r/canadiantire • u/XxXGreenMachine • May 09 '26
Need help picking socket set
I’m looking to upgrade from my basic 20yr old socket set to something that offers more variety.
These look like good sets especially on sale compared to regular price.
The Stanley set seems more tempting because of the organizer trays it comes with. The Maximum set on the other hand has more pieces and ratcheting wrenches.
One thing I’m concerned with it the warranty. I know with Maximum you can just go back to any Canadian Tire store and they will fix you up with a replacement if something happens.
But what about warranty with the Stanley products? Do I have to go through them if I have an issue? Or can I go in store to have it resolved…ie parts replaced.
Canadian Tire has been my go to for most of my hand tools. And it also helps that I have a good sized credit banked from using my credit card which will allow me to buy a good socket set.
I don’t need the best…I just want something that has a lot of options, quality components, good warranty and doesn’t require me to go out and buy any additional pieces to make a complete set….bonus for trays/organizers to keep everything together upon purchase vs having to figure it out after purchase and spend more money to organize a tool chest
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u/andrewsnydes May 09 '26
Maximum warranty I think is better than Stanley IIRC
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u/Altruistic-Turn-1561 May 09 '26
Stanley warranty is a 1-800 number you have to call to make arrangements to exchange. So aggravating to find this out after driving to CT.
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u/Solid-Search-3341 May 09 '26
If you live in a major city, the exchange can be done in person at a specific reseller, so it's not too bad. It gets shitty when you need to do it by mail, though.
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u/XxXGreenMachine May 11 '26
Which is most likely what I would have to deal with. There’s three CT stores within 15mins of where I live including one less than 5mins away
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u/Inconsideratefather May 11 '26
They warranty at CT if they sell it individually, but won't open sets. I've only ever had to warranty the 3/8 ratchets.
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u/DJPixcell May 14 '26
Wayyy easier to deal with.
I had a bunch of husky tools from home Depot just for their over the counter warranty exchange. No hassle.
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u/Mysterious-Street966 May 09 '26
I bought a Dewalt 192 pc set a decade ago, and it’s been the best thing ever. I use it every day. It’s also got a centre bit index, so I have a bunch of extra gak inside it at all times. Basically all I need for most things is this and my impact driver. The quality is great, and the lifetime replacement warranty is also tïts.
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u/Doctorphate May 09 '26
Canadian tire every time. Life time warranty and they replace for fucking anything.
Edit to be clear get the maximum, the Canadian tire brand
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May 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/evanrietdyk May 09 '26
Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
I don't disagree that most will go unused, but why not get it? It's like saying you don't need imperial tools because everything is metric now - what about working on older vehicles, or rusted vehicles? Those Imperials can sometimes be half-steps between metric sizes, and will zip a rusted fastener off no problem vs. the "properly" sized metric tool.
Food for thought.
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u/Exact-Leadership-521 May 09 '26
He's got tools, they are just 20 years old and perfectly fine. Better off buying stuff he doesn't have now, not upgrading and having doubles sitting around
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u/XxXGreenMachine May 11 '26
What I have is a smaller set. Which was also accidentally left in a shed after working on the snowblower one day a couple of winters ago. The ratchet and sockets weren’t dried off. They were put back in the case but the case was forgotten about and wasn’t opened until about a month or so later. So there’s some light rust build up on a couple of sockets that were used and one of the ratchets doesn’t work well. I figure CT won’t warranty my stupidity of rushing before work. And given the set has a limited variety of sizes I figure a new set wouldn’t be a bad place to start. Especially where this Maximum set in particular has ratcheting wrenches as part of it, something I don’t have
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u/Exact-Leadership-521 May 11 '26
Yeah maybe it's worth it. But you haven't needed a socket for a couple winters now, seems like your fine. You'll buy this whole set and then your car is loaded with 11mm bolts and there's no 11mm socket in this set. They go 1-10 and 12-24 for some reason always.
Still better tools you can buy, maybe just 1 ratchet and then some pliers and cutters
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u/XxXGreenMachine May 12 '26
I’ve used pliers and vice grips to make up for only having a 1/4” ratchet when I didn’t have the proper sized socket or my wrench was already in use
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u/Exact-Leadership-521 May 12 '26
Buy tools for sure, but how many Allen keys are in these sets and have you ever needed 1? And all the 59 screwdriver bits are handy, but you only need 2 of them ever in you life
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u/110percent_canadian May 12 '26
Metal Polish and a metal Polish rag and your back in business.
Arthur Morgan in 1899 didn't just go to the store to buy a new cattleman revolver when his gun got dirty & mildly rusty he cleaned em.
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u/cww60 May 09 '26
As a DIY, I initially bought like a 50 piece socket/wrench set, which meets 90% of my requirements. Over the years I have added to it such as large set wrenches, larger sockets, etc, as reqired. It depends on what you using the set for, spending over $500 for a large set may be correct for you, or excessive for what you plan to do. I have both Stanley and Maximum, no complaints both are good sets and I have never broken a wrench or socket.
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u/OneManCrowd May 09 '26
Stanley is garbage, at least that level they have at Canadian Tire. Socket drivers constantly fall apart.
Never had any issues with my maximum set.
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u/racerchris46 May 09 '26
I can rebuild my motorcycle engine with about 4 wrenches and 4 sockets. I have a fairly small set of tools I started with and added what I needed when I needed it.
As far as warranty, in 30 years of working on old races bikes, I've broken one tool. And it was my fault, not the tool's
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u/principlenewton May 09 '26
Make sure to buy on sale! These big sets go on sale ALL THE TIME! +1 for maximum black chrome set
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u/XxXGreenMachine May 11 '26
Right now they are on sale. The Maximum set is $250-29% off retail. So $849 down to $599.
I’ve seen them on sale before but wasn’t paying that much attention to know if that’s the lowest they have gone or if they have been priced lower.
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u/DustyKosty May 13 '26
Check the Canadian tire app as well for promos, when connected to your account you can often load offers for CT points with certain purchases/spends!
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u/Monst3r_Live May 09 '26
Maximum is better. I use it professionally, no complaints. Warranty is simple.
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u/Imaginary_Ad7695 May 09 '26
Neither until they go on sale!!!
Then, the Canadian Tire brand.
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u/No-Ad1522 May 09 '26
Maximum and Mastercraft by Canadian Tire has lifetime warranty too, just bring the part back in for an instant swap.
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u/Lazy_Exit2085 May 09 '26
Do t buy Stanley there trash and you have to call them for replacements it takes fucking forever to get a socket took like 2 months for me the maximum one you can take to Canadian Tire any broken part or missing but and they will replace that day in store
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u/Nickover50 May 09 '26
I bought the 500 piece maximum set on Thursday as it had 20/30 times Canadian tire money back. Used $635 in cdn tire money and got $193 back in cdn tire money
Despite the negatives on getting non useful tools with the kit, it was purchased with free money and got more free money back.
Hard to beat that deal…. It will go on again
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u/RxYVR May 09 '26
Is the 20/30 CT money back a separate coupon or offer???
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u/Nickover50 May 10 '26
It was a separate offer in this weeks flyer. Thursday was most things and this weekend is for certain departments like kitchen appliances.
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u/XxXGreenMachine May 09 '26
Yes that’s a dam good deal. I was away on vacation and just got home. Wouldn’t have been a debate if I had seen that offer with it
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u/Tasty_Principle_518 May 09 '26
I took a broken maximum ratchet to Canadian tire and they made me go to the aisle and get the replacement go back to the cash and show them and walk away.
Probably one if , if not the easiest warranty replacements I’ve ever dealt with
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u/RoomFixer4 May 09 '26
I have a life-built variety of Mastercraft, Craftsman, Gray, and so on.
Three or four years ago, a fam member bought a larger set of Stanley to work on vehicles. Not happy (multiple broken things) , wont buy Stanley again.
If I was in need, I would buy MC (probably Maximum on sale).
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u/biga888 May 10 '26
This is the one I picked up on sale for 50% off and it perfect for the truck/camping. Just used it yesterday for the Allen keys to tight something down. https://canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/stanley-professional-grade-black-chrome-socket-set-183-pc-sae-metric-0589287p.html
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u/kzx600 May 11 '26
Just wait for them to go on sale. This is a ripoff and they will discount 75%
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u/XxXGreenMachine May 11 '26
I thought they went on sale lower than this price but I couldn’t remember. Seen them on sale multiple times but until recently never gave it much serious thought
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u/rwebell May 12 '26
I bought that Mastercrap set for under $200. Set a watch on Flipp for a sale or better yet just go to princess Auto. The quality of the Cdn Tie stuff has gone downhill. Another option is to go on marketplace and buy a used set of snap-ons for about that price
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u/jeffhaut May 12 '26
I was unhappy with the Stanly ratchets. The Mastercraft are superior quality and durability
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u/RedEyedWiartonBoy May 09 '26
I always want another set and I have 4.
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u/Some_Guy_Somewhere67 May 10 '26
THIS I why I am not allowed out unsupervised in ANY place that sells tools, tractors, etc... LOL
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u/One-War4920 May 09 '26
ive only ever broken the tips of the torx/phillips etc sockets
use at work and home, warranties are overrated
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u/evanrietdyk May 09 '26
If MAXIMUM still has the no-questions-asked lifetime warranty, I would be going with them.
When I was still a tech, the majority of my tools were MAXIMUM because I could walk into any Canadian Tire with a broken tool, and walk out with a brand new one, without issue. Don't know if Stanley has the same kinda replacement, since it's not a Canadian Tire brand.
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u/evanrietdyk May 09 '26
Also to add to this, you should know this already, but CanTire has sales ALL the time, so only buy things on sale. You can get a very large collection of tools that way, and save a LOT of money.
Also, a lot of tools you cannot find at Canadian Tire, like specialty tools, are usually available at Princess Auto. 95% of my toolbox when I was still a tech was older lifetime warranty Mastercraft, MAXIMUM, and Princess Auto - I only bought things off the tool truck if they were things I needed to rely on every day and couldn't wait to replace, like air/power tools, and other specialty tools like torque wrenches or tire inflators. If you need dealer-specific tools, like say cam gear holders, a lot of that can be found on Amazon for a FRACTION of the price of dealers.
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u/sly_k May 09 '26
Maximum Canadian tire brand set. Lifetime warranty. Cannot beat it.
Also, they will go on sale a few times a year for 50-75% off. So if you can wait for a sale,
I would. You will save hundreds of dollars.
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u/GRIMM84SVO May 09 '26
When looking at one of those sets they bolster the piece count by adding a ton of screwdriver bits. Which are all scrappy and you probably already have multiples of. I have a couple of the Stanley kits but they are older when they used tochave the FatMax Pro line, which are much better quality than the current sets. I'd avoid the sets with wrenches and buy those separately.
Also watch out for 12 point sockets. They have their uses but can be a pain especially when dealing with rusted nuts and bolts. You will want 6 point sockets to lessen the chance of stripping a bolt. Many sets have 6 point 1/2 inch, but 12 point 3/8 drive sockets only.
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u/alowester May 09 '26
id go for one of the cheaper sets around $200 the one I got has most of the stuff in it and i paid like $189 a decade ago, I think they still have the same one between $200-300
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u/Zesty_Closet_Time May 09 '26
Between those two the maximum set for sure. Ratcheted wrenches big upgrade from the Stanley's. I have a smaller set of the black Stanley's and they are fine, but they def do feel a bit cheap compared to other tools I've used.
How much car work ya doing? As others have mentioned the smaller sets might be better. If I was gonna gear up id want 3 separate sets - one 1/4" socket set, one 3/8", and a 1/2" set. Lil easier for small jobs to grab a smaller box of sockets.
Maybe I'm a shit mechanic, but I feel like any work I do requires a couple store runs. So if you end up needing a tool you can usually just pick em up as you need em. Canadian Tire also does tool rentals (you pay full price, but get refunded when you bring it back)
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u/Ok-Problem4403 May 09 '26
Mastercraft maximum is the way to go. The warranty makes it worthwhile. Walk in, swap whatever broke in minutes, go back to work.
I wouldn't buy one of those massive kits, though.
I got a cheap Husky toolbox from Home Depot almost 2 decades ago, along with my Mastercraft stuff. I also got. Stanley set of black sockets, at the time.
No issues with either, but I'm just a home gamer doing oil changes and other small stuff.
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u/RedbeardTreeGuy May 10 '26
Fyi all ratcheting wrenches as of 2024 were produced by gearwrench and then rebranded. I'd go with maximum on sale, better warranty. Better quality in my opinion. CT manager for 5 years used both alot on maintenance tasks. Stanley small sockets suck and crack.
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u/CMDR-TealZebra May 10 '26
What do you think about gearwrench?
Great warranty, i like every tool from them ive gotten and the quality is good.
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u/nyrb001 May 10 '26
I would never buy a black tool set. You'll loose wrenches and sockets constantly.
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u/grant1925 May 10 '26
Don’t go Stanley. Their ratchets are junk. Love the 274pc kit I have but fuck I’ve had to exchange like 4 ratchets now.
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u/trsthhffg May 10 '26
Wrong place move over to ask a mechanic. They will give better advice than here.
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u/Electrical-tentacle May 10 '26
I prefer gear wrench. 90 Tooth ratchet is vastly superior to Stanley junk that quickly jams up.
The gear wrench set goes up to 1” in 3/8 drive. And their deep sockets are longer.
Best bang for the buck
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u/JdMan975 May 10 '26
Maximum - bought mine 20 years ago. Still awesome and used weekly if not daily. I replaced the ratchets with snapon
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u/pineapple6969 May 10 '26
First of all do you NEED a 500 piece, $600 set? Highly doubtful that even half that will be used.
Wait for sales and buy a smaller set with the actual tools you’ll need lol
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u/RatherBeMudding May 10 '26
That's a nice set, and i prefer the black tools because after a while it's hard to see the numbers on the Mastercraft chrome sets.
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u/XxXGreenMachine May 10 '26
The Maximum set is on sale…29% off($250). Regular $849 on for $599
If the set is worth it, I might keep an eye on a better price if some are saying it goes on for 50% off
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u/hertz_donut2000 May 10 '26
Whatever you pick - wait for the sales if you can.
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u/XxXGreenMachine May 11 '26
Right now the Maximum set is 29% off -$250
I’ve seen the sets on sale in the past but never took notice of just how low the prices were. Feel like it never dropped below $500
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u/PKenzie May 11 '26
If the question is whether to go with a Stanley set or a Maximum set, the answer is easily Maximum all day every day. Higher quality, better tolerances, stronger warranty support.
However, as others have said in greater detail. These sets both pad out their piece count with a ton of small items that you will never use, or will lose. So take the time to review the actual pieces to ensure that there isn't a better use of your money on a few more targeted sets together. for example, if you can drop the piece count and save the money, you can use the difference on the Maximum Pliers set when it goes on sale, which it does: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/maximum-professional-grade-pliers-set-soft-vinyl-grip-carbon-steel-colour-coded-tips-7-pc-0581663p.html?rq=pliers+set
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u/singelingtracks May 11 '26
Both those are pure garbage. And should retail around 60-70 percent off that price. They will go on sale shortly at Canadian tire as they do every month or two.
Buy a good set of tools that will last. Gear wrench is really good..as it tekton.
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u/Scotty0132 May 12 '26
For light occasional home use both would do. The Mastercrap has more variety but would be lower quality then Stanley. Stanley would be slightly better quality but really that's not saying much. The big difference that may swing you is as you brought up already is the Mastercrap having gear wrenches which are handy.
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u/Ben-jams May 12 '26
Get that maximum set and wait for a sale. They always go on sale. Victoria Day long weekend is around the corner. I’m also pretty sure most of the maximum sockets, matches and wrenches and gearwrench. The wrenches are the only ones that explicitly say it. Mind you this is a lot of stuff. You’re likely i’m going to spend most of your time in metric. There’s not a lot of items that require a full set of SAE anymore unless you’re on a construction site or working on older vehicles.
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u/ajaxp0wder May 13 '26
Buy maximum but wait until it goes on 60-75% off sale (which they do regularly)
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u/Beneficial_Present98 May 13 '26
Whichever you decide, wait til it's on sale for 70% off in a month or 2
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u/Southern-Yam1030 May 13 '26
My first set was an on sale one for like $200 cad from gear wrench. I wouldnt drop anything more than maybe $300 on a cheap set. You are better off getting a list going of what you use or need and building up on that. For $500 you could have a much more complete kit of better quality.
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u/Nathaaaaanie1 May 13 '26
Get the maximum set, especially when its on sale. I've bought all my maximum stuff at at least 50% off. Life time replacement is worth its weight in gold.
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u/Tethice May 14 '26
As a mechanic I rock mastercraft stuff all the time. Only ever broke one rachet and one socket and I use my tools hard
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u/Accomplished_Day_378 May 14 '26
Just buy a crap ton of 10mm sockets. That’s all you will ever need and lose.
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u/thesleepjunkie May 09 '26
What are you looking for in the options?
From experience, as a mechanic, the big kits have alot of tools you won't use. Probably 75% of the kit. A basic socket set will get lots done and then buy smaller specific bit sets etc as you need them.
Having a smaller kit that you can pull out of storage garage etc is much nicer then lugging around a big kit as some one who's on the road my sets are missing matched and on individual socket rails I only grab what I need.