Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I work as a plumber. I lost my tool boxes. Accidental. Lots of high-dollar tools...gone. Couldn't afford to replace all of those tools in one go. Needed a basic tool set as a new "starter" toolbox, and this was the best I could find under $150. Most especially I needed: - channellock-type pliers - crescent wrench (note: VERY few tool sets include BOTH of these) - hammer - tape measure - needle nose pliers - hex keys (this kit has both SAE and metric) - at least one phillips and one flat-blade screwdriver (this kit has two sizes of each - nice!) - nut driver, multiple sizes (a "6-way" would have worked for both of these purposes, but very few tool kits include them) This kit includes 2 different sizes of each screwdriver I needed plus a huge variety of possible nut drivers (but...you need to haul around the sockets to have the different sizes available) and bit drivers (if you need a larger phillips, for example, or a torx) Big bonus: lifetime warranty from a U.S. company This kit also includes (a "bonus" for my purposes) - breakaway utility knife - a good selection of regular-depth SAE and metric sockets (but note: none on the "large" size, SAE maxes out at 3/4") - both 3/8 and 1/4 ratcheting socket wrenches - slip-joint pliers - three plastic "bars" of driver bits, including torx (6 sizes), phillips (3 sizes) & flat-blade (2 sizes). All of the bits except one (one of the torx bits) are provided in TRIPLICATE, so: no worries if you lose one (or two) bits. Pros: - the price - the case seems reasonably sturdy - good selection of tools (especially for the price) - lifetime warranty - I like the "comfortable" screwdriver grips, much better than typical hard plastic cheap screwdriver grips, and do not seem likely to fall apart any time soon (but note: these aren't Wera or Wiha screwdrivers, if you use screwdrivers a LOT you'll want to upgrade one day) Cons: - First and foremost: some of the tools on the "top" half of the case tend to fall out. Makes it difficult, sometimes, to close the case. I imagine this will get much worse as time goes on. If you use tools a lot, plan on getting a real tool box. - The crescent wrench and channellock pliers are both on the small side. Crescent wrench only goes to 3/4". 8" channellocks only to 1 1/2" usable (parallel jaw) size. I would have preferred "full size (10 or 12 inch length tools) for both of these. Still: they are perfectly use-able in their size range. - The tape measure is also small, 12'. Would have preferred 25'. Still: operation of the tape measure is smooth. You have to press a button to recoil, which is fine, but takes a little getting used to. - size markings on the sockets, even though engraved in large numbers, is hard to read. A little paint will help this problem.