Recommend spanner sets?

[twincam11]

Looking to get a good spanner set, up to 32mm for both mechanics and DIY (I've already got a sealy set 6-19mm)

So far have been looking at:

Sealy set 12 pc (20-32 link
Halfords 25pc set (they don't seem to do the professional lifetime warranty on this like the ratchet spanners)  £50 link
Neilsen 25pc Combination Metric (never heard of neilson?...) £30 ebay link
Draper £73 link
silverline £35  link

Any recommendations?

Cheers,

[skylinedave]

My personal view is i would rate the halfords over all of them for quality . And they might have the sale on soon .


Silverline i only rate as a get you out of schtum tool , i ahve a few bits and bobs but i don't expect them to last/they are showing wear/spreading .


Second to halfords would be draper .


Neilson the same as silverline, they may be ok but may not last .


Sealy pricy for the quality , not very well made .

[dazcapri]

Halfords or draper forget silverline or nielson

[`state]

Had a set of halfords spanners for about 10 years now and cant fault them at all. Really good quality and have taken some right abuse over the years too.

[hitman]

don't rule silverline out,ive had a set for last 7 years in my toolbox(fulltime mechanic)an they still goin strong with no problems

[gt]

halfords for me ,never had any problems with there stuff.

[dazcapri]

Jan 10, 2016 20:21:32 GMT hitman said:

don't rule silverline out,ive had a set for last 7 years in my toolbox(fulltime mechanic)an they still goin strong with no problems

Silverline seems to be a bit hit and miss some stuffs good some not so much,there's a guy on YouTube did a test between silverline and laser spanners the silverline's didn't fit as well as the laser cos they were too thick. Landrover toolbox is the channel if you want to have a look can't do a link because I'm on my phone

[binboy]

Had some of my Halfords spanners for years, I would say there the best set out of the four. Got a nice set of Britool Expert spanners of the Mac tool van at work for £60 the other week. Britool stuff is quite cheap on ebay even though its made in France now.

[Wilk]

Halfords or draper. As said earlier Silverline are ok as a get me out of the curse word or minimal use items

Alternatively, if you are on a budget look for an old set of Kamasa combination spanners. I've had mine for 35 years and they've been used for everything from full motorbike rebuilds to engine rebuilds and Landrover suspension.... Never faulted
The older Kamasa stuff was made in Germany as opposed to Taiwan for the recent products

[cobblers]

Everything Silverline and Nielsen make is complete garbage, you might get away with their spanners but they are just car boot tool stall level curse word. I've got silverline and nielsen stuff but only for light duty tools that you'll barely ever use and only expect them to last half a dozen uses. Absolute bottom of the barrel curse word.

Sealey is rebadged generic Chinese import stuff. Some of it isn't too bad but it's never "good", and they ask strong money for it.
Draper used to be fairly good but everything I've had off them in the last few years has felt like Sealey stuff in a blue case instead of a red case, and it cost more.

So basically we're left with Halfords, and their stuff is genuinely good. It's not as good as it was ten years ago, but they are still solid and dependable. They're a mainstream retail shop so they do mess about with the prices (double them for a week then claim 50% off) a bit but you wouldn't be disappointed with them.

I've had Halfords tools for the last 15 years and given them absolutely no mercy, and all I've broke is a couple of torx bits.

[mgbizzle]

Do you really need them? I have 20-32 Halfords socket set and have either gone and specifically bought a large size spanner if needed or used an adjustable. However out of the ones you've linked to I would also recommend the Halfords set, try and find someone with a trade card to make them even cheaper!

[ChasR]

Another one for Halfords Professional tools. They may not have the badge of some tools but they get the job done well. I have forgot how long we have had out socket set for but it has been spot on.

[igor]

Sidchrome.

[twincam11]

Thanks all for the great replies, think I will go with the halfords set, the reviews on their site echo comments here and there well priced, thanks again

[MiataMark]

I buy most of my tools from Machine Mart (or Screwfix) OK only amateur light use but good value. I've got a set of combination (ring/open) spanners from Machine Mart that have taken a lot of abuse.

[sasquar]

Would dissagree about silverline spanners being poor quality (although some of their other stuff is), although will grant you they are a little chunkier than snap on, mac, britool etc. For the sort of sizes you are asking about (assuming you are happy with your current sealey set) your only talking about using these as second spanners for the most part, or on their own with the bigger stuff. They will be absolutely fine, and to be honest probably come from the same chinese factory as the others.

The tools at work get abused and treated really badly. Over the years we've bought most makes, but keep coming back to the silverline stuff. Like I say, they tend to be a bit on the 'chunky' side, (I'm guessing this means they can not use as good a grade of steel to acheive the strength) but thats not an issue for us, and we've never broken one, although we have worn a few 19mm rings out to the point where they will no longer grip, but thats not the spanners fault!!

[loudandproud205]

I got some Silverline spanners that were like slim line spanners really good enjoy using them as much as my Facom ones, so when some came up on Amazon deals I bought them in an instance thinking they would be great to have in my barn box, the ones that turned up were utter curse word I gave them to my 6 year old son to put in his toolbox

[fordperv]

My silverline set has had an absolute pasting and still came back for more I've had them for a good few years now, I havnt managed to break or bend one yet, I can't fault them at all for the price

[deanyboy]

If you have a Costco membership their tools are really good quality/value. I have the ratchet spanner set and the massive socket set and both are well made. Plus on top of that you can always get it replaced when it breaks as Costco are great at returning items.

[igor]

For adjustable spanners it is hard to beat the original Crescent Tool Company ones from the US. I have a 15" Crescent that was my grandfather's and a cheap Chinese knockoff the same size that is half the weight but a lot less strong. I once managed to bend the Chinese one by using it as a wheelbrace extender and jumping on it. A Crescent won't bend in this extreme situation. I once broke a wheel stud off my TK Bedford with the Crescent and a long pipe extension because I didn't know then that they are lefthand thread on the left side.