GearWrench Tool Review

[@WeekendWrenchTurner]

Love this!! The Gearwrench tools I have are my favorite ones I've got in my room box. Reasonably priced and just function the way they are supposed to without fail. Everytime I've contacted them they've been responsive and professional. Good stuff Timmay and Sean!!

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Good to hear you're a fan of Gear Wrench as well and it's also great to hear they've been nice to deal with when you've contacted them. They're obviously doing something right. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

[@Mac4Willy]

Good review. Thank you. I live in Northern Ohio, rust belt central. My 2012 Taco is oil sprayed every fall in prep for the salt and snow that is always present every winter. I’ve done my share of removal of rusted bolts and nuts. Those sockets would work great. My buddy has the set, and I borrow them every so often. You’d figure I just buy my own set lol. But they do work well

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Thanks and it's good to hear you've got some first hand experience with the bolt biter extraction sockets and have found they work well. Thanks for taking the time to comment and share this with us. We appreciate it.

[@MS-hd8yq]

I think I'm safe in saying the people that love your channel will watch whatever you decide to put out. Your content quality is top notch. The ratcheting wrenches are super handy. I bought some specifically for replacing the rear shock/strut assembly on my brothers Toyota Camry. Talk about zero room there. Without a ratcheting wrench it would have taken forever and cost me my sanity. 😉

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Thanks Matt. We appreciate the nice compliment. In the video when I was mentioning the top shock mount nut on a 3rd Gen 4runner would be an excruciating process to tighten with a conventional wrench, I was speaking from experience. When I replaced the rear shocks on my 2000 4runner, I didn't even know ratcheting box end wrenches existed, let alone ones that also had a flex head capability. Talk about the right tool for the job. Those ratcheting flex head box end wrenches have made so many jobs much easier to accomplish just for the simple fact I had an easier time getting the wrench in where I needed it due to the flex head feature and then was able to get the fastener loosened or tightened much quicker and easier because I didn't have to reset the wrench over and over again. When I tightened the upper shock nuts with a conventional open end wrench, it literally almost took me one hour per side because my arm would cramp up keeping it up there for so long reseting the wrench over and over again until I was screaming in my garage out of frustration. I love, love, love those ratcheting wrenches. Happy Wrenching Matt!

[@MS-hd8yq]

@@TimmyTheToolman Yeah I think the flex heads are the way to go, even when it comes to plain old ratchets too. So many times just having a little wiggle room makes all the difference. I'll be replacing the front struts and rear shock absorbers on my dads 04 Tacoma 4WD V6, in your opinion are the Bilstein's the way to go? They seem to be the most mentioned on the Toyota forums. I'd greatly appreciate your input

[@TimmyTheToolman]

@@MS-hd8yq Bilstein are a good way to go for sure and you really can't go wrong with them. There's obviously more expensive options like King, Icon and Radflo but I'm guessing your dad doesn't do any crazy off-roading and the Bilstein shocks will serve him well.

[@MS-hd8yq]

@@TimmyTheToolman Thank you so much for that. Definitely doesn't do serious off roading. He'll haul split wood and sometimes mulch or wood chips. Once in blue moon a little beach driving down at the Outer Banks of NC. 124k miles and the suspension is still original, so I'd say it's about time

[@TimmyTheToolman]

@@MS-hd8yq On my 2000 4runner, I'm running the Bilstein 4600 shocks and they seem to be holding up just fine. I've had them for around 5 years now.

[@revans026]

Ive ordered almost every tool you've shown while working on the rigs at your house. Those other companies are missing out on your fan following. Keep up the great work man and keep them videos coming with links to the tools used.

[@TimmyTheToolman]

That's good to hear Robert. I owned a pretty minimalistic set of tools for a long time and it's nice to have lots of tools at my disposal now to get jobs done. I guess one could say I have a tool buying disease but there's worse things to spend your money on. The nice thing about tools is they quickly pay for themselves from the money you save doing your own jobs. I think our channel is still too small for most companies to take notice of. Gear Wrench is an exception to the rule and they are smart to support smaller channels, especially ones that are clearly fans of their tools. I know our channel inspires tool sales. You are proof of that. It will be interesting as time goes on if we get hit up by one or more of the other big tool companies offering sponsorship of our channel. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching Robert!

[@ToneSoutherland]

Great review. Just ordered a smaller set of the Gearwrench bolt biters to deal with a stuck/rounded bolt on the axle of one of my land cruisers. Thanks for putting this together!

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Cheers tone! We hope those bolt biters are the right tool for the job!

[@bradshutler9356]

I own 25 different gear wrench tools and so far have been very pleased with them. They are priced very fairly on amazon and when the need arises will purchase more. Thanks for the review Tim!

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Thanks for the comment Brad. I knew there had to be lots of others like me who have found Gear Wrench tools to be well made, functional and at a price point that's affordable. Like you, I will probably find myself owning more tools made by them as time goes on. Happy Wrenching!

[@ocoutdoors2355]

I’m going to buy those bolt biter sockets. I’m also going to get those sockets with the swivel built into it from Harbor Freight. BTW, if you ever need striking cap pry bars Walmart sells their Hyper Tough pry bars made in USA! They’re rebranded from another brand! Pretty cool. I’d recommend the Capri tools vacuum bleeder. It connects to your air compressor. It can suck out diff fluid, trans fluid..... any type of fluid or just give a perfect brake and clutch bleed. Really handy. About $85 on Amazon. Looks like a rebranded snap on blue point unit. Happy 4th!

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Thanks for the tool suggestions. I have lots of pry bars already but I'm doing to look into that Capri vacuum bleeder. Happy 4th to you as well.

[@revans026]

Thats awesome that gear wrench stepped up. Definitely going to have to buy a set.

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Yeah, we were stoked Gear Wrench stepped up and recognized a smaller channel like ours. Hopefully they will continue to work with us.

[@brucemadden1626]

Exellent talk -through. Never heard of the Bolt Biter, but after watching your review(and I am on the east coast, so we have much rust), I plan to purchase them(already have many Gearwrench tools and hope the HIGH QUALITY they have does not go down with time)

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Thanks Bruce. Glad you found this video informative. Hope those bolt biter sockets treat you well. Thanks for the comment and Happy Wrenching!

[@TimmyTheToolman]

On the subject of tools, I was looking at other videos online and stumbled across a video that a guy did asking the rhetorical question, "Are Box Truck Brands a Thing of the Past" or something like that because the online market was so strong and affordable. It caught my attention so I watched it for a bit and then started reading the comments. A high percentage of these guys LOVED their local tool guy who serviced their area in his tool truck, touting reasons like they didn't want to have to hassle with returning tools online, I can try out tools for free, no downtime when they break a tool, yada yada. I think some of these guys could have probably bought a home with how much they've spent on tools. There's a reason why the tool truck guy can make a decent living selling tools and it's because the markup on the tools he's selling is pretty damn high. I would probably buy big name box truck brands tools only if I found them for sale online (Ebay or Craigslist) at a huge discount or maybe I visited a garage or estate sale and saw some tools I could use. Paying full retail for the box truck brands is just wayyyyy too much money for what you get.

[@GEARWRENCHTools]

Awesome honest review! Thanks so much! glad to hear you like our tools and thanks for the feedback on the flex wrenches. I will pass your feedback on to the product team. Thanks!

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Thanks and you're very welcome. From the comments we've gotten so far, it's obvious there's lots of other DIY mechanics that love your tools as well. I think a DIY Mechanic needs 3 things to be successful, the Right Information, the Right Tools and the Right Level of Patience. A company like yours that produces well-made tools at an affordable cost is a no-brainer for DIYers to purchase. With the Right Tools and Right Information from videos like ours and other sources, people possess 2 out of the 3 things that will give them success. They just have to come to the table with the Right Level of Patience and determination to overcome obstacles they might encounter during a job and they can be a successful DIY mechanic. Thank you for making some awesome tools! Myself, Sean and lots of other DIYers appreciate it!

[@biggestmexi]

I just picked up the 120xp swivel heads not too long ago and I do not know why I waited so long. Very useful. My next step is getting the wrenches, because dear lord having to reset a wrench every time -_-. Okay now I am watching, the bolt biter....I live in the salt belt....

[@TimmyTheToolman]

@@biggestmexi Welcome to the Gear Wrench club. You'll definitely like those ratcheting box end wrenches.

[@biggestmexi]

@@TimmyTheToolman it really helped with the belts and getting the swat bar back on. 3rd gen runner, so those top bracket bolts were a pain with a straight ratchet. Thanks for the videos too.

[@TimmyTheToolman]

@@biggestmexi Yep, I've found those ratchets helpful for so many jobs. The flex head and all the engagement points make those ratchets so much more diverse than a regular fixed ratchet that has less points of engagement. You're welcome and Happy Wrenching!

[@daytoncrawfordjr8620]

This backs up gear wrench story. Great tools at a great value.

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Gear Wrench makes great affordable tools. I love them!

[@stevenbauer7744]

I've owned a set of gearwrench double ratcheting box end wrenches (ratcheting at both ends) for 20+ years and it's searved me well. My main peeve with the gearwrech design is that you have to flip the wrench over to reverse direction. I've put mysefl in a bind a couple of times trying to remove a bolt in a tight space, loosening the bolt so that I can't get the wrench off, but can't reverse direction either. This is the time when a direction lever is crucial. I also have a set of the gearwrench ratcheting flex head flare wrenches (89101D) that greatly simplified removing ant replacing the 6 or so flare fittings when the brake actuator on my son's Prius last summer.

[@TimmyTheToolman]

I get it. You backed yourself in a corner and then couldn't get the wrench off. I've done what with ratchets before but I could flip the lever and tighten it back in enough to get the socket off. That's a good point. A set of flex head ratcheting flare nut wrenches would be nice and I wish I would have bought those originally.

[@danieldeemer]

More great content, thanks guys! I bought the flex head ratchet set from GW after using your tools for the clutch job. Definitely will continue to purchase GearWrench tools. 👍👍

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Smart move Dan. Gear Wrench tools have made a lot of the jobs we've filmed much easier to accomplish. Even though I already own lots of their tools, I'm sure I'm going to find future tool sets from them to add to my collection.

[@MoFe12345]

You’re coming up in the world, Timmy! Glad to see you’re getting some attention from vendors. I gotta say though, your review of GearWrench is great and I’ll definitely consider them the next time I’m looking to buy some specialized tools

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Well, there aren't any companies that have exactly rolled out the red carpet for us but it is cool Gear Wrench contacted us and want to work with us. We will make more tool reviews in the future because it appears people like this one. Having well made, functional and affordable tools is a crucial part of being a successful DIY Mechanic. The tool reviews we make are going to be ones about companies we personally like and own many tools from. Ideally, I want to support companies we like but it would also be nice to know these companies respect and appreciate what we are doing for them as well.

[@MoFe12345]

In either case, I really appreciate your channel, as it has helped me with tons of my own projects on my mark 3 4Runner. I’ll wholly support any company if they give your channel an opportunity and you give them a good recommendation

[@TimmyTheToolman]

@@MoFe12345 Thanks Matt. You can be rest assured all the tool review videos we make are going to be about companies we own many tools from and we personally like. We're not going to recommend any tool we haven't already personally used or haven't tested out in some fashion. I think the next tool review we do might be on OTC tools because I own lots of their tools and they have been showcased in many of our videos.

[@markstewart6104]

Look in any professional mechanics box and you will find Gearwrench products.They hold up even at a pro level. I've had one 1/2 inch ratchet go out on me and they sent me a new one.

[@TimmyTheToolman]

I figured a lot of professional mechanics have branched out from the overly expensive box truck brands for more affordable options. Guys who own Snap-on or Matco will talk about brands like Gear Wrench and say, "Well, they're good enough for a DIY mechanic but they won't hold up to daily use by a paid mechanic." I honestly think these box truck brand days are numbered because opinions are changing from mechanics trying out more affordable options and realizing the tools are good. I've spent quite a bit on tools over the last 3-4 years. I couldn't imagine what I would have spent if all the tools I bought had the name Snap-on or Matco on them. Thanks for the comment.

[@pdaddy879]

Gearwrench tools do hold up on everyday basis especially the ratchets. They are lower tier professional tools but the ratchets are upper tier professional. I would put them up against any snap on ratchet

[@TimmyTheToolman]

@@pdaddy879 Thanks for the comment Patrick. I was stoked when I got their 120XP Flex Head ratchets. They have made so many jobs much easier because they are so functional.

[@garywolff5812]

Gear wrench tools are good quality. They make more style of tools then I was aware by watching your channel.

[@TimmyTheToolman]

They've been around for quite some time and have made some pretty handy tools for people who like to turn wrenches. I'm glad I found them. You can check out their website to see what other tools they make. We provide a link to their website in the video description.

[@MinhBui-ni1by]

I like my harbor freight ratchets. they seem similar, if not the same. The gear wrench stubbies are nice for low torque situation and tight spaces. nice vid. I think a deeper dive into the sockets and how they work/bite would have been great to see. I use the Irwin extractor set and it's been great.

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Are the Harbor Freight ratchets also 120 click point ratchets that only require 3 degrees to get to the next click point? I guess we could have talked more about how the bolt biter sockets work but I think we covered the main highlights of why they would be a good purchase. The Irwin extraction sockets from what I understand only work to remove fasteners and can't tighten like the Gear Wrench extractors can. I also wonder if the Irwin has minus size sockets meaning if a nut or bolt head is rounded off or deteriorated somewhere between socket sizes, would one of the Irwins bight? I failed to expand on this in the video. For example, the bolt biter kit will have a 10mm and a 10mm (-). The minus size would fit tightly onto a badly rounded off or heavily corroded 10mm bolt head or nut when neither a 10mm would bite sufficiently and a 9mm wouldn't fit.

[@MinhBui-ni1by]

@@TimmyTheToolman yeah it does not have that (-). The HF only have 72 teeth so 5 degree. Not as good! I hated the old gear wrench set since it didn't have the comfort handle but i noticed yours do so it must be a different model than what i was looking at

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

The bolt biters are also nice because you can use a wrench on them in tight spaces as well

[@TimmyTheToolman]

That's a good point Antonio. I should have mentioned that in the video.

[@andreyka64]

I hope all those other companies realize that your audience is not only super engaged but we are all gear heads. Quality over quantity. Eventually they'll be sending you their products left and right!

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Yeah, some of these big companies didn't even give me the time of day when I hit them up for sponsorship so I have to give Gear Wrench credit for starting a dialogue with me. I thought us asking for some free product for our subscriber party raffles was sort of a no-brainer. For the cost of a single tool or tool set that's not crazy expensive, they would get advertising from the video we make of the party. Our party videos don't get tons of views, but I think the people who did watch the video would take notice of the companies that bothered to acknowledge our presence and were generous enough to hook us up with product that we could give away to a DIY auto mechanic. In my mind, this is pretty affordable advertising. I'm sure the bigger automotive channels are probably asking for product and money from these companies to do a tool review.

[@andreyka64]

@@TimmyTheToolman Eventually they'll come to a realization that those larger channels have a dispersed audience of all different types of people, while THIS channel may not have the most subscribers or the most views, its the quality of those subscribers/viewers that count. People are engaged, and thoroughly knowledgeable about how to work on their vehicles. THAT is the type of person who goes out and finds the best possible tools for the job, instead of the cheapo 100+ tool set off of Amazon.

[@TimmyTheToolman]

@@andreyka64 Maybe you're right Andrey. I do agree that a high percentage of the people subscribing to our channel are probably avid DIY mechanics and not just somebody looking for general knowledge with no intention of turning wrenches. Thanks for this insight.

[@edwinthetechnician6578]

Timmy do a review on your OTC tools that’d be awesome!

[@TimmyTheToolman]

That will most likely be our next tool review because I own a ton of OTC tool sets.

[@edwinthetechnician6578]

Timmy The Toolman nice I cant wait for it.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

The bolt biter kit works well

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Yes, they appear to work really well. Guys who live the rust belts of the country would love the Bolt Biter Extraction Sockets.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Hey timmy gearwrench is coming out with 120xp digital torque wrenches you might want to check them out

[@TimmyTheToolman]

That would be a nice purchase. I think I will check them out.

[@mecalpsha4473]

Hi Timmy what is the link to the flare nut metric wrenches with swivel on end?

[@TimmyTheToolman]

All the link are in the video description. Just click on "Show More" and the video description will expand out to show all the tool links.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

The gearwrench 120xp are 60 tooth gear with dual pawl if I remember correctly

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Yeah, I don't know exactly how the mechanics work with them. All I know is they work really well especially when you have limited room to turn the ratchet. Those ratchets have made the removal of a fastener possible when other ratchets wouldn't have worked. They are great tools to have in your tool box.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Awesome tool review Timmy

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Glad you like it Antonio.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

@@TimmyTheToolman I have alot of gearwrench as well

[@TimmyTheToolman]

@@AntonioClaudioMichael Smart man.

[@gunsfishand4x4]

Awesome reviews!

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Thanks Chase!

[@gunsfishand4x4]

Timmy The Toolman now my wife knows what to get me for Christmas :D

[@Sami-bc9iv]

good job

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Thanks!

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Good reviews bro

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Thanks Bro.