STANLEY Drive Socket Set, 85-Piece (STMT71651)

I was shopping all of the big hardware stores for this size of socket set (both metric and standard). The prices at the hardware stores were a bit much, even with Father's Day coming, so I decided to look online.This set is fantastic! I have used both the metric and standard sockets for all kinds of projects, including my bikes and motorcycle, and it has a socket for spark plugs, so I was able to help a friend and change these for her with ease (I did have an extension that was longer than what came in this set).It is solid and for all of the projects I have used this on so far, along with the fact that Amazon has a great price, I am really happy with this purchase.

First, the set looks to be high quality--especially the ratchets--and you can't beat having a lifetime warranty. All pieces snap in very securely in the case, which is a HUGE deal to me. When you have 85 pieces, you don't want them flying all over the place if you knock the case over. All pieces stayed very secure even when I shook the case around while it was open. Regarding the quality of the tools and case, definitely 5 stars.Second, I should mention that I was a sent a set that had several pieces with slight wear on them. The two ratchets had some light superficial scratches as well as some small knicks, several sockets had oil from someones fingers all over them, and the case itself had some slight, superficial wear from having been opened and closed repeatedly. I'm certain I got a set that had been used for a brief period of time by someone else. Although this won't affect the quality or functionality of the tools or case... Not cool, Stanley (or whoever drop-ships these for you). 2 stars.Third, when I wrote in to Amazon about it and provided pictures, within hours they sent me a post-purchase discount. Of course, if I wanted to return it Amazon would have enabled that at no cost to me, but since these tools have a lifetime warranty and the wear was very slight, I'm fine with keeping them. The discount was very fair and proves once again how phenomenal Amazon's customer service is. 10 stars for Amazon.

The 3/8" wrench did not work out of the box. It was not holding in either direction so I was unable to tighten or loosen anything with it. I used a torx t8 to open up the wrench and found that there were two ball bearings that sat in little divots that lock the direction lever in place. The ball bearing had fallen out of their divots so the lever wasn't locking in place. The teeth were not fully engaging and allowing the wrench to spin in the direction that was supposed to be locked. I put the ball bearings back in place and the wrench seems fine now. If you have to open the wrenches up be very careful, there are tiny springs and other small parts that can pop out get lost easily.The wrench did not come pre-oiled, it's a little grainy while turning.Otherwise the set is great. The smaller wrench worked out of the box. The variety of sockets is perfect. I like that it included standard and deep sockets as well as metric and SAE. The variety of sockets should be sufficient for most jobs I would be doing as a casual diyer. The spark plug socket was a nice touch. The only thing missing that I would have liked to see was a 6" extension bar for the 3/8" wrench. The 3" bar included wasn't long enough to change the spark plugs on my Mazda. That was a cheap part though and I knew the set didn't have it.I found the case to be very nice. It is made of strong, thick plastic. All of the sockets and parts snap very tightly into the case. I have no worries of the parts falling out and flying everywhere when I open up the case. In fact they are almost a bit difficult to get out at times.The wrenches have comfortable handles. All of the sockets lock onto the wrenches with a button on the back of the head of the wrench. There is no worry of the sockets getting stuck anywhere. The screwdriver set is a nice touch. It can take the 3/8 sockets and also includes an adapter to use with the included drive bits. There is a nice variety in the drive bits, including multiple phillips and flat head sizes as well as some larger torx and other various bits.

Mostly love it though sockets can be ridiculously difficult to remove from the casing. A long 3/8 extension would have been nice as well as a universal joint of 1/4 and 3/8 size. The 1/4 inch wrench's release button has been reduced in size from the thumb sized one on previous 1/4 inch Stanley wrenches with the same part number and this makes it harder to release the sockets. The case retaining clips are an improved design which are less likely to fatigue and snap off unlike earlier Stanley case clips. For the price this set is pretty unbeatable though I hope the 3/8 and 1/4 inch wrench has some loctite on the retaining screws.

Solid case and tools.

Great set (or at least good for me) I'm no huge DIY type but I do some things I need tools for. Had a really cheap set I used and someone stole it. Decided this was a good way to upgrade. Its complete as I need and for what the majority of people will ever need at home. With the lifetime replacement Stanley has it will more than do the job. Case is great keeps everything organized and seems to have 99.9% of the sizes. Should be good unless you are doing a business in used cars or something.

Seems like this is a known issue. The set is fine for the price, it is pretty annoying trying to rip each socket out they are in there so tight, but the ratchet mechanism felt very cheap right from the start and then only after a couple of uses it stopped working entirely. Took the ratchet apart, tried cleaning all the parts oiling them and rebuilding the ratchet, still a total piece of junk.