Best Mechanic Tool Sets

Though it’s a rewarding experience for sure, car maintenance isn’t exactly a breeze and it tends to take hours of hard work. That means you need all the help you can get from your tools to make sure you don’t drop any bolts or lose your grip on the instrument after your palms get sweaty. With that in mind, we recommend the DEWALT DWMT81534.

For one, the tools here have anti-slip handles to make handling them more comfortable. That way sweaty palms won’t cause you any trouble. And the screwdriver tips have magnetized coating, which keeps nuts and bolts sticking to it. Now, no product is flawless so even though you’ll find the DEWALT DWMT81534 quite convenient most of the time, there are some catches. For example, the handles have no quick-release buttons so swapping out tips might take longer than usual.

In total, this kit boasts 205 pieces including some that have niche uses but are all the more valuable for it. The 72-tooth ratcheting mechanism helps to work on bolts with 5-degree turning arc, not always necessary but still a big bonus for professionals in particular. If you really feel like taking good care of your car or if that kind of handiwork is actually part of your job, this upscale set is worth the asking price. It has the pieces for any kind of task and the high quality is simply unrivaled for now. In short, this is not just the full package, the DEWALT DWMT81534 goes well beyond that.

Working on cars often means taking up the weirdest positions just to get to that one particular bolt that needs to be tightened. While we’re all for physical exercise and inventive solutions to such problems, there’s no need to get yourself into a twist over basic vehicle maintenance. Instead, go for the Craftsman 50230 mechanic tool set.

The universal joints in this kit allow for placing the socket at an angle with the handles, which, coupled with the extension bars, lets you reach parts of the vehicle that wouldn’t be accessible otherwise.

But though that feature is quite handy in use, we can’t say the same for some of the handles. In particular, the bit driver is an especially egregious example. You won’t be able to find a comfortable grip on this tool but, luckily, your choice of instrument isn’t restricted to the bit driver. Far from it, really, as the kit comes with 230 pieces including ones aimed at parts with large and small threading. And swapping those is easy thanks to the quick-release mechanisms on all handles.

All things considered, a few small improvements could take the Craftsman 50230 set to the very top of the market. But even as is, it’s a diamond in the rough and a very smart purchase, especially for those who often tackle unusual fixes and work on a variety of car models.

There’s nothing worse than losing a single piece of a kit and carrying around an incomplete set. Especially when it’s easy to prevent with case boxes made for that very purpose. For example, the Crescent CTK170CMP2 comes with one such box.

Made in the USA, this sturdy storage case folds open on two sides to prevent instruments from falling out of their grooves. This also makes it easier to find the tool you need amid the pretty large 170-piece kit. With this kind of inventory helper, you can use the Crescent CTK170CMP2 as a portable toolset to fix up problems that occur on the road without worrying about losing a screwdriver or one of the smaller bits.

Admittedly, we do wish that the sturdiness extended to the small hex keys that come in this kit. They’re made of Cr-V steel, same as the rest of the set, but their tiny size makes them more prone to deformation. Be careful with them and don’t push too hard or you risk rendering the tools unusable.

The rest, though, is all pretty stellar. All tools have different bits that you can swap out in a heartbeat using the quick-release mechanisms, the handles are anti-slip to make sure your instrument doesn’t fall out of a sweaty palm, and the engravings can be read clearly even in low light so you’ll always know which tool is in your hand.

In the end, while we’d probably recommend getting some backup small hex keys just in case, the rest of the Crescent CTK170CMP2 deserves to be your frontrunner choice. It’s a smaller kit, sure, but it’s also a neatly organized one with good quality materials and a handy box to keep your tools in. This is a great find for a diligent mechanic.

Let’s be honest, it’s hard for a tool kit to set itself apart from the others, especially in the upper range of products. They all have similar pieces and tend to be made of the same material so a set like the excellent Stanley STMT71654 tends to make a name for itself with good design and a few points of convenience.

To start off, the tools here are all sand-blasted with a chrome-plated finish. Thus, the instruments are completely smooth and easy to grip, looking like the kind of kit you could pay hundreds for. And yet, the Stanley STMT71654 is remarkably affordable so you can easily justify purchasing it for basic home use.

Admittedly, we’d say that this set is slated to those with a bit of experience under their belt. Not because it’s hard to use but because the engravings on the tools are hard to read so some guesswork might have to be done. That is unless you already know the tips and bits by looks only, which isn’t all that uncommon for those that worked on cars for a while.

This all-black kit of tools has its ups and downs in terms of design but the quality is always there. Your instruments will look nice when in use and do the job just as well as a high-end expensive set would. Don’t hesitate to get the Stanley STMT71654, especially if you’re a weathered mechanic and know which tool is which.

Not everybody needs a huge kit for basic maintenance in their garage, especially since a smaller set will be much more affordable but just as effective. If you’re among that crowd, the AmazonBasics AMZ1701 is just the right choice for you.

While this set is certainly on the smaller side with 145 pieces, the only notable absence is the handle with ½” drive, which comes in handy when you need to work on some large bolts. Still, that’s just one tool that you can pick up extra if needed.

The kit itself, though, is very high-quality with engravings on both sides of the tools so you can easily spot the one you need at the moment. Plus, even though the instruments are made of Cr-V steel, the kit and its carry box are remarkably lightweight, which makes the AmazonBasics AMZ1701 one of the best portable kits. After all, this set might be affordable but it has all the perks of a high-price one, including anti-slip handles and quick-release mechanisms.

So if you’re in the market for a budget-friendly and high-quality set with all the basic garage tools, the AmazonBasics AMZ1701 will satisfy your needs. It’s not the largest kit you could find but the reasonable price, smart design, and high quality make this a total bargain.