Harbor Freight sells a tap & die set for $13. The set is carbon-steel. Is carbon-steel a good quality? I don't want to spend $80 for the Tungsten-steel set, since i want to buy both an SAE and metric set.

Joe


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86 IROC TPI 305
700-R4
K&N Air filters
Dyno-Max cat-back
Summit tranny cooler
CEI throttle enhancer chip
Trans-go shift kit

 

carbon steel is garbage. they dull very quickly, and cant cut anything harder than cast iron well. spend the extra money for carbide. you dont reallt need TiN taps, they last longer but the price isnt worth it. especially if you consider the fact that your only going to need about 6 of the taps in the set for automotive use.

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85 IROC 350 11:1keith blacks,.555lift erson roller cam,1.5 crane roller rockers,edelbrock intake,holley 4150 750dbl pumper, nitrous oxide,full length heddman headers,true dual exhaust, 11"stall converter, 700R4, 3.73 locker

 

With tools, you get what you pay for. Pure and simple. Alot (though not all by any means) of what Harbor Freight sells is cheap junk. If you buy the cheapest tool you can find, you'll get.... the cheapest tool you can find.

As far as the alloy the tool is made out of, you can't cut threads in a hard thing using a softer thing. I have seen cheap chinesium taps that suffered visible wear tapping one hole in cast iron. IMHO there's no particular savings in buying something that weenie.

If you don't mind breaking the taps off in a hole and having to drill them out and then have to go buy a Heli-coil kit too, or if you're only going to be tapping holes in Plexiglass or something like that, then get the cheap Made In China schmutz. If you want a real tool, don't waste money on a cheap tool first only to discover that it's inadequate, and then have to spend money a second time to buy the real thing later.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

 

Thanks for the info, but tell me which is the best buy for a tap & die set:

Carbon Steel: $12.99
Tungsten Alloy: $24.99
Tungsten Steel: $69.99
TiN coated Tungsten Steel: $79.99

Joe



------------------
86 IROC TPI 305
700-R4
K&N Air filters
Dyno-Max cat-back
Summit tranny cooler
CEI throttle enhancer chip
Trans-go shift kit

 

the TiN coated taps will last longer, but id say tungsten steel is a must.

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85 IROC 350 11:1keith blacks,.555lift erson roller cam,1.5 crane roller rockers,edelbrock intake,holley 4150 750dbl pumper, nitrous oxide,full length heddman headers,true dual exhaust, 11"stall converter, 700R4, 3.73 locker

 

HSS(high speed steel) is better, i think, than anything else for taps, dies, or drills.

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ICON Motorsports

1st & 3rd
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