn I do get more sizes which I love. Worth it for those extra sized not offered by other sets?
-The Kobalt are affordable AND I can easily trade in a broken one or buy a replacement if I lose one. But less sizes, pretty lame.

I try to live by the "buy one cry once" rule save money in the long term so what does /diy/ think I should do?

[Anonymous No.1966109]

>>1966039
you want the flexible ones, otherwise you're just gonna end up buying them later and have two sets of ratcheting wrenches

[Anonymous No.1966123]

>>1966039
Flex heads have their use, but the reversible ones are way less aggregating to use than a floppy flex head if you don't need it. So do the non-reversible ones, you'll bust your knuckles without and offset to the head, but sometimes you need a 0 degree offset.

[Anonymous No.1966127]

>>1966039

Have you any real experience using the flexible head ones? I have used them and don't like them and would hate it if it's all I had to work with.

[Anonymous No.1966129]

>>1966039
horrible freight by 2 sets so you can loose twice the wrenches. they work good enough the shit all comes out the same china factory anyways these days

[Anonymous No.1966136]

>>1966039
Flex head are really handy when working on vehicles, mostly GM and Ford designs, but cheaper ones will eventually break after so much use. Consider buying a set of solid wrenches first and then get flex heads if you find yourself needing them often.

[Anonymous No.1966158]

>>1966039
I bought a cheap set of chinese flex head ones just to try and see if it's any good. Despite the poor quality (some of them where not working properly, luckily not the most useful size) I ended up using them a lot. I'm just waiting on them to break to buy a proper set. I would recommend buying some good ones right from the start.
Never had issue with the fact that the head was flexing tough. There is a small screw you can use to adjust the friction, but in most case just using my other and to prevent it from flexing too much was enough.

[Anonymous No.1966168]

>>1966039
>most are 20 pc,

When are you going to use a ratcheting wrench on something bigger than 19mm or 3/4?
Per wrench price for large ratcheting wrenches is a lot.
Thats why nobody puts them in their set. It keeps costs down and is more relevant to most people.
The Gearwrench 16pc metric and 13pc Standard set are both $120 themselves. You are paying an extra $175 to get 13/16" to 1" and 20 to 24mm. IE paying $21 per wrench to for the 8 bigger sizes.

Fuck Kobalt, just get the Gearwrench
https://www.amazon.com/GEARWRENCH-35720-Ratcheting-Wrench-Set/dp/B07GSCZCPM/

As for flex, this anon is right >>1966136
Ive run into rare times where they would be nice working on a chevy, but I made do fine without them. I have used them and really dont like them, they arent a replacement for standard ratcheting wrenches, they are supplemental for mechanics who need them routinely.

>-The Milwakuee ones do look damn nice but I don't think I can justify the price, but damn I do get more sizes which I love. Worth it for those extra sized not offered by other sets?

I have the non-ratcheting Milwaukee wrenches, they are without a doubt a step above every other mid to low end wrench sets ive seen in terms of fit and finish. I have experience with tool truck tools, if you slapped a Matco or SnapOn logo on them, nobody would bat an eye, the fit and finish is unironically just as nice.
All the fine details and polish dont actually make them more functional though.

So at $280, its only $40 more than the full GearWrench sets, and are way fucking nicer.

I bought the Non-Ratcheting for 80$ a piece on sale, so $160 for the set, which again is only about $50 more than an equivalent set from GearWrench or Tekton or whatever.

If you have a hardon for ratcheting wrenches and need all the sizes, you arent spending that much more.

[Anonymous No.1966170]

>>1966168
Also my favorite of the small touches and fine details that Milwaukee did for their wrenches is the packaging they come in.
They are actually nice tool holder trays that fit inside of a standard tool chest drawer. Numbered and everything.
Not the shitty plastic gearwrench packaging like in the OP pic you throw away, or the horrible tool portable tool holders that everyone immediately throws away

[Anonymous No.1966200]

>>1966109
Underrated comment desu

[Anonymous No.1966215]

>>1966039
>seems a tad expensive
That is ridiculously overpriced and you are literally only paying for the name. Grab a Harbor Freight set, if and ONLY if it breaks then buy a better quality set. Spend the extra on a tool box / tool cart / more tools etc. Calling everything at Harbor Freight junk is a meme. Truth is, most of it works great and you just pay less money. Why are people so keen to throw their money away? I'll never understand it... I have a garage full of Harbor Freight and 95% of everything I've ever bought from that store is working great. For the other 5% I just bought a little better quality once it broke. The overall savings has been astronomical.

[Anonymous No.1966219]

>>1966215
Psyche tricked 'em get the Kobalt set that's a better price than Harbor Freight. Good on you for shopping around first. Save you money, you'd be surprised how little you won't use ratcheting wrenches. I have a set and I only use them every now and then. They're ok, just get a cheaper set and if you need any specialty sizes outside of the 20 piece you can buy them individually. Note that the metal around the hole is wider than a fixed wrench because it has to accommodate the ratcheting mechanism. DESU most of the time I'm reaching for a regular fixed wrench because it can fit into a slimmer space. Whatever do you, but I'd go with the cheaper set

[Anonymous No.1966234]

>>1966215
Did you bother to even look at Harbor Freights ratcheting wrenches?
7pc sets for $25, with no ability to get other sizes
That and the Icons which are even more expensive than the Milwaukees are.

Buying the Kobalt or the Gearwrench set is quite literally cheaper per wrench than Harbor Freight, you get all the wrenches you need, and the wrenches arent complete garbage.

>Calling everything at Harbor Freight junk is a meme
The bigger meme is to convince people to buy ticking timebombs that inevitably break in the middle of your project, at which point you go and buy the tool you should have in the first place.
Everyone outright acknowledges "well when the stuff you use breaks, just buy new!"

Thats not saving money. Thats buying the same tool twice fucking yourself in the long run, and giving yourself aggravation and downtime during your projects.

The whole >but harbor freight isnt so bad anymore
Guess what, the stuff that "isnt so bad" at harbor freight isnt cheap. Its comparable to other brands with much better track records, and much bigger catalogs of tools.

>>1966219
> Note that the metal around the hole is wider than a fixed wrench because it has to accommodate the ratcheting mechanism

And in the case of Harbor Freight tools, they use shittier metal so they give them giant lobster claws to give them the same strength as competitors tools, which will fit in more places much easier.
Look at these fucking fisher price wrenches, where exactly do you think this shit is going to fit?
But hey, they only cost 15% more than the Gearwrenches!

[Anonymous No.1966253]

Get a good set of non-flex ratchet wrenches.

Get a cheap set of flex head. You won't need them often, but when you do you'll be happy to have some.

[Ghost_of_Bepis !n/ZnkB9jUw No.1966435]

>>1966039
Those flex heads are nice, not gonna lie.

The Husky sets aren’t bad, but lhey don’t have the forward/reverse switch. Those ones are normally more expensive. The cheaper models without the switch, you just flip them over for reverse, but the wrenches are totally straight and makes it very difficult to work in some spots where you need clearance to spin the handles. The forward-reverse switch models have an offset, normally like 15deg.

Flex head, you don’t need the selector switch. Be weary of the smaller 7pc-8pc sets, I got a 7pc Gearwrench flex head set and had to get more individual sizes for auto work, and 3 individual wrenches cost as much as the 7pc set. Tekton on Amazon has some nice flex head sets that don’t skip sizes, IMO it’s worth dropping $120 on the bigger metric set if you fuck around with cars and bikes.

[Anonymous No.1966564]

>>1966039
Whats the point in buying brands that will yes, last longer but still most tool brands all have life time replacement warranty, so if it breaks let it you still get a brand new one every time

[Anonymous No.1966576]

>>1966435
I have two sets of tekton wrenches and their master set of sockets, high quality shit for the price

[Anonymous No.1966600]

>>1966576
The thing i hate about tekton is that they've got the selector lever wrong on my torque wrenches and one of the ratchets. 95% of ratchets you flip left for clockwise and right for counter clockwise, those ones are opposite and it gets me every time. Same with masterforce and pittsburgh(but not Icon, strangely enough), so stay away if that kind of niggling detail pisses you off.

[Anonymous No.1966618]

>>1966039
flex head are nice but they do get sloppy over time. if you go with a non flex just make sure it's not just a straight wrench, the bent ones are far easier to use.

[Anonymous No.1966666]

>>1966234
I've been using harbor freight stuff in an industrial setting for two years now. There are things they make that are shit (vice grips, channel locks, etc) but as long as you buy the stuff that doesn't have very many moving parts, you'll be fine. (sockets, extensions, combo wrenches, etc)

[Anonymous No.1966699]

>>1966666
Woah, witnessed

[Anonymous No.1966704]

>>1966435
>>1966576
It really makes me cum how tekton doesn't skip any(mother fucking) sizes
Too bad I already managed to piece together a full set of sockets from the hazard fraud and shart mart and can't quite justify spending another few hundred dollars on a redundancy set

[Anonymous No.1966738]

>>1966039
I can't speak for the wrenches, but I got a 4 piece set of GearWrench ratchets and they are a life saver for working on cars. I just finished redoing my suspension and it was all I used. Perfect example
>rear shock tower nut
>tucked behind fuel piping, some weird bracket, and set down into the body a bit
>all combinations of regular socket, deep well, 3" extension, 6" extension, and swivel fail
>I guess I will have to take out all this shit to get in there
>enter the flex head rachet
>deep well and flex ratchet get it off instantly since I can get the perfect angle to fit through the shit
>not enough clearance to make a full rotation?
>just flex the head a bit as it is going around to clear

This post makes me want to buy a full set of flex wrenches too. In my experience, every time I have fucked up because I tried to use a sub-optimal tool, I cost myself 10 times more in time/effort/money than I just just bought the right tool.

[Anonymous No.1967621]

I still don't know what to get...