Tools

[boss]

im using halfords pro and bluepoint stuff
ive been told that the blue point stuff is just re branded snap-on stuff.....weather this is true or not i dont know but its still good stuff.

[stuntman]

I will ONLY use BETA.

Quality brand, used across the world and the tool of choice for the Ferrari F1 team and any other Ferrari motorsport venture.

Oh and I'm a Beta trader so that helps :)

Same lifetime promises as snap on. And not vastly overpriced.

[ben_haynes]

list in order of Expense

Snap-on the Best but Very Expensive

Mac tools - second best also very expensive

facom - very strong Well made and slightly cheaper than above

blue point - Snap-on quality cheaper price

Signet - Great Quality, fairly strong same warranty as snap-on and mac

Halfords Pro - Made By signet

teng - strong screwdriver bits and sockets but spanners and rachets can be prone to failure

Sealey - decent quality but tend to have failures on spanners and ratchets


not used Beta so cant say how they work

[carbore]

I also rate Halfords Pro as I have various ones that have been reliable over 5 years + recently got a Trade card and as most other places are closed on sunday they get my vote, I think they are good value.

Draper are OK but only the expert or standard stuff, the Draper Value is not good although I have one of there tool sets in the back of the car that I use to take legs and wheels of tabels etc so they fit in the back. I did have a draper side cutter explode on me once mind you.

Avoid Rolson and Blackspur, frequently sold at car boots, markets and unfortunatley some inependent Iron Mongers. That said if its not a load bearing item, like tweezers or such.

A great place to pick up superb kit is auctions and farm sales. I got a few boxes of rusty tools containing huge king dick spanners, 1/2 in long handle elora ratchets and a good quality breaker bar. Also various other vintage spanners (unfortunatley got cucked by mother in law during a put the wrong bin out.

I cant decide about Tool Zone stuff seems to be very common and I haev ended up buying it in a hurry. Most of it isnt very good so id rather avoid it.

Stanley is good, great screwdrivers.

Black and decker can be ok, but the cheap end, especially the christmas gimmick gift stuff is poor.

I reckon clarke is variable, I doubt they make all or any of thier stuff so quality depends on the factory they source it from, I frequently see stuff wiht various badges what is obviously the same item. I have some of teh clarke top end air tools and impact sockets and they feel fine.

I think seaey are similar but make more of thier own kit or at least have a key supplier thats good enough quality for the average home user.

[stuntman]

Sanp on have had some high profile law suits in America due to injury caused by failing tools. I know this isn't indicative of poor quality but over the years they have started producing some poor quality item, compared to the snap on 'classic' stuff.

If you can get second hand snap on mate, go for that. I would.

[solihull-mick]

From a trade point of view, as i use my tools every day, snap on is the only one i use, not cheep and not as good as they used to be , but wouldnt use anything else,

[TechnoTurkey]

I've got a selection of the halfords pro stuff and quite happy with all of it.  The problem usually for me is the person holding the tools!

[Disco Matt]

My other thought is one of buying decent ratchet handles, but cheaper sockets. I come from a family of amateur mechanics and I don't think any of us have ever broken a socket, but cheap handles aren't usually nice to use, and that's the point of contact between you and the tool so to speak.

By "cheaper" I mean £15 Sealey, not £5 dodgy!

[lee celtic]

I Have a set of teng spanners set of teng screw drivers and a set of teng 3/8 drive sockets I've had them 12 years and swear by them .

I also trawl the car boot for snap on , facom, britool ,king dick ,elora(old stuff) and Beta .

My lovely wife bought me a 3/4" draper set for xmas  :dance: it's great for the big stuff  on the disco :clap: :clap:

[auf_wiedersehen_pet]

What ever you buy, dont buy anything that from draper.

I have a 30 year old Draper socket set. Not a single problem! Only added a different ratchet as the original is not very ergonomic.

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

Semtex.
A very useful bit of kit to have at the bottom of the toolbox. It shifts those most stubborn bolts, although it might make you somewhat unpopular with the neighbours.

[ben_haynes]

Semtex.
A very useful bit of kit to have at the bottom of the toolbox. It shifts those most stubborn bolts, although it might make you somewhat unpopular with the neighbours.

i should be ok then my neibours dont like me anyway they always moaning and reporting me to the counsil and police for things i have never and will never do

[davidlandy]

dont forget good old 'King dick'  got some rather large spanners and a 3/8 socket set of theirs and its old and great !

[ben_haynes]

dont forget good old 'King dick'  got some rather large spanners and a 3/8 socket set of theirs and its old and great !

yes i have a few of these they were all my dads then he passed them on to me but before that they came from both my grandads and they have been used as hammers and spanners they are HUGE

[KingWolf]

I have a rather large tool box full of Teng and I swear by them also. I've never had a single issue with any of there kit. I'd recommend them to anyone.

Mark.

[ben_haynes]

I have a rather large tool box full of Teng and I swear by them also. I've never had a single issue with any of there kit. I'd recommend them to anyone.

Mark.

do you use them day in, day out???? if not then they will be good but if they are used all day every day like mine then they tend to wear out and fail,

[Disco Matt]

Interesting that someone mentioned Rolson (in terms of "don't"  :lol: ). I have one giant adjustable spanner of theirs which I have yet to find a use for apart from holding the other end of towbar bolts while torquing them up. However, it was £8 and looks impressive in the toolbox...  :dance:

[carbore]

Another issue is dont abuse tools, no matter how good.  My halford's pro ratchet is now a bit iffy due to me putting an extension tube on it, or whacking it with a hammer. Im older and wiser now and only use breaker bars or long handled ratchets that are designed for that level of use.

Another brand im not sure about is US Pro, seem to be sold at car shows etc. seem ok and I have some very nice high cobolt drills by them, but sometimes they seem too cheap.

[KingWolf]

I have a rather large tool box full of Teng and I swear by them also. I've never had a single issue with any of there kit. I'd recommend them to anyone.

Mark.

do you use them day in, day out???? if not then they will be good but if they are used all day every day like mine then they tend to wear out and fail,

They don't get used every day - Just on weekends when I need to fix something I've broke on one of either my cars or one of my mates. Some of my teng stuff is getting on for 6-7 years old now and they still perform as good now as they did on day one. But I do tend to look after my tools very well and only ever use them for there intended purpose. You'll never see me putting an extension tube on the end of a ratchet...lol

Mark.

[lee celtic]

I like the finish on the teng stuff it's not so slippy when oily , it's sort of shot blast but smooth finished.. not like the very shiney snap on or halfrauds pro...

[Manicminer]

I have recently started to buy some tools from BAHCO.
I have a large adjustable and a 40 piece socket set and some spanners.

[lee celtic]

Bahco are they the ones with the fish on them???

if they are I have a couple of ajustables and a Hacksaw from them very good tools...

[Manicminer]

Yes - a fish and a hook

[mm77]

I also rate Halfords Pro as I have various ones that have been reliable over 5 years + recently got a Trade card and as most other places are closed on sunday they get my vote, I think they are good value.

How did you get on getting a trade card from Hellfords, i tried the Rhyl branch and told to forget it, then the Chester store and had no problems, but don't do the trade card for the pro range of tools :(

[Mudlark]

I do like the Bacho tools Now have a 1/2" socket set to add to my original tools I bought with their name — can't really fault them

[carbore]

I got my card by asking, bloke new me as I bought a sprog seat the day before. HE said "are you trade" I said no, but iv got a farm, with loads of cars and machinery etc. I dont think he minded

They have an offer on where you buy a set of pro sockets/ratchets and get a free tool case worth about £130 (sockets are about £140)

Very good deal if someone is looking to start off. Also those nice ratchet spanners are still half price.

[MrTFWitt]

My first ever socket set was a Halfords 1/2 inch starter set as a present when I got my first car in about 1984.
I still have most of it although the ratchet suffered last year undoing 32mm wheel nuts with me jumping on it.

Most of the rest are Halfords professional and used for odd repairs and servicing, certainly not heavy use but I'm confident that they usually dont jump off the nut/bolt when I do have to put a bit of effort into moving a fastener.

The only brand I have not got on well with is Ting-Ting.
A bag of chinese spanners got mixed in with the tools, these were bought to do a roadside fanbelt fit as the only set available in a Welsh newsagents/motoring store.
They were fine for this and went in the boot until getting put in with proper tools during a tidy up.

Not sure what brand they were but when I used one by mistake to try and remove a bolt not moved in about 15 years it neatly removed every corner of the head like a hot knife though butter.

As it bounced down the garden path followed by a tirade of abuse it made a melodious Ting-Ting-Ting sound hence the name.
More use as a wind chime if I ever find it again though its probably rusted away by now.

[Disco Matt]

The other occasional source of good stuff would be Aldi. Some of the stuff is rubbish but you can also find things worth buying, like the set of ratchet spanners, tap and die kit, and the "mouse"- type sander I've bought there over the past couple of years.

Another issue is dont abuse tools, no matter how good.  My halford's pro ratchet is now a bit iffy due to me putting an extension tube on it, or whacking it with a hammer. Im older and wiser now and only use breaker bars or long handled ratchets that are designed for that level of use.

You can get repair/overhaul kits for the Halfords Pro ratchets, may be worth a look.

[Gav_T]

I have got a 1/4" drive teng set in a little blow molded case. I abuse it more than i really should, over using the 13mm when really i should be using the 1/2" drive. Real nice quality really and it was free too  :dance:

Also have got the large halfords socket set which seems fairly good too.

I bought a cheapo set of spanners from the local army surplus, £12.50 for 10mm to 24mm and they seem right good for what i do with them.

Also have a stash of 1960's king dick spanners which seem brill.

Gavin.

[carbore]

I also avoid JCB and RAC, Had a JCB  "tough workshop" 4way socket that broke before id even used it as i dropped it from waste height. Correct me if im wring but all JCB stuff looks like they got the cheapest rubbish they could find and stuck a JCB sticker on it (except the diggers) RAC is the same rebranded tat ( IMHO)


I also avoid Challenge and Challenge extreme like the plague (usually found at argos then car boot sales)

And I hate anything camo or balck for "outdoor use" anyone who spend time outdoors knows that if you drop something back or cammo in a field at dusk then thats it lost, unless you tread on it. The idea of a camoflage torch to me is madness! (even if you or me for that matter is out shooting cammo for clothes, orange for gadgets!)