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Mar 10, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth

If Tekton had the retail footprint, they’d be the 21st century Craftsman. I’d maybe argue that with Amazon, they are just that.

I’ve had some of their sockets for years. The 3/8 set spent time both in my road box and junkyard bag, usually on the end of an impact gun.

The easiest part is their warranty program. I blew apart a universal joint. Tekton asked that

I send a photo of the broken piece and had a new one on my doorstep in two days. Not bad, all things considered.

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I've seen their stuff on Amazon and had wrongly assumed it was Chinesium.

Good to hear otherwise and that they're honest about their products.

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Mar 10, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth

Thanks for the tip Jack. Because of your articles, I've been making more of an effort to get USA made stuff when possible.

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Mar 10, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth

Never used anything from Tekton, and had no idea their stuff was made in the US. Gonna have to check out some of their larger wrenches and see what they offer. I’m lacking in that department, say 1” or 22mm plus. And I refuse to spend $75 per from Snap On and want something higher than harbor freight quality.

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Mar 10, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth

Tekton has been slowly replacing my Craftsman inventory since Sears withered away. I find their socket wrenches, box-end wrenches, and sockets as satisfying as the vintage stuff they replace. That may sound like damning with faint praise, but these days not having to compromise is a win in my book.

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Mar 10, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth

my limited experience with tekton has been good. what i'd like to point out is that taiwan is not china. taiwan is our ally and they need our support. we should all be mindful of that going forward.

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Mar 10, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth

I always thought of Tekton as basically Amazon premium but had no idea they had that kind of commitment to MIUSA, I thought it was just all Taiwanese. Very cool. Might be a new development? I have one of their torque wrenches and some ball-end Allens. Dey gud.

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I have a set of Tekton wrenches that I picked up at Meijer well over 10 years ago so I could build up a new BMX frame in a parking lot.

They're certainly nothing special, but they've been reliable and have resisted all of my attempts to lose any of them. I'd buy them again, but I don't think I'll ever need to!

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Mar 10, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth

Maybe I'm in the minority around here but I do not give a shit where something is made. Products are only as good as their quality control regardless of country of origin so I give a big shit about the company making it and how much they dedicate to making sure they ship a solid product. I'm by no means a professional wrencher but haven't had any issues with my Pittsburgh/Icon tools from Harbor Freight.

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Mar 11, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth

Ended up talking to one of their sales reps at PRI a couple years ago. Didn't know anything about them prior to that, but was thoroughly impressed with the products they had on hand. I haven't bought many tools since then, but have purchased a few Tektons, and plan to look to them when it's time to put another set together.

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Mar 11, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth

I will keep them in consideration, although after 42 years of wrenching, I am about done buying tools, I could use a nice set of crows feet sockets though.....

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Mar 10, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth

Thanks, I’ll have a look.

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Mar 10, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth

They do look svelte but at the price point I’m turn and flip, oh well

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Mar 11, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth

Excellent synopsis Jack .

I like to buy and use American made things but he reality is : they're mostly priced right out of my budget and often the quality is abysmal to boot .

As I'm working on my 64 year old jalopy using my 50 year old tools I look at them and think 'I'm really glad I saved up to buy this specially bent wrench' (or whatever) as some times the angle or off set on the end of a hand tool makes or breaks it .

Now, it that old 1/4" drive 10MM 6 point socket wasn't so loose it drops off the end of my 50 year old ratchet so often....

Too bad I can't post pictures, I write up blurbs on what I do and there's several groups (mostly old Geezers) who love reading what, why and how I did something .

-Nate

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Mar 10, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth

Cool! I don’t have but want a set of ratchet ing wrenches but they all seem to have a lot of girth and I expect they won’t fit into spaces that need wrenching. Any experience out there?

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Mar 11, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth

I have a handful of Tekton tools. A Taiwan made flex head ratchet and a USA made punch set. The punch set came with a nice walnut block to store them in. They set in it vertically which doesn't work well with my current tool storage arrangement so it lives in a drawer. There's and industrial supply store near my office that stocks a good variety of Tekton stuff so if I need a tool I don't have I'll pop in there and get it. They make a good product.

On a related note, this store is like an adult candy store. The sheer amount of things they keep in stock is mind blowing. Nearly every fastener you can dream of. They stock USA made wilton vices and C-clamps and about five top brands of battery powered tools. The also have oddball conversation piece stuff that there's no actual market for like a massive 6" diameter, 4 foot long turn buckle and an 8" impact socket on the checkout counter full of candy. They taken a significant amount of my money.

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