A Snap On guy in a Harbor Freight world: Lessons Learned with ICON TEKTON Snap On Gearwrench Amazon

Just a Snap On guy in a Harbor Freight world. These are some lessons I learned when dealing with ICON wrenches when used to a Snap On experience.

[denoftools]

I’ve been begging for this for years! A lot of the icon stuff is identical to the Matco but I looked up the 9 mm and it’s $30 so that’s not much help 😢

[jasonhoyt]

So far Icon has been very good at changing when they hear customer feedback. Mark my words: they will be offering individual wrenches soon.

[JaredJohnson-njys]

You can get the flex joint to tighten up if you put a drop of blue loctite on it, work it back and forth, then let it sit for a few minutes. Time will vary but ideally, you'll want to let it set up almost all the way and then work it back and forth again. Works like a dream every time I've used it.

[johnnylightning]

In all fairness to Tekton it's not the long end of the wrench you need to keep from drooping, it's the short end and it looked like it was tight enough to keep that from happening. I own several sets of Tekton tools and I've been very happy with them.

[blakechinn]

Icon has come along way. Totally agree you should be able to buy an individual wrench, if you have the set. That's something they could improve on.

Seems to me the obvious solution is to buy an Icon set, take the wrench you need, and sell the rest at $30 a piece for a huge profit.

[DaveP]

If you like the ICON wrenches that much, why not just get a whole new set, and then E Bay each one of the individual ICON wrenches from tyour original set. You might make out on it...

[mgdurandolo]

Tekton's good stuff. I had most of my Snap On stuff stolen a few years back, so I've been replacing it all with stuff like Tekton and it's... just fine. And most of it's next-day with Amazon Prime. Even the Snap On truck only comes once a week or so

[drengskap]

Like you, I discovered that you can't stiffen the joint on flex-head wrenches by tightening the bolt - the shoulders of the joint are just too beefy to be drawn inwards by a little bolt. You'd do better to put a shim washer in, or cinch the shoulders slightly inwards with a bench vice.

[davidbuck]

Check the returns/discount shelf, if they have a set that is already missing pieces the store manager will usually let you buy individual pieces at a prorated price each. IE 10 piece wrench set that normally retails for $120, they will sell each wrench for $12.

[TonyTheTechnician]

Great review. While i do wish tektons flex heads were a little stiffer on all the flex head style tools you also have to remember your not holding the wrench by the ratcheting end so as long as your holding the wrench by the correct end and the head doesnt just flop around they work just fine. I have a gearwrench set that just flops around with 0 resistance. But i do understand wanting them to be a little stiffer.

[rdunnam]

Tekton support is usually really good about helping you get the tool working the way you want and if it is simply they dont design them to be that tight then you would know for sure.
As for wondering around trying to figure out how that works... it's like us non-tool truck guys wondering how folks find the trucks or go to those spots on the vendor schedule and what about weeks they change routes... I guess it is all what you are used to.
And I agree - I wish I bought a lot more craftsman back in the day. I have doubles of a lot but not enough, and should have had 5 sets of everything LOL

[bradbeck]

I like that snap on uses o-rings in their hinge for flex ratchets. Ive had a couple go saggy and when you want to stiffen them up you replace the o-ring. The higher the durometer, the stiffer the flex.

[zygmuntthecacaokakistocrat]

Take the T9 screw out, take the head out of the hinge, put the hinge on an anvil, hold a strip of brass on the end of the hinge, & give the end of the hinge a sharp rap with a hammer. Reassemble, with some thick grease. That often works. "Fettling" tools used to be a thing; sometimes even things like (US, Canadian, Australian) Stanley bench planes needed their frogs stoned flat to make them sit square in the plane.

[shay]

Moral of the story is don't lose your Icon wrench. As popular as the Icon tools are getting I'm willing to bet they will eventually offer individual wrenches.

[frywheeler]

When Mr.Murphy finds out that you pushed past your ocd and bought a non-matching replacement you'll find your wrench!

[nitrorclife]

Not being able to purchase Icon separately, is a huge reason I'm not buying them as I start to rebuild my tool collection. And lea ing to Tekton myself.

[deltahawk]

There may be a friction ring inside that flex joint that can be pulled out and manually spread to make it fit toghter. That is how Snap-On flex ratchets work

[stefanczechorskidds]

Any flex head ratchet or wrench can be "tighted" up with shims (yes, they come that thin) or a different clam washer (if installed). The screw is only a pivot point for the tool and not a adjustment for less movement.

[feelingsatisfied]

To tighten try putting it in a vise to close the fork and then tighten it. The pressure from the sides of the fork is what allows it to stay in place, not the screw