It looked good --until at lunch I walked in to Home-Depot and they had the same sets for $5.00

So just be smart

These look like your standard low-grade import screwdriver sets.

The cheapo precision sets are usually fine - i'd wager these are too. I mean, it's hard to do a precision screwdriver set wrong, because they don't need to be strong or anything. At $3.99, these are a pretty good deal.
Note that i'm talking about the first precision set, not the one with interchangable bits - all of my comments below apply to the interchangable bit precision screwdrivers (I've got a set that cost considerably more, and I never use the damned thing.

The biggest problem with interchangable bit screwdrivers is that they use interchangable bits. So the shaft is too thick to use on screws that are at the bottom of a hole (eg, holding the case onto a piece of electronics). So you need at least a pair of real screwdrivers anyway if you're planning to open up any sort of equipment. You're always fumbling with bits, the bits get lost (particularly the useful ones). Depending on the quality, the screwdriver might not do well at retaining the bits - at $3.99, i wouldn't count on it to be good for that*. Plus they try to stick ratchets into everything, yet they're so cheap, that just adds a point of failure.

I have zero faith in the ratchet mechanism of the driver set - you use a driver when you need leverage in order to get enough torque - which the ratchet probably can't handle.

The cases these come in are also a joke - An example of an item so bad, that it is damaging by virtue of making you think that you have one. The cases will generally fall quickly, leaving you with a mess if you try to rely on them to hold the tools.


At $3.99 each, these are only good for people with no other tools, who don't intend to use their tools often. Even for those, you'll want a plain old phillips and flat head screwdriver (as in two separate, non-interchangable-bit screwdrivers), and just use these for weird kinds of screws.

Anyone doing anything serious will get fed up trying to use these, and will be driven to replacing these with real tools.

*If you're stuck with a screwdriver that doesn't hold the bits in, sticking a magnet (like a few bucky balls like we had here on woot a few months ago) to the screwdriver will work in a pinch. It's a move of desperation, though.

In for 2. The T-driver will be useful for snowboarding and whatnot.

I can vouch for the uselessness of some to these tools. Got all three from the last woot; ratcheting wrench, ratcheting driver, and 22 pc precision driver. The wrench is all but pointless, it’s more flimsy than the cheapest ratchet you can find in Wal-Mart’s bargain bin. I was really excited about the 22 pc precision drive because of the small torx bits. I’m an avid knife collector, and most knife manufactures use T5-9 for their fasteners. One day about a week ago I noticed the pocket clip on a Spyderco Endura loosening up. I thought, “Ah, the perfect opportunity to use my new 22 pc Skil Precision Driver set!” As soon as there was the slightest amount of resistance on the bit it snapped like a saltine cracker. The metal used for the bits is far too brittle for any practical purpose.

The ratcheting driver is the only worthwhile tool of the lot. It is short enough to get into tight places, and reasonably strong. It will strip out on you if you try to He-Man it, but for simple household chores that don’t require much torque it is adequate.

A screwdriver walks into a bar and takes a seat up by the bartender.

The bartender looks up at him with a puzzled look on his face. He leans closer to the screwdriver and says, "Hey buddy, you know we got a drink named after you in here."

Suprised, the screwdriver looks up at the bartender and responds, "You got a drink named Carl?"

So, now Woot is condoning breaking and entering, and cruelty to animals. Great. Geez, at least get some products that don't fall apart.

Similar sets by Husky at Home Depot for $5

Bought the 20 pc driver set a while back. I wasn't expecting much, but the quality seemed cheap even for a $5 set.

The lowest price per set here is $5.66. (when you buy 3)

Home Depot sells their sets for $4.88 (or less) plus tax.

Home Depot ends up being cheaper.

Last time I ordered, I really wanted the driver set. I figured I would order one of each since they were so cheap. Woot accidentally sent me two ratcheting screwdriver sets and one Precision set. I think I'll pass this time.

Don't get me wrong, these are very handy around the house.

sixdolla wrote:That metric set is pretty much all you need for most small to moderate mechanical projects.

Woot/Skil really ought to offer an SAE socket set too. Except for import cars, not much metric around here in the USA.

France made a really Jatravartid decision a couple of hundred years ago when they dreamed up the metric system. They decided on a totally arbitrary reference for the meter (1/10,000th the distance between the earth's poles). If they gave more thought to it, they should have referenced the inch instead.

The inch to 25.4-millimeter conversion is the one conversion that really counts, because you can't mix and match 1/4-inch screws with M6 nuts, and you end up with two totally incompatible sets of machinery. Other units - gallons, miles, pounds are more conceptual, you just have to do the math to convert. But machine tools and nuts and bolts are forged in steel and sized to fit, and that's where the SAE/Metric discrepancy makes a huge difference in compatibility.

If those French fools just made the millimeter 1/24th or 1/25th of an inch instead of 1/25.4th of an inch, then Woot would be so much better off today.

silavox wrote:Similar sets by Husky at Home Depot for $5

Yeah, I have a 22 piece Husky version as well. The only difference is the style of the screwdriver, and the extension is flexible instead of solid. Both cases hold the bits in place the same way, but my Husky has several bits that won't even go in the driver because there are extra bits of metal that I had to shave off to get them to fit.

Other woot'ers are complaining about the Skil set and while it is very likely quality control on all of these cheapo tools is pretty low, I have not encountered the problems people have had with the Skil 22 bit precision set. My bits have not flaked, the driver has not broke, and the bits definitely don't come even close to easily falling out of the driver when inserted.

The Skil driver feels better in my hand than the Husky version and the case has more hard plastic surrounding it and less clear (easily breakable) plastic.

The main possible benefit to the Husky brand is that, while the both have a lifetime manufacturer warranty, you can just take the set back to Home Depot for an exchange in most cases.

i think i need to buy a new precision tool set to replace my old tool set, this set looks promising.

I want one of each but will only let me select one at a time... woot needs to add a button for all! YES I am trying to save on the shipping

I cannot believe all the negative comments I am seeing for these. I have all of these sets & use at least one of them two to three times EVERY single week for something around the house. If they are used only for their intended purposes they are terrific little tools that will NOT give you an ounce of trouble. These are $3 tool sets that were designed for small household type jobs. They were NOT designed to be rebuilding motors with, or to be taking apart your riding lawn mower. You can buy heavier duty sockets, ratchets, wrenches, and screwdrivers for those kinds of jobs, and numerous companies out there make them. So they should be very easy for you to find. These however are meant to tighten a cupboard door, or remove the battery cover on your kid's toy, or to put together that new spice rack you just got from Ikia (LOL). So, for their INTENDED uses, as I said these just cannot be beat, especially at the price they are listed at today. As to the couple of people who said their tool's chrome had 'flaked'. You probably just had a defective set. Use your warranty & get yourself a replacement set if it's that big of a deal.(By the way, NONE of mine flaked @ all). As to the quality of the handles, the various tools, and their cases. The handles are either made from a solid & a very good quality molded type of plastic resin, & if not that, then they are made out of the lightwieght, but sturdy airplane grade kind of aluminum. The tools, are all made from very solid metals, and the cases, although they are plastic hold & fit very well EVERY single tool without any of them coming loose inside of the cases.In addition, the cases close & latch very securely. Although I have every set myself already, I am still in for 3 more @ today's pricing. I recommend you do the same. They are VERY HANDY to have around the house so you don't have to lug out your big heavy tool box everytime you need to do a minor repair, etc. It really is a great deal, especially when you order 3 to cut down on your shipping charges. Plus I promise that once they arrive,YOU'LL end up finding a hundred different uses for them & you'll be glad you decided to order them after all!

casabritton wrote:It looked good --until at lunch I walked in to Home-Depot and they had the same sets for $5.00

So just be smart

At least you were able to WALK in there. For someone like myself who lives 45 miles away from the nearest Home Depot, or Lowes, etc., the gas alone would certainly cost me a lot more than Woot's $5 shipping fee would cost me, especially if I bought 3 sets (which I already have done) to minimize the 'per set' cost on the shipping charges. So, for anyone who isn't close enough to one of those kinds of stores to where thier fuel costs to get there & back would be a negligible cost for them, then this ends up really being one heck of a deal!

So, as you said; "Just be smart"! ;-)

I bought these a few woots ago and was very pleased. They are awesome for keeping in the car and always having a tool handy. For the price, the quality of these products is great.

threeeleven5000 wrote:Same price as home depot after shipping.. but you dont have to wait for woots loooonnngggg and crappy shipping..

Ah, but you also don't have to go to HD or Lowes (Not that I'm not there at least weekly anyway, but never mind that). I probably wouldn't buy them there in person, but here I can just clickity-click and wait for them to come. This way my impulse purchase (and the feeling of why-did-I-buy-this) come later. In bought 3 of these and as I think about it, I probably wouldn't have done that in person. It's designed that way to disassociate the impulse purchase and subsequent guilt. Keeps woot running. ;-)

These will go probably in my son's little tool bag (or my wife's) along with the $1 deal on a Task Force socket set I got him and the $5 mini tool set he got for himself with Christmas money.

Bought the precision screwdriver set and the ratchet/socket set last time. Happy with the screwdriver set. Would have been nice to have that T handle in the socket set. Ratchet itself is beyond cheaply made.

wayneadam wrote:Check your local Home Depot's for clearance items of these. I bought the ratcheting screwdriver set for $3 about a month ago there.

+1

doesn't give vacuum cleaners in Mother's Day ... doesn't accept tool kits for Father's Day.

ozmotion wrote:These are clearly not high quality tools, but they're definitely a few notches above dollar-store tools.

$3.99 would be the perfect price, but unfortunately there's $5 shipping. That makes them $5 too expensive.

Home Depot and Lowes are pretty good about selling these types of cheap import tools at equally cheap prices. Go there instead.

Same.

mth218 wrote:In for 2. The T-driver will be useful for snowboarding and whatnot.

Don't count on it...

I loved the sets I got last time, I have used them for everything from my computer to my bike.

donkeykongjr wrote:Same.

Key here is to buy at least three...then the shipping is reasonable on a per item basis.

SuperNinja wrote:The lowest price per set here is $5.66. (when you buy 3)

Home Depot sells their sets for $4.88 (or less) plus tax.

Home Depot ends up being cheaper.

Not if it's delivered to my door and I don't have to drive to Home Depot and waste time.

To all the people that state these tools suck, you have to remember a few important rules:

1. These are made in China, they aren't supposed to be quality.

2. They are not CRAFTSMAN tools! They will not perform the same.

3. No, you cannot use them to rebuild your 1967 Mustang's 289 engine.

4. And most of all, What do you expect for only $4.00????? Did you actually think you were getting tools that were made to pull the head off of a Cummins Diesel Engine?, I mean JEEZE! what do you want?

This are low quality products. They're cheap but I haven't been very pleased with the tools nor the cases.

These will make perfect Christmas gifts for my hubby and his computer fixing/building buddies.... the little screwdrivers are perfect for fixing glasses or even for tightening small screws like on Flutes, Clarinets or Piccolos and other instruments! I am in for 3!!!

Thanks WOOT!!!

Ruby

Eh. I found these at the same price at my local computer parts store.

Bought the 20, 21, and 22 piece set when they were on Woot last time. I just toss them in the trunk of the car just for those moments when I need some tools. Like many said, they are cheap so you can expect to use them for heavy work, but for computers or small electronic devices' screws and bolts, they work well.

I'm in for another 20, 21, 22 piece set to throw it into my other car's trunk.

The precision kit is the real treat here, as those are a bit rare and generally only found as cheap kits like this and insano expensive jewler's gear (that doesn't include torx). That said, shipping is a killer--I got one at a local tool shop for 5 or 6 bucks versus $9 w/shipping.

I bought the ratchet sets last December for myself. These are not designed to be very high end for rough use, but I have used them many times on projects for customers (installing computers in data center racks) and they have come in very handy. Sometimes you leave things behind or people borrow your tools and with these, they are small enough to fit in my bag and I will not weep if I lose them.

I have seem them for 5-6$ at Home Depot and Ace Hardware, so don't think this is the best price around. But, you won't have to drive there either if you decide to buy them right now.

Quadrashocker wrote:Last time I ordered, I really wanted the driver set. I figured I would order one of each since they were so cheap. Woot accidentally sent me two ratcheting screwdriver sets and one Precision set. I think I'll pass this time.

Don't get me wrong, these are very handy around the house.

This happened also to me. I ordered two 1/4" Driver sets and one Precision set. They sent two ratcheting screwdriver sets and one precision set.

I'm not in the mood to get fooled twice.

I bought three (ratchet, ratcheting screw driver and precision screw driver) last time they were here.

Ratchet: The sockets themselves are useful, and worth the price if you need a spare set of metric 1/4" drive sockets for light use. The ratchet drive itself is utterly worthless. I completely stripped it with my hand when I picked it up thought "WOW, this looks really cheap..." and gave it a little test turn.

Ratcheting Screw Driver: Now this little bugger is useful. The ratcheting mechanism seems to be little higher quality than the 1/4" driver one. Comes with a wide variety of bits too, including a few less common ones. Only complaint is it's dang short, and lacks an extension.

Precision Screw Driver: It was the bigger of the two sets shown here. I wouldn't call it precision at all as the extension and heads don't fit properly in the handle and are pretty wobbly and will fall out if trying to use at a downward angle. Does include a wider variety of more odd bits, but they won't fit the ratcheting handle. I for the life of me can't find something this set is good for.

I saw these at Home Depot last week for 5 bucks.... They had 2 pallets of them in the front aisle.

WOW!
Got a great idea, put these in the buggy of crickrey LX's instead of children books.

always having those light bulb moments /s

Heat got burned

In for three - stocking stuffers. Cheap, Easy & I don't have to go pick them up. I know anyone in my family would love to find them in their stocking since mine keep mysteriously disappearing.