tonup
Part of things
Posts: 39
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,744
Club RR Member Number: 34
|
Recommend spanner sets?Dez
@dez
Club Retro Rides Member 34
|
|
I forgot to say, it's flex head ones I want, as close as possible to the halfords design, as they're the ones I've found to be best for me/most useful, after tryin g a few types. I have some of the fixed head halfords ones, but they're limited in their usefulness.
I've had teng ratchet spanners and tbh I thought they were poor. The little reverse lever isn't something I like either.
So that pretty much narrows it down to the facom and the gearwrench ones. Neither offer what I would call a comprehensive range of sizes though when they stop at 3/4"
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 16, 2016 11:46:07 GMT
|
I suppose you might deal with American cars and bits Dez , why not try one of the suppliers to see if they sell anything or see if they can import some ?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 16, 2016 20:50:06 GMT
|
Forgot about Cromwell tools,
They do a professional range so may be worth a sniff...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 16, 2016 23:53:34 GMT
|
I suppose you might deal with American cars and bits Dez , why not try one of the suppliers to see if they sell anything or see if they can import some ? Yeah they must be easier to source in the US,stuff we don't see here much like Matco,Napa,Williams,Armstrong,Proto etc.Shipping and duty kills it for price though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2016 12:36:36 GMT
|
I'm only a novice car tinkerer but a semi-exbert pushbike builder..... I know my cycling tools and my dad was an engineer and taught me about decent tools.
I've just bought my first decent socket/spanner set from Halfords (60pc set, half price plus 10% off) and they do seem like very good quality. I would like some of their ratchet wrenches too, keep a look out as they often go 1/2 price - sign up to their email alerts too as they often do 10% flash sales.
|
|
The Millenium Volcon"Get yourself a Volvo if that's what you really want, you might be dead next year. In the meantime, you could be going sideways in a gigantic land barge."
|
|
omega
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,060
|
|
Jan 18, 2016 22:05:43 GMT
|
ive got some new Halfords pro brand af sockets if any one wants to buy them
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There are plenty of things Silverline sell that I regularly sell to professional customers without worry or returns - measuring jugs, magnetic trays, some hammers, spanners, (their stubby ratchet spanners are stupidly good, whatever factory they came from!) and a few others. Airspeed - Are these the stubby ratchet spanners you mention above? Silverline 199916 Stubby Ratchet Spanner Set 8-19 mm - 7 PiecesSorry, distracted in the shed! Yes, those are the ones. As I say, really well made for the price and being stubby it's difficult to get enough leverage to cause a problem if the fit isn't perfect - but with these spanners I really couldn't see a problem at all. I certainly feel no need to spend more on a branded set, and I have a history of duplication.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dez, the Facom ratchet spanners certainly ain't cheap, but they are just fantastic. Peerless fit, outstanding finish, comfortable in the hand, and a watch-like ratchet. I positively look forward to using mine, and I have them in both metric and imperial sizes. I can't say anything against Gearwrench though - I have a few of them and they are a very good tool, but a step down from the Facom.
There is a fairly clear divide between cheap tools and more expensive, quality brands, but it all depends on what you do with them. For a DIY tinkerer cheaper tools will probably suffice if budget dictates, whereas if you are a regular spanner twirler then quality always wins - we all know that. What gets my goat however is when I watch people treating tools like scrap metal, regardless of brand. I have seen mates just throwing their spanners, ratchets, sockets etc on a concrete floor next to the job in amongst the dirt, grit, water, brake fluid etc, then complain when their tools look scruffy and worn. I keep sets for rougher use (scrapyard visits etc) which are either cheaper tools or incomplete sets, and these do get used in poor conditions but are cleaned and oiled as needed before being put away. I then have a general maintenance set of quality tools for day to day use, and the set for fitting up the freshly painted and rebuilt projects where only the best tools get used. The only reason I have all these is that I got older and better paid! As I have said, I still have most of my first Halfords set and my box charts my progress since, culminating in my predominately Facom habit today.
As an aside, don't get sucked into financing a muckle toolbox just to show off to your mates - spend the money on tools, projects and your other half instead as these will all improve your life. I use steel architects plan chests for tool storage - 54"x36" drawers on rollers and built to take the weight of lots of paper, which isn't light. I admit mine are static and are built under my workbenches, but they were less than £80 each and I have over 500 sq feet of tool storage space. If you do need a mobile chest, stainless rollcabs are on ebay for £500-700 and are of far higher quality than the painted branded steel ones you can buy for the price of a good car from your average tool van/merchant. I've sold half a dozen of these at work and they give zero problems.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ive never had a problem with my Craftsman set. Good quality, Imperial sizes. Cheap enough on Ebay.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 20, 2016 18:39:35 GMT
|
Dez, the Facom ratchet spanners certainly ain't cheap, but they are just fantastic. Peerless fit, outstanding finish, comfortable in the hand, and a watch-like ratchet. I positively look forward to using mine, and I have them in both metric and imperial sizes. I can't say anything against Gearwrench though - I have a few of them and they are a very good tool, but a step down from the Facom. There is a fairly clear divide between cheap tools and more expensive, quality brands, but it all depends on what you do with them. For a DIY tinkerer cheaper tools will probably suffice if budget dictates, whereas if you are a regular spanner twirler then quality always wins - we all know that. What gets my goat however is when I watch people treating tools like scrap metal, regardless of brand. I have seen mates just throwing their spanners, ratchets, sockets etc on a concrete floor next to the job in amongst the dirt, grit, water, brake fluid etc, then complain when their tools look scruffy and worn. I keep sets for rougher use (scrapyard visits etc) which are either cheaper tools or incomplete sets, and these do get used in poor conditions but are cleaned and oiled as needed before being put away. I then have a general maintenance set of quality tools for day to day use, and the set for fitting up the freshly painted and rebuilt projects where only the best tools get used. The only reason I have all these is that I got older and better paid! As I have said, I still have most of my first Halfords set and my box charts my progress since, culminating in my predominately Facom habit today. As an aside, don't get sucked into financing a muckle toolbox just to show off to your mates - spend the money on tools, projects and your other half instead as these will all improve your life. I use steel architects plan chests for tool storage - 54"x36" drawers on rollers and built to take the weight of lots of paper, which isn't light. I admit mine are static and are built under my workbenches, but they were less than £80 each and I have over 500 sq feet of tool storage space. If you do need a mobile chest, stainless rollcabs are on ebay for £500-700 and are of far higher quality than the painted branded steel ones you can buy for the price of a good car from your average tool van/merchant. I've sold half a dozen of these at work and they give zero problems. You only have to go on Ebay to see the whole Mac Tools / Snap On roll cabs for sale for 5k to realise some people go over the top .
|
|
|
|