Automotive Tool Reviews & Buying Guides

When talking about automotive tool reviews, we include impact wrenches, socket sets, and storage. Pneumatic impact wrenches used to be the only game in town. Recently, battery advances have yielded powerful handheld cordless tools that compete with air tools. That’s a major convenience potential for automotive mechanics and vehicle Pros. Also, our automotive tool reviews get put into the hands of automotive professionals. This lets our sockets, wrenches, ratchets, and other hand tools receive a fair shakedown. Tool storage is another area that falls under this category, and we deliver thorough reviews of workbenches, cabinets, and tool chests, as well as reviews for best portable tire inflator, best car vacs, best car battery, and best car scratch remover. In the end, a professional knows that time and money go hand-in-hand. Good auto mechanics tools make all the difference.

GearWrench 120XP 3-Degree Arc Ratchet Preview

GearWrench 120XP 3-Degree Arc Ratchet Preview

GearWrench, a brand of Apex Tool Group, which has been in the news lately, announced the launch of the brand new 120XP Ratchet – which is the first ratchet we know of to feature 120 positions. That means that for every full rotation, it can turn fasteners with a swing arc of as little as 3 degrees. Talk about getting into tight spaces… the way the GearWrench 120XP does it is through the use of double-stacked pawls which provide an ultra-narrow swing arc. With less of an arc required to “click” the ratchet, you can insert your tool into tighter areas and reach fasteners in severely limited access applications.

Kobalt 27-Piece Xtreme Access Socket Set Review

Kobalt 27-Piece Xtreme Access Socket Set Review

The new trend in sockets, which Kobalt has fully embraced with its 27-pc Xtreme Access Socket Set, is the universal SAE/Metric spline drive that fits 6 & 12 pt, spline, star, square and even most rounded sockets. But Kobalt also utilized a new 4-in-1 solution that has the ratchet surrounding the socket, leaving the center open. Why is that important? With the center open , your bolt can pass right through, letting you use the same socket for both shallow and deep applications. Combined with the specialized drive system, this 27-piece socket set covers nearly all the bases for most general socket use.