It broke (Allen wrench)

For many decades, I have never had an allen wrench break. Bend, yes, but never snap.

But yesterday, in trying to remove a reluctant wood(!) screw, I had an 1/8th inch allen wrench snap, and I wasn't even using a "cheater." Poked a hole in my finger, it did.

The particular allen wrench, from a company who shall remain nameless (Task Force - Lowes house brand), just smooth broke!

I went out to the truck and retrieved my traveling allen wrench set (I think the set cost about three bucks from Harbor Freight) and removed the target screw with no problem.

Analysis: The problem wrench was part of an eight-wrench set configured in sort of a Swiss Army Knife rendition. You "open" the desired wrench and twist away. The long end of each wrench is formed into a loop so that it can be attached to a small shaft on the "knife."

I suspect that the annealing process necessary to form the loop made the steel more brittle than an allen wrench should be, and that's the reason the wrench failed.

Whatever the cause, I plan to see whether Lowe's has a lifetime guarantee on hand tools - like Harbor Freight - or whether in that regard their tools are likewise inferior.

Reply to
HeyBub
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.....when you buy cheap crap, it usually breaks like cheap crap.

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nb

Reply to
notbob

If Harbor Freight has a lifetime guarantee on their hand tools, they must be getting a hell of a lot of them back. Not saying HF tools are all crap, or that they are not a decent choice for some of the tools you only use once a year, etc. But many of their tools are cheaply made and won't last. Worst I saw was a set of slip ring pliers I bought. The tips, instead of expanding the rings, just bent. HF took them back, but that was when I had just bought them and had the receipt.

Does HF have a lifetime guarantee?

And IMO, just about anything you buy at Lowes or HD is a step up in quality from HF. I buy select items at HF, but not something that I use frequently, expect to last from considerable use, etc.

Reply to
trader4

I really "like" the lifetime warranty. You just send them back to the company and they will send you a new one. Only problem is the tools are from 4 to 6 bucks. It will cost that much to send them back, especially if you count your gas and time for anything.

For home use, I like the Sears tools warranty. Years ago their tools did seem to be of much better quality than they are now. Local store to go to and as much as my wife shops at the mall where Sears is, lots of trips are made to that area of town.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

No lifetime guarantee on the cheap Task Force tools but most of the Kobalt brand hand tools at Lowes have a lifetime guarantee. If the wrenches are fairly new I bet you could return them and get your money back.

Reply to
Tony Miklos

Bullshit! Lowes does not sell Allen wrenches!

Reply to
Bernt Berger

ck.- Hide quoted text -

The lifetime warranty claimed was at Harbor Freight.

Reply to
trader4

Hide quoted text -

Re-read the post. He wanted in inquire whether _Lowes_ had a lifetime guarantee.

Reply to
Tony Miklos

The United States is a litiginous nation! Remember the McDonald's coffee cup incident?

Contact their customer service, explain what happened, and the INJURY you sustained. See what they'll do for you.

I once had a UL approved multiple outlet AC adapter from Sears outlet catch fire! Only because we were present at the time, kept our home from burning down. You can't believe how nice that company was dealing with that issue.

Reply to
Robert Macy

I've done my share of wrenching, and never broke a hand tool I wasn't abusing. I do recall a Craftsman screwdriver blade that got chipped due to bad heat treating. I just put it on the grinder. OTOH, I've lost many hand tools. So the guarantee means squat. Allen wrench sets or bits are too cheap to buy to worry about. It is unusual though. I've flexed allen wrenches with cheaters and hammers and never had one snap. The one you broke was pure crap.

--Vic

Reply to
Vic Smith

What does it matter? A "lifetime guarantee" is what crappy tool vendors loudly shout cuz their product is junk. Sears has a lifetime guarantee, which is useless if you live 100 miles away, yer open end wrench jes broke, and you need that tool, now! Spending the extra $$$ for quality tools, in the first place, is the best guarantee.

nb

Reply to
notbob

The cheaper allen wrenches are almost always brittle due to low quality steel. Spend the money for a better brand.

Reply to
Michael Dobony

I agree with previous poster. HF tools are good if it's something you'll only use once in a great while. Would not buy them for everyday use. Go with Craftsman or another guaranteed brand.

As for guarantee, they will replace broken hand tools. Just bring in the broken one and they'll swap it out. I have a neighbor that does it pretty regularly.

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Reply to
Mack29

Depends on the company. I bought a SKIL brand sabre saw which, after a few uses over the course of a few years, developed a fault in the on/off switch. The problem was that when you turn the saw on, the "on - lock" engages, and there is no way to shut the saw off unless you lift the saw up out of the cut, and tip the sabre saw (which is running, and with a blade installed), sideways.

I figured such a glaring defect, with such dangerous consequences, would immediately be rectified by the SKIL company, but unfortunately, I was mistaken.

After speaking to a SKIL "customer service" rep and his manager, I was informed that the saw was out of warranty, and that I would have to purchase a replacement switch.

Apparantly to the SKIL company it is preferable to wait until someone suffers a bodily injury than to replace a defective switch.

That is the last SKIL brand tool I will ever purchase.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Danniken

Yes.

Not in this case. The Lowe's house brand broke and HF tool worked admirably

Reply to
HeyBub

....and is totally useless if one lives 100+ miles from nearest store or return point and needs the now-broken tool RIGHT NOW. I was a working mechanic in jes that situation once before and am now in a similar situation (remote). Better to pay the extra $4-6 or even $5-10 up front and have a quality dependable tool to begin with.

nb

Reply to
notbob

I always try to have backup tool sets.

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

We've discussed all this on here before a few dozen times. HF is great for occasional or one-time-use tools for DIYs. If you are making money with a tool, unless maybe it it stuff that can't break like a Big Iron Bar, HF is not the place to shop. Nothing makes you look dumber to customer than breaking a tool, and maybe breaking their stuff in the process. Plus of course the extra time to run out and buy a replacement, and what that does to your day. And in general, for stuff that can get rounded off or break (allen wrenches, drill bits, etc) even in quality brands, you should have a backup on the truck.

Reply to
aemeijers

You may have a point. In the instant case, it was the tool from Lowe's that broke and the tool from Harbor Freight that didn't.

Reply to
HeyBub

Shame on me for not reading entire thread. The sub-Kobalt Lowe's house brand is no better than HF, in my experience- may even be the same Chinese OEM. I have several of the various fold-out wrench sets, and the are convenient. But every single one has at least one wrench with a rounded off end. They don't seem to hold up to production work. The best ones weigh 2x or 3x the cheap ones, and have a metal U-channel they fold out from.

Reply to
aemeijers

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