What tools?

[bluemk1]

ok so its time to upgrade the old socket set. whats everyones recommendations?

i hear snap on is just that these days, what about jbs? anything else worth mentioning? im all ears :D

[Slain]

i use sidchrome cos snap on was too expensive for me.
never had a problem with them.

[Hillsy]

I got a set of Stanley 3/8 drive sockets a few years back that are still going strong. I also got a set of Chinese ringspanners from SuperCrap about 15 years ago that I haven't been able to kill yet (I've used hammers and breaker bars on them too[:0]).

Just lucky with those I guess :D

[BM]

britool, teng tools, draper, Facom, Sykes

[EXBEN]

I buy tools that suit my needs Im not brand specific but I tend to stay away from the cheap cheap chinese rubbish. I use Brands like T&E, KC Tools, Kingchrome, Sidchrome, Stanley & even some Snap on & Starwille. I do have some chinese stuff but mainly because no one else makes that particular tool.
Even some of the brands I've mentioned have some crap so it pays to know what your looking for.
Oh & my favorites are still my Gearwrenches.;)

[Phill]

is this where i put in a free plug for Snap On ?

Nah Really,
Im a Snap On dealer and honestly, if you use the tools all the time and want good service life with great results and little chance of rounding off bolt / nut edges, use Snap On.
if there once only or rarely used go cheaper, kingchrome, sidchrome. stick clear of cheap chinese stuff cause it seems inevitable they will round off bolt.
As Exben said some stuff is only made by certain companys.
nearly all spanners and sockets come with a life time warranty, untill you try to get them replaced. some brands wont do it because the life of the tool is over, some brands take months and months to come to the party. Ive never had and of my warranty returns rejected by Snap On and always replaced them immediatly out of stock.
OLD saying about getting what you pay for really does apply in the tool market.
Cheers
Phill

[DiscoDan]

I've had nothing but joy out of a Bahco set set for several years now. They weren't stupidly expensive either which is a nice change for a good brand

[Tony OW31]

I used to buy only snap on, but the price is getting ott these days. I have tried various brands since, and I even made a jig to test jaw spread on open ended spanners. This is my take(spanners and sockets). Sidchrome are shit, jbs are shit, stahlwille are good but up there with snap on price wise, britool are quite good, as are bahco and gedore. The best value that are still decent quality that I have found are repco brand. They look and feel very similar to snap on, and the jaw spread on my jig was very close to snap on, and at the price you pay for them it's not a big deal when someone walks off with something and doesn't bring it back.

[_M_]

Also try tradetools own brand, good quality for the price, if your not using it everyday or everyother day then i can't justify the cost of snap-on / sidchrome etc.

[bluemk1]

ok so basicly unless i can get a great deal on snap on ill check out some of the other brands you guys have listed.

phill is this where we ask you to look after the streetfighters community and do us a great deal on some tools that we just cant refuse? :D

[Slain]

i have kc tools for work and find them good too.
you can throw a standard socket on a small rattle gun and havent had one break yet lol

[gixkat]

You mean your not spose to put standard sockets on yer rattle gun[:0]:D

[ej03]

I agree with Tony, try repco stuff i use to do alot of earthmoving repairs on site and they copped a lot of abuse and they are still in good condition. I snapped the jaw on a 11/16 once and it was replaced no questions asked. I didn't say it had 2 meters of pipe as a leaver at the time on it. All tools are fit fo purpose if you use a spanner twice a year, do you realy need to buy the most expensive you can find. Try buying a cheap set and replacing the sizes you use mostly with good quality stuff as time/budget allows. My set of spanners 1 1/2 inch to 2 inch are a chinese brand and they never let me down. But I never had a problen with cutting up my stuff (repco) to make special tools as needed. I'd just replace it later, try that with someone snapon tools and ?????????
Just my 2 cents worth if anyone is intrested.

[Pommy Chopper]

Bought Snap On for years, also got a pile of MAC stuff from UK, what fucks me off about Snap On is a lot of their stuff is made in China now but they charge top whack Snap On money for it, if i want Chinese shit i go to Tradetools.

Kingchrome is fine for home use i reckon.

Cheers

I'm sure Sidchrome have gone down in quality in the years:(, the set I got 18 years ago seems beefier (all still in great condition)....I bought a Bahco set last year and I'm quite happy with, it gets used daily for work and it's all good.The other good thing was the carry case for all ya bits and pieces and the swivel socket spanners too. The only let down was the 1/4" drive for the allen key sockets, 3/8" or 1/2" would have been better. Oh yeah and the four rattle gun sockets too. Not bad value for the odd $230

[camlark]

I've got a mix of stuff and found its good to have a quality set of spanners and a shitty set you can heat and bend for specialty apps. if you want quality that will fit places the cheap stuff wont, go snappy or stahlwillie if it's not so important go sidchrome kinchrome t&e gedore etc. if you want shit thats what you'll get. personally i think snap on is way way way over priced and you cant go past sidchrome for gp tools. the apprentice at work bought a set of snappy spanners and they cost more than my first car!

[JackTar]

I bought a set of super tool sockets bout ten year ago, never had an issue and I treat them like shit.

Tony is right i've always used Repco gear and never had any drama's with them even as a dumb shit apprentice so they can take heaps of abuse for a good price. I've even had sockets replaced after admitting i used them on a rattle gun lol

[miniman1]

All my tools are Kinchrome, they get used everyday and Ive NEVER had a problem with anything, they have life time warranty. Just go with what ur budget allows mate, and theres no point spending big on tools that wont get alot of use

[Phill]

Camlarks got it in one.
get a cheap set to start,Snap On does Blue Point stuff.Great quality and price is same as Kinchrome, Sidchrome,but fully warranted by Snap On.I reckon get a Snap On 10, 12, 13 etc etc for the most common bolts when the budget allows if you dont always use them.
Snap On Ratchets are the best on the market BAR NONE. Not just cause Im a dealer, I was a plant and Heavy truck mechanic for 20odd yrs before and someone mentioned pipe extensions before, trust me it works!! never fucked a ratched, worn one out and gear set was replaced as warranty. The new dual 80 series is super fine and strong, the 3/8" is good for 250+ ft lbs, from a ratchet thats about 6" long. Less than 4 deg arc in ratchet teeth, low torque so you dont have to always hold the socket on a not quite so loose bolt to stop it turning back.

Sorry, im doing the sales thingy now, Ill shut up. But yes Ill help you out on price if your serious, look on the web site www.snapon.com/au and let me know what you want.

[camlark]

defenantly, the ratchets do kick ass. especially the wobble head ones!!
quote:Originally posted by Phill

Camlarks got it in one.
get a cheap set to start,Snap On does Blue Point stuff.Great quality and price is same as Kinchrome, Sidchrome,but fully warranted by Snap On.I reckon get a Snap On 10, 12, 13 etc etc for the most common bolts when the budget allows if you dont always use them.
Snap On Ratchets are the best on the market BAR NONE. Not just cause Im a dealer, I was a plant and Heavy truck mechanic for 20odd yrs before and someone mentioned pipe extensions before, trust me it works!! never fucked a ratched, worn one out and gear set was replaced as warranty. The new dual 80 series is super fine and strong, the 3/8" is good for 250+ ft lbs, from a ratchet thats about 6" long. Less than 4 deg arc in ratchet teeth, low torque so you dont have to always hold the socket on a not quite so loose bolt to stop it turning back.

Sorry, im doing the sales thingy now, Ill shut up. But yes Ill help you out on price if your serious, look on the web site www.snapon.com/au and let me know what you want.

[chopiesel]

i have some repco spanners and alan keys, had them for 7 years now and they have proven to be very good, never rounded a bolt and iv abused them like all fuck and never bent, dented or even had any chrome come off.

[davio]

coupla things not mentioned so far ,, expensive spanners have a slimmer profile and better fit on the nut so when u can only get a poofteenth of a turn outta that impossible to see bolt deep in the bowels of ur bike , u will fall deeply in love with ur quality kit
second , dont buy a huge set , get blue point or snap on basic kit and then buy the rest in the other good brands mentioned above
lastly , my blue point ratchet spanner set was the joke of the brighton kwaka workshop (ie,waste of money etc.) but strangely i kept finding them on the other mechanics benches .and when my 10mm got broken new 1 handed over no paperwork or bullshit

[Rumbo]

Ive had this set for years. Just metric.
Good shit. Gone up in price now though.





http://www.streetfighters.com.au/forum/upload/35734064550966.jpg

[80s freak]

sidchrome have a conditional warranty. Be warned. A pain in the arse to get replaced. I use snap-on and blue point at work. And have a pretty full set of kinchrome at home very happy with them. As like teng tools too.

[OZ750L]

80's freak has picked up on the most important point I think. Check out the warranty conditions before you buy. Anything that doesn't have an unconditional warranty is always going to be a pain in the arse when it fails.

You guys are right about Sidchrome too. Got a couple sets that came to me from Dad (RIP mate) and the quality of them shits all over what's on the shelves now and we were never able to kill them. They musta been good cause the lowlives that stole the sets out of his dump truck in the Burdekin 20 years ago didn't miss any.

Then you get the current sidchrome and the clones. I haven't looked too hard at them but it looks like Sidchrome, JBS, Superworks Gold and Repco are all identical except for the name. They do a good job but aren't standout gear. It was interesting what Tony found in the results from his jig. I wouldn't have picked Repco to perform so well based on appearance.

Kinchrome, KC Tools, Stahl willie, Bacho and Geodore are all good in the limited experience I've had with them. Dad had a 15" Bahco shifter that just wouldn't die.

My little brother swears by Metrinch until he gets that bolt that you can't get a 12th of a turn on to move it then he goes back to the old Sidchromes.

I haven't had much to do with Blue Point and Snap-on but I've never heard any bitching about them either and usually the price is rationalized against the fact they have been bought for life. Doesn't change the fact there are some steep prices but I suppose you get what you pay for. Who else offers doorstep sales and service?

I agree with the others who recommend to buy the best you can afford in a kit big enough to service your regular needs and build from there. Doesn't hurt to pick over swap meets and secondhand dealers either.

If I had to pick tools for home use, I'd probably go for KC Tools (great satin finish) or Kinchrome. Pro use, I'd probably go Snap-on.

One thing that I do remember being told years ago by my uncle who's an A grade mechanic and worked on everything from heavy eathmoving and mining gear down to lawnmowers - never use an open ended spanner on a nut or bolt if you can use a socket or ring spanner. That little gem has stood me in good stead for many years and saved acres of skinned knuckles.

BTW most of his stuff is 30 year old Sidchrome which he WON'T lend. Not sure what any of his newer stuff is these days.

[Tony OW31]

quote:Originally posted by OZ750L

80's freak has picked up on the most important point I think. Check out the warranty conditions before you buy. Anything that doesn't have an unconditional warranty is always going to be a pain in the arse when it fails.

You guys are right about Sidchrome too. Got a couple sets that came to me from Dad (RIP mate) and the quality of them shits all over what's on the shelves now and we were never able to kill them. They musta been good cause the lowlives that stole the sets out of his dump truck in the Burdekin 20 years ago didn't miss any.

Then you get the current sidchrome and the clones. I haven't looked too hard at them but it looks like Sidchrome, JBS, Superworks Gold and Repco are all identical except for the name. They do a good job but aren't standout gear. It was interesting what Tony found in the results from his jig. I wouldn't have picked Repco to perform so well based on appearance.

Kinchrome, KC Tools, Stahl willie, Bacho and Geodore are all good in the limited experience I've had with them. Dad had a 15" Bahco shifter that just wouldn't die.

My little brother swears by Metrinch until he gets that bolt that you can't get a 12th of a turn on to move it then he goes back to the old Sidchromes.

I haven't had much to do with Blue Point and Snap-on but I've never heard any bitching about them either and usually the price is rationalized against the fact they have been bought for life. Doesn't change the fact there are some steep prices but I suppose you get what you pay for. Who else offers doorstep sales and service?

I agree with the others who recommend to buy the best you can afford in a kit big enough to service your regular needs and build from there. Doesn't hurt to pick over swap meets and secondhand dealers either.

If I had to pick tools for home use, I'd probably go for KC Tools (great satin finish) or Kinchrome. Pro use, I'd probably go Snap-on.

One thing that I do remember being told years ago by my uncle who's an A grade mechanic and worked on everything from heavy eathmoving and mining gear down to lawnmowers - never use an open ended spanner on a nut or bolt if you can use a socket or ring spanner. That little gem has stood me in good stead for many years and saved acres of skinned knuckles.

BTW most of his stuff is 30 year old Sidchrome which he WON'T lend. Not sure what any of his newer stuff is these days.


The modern sidchrome stuff is made in Taiwan, I bought a socket set for the people I work for a few years ago (policy is to buy Australian), and the quality was shit compared to the older ones (australian made) we already had.