My hodgepodge of swap meet tap and dies ain't cutting it anymore. My wife and daughter want to get me a metric and standard set for my birthday in a couple of weeks. I rarely need them but I'd like a comprehensive set that'll last me a long long time. What would you all suggest, locally sourced would be best. Amazon Lowe's Home Depot Harbor Freight I'll count as locally sourced
You can get the best taps in the world and in a year probably 20% will be broken. Dies on the other hand seem to last forever. I've not seen a difference in brands to be honest.
As a "threading enthusiast" with an almost entire toolbox dedicated to the art......
Are you looking to cut new threads or clean dirty and damaged threads?
My answers are different for those use cases. Yes the Irwin "carbon steel" taps can cut new threads and yes a superr sharp Widia tap can clean out a damaged thread but I don't recommend that.
I use Irwin taps from the local hardware for everything small.
Taps over 1/4" I have a Harbor Freight set that works very well. It was not their cheap set. IIRC it was well over $150 15 years ago. And it looks like they don't sell it anymore.
I have thread chasers for cleaning up threads this would be more for cutting new threads or trying to save really buggered ones that the thread Chasers don't work in. My dad has a set of Craftsman tap and die that he's had for at least 40 years cuz it's the same set that he's had since I've been alive but they don't exist anymore either that I've been able to find, toyman
I have a Tekton set of metric dies that have been good to me. We used the same set for making a lot of aluminum and steel prototype parts when I was designing lawn mowers a couple years ago. Link NLA on amazon per that link but should give you something to go off of.
No real recommendation from me - my cheap harbor freight set has done me well...
however, if I were to make a real investment I would probably get the gear wrench ratcheting tap and die set...because 9/10 times I use pliers to turn the tap/die because the space is too small.
also - you could always just rent a set from the local parts store. I did that with thread chasers and it was fantastic
I have a craftsman set that is probably 15-20 years old. None broken yet. After Sears sold them off I'm not sure I would still recommend them though.
Mastercraft, from Canadian Tire.....while you're up there you can see Niagara Falls, have some Timbits, and take in a curling game.
In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
My tap and die set is also Mastercraft :) Which means I've had it for 25 years.
I'm also on the Irwin bandwagon, as they work well, and I consider them to be disposable items. I have found that hosing them down with LPS1 before putting them back in the case helps since I live in a humid area where rust likes to grow.
Mastercraft metric/sae tap and die set here too, doesn't help you down there in the US but overall they've held up pretty well to garage use.
i just added this set of Metric only to my collection as I find the metric/sae set misses a bunch of sizes and thread pitches that I've run across on my cars (BMW specifically). Full set of dies along with matching plug and taper taps, I wouldn't try making threads in stainless with them but for steel and cleaning stuff up they'll be fine. I wish I could find a kit of thread chasers that was as comprehensive.
For taps I often find myself grabbing my 1/4" drive sae 12 point sockets to get into tight spaces with them where a tap handle will not fit.
I'd like to hear about informed choices for thread chasing.
I have one of the large eBay SAE/metric sets and also a couple of specific ARP ones (wheel studs). But I'd like better quality w/o costing a limb or wo.
In reply to Andy Hollis :
I've had good luck with the US-made Lang chaser kit I bought via Amazon a few years ago.
In reply to Andy Hollis :
I used the Snap-On rethreading kit heavily for years to clean up aircraft hardware. It's hard to recommended anything else. It's one of three Snap-On tools that I own and worth it.
https://shop.snapon.com/product/U.S.-Metric-Combination-Tap-and-Die-Sets/48-pc-Master-Rethreading-Tap-and-Die-Set/RTD48
The0retical said:In reply to Andy Hollis :
I used the Snap-On rethreading kit heavily for years to clean up aircraft hardware. It's hard to recommended anything else. It's one of three Snap-On tools that I own and worth it.
https://shop.snapon.com/product/U.S.-Metric-Combination-Tap-and-Die-Sets/48-pc-Master-Rethreading-Tap-and-Die-Set/RTD48
This kit is made for snap on by Lang. You can save over $100 by getting it without the Snap-on branding
In reply to Trent :
That would have been good to know a while ago. Well I'd buy the Lang set then.
I also have the Lang thread chaser set and like it.
As far as tap and die, they certainly should last longer than a year unless you use them really heavily or abuse them. I've got some that are years and years old. The cheapie Harbor Freight ones are great for softer materials. For other uses, I've been buying Bosch taps one at a time but would love a set.
Trent said:The0retical said:In reply to Andy Hollis :
I used the Snap-On rethreading kit heavily for years to clean up aircraft hardware. It's hard to recommended anything else. It's one of three Snap-On tools that I own and worth it.
https://shop.snapon.com/product/U.S.-Metric-Combination-Tap-and-Die-Sets/48-pc-Master-Rethreading-Tap-and-Die-Set/RTD48
This kit is made for snap on by Lang. You can save over $100 by getting it without the Snap-on branding
Have one of those thats also 15-20 years old. Another Sears purchase, they slapped their label on the Lang box.
I am trying to be reasonable here and having trouble. I use taps and dies s little as a dozen times a day professionally, often much more.
When it comes to truly "good" taps and dies there are no such thing as sets. They are all sold piecemeal because a true "set" would be a "how long is a piece of string" situation, between plug, taper, bottoming and spiral flute varieties. To use them you will require a minimum of a 115 piece drill index with fractional, number and letter bits
I am of the mindset that all taps should be high speed steel. "Carbon steel" is a marketing term that means nothing. I am a Widia GTD man. I love them, they are amazing
Hand one to a person who has only ever used Irwin and their eyes will go wide. They cut so clean and fast. Effortless.
If I am repairing a Ferrari Colombo V12 or an Abarth Bialbero cylinder head, I can't risk a so-so thread, they have to be perfect so I splash out on the good stuff.
TLDR: I am a tap and die snob with almost a whole toolbox devoted to the craft. I despise the cheap tap and die handles included with the cheap kits and silently judge people I see using them. All that said, for the dude in his garage tapping a few holes a week. As much as it pains me to say it..... the Irwin will be ok.
I used to use them. The older Snap-On branded Irwin set is what my techs use for day to day work. They aren't sharp but they are pretty dang robust. With a proper sized hole they will cut acceptably clean enough.
I am interested in the HF Icon tap and die set. Says they are Tungsten on the website. The tap handle is a nicer looking piece. According to the cashier at my HF they will replace broken taps for free.
Taps and dies break and get dull. Free replacement is a massive bonus.
Also, get a poster sized tap and drill size chart to hang on the garage wall. It will become your first reference for much more than threading
Trent said:The0retical said:In reply to Andy Hollis :
I used the Snap-On rethreading kit heavily for years to clean up aircraft hardware. It's hard to recommended anything else. It's one of three Snap-On tools that I own and worth it.
https://shop.snapon.com/product/U.S.-Metric-Combination-Tap-and-Die-Sets/48-pc-Master-Rethreading-Tap-and-Die-Set/RTD48
This kit is made for snap on by Lang. You can save over $100 by getting it without the Snap-on branding
I have the Lang thread chasing set and it's nice quality, but oddly enough I checked their catalog and they don't sell regular taps and dies.
Trent said:TLDR: I am a tap and die snob with almost a whole toolbox devoted to the craft. I despise the cheap tap and die handles included with the cheap kits and silently judge people I see using them. All that said, for the dude in his garage tapping a few holes a week. As much as it pains me to say it..... the Irwin will be ok.
As far as tap handles go Starrett's are a delight to hold, but oh boy are they pricey.
I have an older version of this set:
https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/specialty-hand-tools/tap-die-sets/titanium-nitride-coated-alloy-steel-sae-tap-die-set-45-piece-61411.html
Buyer beware, at least one of the taps is wildly out of spec. Like "ruin an irreplaceable wheel nut" out of spec. It was summarily destroyed and replaced with one from another brand. The rest of the set is highly sus. Century brand sold at Ace Hardware and similar is better for not much more money.
If you're not quite a snob the easy button in this space is McMaster-Carr. Everything they sell IME is reasonable quality and a step up from what I've found on the shelf locally.
Also, here's a plug for Tap Magic. (there, picking a side in the cutting oil front should derail this thread nicely ...)
Dusterbd13 said:I have thread chasers for cleaning up threads this would be more for cutting new threads or trying to save really buggered ones that the thread Chasers don't work in. My dad has a set of Craftsman tap and die that he's had for at least 40 years cuz it's the same set that he's had since I've been alive but they don't exist anymore either that I've been able to find, toyman
I have a Craftsman set that I bought in 1988 or 1989 that has served me well. It was probably my first "forward thinking" tool purchase. I needed a tap and ran to Sears. The smallest set had what I needed but I made a big boy decision to splurge and buy the biggest set they had in stock. It was a stretch at the time but it has served me very well for ~35 years. I can't make a recommendation re: what is available for purchase today, but I can recommend getting the largest/most complete set that you can.
eedavis said:Also, here's a plug for Tap Magic. (there, picking a side in the cutting oil front should derail this thread nicely ...)
Oh yes please. Derail away!
I have never been happy with my cutting lube choice, but am ignorant of better weaponry. This is what I use...I think my bottle is at least a decade old.
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