Socket set 1/4" + 1/2"

I find the idea of ¼” + ½” drive to be fascinating. I prefer ½” drive, so the omission of 3/8” drive tools allows for the inclusion of other items in their place, as only so many things can fit into a case. This product is especially worthy of consideration for those who need portability, but also as someone’s first set of tools.The Gedore brand is not especially well-known in the US, excepting perhaps people of Germanic descent and possibly professional mechanics. The international customer reviews are of some interest, but the results of the automatic translation feature seem to vary in quality, unintentionally degrading the readability of some reviews. The product description is difficult to read due to lack of punctuation, and the problem is further compounded by the use of unfamiliar British terms throughout. Gedore is much better known in the UK, so the marketing of this product is aimed towards Europe using British English. This review aims to offer a comprehensive review for US customers.In order to understand the product page, you will need to convert tool vocabulary from British English to American English. Spanner -> Wrench. Ring End -> Box End. Push-Button Release -> Quick Release. Hex/Hexagon Socket -> 6 point socket. BiHex Socket -> 12 point socket. Long Socket -> Deep Socket. Hexagon Socket Key Set -> Allen Wrench Set. ¼” Square Plug-in Handle -> ¼ Spinner. Side Cutters -> Diagonal Cutters. Straight Telephone Pliers -> Needle Nose Pliers. Water Pump Pliers -> Adjustable Pliers. Hands-Friendly Transfer of Force -> Ergonomic. X -> pieces, implying 100x set means 100 piece set. The meaning of “2C” and “Gewerbe” from the product description is not known to the reviewer. This review offers an alternative product description at the end.Originally, I became familiar with Gedore through an Amazon influencer. I had purchased the Gedore 6-10 set (code 6077540). It’s a 10 piece double open ended spanner set (6-27mm). I needed to find somewhat slimmer wrenches that would be suitable for the fittings on pneumatic tools and hoses, as well as for use in confined spaces. To use a boxing analogy, I’d characterize Gedore 6 spanners as middleweight division. By contrast, I have some Wright Grip 2.0 combination wrenches that are sometimes too long and thick for a situation, being from the heavyweight division. We’ll follow up on this subject of middleweight wrenches later. The Gedore 6 spanners are made in Germany, and they’re typically referred to as being from the “Gedore Blue” product line. I feel they are of excellent quality, and this purchase served as a springboard to consider further purchases, including tools from their “Gedore Red” product line made in countries outside of Germany, such as Taiwan, where this set is manufactured.It should come as no surprise that there is a price difference between Gedore Blue and Red offerings. Occasionally, there are customers who try to dismiss the entire Gedore Red product line because of where it is made, but the price would not be competitive for this tool set if it were made in Germany. In the US, GearWrench, Stanley, DeWalt, Craftsman, and Crescent are all familiar names—but Gedore is not. So, the moment someone comes along with the intent to derail Gedore Red, it can sometimes be done with very little effort because people will play it safe by purchasing a name brand instead. The fact is that this is a really well thought out tool set, and I’m grateful to own it.There are 100 pieces in this case. If you turn it upside down, everything stays in place with one exception. The 9-piece Allen key set is not secured down, but everything else is held tightly in place. You sometimes have to be forceful putting something back into place. Space is at a premium, and this does influence the size of the tools to some extent. The combination wrenches are middleweight division, to reuse my previous analogy. I’ve uploaded a picture of the 19mm combination wrench held on the lower jam nut of the deck height adjustment rod of my lawn mower—and it barely fits. By comparison, I measured the thickness of the open end of this wrench to be 2.06mm / 0.081” less than my 19mm Wright Grip 2.0 combination wrench from the heavyweight division. The Gedore Red wrench leaves only a little extra room on the jam nut--earning it to be the tool of choice for this job at my house. If you eventually need a heavyweight division wrench for a high torque situation, you can always purchase it separately (and from another line of tools, if appropriate). For instance, suspension work often requires a thick open end wrench in a larger size of 21, 22 or 24mm. The combination wrenches included in this set are 8-19mm, providing a basic selection of the most commonly used sizes for general usage.The ½” drive ratchet has standard features, such as reversing lever, quick release, and 5 degree swing arc. The grip feels comfortable in the hand. I added grease to mine, making its operation quieter. At 250mm, it’s not especially long, but it is a good starting point because all 100 pieces have to fit in the case. It’s comparable in length to some Craftsman ratchets that I own. Rest assured that there are other Gedore Red ratchet offerings available on Amazon which you could include in a separate tool bag to supplement this set--if necessary--including flex head, offset and telescoping (longer length).There are T-bar sliders in both ¼” and ½” drive, although they differ in design. The slider on the ¼” drive T-bar is not removable after manufacturing by intention. The ½” drive setup works on a different concept. There are two ½” drive extensions of 125mm and 250mm lengths but of coequal diameter, either of which may also serve as a T-bar by installing the “slider” on them. This slider has a cutout the size of the two extensions’ diameter specification which allows it to be slipped on or off at will. The slider contains a male ½” drive square for attaching sockets. You can position the slider anywhere along either extension. This adds a lot of versatility and gets the most from the pieces included in the tool set.Some pictures will serve to help reinforce your understanding by demonstrating some different configurations that are possible. There’s a picture of using the T-bar to break free a lug nut from a lawn mower wheel, advantageously using both extensions perpendicular to one another. The oil drain on an edger does not require much torque, and a suitable T-bar setup uses the smaller 125mm extension with slider. I’ve also included two pictures of using a T-bar to inspect that a fastener has not loosened up over time. The first is of a bolt driven into concrete through a piece of wood, and there’s also a ceiling hoist bolt that is sunk into an attic beam requiring a long reach. Finally, there’s a picture of a T-bar setup for maximum torque using both the 125mm and 250mm together to form the longest lever possible for the purpose of loosening a push mower blade. I have also used this setup to remove the lug nuts from my car set to 80 ft. lbs., as well as my lawn mower blades set to 90 ft. lbs. (neither of which are shown). 90 ft. lbs. is nearing the limit of what I can loosen using these tools in the manner demonstrated through pictures.If you remove the slider from the T-bar, it may also be used as a drive converter, as there is a female 3/8” drive square opposite of the male ½” drive square, thereby enabling you to attach a 3/8” drive torque wrench (purchased separately) to a ½” drive socket. I like to use a torque wrench in the middle of its scale—rather than at the extremes—and this could be one motive for wanting to use the converter in this manner. I believe you will find other uses through experience over time. I know I have. (Note: the picture of the concrete bolt has the best close-up of this female 3/8” drive square provision.)The tools in this set are comfortably designed from an ergonomic standpoint with the possible exception of the ¼” drive spinner. Its primary purpose is to attach to a ¼” hex bit adaptor, which is a special ¼” socket with a retainer to hold the hex bit. In addition, you can attach it directly to any ¼” socket, if desired. It’s acceptable in a pass/fail sense, as it does seem a little wobbly until pressed on hard, but it does have one well-thought out feature in terms of a female ¼” drive square on top. If you attach a ratchet to the top of it in order to loosen a fastener more easily, then you can remove the ratchet after breaking the fastener free in order to run it off using only the spinner. I’ve included a picture of such a setup that removed an edger part secured by three T40 Torx bolts.The hex sockets are attractively designed, and they offer a knurled surface to make them easier to turn by hand. There are some skips, but the set contains the most commonly used sizes and then some extras. This is a great set of tools to own by itself, but if you desire to also include deep sockets, Gedore Red (R61003114) is a 14 piece ½” drive deep socket set that is also available on Amazon.com. The two sets together make a formidable assortment of metric tools, and you can always include a tool bag to supplement anything else you need, such as that 3/8” torque wrench mentioned earlier.Question: Are you being paid to write this review? Did you receive compensation in any form?Answer: No! I paid my own money for these tools and I did not receive anything in return for this review. I value reading reviews when making purchases, and it seems an injustice that a quality set of tools for a reasonable price doesn’t have more information available. My review sets out to correct the situation. I wouldn’t go to all this trouble to write at this length if I wasn’t really excited about owning this set of tools.Contents (in mm if not specified):Flat screwdrivers (3x), comfort grip, magnetic: 4x75, 5.5x100, 6.5x100. Phillips head screwdrivers (3x), comfort grip, magnetic: PH1x80, PH2x100, PH3x150. 7-position adjustable pliers, comfort grip, 250mm. Needle Nose pliers, comfort grip, cutter, crimper, 200mm. Diagonal Cutters, comfort grip, 180mm. Combination wrenches, 8-19mm, 15 degree offsets on both box end and open end. Adjustable wrench, 15 degree offset, 250mm, with laser etched scale 0-30mm. Ratchet, ¼” drive, reversible, quick release, comfort grip, 72 tooth, 150mm. Ratchet, ½” drive, reversible, quick release, comfort grip, 72 tooth, 250mm. Sockets, ¼” drive, 6 point: 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6-13mm. Sockets, ½” drive, 6 point: 10-24, 26-28, 30, 32mm. Universal Joints (2x): ¼” drive & ½” drive. Extensions (2x), ¼’ drive: 50 & 100mm. Extensions (2x), ½” drive: 125 & 250mm. T-bar slider, ½” drive, with female 3/8” square drive converter. T-bar, ¼” drive, 115mm. ¼” hex bit socket adapter, ¼” drive, with special retainer. ¼” drive spinner, 165mm. Hex bit set, ¼” drive: 3-6, 8, 10mm. Flat bit set, ¼” drive: 4, 5.5, 7mm. Phillips head bit set, ¼” drive: PH1, PH2, PH3. Pozidriv bit set, ¼” drive: PZ1, PZ2, PZ3. Torx bit set: ¼” drive: T8, T10, T15, T20, T25, T27, T30, T40. Engineer’s hammer, hickory handle, 300mm. Allen key set (9x), with ball head: 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3-6, 8, 10.

My husband loved the Gedore red socket set. He needed more metric sockets, said the quality of these were great. Made in Germany and not China, so that made him happy. As most anything from Germany is always of the best quality. The price was also a favorable factor.