Best Mechanic Tool Sets 2023

Nov 22, 2023

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A few minutes in the darker (and dustier) corners of the Internet will convince you tool collecting is a serious hobby for lots of folks nowadays. It's easy to understand why. Do enough work on your car or around your home, and you’ll quickly learn some things are easier to accomplish with the correct specialized tool for the job. Safety wire pliers (for cutting wires and strands), plumb bobs (a weighted object used to find a vertical line), three-finger pullers (used to remove gears, pulleys, wheel hubs, and all kinds of hard to remove parts)—the list goes on and on.

Once you see the wide range of potential problem solvers, you might unexpectedly set out on a path to becoming a tool collector. But truth be told, a well-chosen mechanic tool set can handle the vast majority of tasks faced by any homeowner, cyclist, or driver without taking up a whole garage wall. We’ve evaluated some of the best choices below. Will they set you on a lifetime of scouring auction sites looking for vintage bench grinders and pneumatic drills? That's up to you.

More than almost any other item you could buy, a tool set is a response to a specific set of envisioned issues. So if you don't own a car, or if you have a superintendent who handles all your home maintenance, it's worth taking that into account when you shop for tools, because you won't need tools for that particular purpose.

Get Even More Gear: Best Car Tools for Vehicle Maintenance • Best Bike Tool Kits for Repairs on the Go • Best Tools 2022

Here's an example: The ten-millimeter socket is such a basic component of auto maintenance that some enterprising outlets sell them in bulk, largely because if you lose track of your "10mm" you won't be able to keep working. A modern bicycle, however, has nothing that requires it. Similarly, a five-millimeter Allen-head wrench is essential for bikes, but largely irrelevant for home maintenance.

So, should you maintain separate tool sets for different tasks? Only if you’re using them on a daily basis—otherwise, the hassle of remembering which tools are in which set will outweigh the convenience of a smaller kit. There's also plenty of crossover between tasks: a No. 4 Phillips screwdriver can hang a painting, adjust a bicycle brake, re-attach an automotive body panel, and build a workbench.

While it might seem risky to buy a minimal tool set rather than a whole bells-and-whistles setup, a smaller version can pay big dividends when you need to fix something in a hurry. A lunchbox-sized toolkit that is close at hand is a better idea than a massive multi-purpose chest that's down in the basement behind (or under) a bunch of storage items. When choosing a tool set, try to focus on your most commonly required tasks, and then get whatever you need to accomplish those tasks quickly.

A budget of around $100 should suffice for a tool set that can handle most tasks; above that, you’re getting higher-quality pieces that will survive more frequent use and/or additional tools such as a level or tape measure for specialty purposes.

There are two measurement systems for tools: SAE, which stands for Society of Automotive Engineers, or metric. Metric sockets are measured in millimeters, while SAE sockets are measured in inches. The vast majority of modern cars and bicycles use metric bolts and will therefore require a set where the tools are measured in metric increments (e.g. 10mm, 19mm). Many home appliances, older American cars, and plumbing fixtures may need SAE, or conventional, tools (e.g. 3/8 in., 1 ½ in.).

We bought, borrowed, and evaluated a wide variety of tools and tool kits for these recommendations, focusing primarily on the areas of home repair, bicycle maintenance, and automotive tasks. We also tried using a variety of tools the wrong way—could these Knipex pliers really do the job for attaching a dryer hose?—to evaluate the possibilities of using a cycling kit for home repair, and so on.

This set, plus a few good screwdrivers, should handle a wide variety of automotive, cycling, and home maintenance tasks. The selection of sockets is extensive. Included are 12 open-end wrenches that are useful for tight spots and other places you can't get to with a ratcheting wrench. The supplied Allen keys should handle most cycling needs. I like the robust case which makes it easy to keep things organized and available when you need them.

Amazon has put together a good occasional-use tool set for people facing a wide variety of mechanical challenges. In addition to the comprehensive set of sockets, there's a 24-piece open-end wrench set—but what impressed me most is the interchangeable screwdriver handle with more than 45 different tips. Given the wide variety of screw heads on home appliances and fixtures, this feature is enough to justify the purchase.

Most mechanic's tool sets don't include typical home-improvement items like tape measures, pliers, cutting knives, or scissors. The Kobalt set has all of these essentials and more, including perks like color-coded stripes on tools to identify metric and SAE. It's remarkably comprehensive, and it all fits in a soft case with a padded handle. If you’re more likely to be working in the home than in the garage, this is the one for you.

If you can make some room in your garage for this well-organized tool set, you’ll find that it has the majority of everyday automotive-repairs tools close at hand. With a broad selection of sockets and drivers, offset wrenches for hard-to-reach spots, and two spark plug sockets, this should get most jobs done. Like the other Kobalt tool sets, this one uses a color stripe to identify metric and SAE sockets. The multiple-drawer chest keeps things organized and accessible.

Believe it or not, a pretty significant percentage of automotive and appliance tasks can be handled with a very small socket set—and that's what we have here, at an even smaller cost. It covers a wide range of metric and SAE sizes. Don't look for any frills like narrow-angle ratchet heads or magnetic pickup sockets here. This is basic by design, but it can handle a lot of jobs.

If you truly love working on mechanical items, but your budget doesn't extend to the American-made options from Snap-On or SK, Wera has just the ticket for you. The Zyklop Speed Ratchet is difficult to explain because it doesn't work like most ratchet wrenches; the head tilts, a thumbwheel controls ratchet direction, and it can also be operated by holding the wrench in place and turning the handle, like a screwdriver. It's a joy to use and it can dramatically increase the speed with which you work.

If the Wera Zyklop is for people who will wrench every day, this is the complete opposite. The tools in this set aren't durable or heavy-duty enough to be used every day. Instead, the Prostormer is aimed at people who want to be prepared for a variety of tasks—and it's capable for such applications. One of the few tool sets out there to include a hammer and wood screws right in the case, it is a great set to have around if you might have to fix a broken stool or picture frame in a hurry.

The SK ratcheting wrenches are a global and much-admired standard for a reason: they look beautiful and work well. The 1.7-degree swing arc means that you can work on a hard-to-reach bolt with very small hand motions. In practice, these wrenches are almost impossible to kill; I’ve beaten one with a hammer to remove rusted bolts, not something I’d recommend doing with the wrenches in most affordable tool sets. And the chrome finish is mirror-perfect.

PM: What are the biggest differences between a home tool kit and an auto tool kit?

JB: Unless you own a Morgan sports car with an ash frame, you won't be doing any woodworking when you fix your car, but homeowners need specific tools for cutting, drilling, and joining wood. Home tool kits are also more likely to substitute a single adjustable wrench for a full range for proper open-end wrenches— and that's fine!

PM: How can I prolong the life of my tool kit—and how long can I expect one to last?

JB: A good tool kit should outlast the owner. Keep it clean, dry, and spray it down lightly (LIGHTLY!) with WD-40. That's not to lubricate the tools. It's to prevent rust.

PM: Should I be looking for tools with a lifetime warranty or that meet ASME or other standards?

JB: Most homeowners won't use or break their tools often enough to worry about that. If you're working on cars or homes every day, you should be shopping a different set of vendors, such as Snap-On.

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