Good metric tap and die set?

Ok, I've gone too long without one of these and I need to buy one.

Like most of you guys I'm a hobbyist, so I don't need to spend huge money on a Snap On tap and die set. However I don't want a crappy Harbor Freight one either.

So what are the suggestions for a good quality tap and die set? Something nicer than Harbor Freight but less expensive than Snap On?

I have a Craftsman set and it has been great and well used.

I've added a few pieces here and there for specific projects, but overall it has been a great set.

I have also been happy with Craftsman,from Sears.

Another vote for Craftsman

gotcha, is that something that they keep in stock at their stores, or do I have to order it from sears.com?

Is there more than one? I want to get as complete a set as possible...

The crappy HF sets with Nitride coating have served me pretty well actually. They are of indistinguishable quality from similar offerings at Sears, Lowes, etc.

They are obviously of lesser quality and a fraction of the cost of those I get from a machinist supply but those are only for an application where I need to tap 50 holes or a high-torque specialty app like a LH 3/4-16 for putting heim joints in 1" tubing... or when I need a different tap profile like a flat bottom hole.

Otherwise, for just a few common through-hole uses, I buy the HF sets on sale with a 20% coupon. You can't beat the price/performance. One whole 60 piece metric set costs less than a single 3 tap set from a precision brand. I do not find them to be any better/worse than other general purpose retailers selling cheap sets.

The key to not breaking any of the cheap ones is using the drill press or lathe chuck (turned by hand or wrench) and fixing the work piece rather than doing it free-hand. They are brittle - so when you load them crooked/funny they snap.

Also, if you work on metric stuff, I'd recommend getting a few extra m6x1.0, that's the most common small bolt size (that always snap off), generally uses a 10mm wrench. You will eventually break it because it's so easy to sideload when you're chasing threads at a weird angle in the car. I'm not sure what the equivalent SAE thread is, luckily I don't have to deal with them very often.

My ex-neighbor was a toolmaker, and he had tons of junk in his basement along with a lathe and Bridgeport mill.

I saw him tap a hole in steel once by chucking it in the mill, turning the mill on, engaging the work, flipping to reverse at just the right time, and it was perfect. This was on an old rusty tap that had been in the basement for decades.

So I think technique is important. I don't have it. I have the skills to break taps.

I have set 952377 in a gray case.

The more recent versions are in a black case and are apparently lower quality according to some online reviews.

Hmm, does the lifetime warranty on hand tools extend to taps for Sears? That might be worth it alone for me...

The last thing you want is a broken tap in a hole. Well, maybe not the last thing. If you can turn it out you're fine.

But getting one of those stuck is not a quick and fun side-track. I would say craftsman is a much safer bet than hf. You may never know the hours of swearing it would avoid but it would be worth the extra $$ imho

Even the quality import brand from the big blue book from msc is better than anything I've seen listed yet, IMO.

Ranger, not sure what you're refering to, have a link for me?

I tap a lot of threads. I chase a lot of threads too. Around the shop I have a very complete snap-on set, an older craftsman set and a few Irwin sets. The snap-on sets are tough. They aren't particularly sharp though. They exist because I can let the other guys go caveman with them and when they damage them they are replaced every Thursday for free under warranty. The other sets are primarily still around because they are rarely used.

When I buy a new tap or die for myself I go to an industrial/machinist tool supplier and purchase HSS in singles. They aren't very expensive and I usually get the corresponding drill bit to go with them at the same time. I can tell a carbon steel tap from a high speed steel one from 6 feet away. You are looking for ground surfaces. If you can see rough areas from casting run away.

I would much rather have a handful of pro quality taps in the sizes I require than a complete set of lesser units with a bunch I will never use. Also spending $5-8 each time is easier to justify than $100 for a semi-decent set.

Invest in good tap handles as well. If the set you are thinking about buying has handles like these look elsewhere

I am getting the willies just hotlinking that pic!

Decent taps, ala carte and sets for just about any application you can think of

docwyte wrote: Ranger, not sure what you're refering to, have a link for me?

Right here.

Jumper K. Balls wrote: Invest in good tap handles as well. If the set you are thinking about buying has handles like these look elsewhere

So what is a good tap handle?

codrus wrote:

Jumper K. Balls wrote: Invest in good tap handles as well. If the set you are thinking about buying has handles like these look elsewhere

So what is a good tap handle?

http://www.mscdirect.com/browse/tnpla/99072928?src=pla&cid=PLA-Google-PLA+-+Test&CS_003=7867724&CS_010=99072928&mkwid=LZzL3Uiz&gclid=CJHq6t6M9M8CFQVehgodFtsBvg

Um, so how would you use that on a car or motorcycle with the part needing to be tapped still attached to said vehicle?

I'm not a machinist and don't play one on TV, but I've been pretty happy with the "big" HF set. I seem to end up chasing a fair number of threads on my project cars so it's saved the day a bunch of times, but I'm not using it often enough to justify buying a proper "professional" set.

In any case, make sure you use lots of lube.

docwyte wrote: Um, so how would you use that on a car or motorcycle with the part needing to be tapped still attached to said vehicle?

You obviously wouldn't. How often do you find yourself fabricating parts on a vehicle?

You can chase buggered threads with any old POS tap or handle. YOu can thread tin with any old POS cheap tap. You were asking about decent stuff so I figured you weren't just kludging some E36 M3 with it.

I don't do a whole lot of fabricating. I mostly need the taps and dies to chase threads and clean up studs/bolts on my vehicles.

Sorry if I wasn't clear on my intended usage....

docwyte wrote: I don't do a whole lot of fabricating. I mostly need the taps and dies to chase threads and clean up studs/bolts on my vehicles. Sorry if I wasn't clear on my intended usage....

Then what you need is a thread restoring kit. They are different than taps and dies. They do not cut away material, instead they push it back where it is supposed to be

They don't even require special handles.

docwyte wrote: I don't do a whole lot of fabricating. I mostly need the taps and dies to chase threads and clean up studs/bolts on my vehicles. Sorry if I wasn't clear on my intended usage....

My bad - I leapt to a conclusion that was not the case.

So, you just need a sturdy way to hold a tap that won't slip or add to an already less than ideal situation. For just chasing threads where getting lots of evenly applied torque isn't a big deal almost anything that doesn't slip or introduce load/angles while trying to turn it will be fine.

There are handle sets like the one pictured above but of good quality available that should do the trick for you. I have some Husky ratcheting ones from the 1950s that are very nice. If clearance isn't an issue you can also chuck them up in a 1/2 electric drill to hold the tap and then turn it slowly by hand.

Jumper K. Balls wrote:

docwyte wrote: I don't do a whole lot of fabricating. I mostly need the taps and dies to chase threads and clean up studs/bolts on my vehicles. Sorry if I wasn't clear on my intended usage....

Then what you need is a thread restoring kit. They are different than taps and dies. They do not cut away material, instead they push it back where it is supposed to be They don't even require special handles.

SWEET.

Added to the xmas wish list.