Toolset reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 168 Reddit reviews across 21 subreddits and 30 posts to rank the best Toolset brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/Tools, r/rccars, r/BuyItForLife, r/ukbike, r/MotoUK. Top-rated brands include Harbor Freight (4.1/5), Husky (3.9/5), MIP (4.7/5).
Stats
Reviews168
Subreddits21
Posts30
Brands63
Products57
168 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Harbor Freight
4.1
(18)
"Great value for a complete set, especially when on sale."
"Essential tool for home projects."
"Reliable for various tasks."
"Accurate and easy to use."
"Covers 98% of my home uses."
"Most of my tools are from harbor freight, the only ones which have broken are drill bits which slowly got stripped, they replace them no questions asked."
"I’d pick the harbor freight 301 piece kit. $100 cheaper and a lifetime warranty."
"I worked out of this for 4 years in college before upgrading. If something breaks get a warranty replacement."
"Harbor Freights quality is actually pretty good and Icon is considered a professional brand if you demand the best the store has to offer"
"Harbor Freight tools aren’t great, but all of them have done the job for me on many sizable projects."
#2
Husky
3.9
(13)
"Husky is good; I've had my socket set since the late 90s and they hold well for the price."
"I'm a big fan of the Husky $99 set. Has 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2."
"They are much better quality than the set in the pic and have a lifetime warranty."
"I'd recommend something like Husky"
"Husky tools are a good choice for filling in toolsets."
"I like that lifetime warranty. I've never had an issue exchanging anything that has broken."
"I've been using my roommates Husky set and haven't needed to add much to it."
"Between the 2 I'd spend the extra for this one."
"Husky has a tool set that's on sale for about $100 this time of year that's pretty good."
"I been looking at the HomeDepot ones like Husky and Gearwrench sets."
#3
MIP
4.7
(10)
"I've never once had an issue with MIP and I've been using them for better part of a decade."
"Trust me spend the money on MIP, other sets will just have you stripping screws."
"But MIP...I put over most tool brands, and I work and a mechanic."
"Buy MIP there is no substitute, and you're going to wind up with them or be disappointed."
"Just spend the money on MIP, you're going to be quite pissed when you miss a main because you stripped a screw out."
"I've got a friend that has 11 years on their MIP set."
"For hex head screw, MIP or Hudy, anything else isn't going to be worth the trouble."
"I finally broke down and bought some, and wow! Totally get what you pay for, I really liked the Wera hex drivers and still carry them in my pit bag, but the MIP are another level."
"MiP wont let you down, but you could check out some non rc specific quality brands like Wiha, or Bondhus."
"The MIP are the most expensive by far and much more prone to stripping hexes than my PBswiss and Wera."
#4
Dewalt
4.3
(8)
"I wouldn’t cheap out on the power tools."
"For battery drills and drivers the top two are Dewalt and Milwaukee."
"Incredible products at an affordable price."
"DeWalt is pretty good but I hate their ratchet design just unnecessarily heavy."
"I bought a DeWalt set to go with my Makita drills."
"Any of the normal brands should work, including DeWalt."
"This set is awesome, I had the bigger 168 piece set, but all the components are the same."
"I've had a similar set from dewaly, I did mess up a few sockets, but that was due to harsh abuse with an impact gun."
#5
Halfords
4.6
(7)
"My Halfords advance socket set is great."
"Can't fault Halfords advance, had the small socket set maybe 10 years."
"Cannot complain life time warranty to replace sockets and has lasted me 2 years up to now!"
"Used a Halfords set for over 10 years for our Mx bikes."
"It has almost everything you’d need."
"I'd buy one of the Halfords professional socket sets. They've got a great warranty and you can just go into your local branch to use it if you do break something mid-job."
"I bought a similair set from Halfords (think it was called essentials or something similair) so that I had a version of "all the tools"."
#6
Various Toolset
4.3
(7)
"Definitely a rubber mallet - has helped me out more times than I'd like to admit lol Good pliers, a Stanley knife and a good set of tweezers are great additions."
"I’m a service engineer for SCIEX and Thermo systems and these are my most used tools: Metric hex keys but on occasion I need imperial ones so get both sets."
"Get these: 1/2" drive ratchet socket set 3/8" drive ratchet socket and hex set."
"Don't buy a pre-built set, build one yourself. Buy the individual components from reputable brands."
"Got it and think it’s a great deal. All those sockets plus the ratcheting wrenches feel great."
"I think its hard to beat that set for 300$, just my opinion tho."
"Buy the project related tools when you need them for a particular project. Time will tell what you actually need."
#7
Tekton
4.7
(6)
"Best quality for the price."
"Tekton has lots of tools and good prices. Most of my hobby mechanics tools are Tekton."
"Tekton has the best warranty policy; they send you a new tool with proof of purchase."
"I like Tekton, quality, great warranty and they sell no skip sets."
"Tekton is good stuff. I'd just keep buying more as you need it and piece together your own tool set."
"Highly recommended for hand tools."
#8
GearWrench
4.5
(6)
"I’m a big fan of gearwrench."
"GearWrench wrenches are very useful with both ends being ratcheted."
"Gearwrench is a very well liked brand here."
"Gearwrench would be preferable to me."
"If I had to start over from scratch I'd pickup the following as my budget and needs allowed:
- Gearwrench 1/4" and 3/8" ratchets
- Your choice of both standard and deep chrome socket sets..."
"Excellent quality and value."
#9
Craftsman
4.2
(6)
"Craftsman tools are my favorite."
"If you have a Lowe’s nearby their craftsman line is solid"
"Craftsman tools were reliable and had a great lifetime warranty."
"I've pieced mine together. Mostly Craftsman but you know, Snappy comes along with something cool and you're in debt again."
"Craftsman is one of the normal brands that should work."
"The craftsmen, husky, kobalt 200 piece sets are pretty decent and they come in a little chest. For home use they are fine."
#10
Wera
4.4
(5)
"I also recommend something like the Wera 056490 Tool-Check."
"Mid: Wera"
"I'm sure they'd outlast the Wera, but not the PB."
"Vessel, PBswiss and Wera for sure."
"Bondhus, Wiha, Wera, PBswiss, Vessel..."
#11
PB Swiss
4.5
(4)
"I had multiple fasteners the MIP would just spin uselessly in that the PBSwiss removed without slip."
"High end: PB Swiss"
"I'm sure they'd outlast the Wera, but not the PB."
"Bondhus, Wiha, Wera, PBswiss, Vessel..."
#12
Quinn
4.0
(4)
"Best value for upgrades today."
"Quinn tools generally hold up pretty well. There is a video of a mechanic that used nothing but that set for a year on youtube to test them out."
"Quinn tools are also a good choice for general tasks."
"Quinn tools are pretty great. I have several that I’ve been using professionally and they’ve held up well."
#13
Pathfinder
4.7
(3)
"Pathfinder 2e has Pathbuilder 2e"
"PF2e is the way to go...Bonus points if you use Foundry because there are tons of highly optimized modules for PF2 on Foundry."
"PF2e has fantastic community and fan tools, it's very well supported."
#14
Bondhus
4.0
(3)
"Bondhus, Wiha, Wera, PBswiss, Vessel..."
"MiP wont let you down, but you could check out some non rc specific quality brands like Wiha, or Bondhus."
"Budget: Bondhaus"
#15
Ryobi
4.0
(3)
"Ryobi bits are still going strong, replaced main bits but misc stuff is fine."
"You’ll be fine with Ryobi for routine homeowner stuff."
"Ryobi"
#16
Wiha
4.0
(3)
"Bondhus, Wiha, Wera, PBswiss, Vessel..."
"MiP wont let you down, but you could check out some non rc specific quality brands like Wiha, or Bondhus."
"For a screwdriver set, maybe consider WiHa's micro bit driver set."
#17
10-8
5.0
(2)
"10-8 armorer's block & tool"
"Quality stones, files, punches, 10-8 armorers block and tool."
#18
Makita
5.0
(2)
"Good choice going with Makita. There's a reason tradies use them."
"Bought my impact/drill/saw set 15 years ago, used daily, still going strong."
#19
Bosch
4.5
(2)
"Bosch, obviously."
"Bosch makes some of the best tools on the planet."
#20
Sealey
4.5
(2)
"Really good quality and reasonably priced."
"Sets on Amazon for about £15 from Sealey so a decent make."
#21
Axminster Tools
4.5
(2)
"Axminster Tools do a nice starter set on offer at £99.98 atm, roughing gouge, spindle gouge, bowl gouge, skew chisel, parting tool and round scraper."
"Could go for a book on wood turning and some vouchers?"
#22
Vessel
4.0
(2)
"Vessel, PBswiss and Wera for sure."
"Bondhus, Wiha, Wera, PBswiss, Vessel..."
#23
Doyle
4.0
(2)
"My other hand tools are either Doyle."
"Doyle tools are great for specific types."
#24
Icon
4.0
(2)
"Icon are lifetime guarantee and the Pittsburgh are usually decent for less money."
"Tool truck quality at a lower cost."
#25
Multitool
4.0
(2)
"Any multi-tool, but I wouldn’t spend more than $50."
"Buy a multitool, maybe screwdriver with bit set anything else needed buy as you need it."
#26
Integy
4.0
(2)
"I still have my Team Integy set from 15+ years ago. I need a new 2.0mm driver, but besides that I have zero complaints over years of use."
"The Integy sets are good drivers and offer replacement tips."
#27
Klein Tools
4.0
(2)
"I have alot of Klein tools from my previous career and they work very well with my RC cars."
"Home Depot is clearing out a lot of their Klein stuff, providing a chance to get tools cheap."
#28
iFixit
4.0
(2)
"IFixit or the new LTT kit are pretty well loved."
"I seen that I might need their tool kit to open it up."
#29
Kobalt
2.3
(3)
"The craftsmen, husky, kobalt 200 piece sets are pretty decent and they come in a little chest. For home use they are fine."
"Kobalt tools don't excite me compared to others."
"Kobalt offers a decent set with a warranty for a little more."
#30
Aldi
3.0
(2)
"Aldi had a nice looking torque wrench set in store last week. £20 iirc."
"I bought this kit from Aldi in Denmark, at least from the pictures it looks the same. I tried to extract a bottom bracket with it and i broke the Allen key in two pieces with my body weight (80 kilos). It's crap."
#31
Lancer
5.0
(1)
"Lancer has COMP/CON"
#32
Paizo
5.0
(1)
"Foundry and PF2 is -incredible-. The best integration of any system I have seen."
#33
Pen Mandrel Set
5.0
(1)
"I'd get him a pen mandrel set (£50) which holds the piece on the lathe"
#34
Beta
5.0
(1)
"Alternate high end: Beta 941 sliding t-handle"
#35
Allen Wrench
5.0
(1)
"Allen wrenches!!!"
#36
Planet X
5.0
(1)
"I bought this exact bike toolkit from PlanetX several years ago, and it's been absolutely great."
#37
Carbide Lathe Tools
5.0
(1)
"I got a set of three carbide lathe tools a while back for about $50 and like them a lot."
#38
Easywood
5.0
(1)
"Honestly, I really like my easywood tools. If you had to only get him one, get him the straight edged rougher."
#39
Flashlight
5.0
(1)
"This is the best flashlight in the whole fucking world."
#40
Silca
5.0
(1)
"Silca sliding t-handle folio (better selection of sizes than the beta set)"
#41
Gearwrench
5.0
(1)
"Gearwrench 243pc set."
#42
Knipex
5.0
(1)
"I'd say buy two Knipex Cobras."
#43
Boxo Motorcycle Tool Sets
5.0
(1)
"Check out the Boxo motorcycle tool sets."
#44
Sunex 3580
5.0
(1)
"Sunex 3580, Sunex 2645, 3/8 and 1/2 ratchets of your choice"
#45
Roxon
4.0
(1)
"I think your best bet is a roxon flex and just dont use any blades. It is the cheapest multitool that offers no blade but is rich in terms of every other feature."
#46
Leatherman
4.0
(1)
"Get a used Leatherman Style PS on ebay. It is about $40 and many TSA agents know it when they see it."
#47
Axminster
4.0
(1)
"You could get one of each of the ones he doesn't have from Axminster."
#48
Flexible Retrieval Tool
4.0
(1)
"Flexible retrieving tool. I don’t use it often but it’s a huge time saver if I drop a screw inside a spec."
#49
D-Way Tools
4.0
(1)
"A 5/8" bowl gouge or a 1' roughing gouge might be a good start."
#50
Carbide Cutters
4.0
(1)
"Consider a set of carbide cutters, you can get kits from Amazon"
#51
Multi-Tool
4.0
(1)
"A good multi-tool and a solid flash light would be good."
#52
Basic Hand Tools
4.0
(1)
"Basic hand tools. A level and a cordless drill."
#53
Capri Socket Sets
4.0
(1)
"What do you think about capri brand?"
#54
Klein
4.0
(1)
"Get the Klein 32717 screwdriver set."
#55
Boxo
4.0
(1)
"The 3 drawer carry box fits a lot in it with great quality."
#56
Amazon Tool Set
4.0
(1)
"This set goes down to $140 very often."
#57
OSR
4.0
(1)
"If you're more into the rules-light side of things, I'd say OSR is your choice."
#58
Walmart
4.0
(1)
"I got this one at Walmart for $10, it has served me very well"
#59
GURPS
4.0
(1)
"GURPS has an actively supported character creation tool that's been around for decades (GCS)."
#60
Hudy
4.0
(1)
"For hex head screw, MIP or Hudy, anything else isn't going to be worth the trouble."
#61
Pittsburgh
3.0
(1)
"The Pittsburgh are usually decent for less money."
#62
Coast
3.0
(1)
"Personally I'd buy something used-vg like a Coast tool from 2010 or a new Schrade Tough Tool or something cheap."
#63
Tormek Sharpening System
1.0
(1)
"The only acceptable powered whetstone sharpening system is Tormac and they’re easily £800."
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