I came across Wera company at work. A set of Wera Allen keys, a notepad and a laptop was handed over to me as a welcome pack and my robotics engineer adventure started. It goes without saying that my projects wouldn’t go far without great tools. Some of them are inexpensive, purchased in a pinch, others, more expensive go through careful consideration process before they end up in my toolbox for (hopefully) the rest of my life. At Labman (where I work) I have access to all tools I’d ever need, and yet I decided to get Wera Tool-Check PLUS for my personal toolbox. Why?
Wera Tool-Check PLUS
It was a co-worker of mine that woke up the tool envy. It wasn’t the Wera Tool-Check PLUS kit that I had seen him using, but a similar set from Wera. Soon after that, my work task required me to bend my wrist backwards in 3 different joints to access a bolt of most importance. It was an ideal job for a tiny ratchet set, so I grabbed some sweets I had with me and went begging for the right tool for the job.
When you lock a bunch of engineers in a big room, everyone is bound to get precious about the little project toolboxes, that they are responsible for, so borrowing tools isn’t as easy as you could imagine. Turns out, that Polish sweets are great bribe which helped me secure a temporary ownership of the Wera kit.
I’m not going to admit, that I bought Wera Tool-Check PLUS to receive all bribes at work, but this is one of the fanciest ratchet set that goes around at Labman right now. I’m the sole owner of it. I’m totally expecting at least 3 doughnuts an hour lending rate moving forward.
Pocket-handy
I don’t think the pictures show how compact Wera Tool-Check PLUS is. It could fit inside a pocket (although it would not be a convenient way to store it) but it comes with a belt clip to make you look like a professional nerd of engineering. (against all beliefs, that is a compliment). This cleverly organised tool holder keeps all the bits together without obstructing the access.
The set is actually pretty rich:
- 1x Stubby Handle 1/4″ x 78 mm;
- 1x Rapidaptor Bit Holder 1/4″ x 50mm;
- 1x Zyklop Mini 1/4″ x 87 mm
- 1x Socket Adaptor 1/4″
- 1x Slotted Bit: 5.5mm
- 6x Phillips Bits: [(2x) 1 x 25; (3x) 2 x 25; 3 x 25]
- 5x Pozidriv Bits: [1 x 25; 2 x 25; 3 x 25]
- 5x Hex-Plus Bits: [3 ; 4 ; 5 ; 6; 8]
- 6x TX Bits: [10 x 25; 15 x 25; 20 x 25; 25 x 25, 30 x 25; 40 x 25]
- 5x TXBO Bits: [10 x 25; 15 x 25; 20 x 25; 25 x 25; 30 x 25]
- 7x Zyklop Sockets, 1/4″: [5.5 ; 6; 7; 8; 10; 12; 13 mm]
Everything is easily accessible and cleverly spaced. Sockets rest on metal loops keeping it securely in place while not making it hard to remove, the ratchet wrench has a slide on the cover to lock it in a position. The handle has a designated storage loop and the extension simply slides into a tight holster.
On top of that, there is a spring-loaded side pocket that holds all bits together, preventing it from falling out when closed and makes it extremely easy to access when open. The set is nothing short of storage mastery.
In use
The ratchet has a satisfying click to it. The characteristic noise reinforces the notion that you are busy and extremely valuable at work even if you just play with the handle like it was a $5 fidget spinner. Jokes aside, the tool is great for working on smaller of the robots as it fits into cramped spaces and gives enough access to deal with the most obscure nuts and bolts. Something that I can’t always access with my miniDSO ES121 (review).
It’s probably not the tool you want to use to fix a car, but for any project related work, it’s ideal. The only disappointment I have is that the set doesn’t come with an adapter that I could use with my precision bits.
If I could change anything, I’d include more Allen key sizes instead of Phillips heads. After all how many screwdrivers one can have! But as the bit size are universal I will simply source the one that are needed most myself and modify the palette to my liking.
Final words
I’m aware that some of you might be put off by the price. I wasn’t planning on spending £60 on a ratchet set, but in line with the mantra I keep repeating in my head: buy inexpensive tools if you only going to use it once or twice a year, and tools for life if you are going to use it daily. As it stands right now, I use these daily and I have no regret. Plus my toolbox is getting really fancy thanks to other gadgets inside like Pockit Meter (review), or extremely portable TS80 (review). Got cool tools in your toolbox? Let me know in this Reddit thread.
