what socket set?

[PGM316]

How does this one look? £50 235 bits!

Halfords tool set

I need a whole new took kit, every job I do ends up twice as hard after scratching round for the right/working tool.

I need one set that will do most jobs.

[yalan]

How does this one look? £50 235 bits!

Halfords tool set

For 21p a tool you're not going to get much. That set isn't a 'halfords professional' set & therefore no guarantees. Looking at it - lots of those pieces look like bargain bucket nastyness. I'm not someone who raves about 'Must Buy British 'cos everything else is rubbish' but that really is built to the lowest possible cost. I wouldn't go near.

Ha - in answer to a question - the Halfords 'web team' described this set 'A: Although this set is not designed for long term or heavy use.......'

For a tenner more you can get this 90pc set but even better is the 150pc as previosly suggested. But that is £99.

[PGM316]

Thanks for the advice, I shall avoid that set. I suppose its a case of quality not quantity!

I'll definitely consider the £99 kit.

[scottydog]

i also use kennedy sockets at work and home. cant fault the kit tbh. good value and strong. i bought a britool 1/2" ratchet though as the kennedy one looks and feels horrid.

cromwells stock them.

these are what sets i have

http://www.cromwell.co.uk/KEN5827991K

http://www.cromwell.co.uk/KEN5824897K

http://www.cromwell.co.uk/KEN5827995K

not too expensive but tough enough for breaker bars and scaffold tube extensions;)

i know its not reccomended but i have used them on the impact gun a couple of times( battery operated and air operated) when i couldnt find to correct size impact socket

hth

scott

[gti-90]

thanks for all the info.

i am looking for more of a dedicated socket set so that i should get more bang for my buck.

i already have nearly every "other" type of tool.

though after all the suggestions the halfords pro kit is looking to be the one. or a teng tools big set.

i would like snap on or bluepoint etc. but it wont be worked enough to justify it.

many thanks for all the suggestions.

[Ratty43]

It's a long shot but a couple of months ago my local B&Q had all their sockets on clearance, managed to buy the complete range fro 8mm to 30mm for about £25. The quality is very good indeed, if you can't find them then you'd do well to go with the Halfords professional stuff, I've got a few bit's of kit from them that I use every day for workand have yet to find a problem.

[JJB Serenity]

I've got the halfords set too and its done me ok so far. I am a bit pony when it comes to this mechanics stuff so my tools tend to get abused and they've not let me down yet.

[M&S]

Must say I would have agreed with Keneddy tools and used to recommend them, but my 1/4" drive socket set purchased recently (2 years ago) is rubbish. Broken most of it except teh sockets with little effort

Britool have some good winter oiffers on at the moment, check out their webiste, I'd happily have Halfords Pro but if I could get Britool for teh same money I would.

[lawrence]

I have the smaller halfords professional set and just bought the extra sockets sizes that I might need to through in the tool box that lives in the car. You can buy the individual proffesional sockets and a reasonable price and everything marked profesional comes with the lifetime guarentee. Never let me doen and i'm a little heavy handed.

[simonr]

I was looking for a tool kit to keep in my 110. I used to gave a cheap Draper set with 3/8" sockets and a selection of spanners in useful sizes - but none of the junk like subminature 5 lobe torx tips that most sets use to make up the total number of tools. I bought it perhaps 20 years ago - but lost it a few years ago when my 90 caught fire!

It seems that these days it's hard to find combination sets that are not huge and contain 50% junk tools! Any ideas?

Si

[garymorris]

I was looking for a tool kit to keep in my 110. I used to gave a cheap Draper set with 3/8" sockets and a selection of spanners in useful sizes - but none of the junk like subminature 5 lobe torx tips that most sets use to make up the total number of tools. I bought it perhaps 20 years ago - but lost it a few years ago when my 90 caught fire!

It seems that these days it's hard to find combination sets that are not huge and contain 50% junk tools! Any ideas?

Si

Si

I have this set in my 110 and to be fair I think it's spot on , It's handy having AF size spanners&sockets aswell as metric ideal for working on something with the green oval on

Cheers

Gary

[Christophers1247]

I use either britool, facom or sealey but you get what you pay for. Sealey stuff is ok under normal use but won't stand up to any kind of abuse. Britool stuff is good (in my opinion) I work in heavy plant repair and after over 7 years of hard abuse I still have my original 1/2 inch britool socket set in full working order.

[PGM316]

Si

I have this set in my 110 and to be fair I think it's spot on , It's handy having AF size spanners&sockets aswell as metric ideal for working on something with the green oval on

Cheers

Gary

Nice set, found that online for £156, but the more choice I get the more I struggle....

How does the Tend set compare to Halfords professional?

[garymorris]

Nice set, found that online for £156, but the more choice I get the more I struggle....

How does the Tend set compare to Halfords professional?

the Teng set is very handy because it's got the pliers ,snips,mole grips etc ,etc and also it's got some AF sockets and spanners which again is very handy . It's really useful to carry as a tool kit in your landy or if you're doing a job outside where you don't want to cart a big toolbox around .

The Halfords set is also very good IMHO , so I suppose it depends what you are after ?

Of course you know the easily solution is to buy both after all it is christmas

Cheers

Gary

[stumonkey17]

I received a small set of 12 teng sockets as an introductory offer for a subscription to a well known lr magazine a few years ago. Even when using them with cheaper ratchets they have worked brilliantly. I also still use a set I bought from halfords 16 years ago and although they aren't marked professional the ratchets and sockets are still working (although they don't seem to click much any more). Very solid kit even after a lot of long term abuse.

[yalan]

I like teng and that mobile set does look good.

I was given a halfords set as my first kit in 1994. Since then I've built up a good set from a few different brands.

My reckoning is:

Halfords professional - unbeatable value & with lifetime guarantee & local shops open 7 days you just can't go wrong.

Teng - good range but lacking the 'industrial edge'. My circlip pliers are just too weedy for the job designed for.

Facom - my 2nd choice - have some awesome 'hex-plus' allen keys for +10 years and they beat my snap-on versions anytime.

Old Britool - before the modern relaunch - awesome heavy duty kit.

New Britool - Very good value for money but lacking the Halfords convenience & warranty.

Old Kamasa - Found a kamasa screwdriver in my old landy in 1994. Nothing will damage it! Doesn't look much but very robust.

Snap-On - I'm yet to break anything. Halfords is great knowing it can be replaced on a Sunday - but it better not to have anything break in the 1st place. Very expensive but does last a lifetime. Some bargains on eBay.

Blue-Point - Not had much luck with the lesser Snap-on brands. Have had failures from both BluePoint & eurotools.

Vice-Grip - Awesome for self locking pliers. Snap-on don't bother making their own version but sell Vice grip instead.

Sealey - Fair build quality but nothing outstanding. My sealy tools work but are obviously built to a budget.

Halfords 150pc set is an awesome starting point.

And don't get me started on torque wrenches - getting my snap-on one recalibrated cost more than buying a brand new certified one from Halfords. And those halfords ones are very nice indeed considering how little they cost.

[ballcock]

Halfords are giving an extra 10% off till tomorrow night if you buy online I'm not sure if this includes reserve & collect, Should bring the 150 piece set down to £90 seems like a bargain at that price. Tempted to get another myself.

[atlas2]

One brand I haven't seen mention is Bahco... had a variety of their stuff over the years, got one of these sets http://www.screwfix.com/prods/41254/Hand-Tools/Sockets-Hex-Hex-Keys/Sockets-Hex/Bahco-Socket-Spanner-Combination-Set-94Pcs in the van for work, supplamented with a 18" breaker bar, nice stuff...

Ben

[Guest]

I have a halfords pro set well two of them one for 18 years now and one for 4 years have never had a problem on the rare occasion when bits have broken, lost a couple of bits and picked up replacements from ebay. However one thing I would recommend to add almost as a must would be their ratchet spanner set it has been a great addition to the socket set.

[cackshifter]

The old Stahlwille and Elora stuff is pretty reasonable too. Those Germans know how to make good tools, but I try to get old Britool stuff if possible.

Nigel

[Vit rich]

Recently ive gone with Snap on more and more, as its getting cheaper second hand and despite what anyone says its still up there with the very best. Admittedly im not a fan of there other products, such as impact wrenches and the like, i think there overpriced and abit crappy, but there hand tools are very hardwearing and very high quality. Teng are my next choice, relatively cheap for pro quality tools, and they have some really nice ideas. And finally Britool, i haven't bought any of there newer stuff but the older 1/4" ratchet set i have is one of my favourite tool sets in my box.

As for halfords, my dad uses them aswell as a few other mates and have never had a problem, i dont know what it is thats stopping me buying them, probably the fact i cant put halfords and quality in the same sentence unless poor is in there too, plus im abit of a name snob i think!

And Elora, my dad ne again has a set, must be 40 odd years old, he bought it when he was 18, and i used it for the first time the other day and what a tool. Its a half inch set and despite its 40 year old age, the ratchet was as smooth as any of my snap on ones, no play in the shaft, really fine teeth and in a proper metal case. Unbelievable stuff, and i would no doubt be buying some if it wasn't for the price tag. HE priced up a new 1/4" set and said it was something like £250!

Rich

[longlandy]

How can you say snap on impact wrenches are a bit crappy? Ive always found them superb and better value than the spanners etc.

[Russell_ds80]

i started as an apprentice 3 years ago and bought a few clarke bits because they were cheap and i happened to be at machine mart with money in my pocket. Since ive used them a lot ive broken one socket which was 13mm 1/4" drive and i should of been using bigger so replaced the one socket with snap-on. im going to replace with snap-on or mac tools as and when stuff breaks.

[LandyManLuke]

I think Snap-On are seriously over-rated, for DIY use. I've asked quite a few professional mechanics why they use Snap-On and after a bit of pushing it comes down to

A) the van comes to their door

B) they offer finance/pay weekly

C) It's 'The' brand - and in a workshop that counts if you don't want the tiddle taking.

None of the above apply to me, and I have succesfully managed so far without a single Snap-On tool. Halfords Pro is good, as discussed, the quality and price of Teng stuff seems to be reasonable, Cromwell's own-brand(they have a couple) stuff seems ok, and Sealey stuff has mostly been fine for DIY/Hobby use.

Buying cheap nasty tools is certainly a waste of time and money, but likewise, 'brand names' aren't worth paying for in themselves either!

[longlandy]

All true ,even though I have tens of thousands worth of snap on I would never actually recomend it, liked I havent in this thread, though If you are in the market for a impact gun, other than IR or CP nothing is close to snap on and the prices arent bad on them.

The prices on snap ons web site are not what you pay , as you buy when on offer (this can be seen on ebay when snap on items on offer are re advertised by people who buy stuff to sell)