Tool of the month

[brabus]

I have wanted to get a tap and die set for quite a while.
It is a real pain having to go get a tap at the hardware store every time i need one.

I need some educated advice on what kind i should get.
Should I stop my thoughts now about getting a cheap-o china made set?

My budget is about $200.00 for a complete set, but if I can get the china made one that leaves me with cash for a Dremel rotary tool too.

What chew think

[boneheaddoctor]

Depends on how much you expect to use it...if its more than once a blue moon...get a decent one...if far lss frequently than you have blue moons get the chinese one...

[1985 300SD Sady]

Originally Posted by brabus

I have wanted to get a tap and die set for quite a while.
It is a real pain having to go get a tap at the hardware store every time i need one.

I need some educated advice on what kind i should get.
Should I stop my thoughts now about getting a cheap-o china made set?

My budget is about $200.00 for a complete set, but if I can get the china made one that leaves me with cash for a Dremel rotary tool too.

What chew think

I got the china set, cheap, but works well...

Best if used on hard metals though... aluminum is a lot harder to tap for some reason.


then, whenever one breaks, you can go get a higher quality one.

This works well for me, but that is only because I dont use them very often.

[bennett]

I have this one.. probably made in china and imported by sears would be my guess. It has been good to me.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00952373000

[sokoloff]

It is so nice to reinstall nuts/bolts after I've cleaned them up.

I got this one and it has served me well. Has most of what you need.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00952383000

Len

[Brian Carlton]

I've got one of the Chinese sets. It appears to do the job properly. I use it once every three months. Why spend any more money on a better set? Most of the taps and dies will never be used.

[brabus]

After all of the advice and looking at various kits I decided not to get a tap and die set.

The comments about how infrequently they are used made me reconsider. I have 3 taps and 1 die in my current collection. In other words out of all my projects I have only had the need for these 4 times.

Thanks for all of the advice anyway.

[Pete Burton]

I wouldn't rule it out. Once you have it you will find uses for it and do things a better way BECAUSE you have it. I plan to get a metric set soon because I already have some metric but it's a pain NOT to have a wide range. I bought a cheap, SAE Craftsman set in 1977. I've used it HUNDREDS of times and still have the complete set in full working order (the case is a little beat)

[lietuviai]

Never buy cheap especially in this case. Imagine breaking a tap into what you were trying to thread. You'll have one heck of a job to fix.

[Habanero]

I have gotten quite a lot of stuff from http://www.msdiscount.com. They have good prices and a lot of the things like taps and dies come in several different grades from cheap to quality.

Personally, I have cheapy taps for most sizes, but have a few quality taps for the sizes I use most.

You didn't specifically ask it, but in case you are considering it, don't cheap out on the rotary tool. I used to have a Dremel knock off that I didn't think was too bad until I got a real Dremel. Absolutely no comparison.