What's Included In The Craftsman Overdrive 284-Piece Mechanics Tool Set?

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Craftsman is one of the best major power tool brands you can find, with its hand tools no less well-made. Conveniently, the manufacturer offers several tool sets that allow you to quickly stock up your workshop with everything you need all in one go. The Craftsman Versastack 230-piece tool set, for instance, is one of the best mechanic tool sets for every budget. However, if you're looking for a kit that takes things to another level — kicks things into overdrive, so to speak — the brand also sells the Craftsman Overdrive 284-piece mechanics tool set.

Craftsman's Overdrive line of tools are geared toward both professionals and DIY-ers who are looking to up their garage game. Overdrive tools are built to handle extra compact spaces and particularly stubborn fasteners, which can ruin a mechanics' entire workflow when they just refuse to budge. As Craftsman puts it, Overdrive tools help make "the most challenging applications seem almost effortless." You can purchase some Overdrive products separately, such as the Craftsman 1/4-inch 180T Overdrive Ratchet, or choose one of several different-sized kits, ranging from 49-piece to 284-piece sets.

As the most comprehensive option, the Craftsman Overdrive 284-Piece Mechanics Tool Set includes mechanics tools, sockets, ratchets, and wrenches in a wide range of sizes so that you can work on nearly any vehicle or component you're likely to come across. Here's a closer look at what comes with the set.

Literally half of the 284 pieces included in Craftsman's mammoth are sockets — if math's not your thing, that comes out to 142 different attachments for your ratchets. The kit also comes with three ratchets to pair with those sockets, as well as 21 wrenches, 48 hex keys, 59 specialty bits, and 11 different accessories. The three ratchets are ½-inch, ⅜-inch, and ¼-inch, meeting both SAE and metric standards. You'll find sockets as small as 6 mm and ¼ inch and as large as 24 mm and 1 inch, with everything in between. The kit includes both 6-point standard and 6-point deep sockets, as well as a couple of spark plug sockets.

The combination wrench kit ranges from 6-16 mm and ¼-¾ inch. There's also SAE and metric standard 14-piece hex key sets and 8-piece short arm hex key sets, as well as multiple screwdriver bit sets and nut bits that range from 4-12mm and 3/16-½-inch. Accessories include 3BFx14M and 12Fx38M adapters, six extension bars, a spinner handle, a ¼-inch bit holder, and three universal joints.

With this comprehensive range of components, you'll be able to work on American and foreign cars, old or new. The case keeps each piece in molded plastic trays that are labeled so you can keep everything in its right place, even if you take the set on the go. This is a nice bonus, as many of us will take all the help organizing the garage as we can get. All told, the Craftsman Overdrive 284-piece mechanics tool set is nearly two feet long and weighs over 42 pounds.

The three ratchets included with the Craftsman Overdrive 284-piece mechanics tool set each have 180 teeth, which is a big reason why the kit is ideal for particularly tight and stubborn fasteners. With so many teeth, you get a very tight 2-degree swing arc, so even if you're deep in your engine with little space to work with, you can tighten and loosen what you need to. Each ratchet uses a twin-pawl 90-tooth mechanism so that the additional teeth don't compromise the tool's strength.

Additionally, the sockets and wrenches included in the Overdrive line use a specialized Tight-Torque Technology design that Craftsman says can "remove fasteners rounded up to 70%" and helps prevent fasteners from rounding any further. The wrenches have a long panel build for increased leverage, while all the components are made with a rust-resistant, gunmetal-chrome finish. Each socket and wrench has its size engraved in a way that's easy to read.

The Craftsman Overdrive 284-Piece Mechanics Tool Set has product code CMMT99284 and sells for $379.99. That's much more expensive than the brand's similar-sized Versastack 230-piece tool set, so ensure your need to tackle extra tight and stubborn fasteners is worth it. On top of that, despite the fact that Craftsman is owned by American company Stanley Black & Decker, these hand tools are made in Taiwan and may be subject to stiff tariffs. However, if for whatever reason, the tools don't live up to their bombastic "Overdrive" label, you can rest assured that the set is backed by a lifetime warranty.