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A reader asked about this Husky 30pc ratcheting wrench set deal, part of Home Depot’s Black Friday 2020 tool deals. I’ve been giving it some more thought, and have concluded that this is a crazy-good and hard to pass up deal for anyone looking to buy their first ratcheting wrenches.
Candidly, I prefer reversible ratcheting wrenches, and have from the start. When I bought my Gearwrench wrenches more than 12 years ago, I don’t quite remember what gave me this preference, but I liked them better in theory. I have reversible combination wrench sets and non-reversible (flip to reverse) flex ratcheting wrenches.
Most of the time, flip-to-reverse wrenches are perfectly suited for the tasks at hand.
I’ve used my non-reversible flex wrenches just fine over the years, and am wondering if I made a mistake with my preference. Then again, the zero-offset ratcheting wrench deals we have today weren’t available when I was building up my tool box.
With this 30pc set, you get a 20pc set of ratcheting combination wrenches, and a 10pc set of stubby wrenches. The 20pc set is currently priced at $80 via Home Depot, but they’re not in stock. Husky’s 10pc set of stubby wrenches is priced at $30.
$60 for 30 wrenches comes down to $2 each. That’d even be a good price for quality non-ratcheting combination wrenches.
Over at Amazon, they have a Gearwrench 20pc ratcheting wrench set priced at $66 and change, and a 34pc set including stubbies for a little over $90.
These Husky wrenches look to be identical, and given that Apex Tool Group – Gearwrench’s parent company – makes a lot of mechanics tools for Home Depot’s Husky tool brand, there’s a chance that these are made at the same factory.
The Husky wrenches feature 72-tooth gearing, for fine ratcheting action, and are said to have a slim design that fits into tight spaces. The Husky wrenches have 12pt box ends, which is standard for combination wrenches.
For someone without any ratcheting wrenches in their tool box, this set is an incredibly deal. Heck, I’m tempted to buy a set for myself – there were times recently when the zero-degree offset would have come in handy.
This isn’t the type of set I chose when building up my ratcheting wrench set, but they also didn’t have big set options a few years ago. Looking back at older Home Depot Black Friday sales flyers, they used to have Husky 7pc sets on sale for $20 or $25. Starting in 2014, they had a Husky 20pc set on sale for $50.
Around 2011, I first noticed Gearwrench 20pc sets selling for $50 during the holiday season, first at Sears and then at other retailers.
So, $50 sale pricing for a 20pc set is the “baseline” to consider the value of this deal against.
For this Husky set, you get an extra 10pc stubby ratchet set, valued at $30 given current Home Depot pricing, for only $10 more.
$60 for a 20pc ratcheting wrench set and 10pc stubby ratcheting wrench set.
Do you need the stubbies? Can you use them? Will they come in handy? That’s the $10 bet you’re making with this set, over waiting to see if Home Depot or other retailers bring back a 20pc set for $50 deal option this year.
I don’t own stubby ratcheting wrenches, but I can say that there were a couple of times when I wish I did. I usually improvise with the one stubby wrench I do have, or with short ratchets, crow’s foot wrenches (I only have SAE so far) or smaller adjustable wrenches or pliers.
This is a very good deal, and if you want the same selection of tools, you’re probably never going to see it for any less than the current $60 Black Friday 2020 sale pricing.
I would say “don’t buy it if you don’t think you could use the stubby wrenches,” but there’s a risk you won’t be able to get a 20pc set for $50 if you do want those.
If you’re on the fence, check out the reviews for Gearwrench’s 20pc set at Amazon. There are currently 1857 user reviews, with 86% 5-star and 10% 4-star reviews. The Husky set has 343 user reviews, also mostly 5-star.
Buy Now via Home Depot
See Also: Gearwrench via Amazon
If you’re still on the fence, I’d say don’t buy these if you’re intent on reversible switch ratcheting wrenches. For that, I’d likely consider Tekton these days, or the smaller Gearwrench sets if on a budget. I’ll be on the lookout for deals, but the flip-to-reverse ratcheting wrench sets, like the Husky discussed above, have become far more popular.
