Anybody else here that loves tools...?

Snap On ToolBox i bought last month, old one is next to it!

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Am I the only person here who just can't justify snap-on?

I bought my combination Spanner set from Lidl. 6MM - 32MM. Yes the metal has a weird coating that feels rather strange, but strength wise I haven't had a single one break yet, and they are used daily as my front line spanners which I wield with all the inexperience and exuberance that an apprentice can muster. Not bad for £6.99.

I bought a ratchet screwdriver set from Lidl, £4.99 complete with every screwdriver bit you could ever want. Granted the actual screwdriver is junk, but the a set with far fewer bits was available in the snap on mag on deal for £25 + VAT. Without a screwdriver!

Halfords Pro, Lidl and random Brittool/sealy for me thank you very much
 
On a related note, my mother has bought me a Halfords Top and Bottom box for Christmas. All I have to say regarding the build quality is “Wow”. It will be going straight to returns, it will not pass go and it will not collect £200, it really is that bad. And from what I can gather, it wasn’t particularly cheap either.

I didn’t think I’d ever be pushed to spend £1000 odd on a Snap Tool Box, but experiencing this one has made me think otherwise. I use other peoples Snap-On boxes at work and find them to be “Alright”. Good, but questionable for the amount of money they charge. The few Clarke’s I’ve played with are noticeably worse than snap on but I can justify that considering the price. The Halfords setup is around-about the same price as a Clarke setup, but simply awful.

I think I’ll be replacing it with a the bottom box of a Clarke Black & Gold Series roller cab :D
 
Have been fiddling with my new halfords professional 150 piece socket set today, looks like pretty solid stuff, What fun. Just need some axle stands a decent jack and more importantly to move somewhere with a driveway so I can work, shared car parks are rubbish.
 
Joshy said:
On a related note, my mother has bought me a Halfords Top and Bottom box for Christmas. All I have to say regarding the build quality is “Wow”. It will be going straight to returns, it will not pass go and it will not collect £200, it really is that bad. And from what I can gather, it wasn’t particularly cheap either.
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Was it one of the Pro range boxes with the ball bearing drawers? Mine has been absolutely fine, no complaints at all.
 
I think I'm the opposite, as long as they work when I need them I hate spending money on them :p. I will go to the market for a single spanner or whatever and buy cheap rubbish that will break after 3 uses or so when I only need something once...

As for screwdrivers or other pc tools, I always but the cheapest because, even if I'd buy 30, they'd all be lost in a few weeks... Unlike tonschk I consider tool-less cases a godsend. Screws are annoying too, after 15 years of my dad building pc's we literally have whole boxes full of them, and it takes ages to find the correct size...
 
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On a related note, my mother has bought me a Halfords Top and Bottom box for Christmas. All I have to say regarding the build quality is “Wow”. It will be going straight to returns, it will not pass go and it will not collect £200, it really is that bad. And from what I can gather, it wasn’t particularly cheap either.
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I expect it was one the bottom of the range chest and cab set for £59.99 ( NOW £49.99 in sale ) they are fairly basic but you get what you pay for.
 
Joshy said:
Am I the only person here who just can't justify snap-on?

I bought my combination Spanner set from Lidl. 6MM - 32MM. Yes the metal has a weird coating that feels rather strange, but strength wise I haven't had a single one break yet, and they are used daily as my front line spanners which I wield with all the inexperience and exuberance that an apprentice can muster. Not bad for £6.99.

I bought a ratchet screwdriver set from Lidl, £4.99 complete with every screwdriver bit you could ever want. Granted the actual screwdriver is junk, but the a set with far fewer bits was available in the snap on mag on deal for £25 + VAT. Without a screwdriver!

Halfords Pro, Lidl and random Brittool/sealy for me thank you very much
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quality tools cost quality money.

cheap screwdriver bits are made from soft metal and wear out really fast. Especially when you use them day after day. Same goes for cheap spanners and screwdrivers.

Cheap tools are ideal for people who dont use them much and dont use them to earn a living. I use a combination of Beta-Mac-Snapon-Britool and find them exceptional quality. I'm sure most of the mechanics/electricians will agree.
 
hillbilly2 said:
6 point is the only socket to use on soft bolts(ally or mag) and impact tools are 6 point for a good reason.
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grip-tite are better. Snap-on, Mac etc do their own variations on this....

The difference is that these grip on the flat of the nut/bolt rather than the corners. This stops them from becoming rounded and even makes it possible to remove fasteners with severely damaged heads.
 
Ive used cheap tools when i first started my job, but as time has gone on and i use tools everyday i find it better just to buy Snap On. Mac tools has gone down loads in my books and id rate there stuff worse than halfords. Mind you some halfords stuff is bloody good!
 
JamesRJ said:
I expect it was one the bottom of the range chest and cab set for £59.99 ( NOW £49.99 in sale ) they are fairly basic but you get what you pay for.
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Ahh, It looks very similar to that one :(.

It's the thought that counts... It'll still going back though :p.
 
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