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Reviews are always a matter of degree. In a few days you can learn the basics, in a few weeks you get a feel for the thing, and after a few months you realize what its real flaws are. It’s unlikely that you could use an item for more than a decade, and still use it a few times every week.
Too: I’ve tested hundreds of DIY gadgets. These are the 10 I recommend most
this is where i am with Vera Tool-Check Plus Portable toolkit. I purchased this kit in March 2015, and after much use, it is still going strong. Note that my kit is the metric version, but there is also an imperial version for those who are still working with inch sized fasteners.
Tool-Check Plus keeps everything together in a tough polymer carrying case. It has a short 1/4-inch shaft, a screwdriver bit holder, and a selection of bits and sockets, and everything is of the highest possible quality.
The shaft may seem short, but in this case looks are deceiving. As well as handling delicate, precise work (like removing the bolts that hold the water pump on an old Ford, I know the bolts would break if I pushed on them with a power tool), I’ve done this work on stubborn bolts, applied as much pressure as possible, and the ratchet never showed signs of bending.
The shaft in the Vera Tool-Check Plus Kit is small but very strong!
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Additionally, the front/rear lever is small enough not to get in the way, but large enough to operate even when wearing gloves (warm gloves or rubber).
There is a knurled piece at the top that allows you to turn the shaft by hand. A nice touch, and something that lets you know it’s designed by people who use the tool.
But there is more. Too much.
It has a screwdriver bit handle that’s ergonomic and perfect for driving screws, and a selection of bits to tackle a lot of the fasteners you’ll encounter – straight edge, Phillips, Posidrive, hex and Torx. These are again some of the absolute best bits I have.
A compact but highly useful screwdriver bit handle is part of the kit!
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
It also has a selection of sockets (5.5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12 and 13 mm for metric, and 3/8, 1/4, 5/16, 11/32, 3/8, 7/16 and 1/2-inch for imperial sets). These are color-coded and the sizes are clearly marked on them. They’re all the sizes you’ll need to use with the 1/4-inch ratchet or screwdriver handles that are part of this kit. They are also machined to be able to open rusted and rounded fasteners.
And again, it’s hard to find a better socket.
These sockets have been used a lot and are still as good as new.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
And all this in a package that weighs about seven ounces and can be carried in a pocket.
In the over a decade I’ve had this kit, I’ve used it a lot, from assembling home and garden furniture to basic stuff like lawn mowers, garden tractors and automotive work. This is a great “grab-and-go” kit for those times when someone says “Can you help me with a kids’ play set/garden furniture?”
Also: Do you want a complete technical repair shop of devices in one messenger bag?
Why do I recommend this product?
The Vera Tool-Check Plus was a very rash purchase for me. It looked nice, had room in my toolbox, and I thought it might be useful one day (and who uses that as justification for buying a tool?). But what first seemed like a novelty quickly turned into a tool I use all the time. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve used it alone over the past few months.
Yes, I bought this kit 10 years ago! And I’m impressed that Vera still makes and sells this kit – a testament to its quality!
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
I’m impressed not only with its usefulness, but also with how good it looks even after so many years. While writing this, I started thinking that maybe it wasn’t as old as I thought, but a quick search of my Amazon purchase history revealed that it was actually purchased ten years ago.
I purchased it along with several other Vera tools that I still have in my toolbox, even though they don’t get as much use (although if you want a larger version of this kit to handle tougher tasks, I can highly recommend it. Vera 29-Piece 3/8-Inch Ratchet Set Which sells for about $115).
available in both Royal And metricThe Vera Tool-Check Plus kit costs about $100, and I think after a decade of use, I’m very happy to say that the tools are there for life!
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