The Kobalt is the best overall home tool kit in this comparison across
the test gauntlet. Its 92-tooth ratchet was in
a different class — one full rotation in just 18.8 passes where everything
else needed 23 or more, plus 245.6 ft-lbs of strength — its socket survived
well over 200 ft-lbs, and its utility blade scored a sharp 105. At $129
it's the most expensive kit here, and like the Craftsman it skips
combination wrenches, so plan on supplementing it with a few extra tools.
The FastPro is the value pick. For around $60 it finished third overall at
3.7: a socket that shrugged off the full 200 ft-lb load, a 253.2 ft-lb
ratchet, the strongest box-end wrench result at 145.8 ft-lbs, and a T25 bit
tied for first at 144 in-lbs. The wide-mouth tool bag is less organized
than a blow-molded case, but it leaves room to toss in extra tools and
round out the 236-piece kit. The Craftsman splits the difference — second
overall at 3.5, the strongest hammer at 242.3 ft-lbs, a lifetime warranty,
and a tidy case, but fewer pieces than most kits at $112.
The cautionary findings are worth as much as the winners. The Pittsburgh
combination wrench broke into two pieces mid-test at 58.51 ft-lbs, and its
adjustable wrench was ruined by a soft coupling nut. The DEKOPRO Pink Tool
looks like a full kit — and its included 12-volt drill drove a 3-1/4 in
screw in about 3.5 seconds — but the drill stalled at a light-duty 26
in-lbs and the kit's combination wrench snapped at just 30 ft-lbs. The
Sundpey and Eastvolt sockets blew out far below their strength claims, at
136.3 and 117.6 ft-lbs. For occasional household repairs any podium kit
will serve well; for anything approaching regular use, the Kobalt or
Craftsman plus a proper wrench set is the safer buy.