CMU School of Drama


Friday, February 07, 2020

Craftsman Versastack Wrench Set Review - A Little Box, A Lot Of Tools

Home Fixated: Having the right tool for the job makes any project go more smoothly. Building up your tool collection so you HAVE the right tool for the job can take time, though – and a fair bit of money. If you’re looking to kick-start or fill out your collection of mechanic’s tools, check out the Craftsman Versastack Wrench Set. With its assortment of 216 tools and accessories, it gives a nice boost to the odds of you having the right tool for that next job.

3 comments:

Elliot Queale said...

To me, this tool kit goes above and beyond the needs of a hobbyist or even the average stagehand. This kit is aimed at being a real one-stop-shop for all your bolt-tightening needs without getting too far into the weeds of specialty drives and applications. First and foremost I appreciate the inclusion of 12-tooth sockets, which can come in handy with square headed bolts often found on machines and lighting instruments (among others). Secondly, I like the drawer separation for different drive sizes. This can be time saving when you know you're working with a 1/2 inch drive, so you only need to work out of one drawer for all your sockets. Nevertheless, the one caveat to this kit when it comes to our industry is that most bolts are standardized. I came from a shop that only used 1/4" and 3/8" hardware unless a very specialized piece was being worked on, so we had one small kit of sockets and bins filled with 7/16 and 9/16 sockets. Furthermore, most lighting/sound equipment has standard sizing without even getting into the focus tools that have the necessary profiles built-in. All in all, this could be a great purchase to personally own when I start to create my own home shop, but in our shop and day-to-day, I don't think I'm missing out.

Gabe Marchant said...

I have to agree with Eliot when he says that this kit is more than just your average hobbyist. People can say what they want about the quality of craftsman tools, but this really looks like a solid kit. Perhaps where I could see this being the most useful would be in the mechanical industry where bolts of every size both metric and standard take precedence. A feature of this toolbox I think I find the most appealing are the three different drawers to accommodate for the different drive sizes. In addition to the large number of sockets that craftsman is selling, they are also not wasting your time by only including one socket wrench and a bunch of adapters for the different size sockets. After some further research, Lowes is selling this kit for $150.00 which is really a good price for a tool kit with this many pieces. I have seen comparable socket sets sell for closer to $300.00.

DJ L. said...

This is actually a really interesting tool kit. Similar to what Elliot and Gabe have said, this is definitely more than a kit for your average homeowner, however, I am not convinced it is "professional" grade. The biggest part that doesn't seem "professional grade" is the screwdriver set. This seems like something cheap that Craftsman threw in there just to say that the set has more pieces of tool in it. On the other hand, the fact that the kit includes 3/8", 1/4" and 1/2" drive sets makes it seems much more like a kit for professionals or heavy DIYer. One of the nicest part of the kit is the organization. Having each size drive in a different drawer makes it easy to find what you need and put them away when you are done. On top of that, having it compatible with their Versastack system makes it easy to combine with other tool boxes to have a full tool kit.