20Pcs Tap and Die Set

The size range is what distinguishes this from the twelve piece set, and the extra sizes are at the small end — M3, M4 and M5, along with M7 and M9. That matters more than it might seem. Small threads are where most thread damage happens, because small fasteners are easy to over-tighten and small threads in aluminium or die-cast housings strip readily. A workshop that can only repair M6 and above will find itself stuck on exactly the jobs that come up most: a stripped M4 in an equipment housing, an M5 in a bracket, an M3 in an instrument.

Nine sizes covering M3 to M12 is a genuinely useful spread for general workshop and vehicle work, and having a die to match every tap means both halves of a joint can be made or repaired.

Where hand threading earns its keep is in not waiting. A stripped hole can be drilled out, tapped to the next size up and fitted with a larger bolt. A bolt that is too long can be shortened and re-threaded. A stud can be made from plain rod. Threads full of rust, paint or thread-lock can be chased clean so a fastener runs in freely rather than being forced — which is how they strip in the first place.

Both holders are included, and neither tool functions without one: a tap needs a wrench on its square drive to be turned squarely with two hands, and a die needs a stock to hold it concentrically and square.

It is high quality alloy steel.

The buyers are engineering and machine shops, vehicle, motorcycle and three-wheeler mechanics, maintenance and plant fitters, agricultural workshops, appliance and equipment repairers, technical training, and hardware dealers.

Three habits, and they matter most on the small sizes this set adds. Use cutting oil generously — dry cutting tears the thread and blunts the tool. Back off half a turn for every turn forward to break the chip. And ease off the force on small taps: an M3 tap is a fragile thing, it snaps with very little provocation, and a broken tap in a hole is far harder to remove than a stripped thread is to repair. Message us on WhatsApp for a price.