I friggin' LOVE rethreading taps!

[alex e]

I have been pondering a metric Snap On rethreading tap and die kit for about a month, and saw Craftsman has one for $49, versus the $100 Snap On. I went for Craftsman and their warranty. I wanted to clean out all the rusty bolt holes in my tub in preparation for a Rust Bullet coating and Linexing. I used a bit of PBlaster and away I went on all the M6 and M8 holes. The feeling of hand threading NEW body bolts into those holes was QUITE satisfying.

 

[Poser]

I have been pondering a metric Snap On rethreading tap and die kit for about a month, and saw Craftsman has one for $49, versus the $100 Snap On. I went for Craftsman and their warranty.

 

[Icantdive55]

Not to burst your bubble but.. the kit you speak of doesn't have a warrenty. Ask me how I know! If the tool doesn't say on the package Guaranteed for life or something similar, it has NO warrenty even if YOU consider it a craftsman hand tool. A little trick they play. But aside from that, I love my set also at least whats left of it. Got mine for the same reason.

Rod

 

[alex e]

Dang.
Oh well. I can return it.

 

[Tigerstripe40]

I bought a cheap tap set from Harbor freight a couple of years ago.
It's served me well.
I did wear out 1 tap, the M8 x 1.25 tap. But I bought a Snap On Tap (just the tap) and a good tap handle and haven't really had any problems.

 

[alex e]

Steve O you damn party pooper.

 

[thecrazygreek]

OK, good tools are good tools. Crappy tools are crappy tools. It's all about the application and your willingness to deal with the crap.

I bought the crappy HF tap stuff, for the amount of work I do, its all good. Way ahead for that tool set.

Another example, I bought the HF spot weld cutter. Pure s***ola. 6 spots per side, total of 10 - 12 welds per bit. 5 bucks per bit...

Blain cutter, 60 bucks for 4 bits, all it good after 120 holes with ONE bit.

SO it all depends...

 

[alex e]

Well with the idiots on eBay bdding the Snap On stuff up to retail prices might as well save $50.

 

[Dieseler]

If it has craftman stamped on it they warranty it, I have never had a problem returning broken tools and getting replacements.
I even have snapped a few older craftsman screw drivers using them as pry bars now I have brand new replacements.






i

 

[jmq4]

I bought the craftsman set for the exact same reason and have been very happy with it. They do seem a bit soft, so I guess they will wear out eventually, hopefully after the truck is running just fine.

I also bought a helicoil kit from HF at 20% off (=$40), five sets (M5-M8, M12) of taps, bits and inserts for metric bolts - it has been very useful.

Joe

 

[Texx]

Round here, we just go to the industrial supply store, or even the bolt specialty company, you can get any bit or tap individually in several quality ranges. I wear out more 6mm than anything. They tend to last through about 3 FJ40's before they're done. Realistically, if you just get a 6 and an 8, that's 95 per cent of the holes you're gonna need to work with. Best thing about being in the oilfield...if it's threaded, it's available.

 

[malcb]

Taps are a consumable - you will break one eventually orthe small common ones will get worn out.

Good tap wrench is the key (so to speak). As you say, very satifying and makes removal easier in the future, did my windscreen last week, just to clear the paint out (nothing was blanked off by the PO when he sprayed but I don't mind because there is more paint around the holes). Some of those are a pain because you can't swing the wrench around.

 

[greenhorn311]

Snap on taps are life time i turn some in every Tuesday.

 

[Gusb]

As someone said, the tap wrench and how it's used is kind of important. Not a big deal but it's easy to cut a tapped hole oversize (out of spec if anybody cares to begin with). It does create a weaker thread, etc. Like most, I'm usually more worried about getting some old rusted fastener out without tearing everything up in the process.

When I worked in machine shops in another life, taps were a big deal - bad tap = rejected job. Of course, a tap thrown in a Bridgeport and 100s of drilled holes being tapped is not the same as chasing a rusted thread. Nobody worried about sets, just piles of quality taps of the appropriate size for the job at hand (Like Texx said, 6 and an 8...). And even the local Ace hardware seems to have a few metric taps in stock these days.

I don't buy any kind of hand tool "set" anymore because for me it just adds ballast to the toolbox with tools that never get used. And the only way the "high-end" (overpriced?) hand tools make sense to me is if I only buy the ones I use a lot. I did buy a set of Martin body hammers a while back because I had none and didn't know enough about body work to only get what I really needed. But it's always nice to have a set of taps around.

 

[dgangle]

If it has craftman stamped on it they warranty it...

WRONG. Not the taps & dies as explained already. If you have got them warranteed then you got lucky 'cause the counter sloth didn't know his job.

Screwdrivers and tap/die sets are two completely different things.

 

[3jvj]

If it has craftman stamped on it they warranty it, I have never had a problem returning broken tools and getting replacements.
I even have snapped a few older craftsman screw drivers using them as pry bars now I have brand new replacements.

x2

The only thing I insist on being snap-on is my pry bar (and at least blue point for impact gun).

 

[alex e]

Explain tap wrench versus ratchet in conjunction with above mentioned taps. I have both.

 

[Blue77FJ40]

A ratchet tap wrench has 3 settings: reverse ratchet, locked (no ratchet), forward ratchet.

Sears lifetime warrranty is on their Craftsman brand hand tools only, e.g., mostly their screwdrivers, wrenches, sockets. No power tools or anything electrical.

 

[malcb]

Explain tap wrench versus ratchet in conjunction with above mentioned taps. I have both.

Never quite understood the need for a ratchet. I suppose for cleaning a thread it might be useful but for tapping a new hole it is a pain reversing the ratchet every few turns.

Better feel with a wrench, for the M8 windscreen threads that were hard to access with the wrench I out the tap in a square drive key I have in my toolbox, suppose a ratchet might have helped there.

 

[dgangle]

Sears tool warranty from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craftsman_(tools)

..."The lifetime warranty does not include Craftsman power tools and precision hand tools. Craftsman portable power tools, bench power tools, air compressors, powered lawn & garden products and other powered items carry various warranties while many specialty hand tools such as torque wrenches, except beam-type torque wrenches which carry a Lifetime Warranty, and work lights carry a one year warranty..."

taps & dies are considered 'precision hand tools'.