Powerbuilt 201 pc. Tool Set
by Andy Somerville
Tuesday, Dec 30, 2008

Out on the trail, having the right tool can make or break the day's run. The look of disgust and disappointment on your buddies' faces says it all when your freshly dead rig becomes the main attraction. Bring some friggin' tools next time!

With the goal in mind of preparing for the worst, we checked out the 201 piece mechanic's tool set from Powerbuilt Tools. It comes with a good selection of both standard and metric sockets, making it usable on both domestic and import rigs. The socket sizes range from 1/4" through 3/4" and 4mm through 19mm, and there are both shallow and deep flavors sprinkled through the sizes.

One nice touch is the ratchets - they all use a "gear on gear" ratchet mechanism that is supposed to resist high torque better than a "dog and pawl" mechanism. Whatever that means, the ratchets have a solid chunky engagement, yet would spin nice and smoothly throughout our test.

Something else that came in handy was the 6" extension bar which we used to cinch a top shock bolt that would have been a major pain to get at otherwise, especially with a hot engine mere inches away. Besides the sockets and drive tools, there's a bit driver handle and a bunch of slotted, phillips, hex, torx and square bits. Nice, until they get dropped in the sand and become desert artifacts.

There are also a dozen nut driver bits that fit in the handle; these can really help get a nut or bolt started in super tight spots where the ratchet won't fit. A small selection of combination and hex key wrenches rounds out the kit, probably not all that critical on the trail, but then again you never know. A plastic carry case includes slots for every socket and wrench, which helps when the case gets banged around off-road. Powerbuilt says every tool meets or exceeds ANSI and ASME standards, and all the tools are covered by a lifetime warranty.