Good Quality Tap and Die set

Post by **98v70dad** » 11 Aug 2020, 11:10

Will anyone recommend a good DIY quality tap and die set that won't kill me on price. I've been using a $10 harbor freight model for 20 years and getting by with it. It works well enough to keep it but it almost gets thrown away each time I use it. If it didn't "sort of" work for stuff that doesn't really matter I would say its garbage.

Anyhow, my budget is around $100 but I could go double that if I was inspired. I won't use this a lot but when I use it I would like for it to work. I don't really need metric but a decent set that included metric and SAE would be best.

Recommend away if you so chose. The gear wrench set on amazon looks pretty good but I've come to not trust Amazon reviews too much anymore. I'm looking for the "sleeper" value.

Post by **wheelsup** » 11 Aug 2020, 11:16

A really good site for these sort of questions is garage journal.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/for ... ay.php?f=4

Post by **98v70dad** » 11 Aug 2020, 12:10

wheelsup wrote: ↑11 Aug 2020, 11:16 A really good site for these sort of questions is garage journal.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/for ... ay.php?f=4

Thanks. I've gotten some good recommendations there and some bad ones.

Post by **scot850** » 11 Aug 2020, 12:19

Up here I bought a cheap Canadian Tire 'Mastercraft' (own branded) set maybe 15 years ago. Seldom use it but it has been ok if not perfect. Has loads of non-metric stuff I never use, but could do with more fine thread metric. For the number of times I need this stuff it is one of those sets that has not been upgraded to better quality as I just can't justify it.

Let us know how you get on.

Neil.

Post by **volvolugnut** » 11 Aug 2020, 13:12

Go with used from a flea market or swap meet. Get a set if you can or pick up individual parts. Try to stay with US or Europe brands for quality. A little rust can be cleaned.
I hate breaking taps n a hole.
volvolugnut

Post by **mecheng** » 11 Aug 2020, 15:49

I’ve heard irwin is decent

SlowLane · Post by **SlowLane** » 11 Aug 2020, 16:11

mecheng wrote: ↑11 Aug 2020, 15:49 I’ve heard irwin is decent

I heard that too at one time, so I bought Irwin set 26317. I have not been disappointed. I've had it for several years, and although I have only used it occasionally, it has never let me down.

Irwin offers a range of tap & die sets (in metric, inch or combination of both) from small sets of just 12 pieces to a comprehensive 117 piece set, so you should be able to find something that fits your needs and budget.

Post by **98v70dad** » 11 Aug 2020, 17:50

SlowLane wrote: ↑11 Aug 2020, 16:11
mecheng wrote: ↑11 Aug 2020, 15:49 I’ve heard irwin is decent
I heard that too at one time, so I bought Irwin set 26317. I have not been disappointed. I've had it for several years, and although I have only used it occasionally, it has never let me down.

Irwin offers a range of tap & die sets (in metric, inch or combination of both) from small sets of just 12 pieces to a comprehensive 117 piece set, so you should be able to find something that fits your needs and budget.

Yeah Irwin is the no brainer. Its easy to pick a good tool if you pull out your wallet at the same time. Thanks for the suggestion but I'm looking for the surprising value. Maybe it doesn't exist these days.

Post by **Sveedy** » 11 Aug 2020, 18:02

Frankly I've always considered Irwin to be middle of the road, cost wise. Good quality for the price. Pulling out the wallet means SnapOn or equivalent to me. General is another decent one for the $.

Post by **98v70dad** » 11 Aug 2020, 18:44

Sveedy wrote: ↑11 Aug 2020, 18:02 Frankly I've always considered Irwin to be middle of the road, cost wise. Good quality for the price. Pulling out the wallet means SnapOn or equivalent to me. General is another decent one for the $.

Well it depends. If you make a living with your tools snap on quality (or similar) is needed. If you use the set say twice a year you don't need the best. I've been getting by on a set I paid less than $10 for over 20 years ago It works but not well. I'm tired of dealing with it. You are right that Irwin is middle of the road in price and I know it would be fine in performance for me. I'm not a machinist or an auto mechanic, just a hobbyist. But is Irwin the best value for someone who may use it 2 times a year at most? I'm looking for the value. My $10 set sat on the shelf for nearly 5 years completely unused, Lately I've been using it more often because I'm building a project that requires me to tap a lot of holes. I already picked Irwin as my choice before I posted this IF I could not identify a better value.