ezzysi
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,189
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Sorry to be boring but... another vote for halfords pro/Advanced. Don't bother with that all in one chest you've posted up, you'll regret it pretty damn quick ! I bought cheap tools when I was a young whipper snapper and they're all long gone now, where as the snap-on (bought before I discovered half' pro) and the halfords pro stuff I now have I've had for years and expect them to last decades more. Its an old cliche, but tools really are an investment, buy cheap and you'll buy twice
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1991 Mk2 Golf Gti 8v 2005 Passat tdi (daily) 1971 Mk1 Escort 2004 Touran (her's)
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halfords pro r good except the ratchets .....they WILL break ....ive had three different sets over the years ..i have millions of sockets but none of the original ratchets!!!!
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The Halfords Advanced kit that Bruce mentioned is an ideal starter set. Later on get yourself a tool chest and start filling it with the other useful tools
Quite a few Rally boys have that set for their service vehicles
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Thanks. Looks like I'm sold. Shall have a gander over to Halfords later then
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bortaf
Posted a lot
Posts: 4,549
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Halfords pro again just buy a decent box cos the plastic ones fall appart, i'm on me 3rd box now and teh newer they are the kless the carry so t'm down to 120 odd bits from 150 (some sit in odd places in the box and some live elsewhere), can not fault it TBH, broke one ratchet in 10 years
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R.I.P photobucket
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wallopadonkey
Part of things
stunning grinder! curse word welder!
Posts: 234
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halfords pro! i have 6 or so sets got the basic pro screw drivers, the hammer through ones, the 150,100 advanced the 1/4 drive 36 piece set, and the big daddy 3/4 drive set, the only problem i have had in 5 or so years since i started buying it is a ratchet spanner spat its guts out and that was replaced there and then by the store dave
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1983 mini city e 1985 miny Mayfair 1997 Audi a4 tdi 2003 gsxf 750
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Beware Halford's ratchet spanners. While they're a godsend, they're also wibblepoo. I've had three sets, most have been stolen, but the ratchet mechanism goes after a bit (goes completely loose) and the swivel head ones just loose their 'tightness'. They're about 40 quid for a set of 5 - 6 as well. Does anyone know of a decent brand that does these that aren't afraid of being used?
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Beware Halford's ratchet spanners. While they're a godsend, they're also wibblepoo. I've had three sets, most have been stolen, but the ratchet mechanism goes after a bit (goes completely loose) and the swivel head ones just loose their 'tightness'. They're about 40 quid for a set of 5 - 6 as well. Does anyone know of a decent brand that does these that aren't afraid of being used? aslong as you don't use them for the initial undo or the final tighten up and just use them when you arent putting much "tweak" on it then they are fine
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CIH
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,466
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Sealey socket sets in the metal boxes are the best in my opinion. I like Halfords Pro spanners purely for the shape and the way they feel but I've had to put them through their paces recently and found they mangle up when you really push them. Not acceptable in my opinion, and I have to take them in for replacement under their 'lifetime warranty', but I don't know what to suggest instead. We'll see. I would agree with this. My snap-on stuff can do stuff my earlier halfords advanced stuff couldn't. A lifetime warranty dopesn't necessarily mean it's a good tool. Having said that, I work in the trade and only use Snap-On because it's handy having the van round every week for when stuff does eventually break. For DIY I'd be looking at Signet and Sykes.
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rhys15
Part of things
Posts: 15
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Didn't know about 'lifetime guarantee' on that stuff.
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rhys15
Part of things
Posts: 15
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Didn't know about 'lifetime guarantee' on that stuff. Yep If you click on the description it says in big letters with a tick. i think it is some sort of new range called "advanced" and all of the stuff has a lifetime guarantee.
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Last Edit: Dec 5, 2010 14:41:36 GMT by rhys15
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ims
Posted a lot
Yaaaaaarrrrrrrrr
Posts: 1,055
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We've got one of those halfords pro kits in our van for recovery work spot on for the cash! don't buy that 50quid set as its dire!
If you could stretch to it i'd recommend the teng 350quid technicians kit old mans had his 14 years and its still as good as the day he got it.
i use a combination of halfords pro mac and snap on at work
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1993 Rs2o0o
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misteralz
Posted a lot
I may drive a Volkswagen, but I'm scene tax exempt!
Posts: 2,342
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Beware Halford's ratchet spanners. While they're a godsend, they're also wibblepoo. Does anyone know of a decent brand that does these that aren't afraid of being used? I've bought a few sets from Costco made by a company called 'Mastergrip' - they've been brilliant, reasonably cheap and have a lifetime warranty.
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chris3
Part of things
Posts: 125
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When I was working in the trade my guru allways said a high quality ratchit was your first purchase, snap on or similar. Then get a good selection of really good screwdrivers.
Sockets on a rail can't be beaten, though I've used a mix of lesser quality sockets of all brands for years without a problem - just make sure you don't go putting cheap sockets on the end of air tools!
Chest type toolboxes are lovely but I survived for many years with old barn type boxes, cheaper and the tolls inside are more important than the holder.
Oh I'd recommend a Snap on breaker bar as well.
My 21st present was a giant compressor....still going strong.
Happy birthday.
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Volvo 440 Disco TD5 Disco V8 Jag XJ8
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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: 11,714
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Tool ChoiceDez
@dez
Club Retro Rides Member 34
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Beware Halford's ratchet spanners. While they're a godsend, they're also wibblepoo. I've had three sets, most have been stolen, but the ratchet mechanism goes after a bit (goes completely loose) and the swivel head ones just loose their 'tightness'. They're about 40 quid for a set of 5 - 6 as well. Does anyone know of a decent brand that does these that aren't afraid of being used? ive got the newest style advanced set, 8pc set 8-19mm, and not had a problem with them despite serious abuse- breaker bars and hammers on them, etc. ive had them a year so far. you can tighten the pins too once they go sloppy, theyres an allen key hole in the end, turn it to tighten then peen over the opposite end some more with a punch to keep it tight (they're like that as standard to stop them unscrewing). for sockets I use a mix of sealey, britool, gedore, and snap-on. the sealey ones were a cheap multi coloured set I was expecting to be curse word, but have turned out to be really good, its a 12-24mm face-drive set which I regularly use on the impact gun and I havent broken one yet- ive had those at least 3 years. my spanners are mostly teng with a few gedore, britool, snap-on, blue point etc. teng make the best spanners by miles, a set is worth the investment. note when I say britool I mean old school 50s/60s/70s britool, NOT the new stuff which is as curse word as anything. most of my AF stuff is geodore and britool. its all so old most of the chrome has worn off, it was my grandads set, he was a plant engineer and its all 40-50 years old and still going strong. my ratchet was a teng but ive just buggered it, (too much plastic involved in its construction), thats after I buggered a snap-on one. they may sell em as lifetime warranty, but if your snap-on mans a c0ck thats not much use- I had to speak to the head of uk customer services to get the ratchet mech replaced, and it took nearly 3 months so ive gotta get a new one, will probly get a halfords one tbh as I can walk in the shop and get a new mech over the counter even on a sunday for 3 quid. that alone is a big factor to consider- id rather pay 3 quid and have it fixed immediately so i can use it rather than get it done free but it take 3 months of arguing. as has been said by others, snap-on is on the whole, a total waste of money. after the saga with the ratchet I had, ile badmouth them everywhere I can. ive got a snapped in half 3/4">1/2" drive adapter here I should get replaced, but to be honest I cant be arsed to deal with their incompetence so itll stay in the drawer broken. the reason people buy snap on is they can get it on tick from the van every week when they cant actually afford to buy tools. if youre buying outright, don't bother. saying that, they make the best screwdrivers- halfords ones are rubbish. machine mart has also just revamped the entire range of clarke stuff, it used to be utter sh1te but some of the new range is quite good, especially the 1/4" drive kits they do. only buy the pro branded stuff though not the cheaper options, they're just as bad as before!!
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Last Edit: Dec 6, 2010 10:47:26 GMT by Dez
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A decent breaker bar and air tool sockets will save your ratchet tools, just use them to break off tight stuff and ratchet them afterwards, spanners and ratchets are designed to only apply the right amount of torque to a nut or bolt, thats why smaller sizes are shorter lengths and give you less leverage, its misuse that breaks most tools.
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Volvo back as my main squeeze, more boost and some interior goodies on the way.
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Something else to think about getting - 6 sided sockets.
I can't sing enough praise about the Halfords Pro/Advanced 150pc socket set....but only the impact sockets are 6 sided. While this isn't generally a problem for 95% of what you do, having a rail of 6 sided sockets (poss in 1/4, 3/8 AND 1/2) is always going to prove invaluable for those really stuck bolts that you can't get a windy gun onto....and these are the sort of bolts you really don't need rounded off with the 12 sided sockets.
If they are hard to get at anyway, the last thing you want to be dealing with is a hard a to get to bolt which the head now resembles something far from a hexagon.
That reminds me, I need to invest in some myself!
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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: 11,714
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Tool ChoiceDez
@dez
Club Retro Rides Member 34
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good point bruce. all of my sockets are 6 sided, if i need a 12 point(some crank nuts and driveshafts have those funny 12-point nuts) i actually have to go into the 'big box of disposable tools' to find one. this is another good point, just cos youve got good tools don't throw the cheap curse word stuff away, it can be handy having some rubbish sockets to hammer onto knackered locking wheelnuts and weld onto rounded off bolts then chuck it once its got the job done, saving your good stuff a similar fate. i don't use any 3/8" drive either, i find it ether too flimsy for the task at hand so use 1/2" or 3/4", or too bulky for the space so use 1/4". and its true, you'll only really break tools misusing them, but tbh, you will end up misusing something at some point to get the job done, as a broken too but a fixed car is better than a ok tool but a still-broken car, as at least you can then drive down to halfords to get it replaced on warranty
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scruff
Part of things
Posts: 621
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Best thing about halfords tools is the yoof on the counter guarding the warranty... I used one of my torx bits in my halford 150 piece kit to hammer into the stuck driveshaft bolts on the Porker, after working for 11 of 12 it finally snapped off.
The ratchet end was all mushroomed over and all the chrome was flaking off... he didn't bat an eyelid and swapped it straight away without question.
There is a fair bit that doesn't get used (Most of the imperial stuff and most of the torx bits) but pretty much all the metric stuff has been used.
Also in 7 years I've not lost any of it which is testament to how I've looked after it! the case is bulky but makes me go looking for missing sockets before packing up!!
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1994 Lotus Esprit - Fragile red turbo with pop up lights. 1980 Porsche 924 - Fragile red turbo with pop up lights.
I spy a trend...
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