What tools do you use?

AmDaMan

AmDaMan

AmDaMan

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
4,020
Location
Wellington, NZ
Just curious, getting some basic tools together so I can do some work to my car. Spotted these on egay and they look ok. Also gona get some Kamasa spanners which i'm getting that are supposed to be ok arn't they?

Can't really afford the snap-on or Teng stuff (although some are quite cheap) but i'm sure the above will be fine wont they?

What do you lot use/recommend?

thanks.
 
Halfords pro stuff is great :)

as for what me and my dad use, it's really quite a random collection, stuff gets bought/replaced as it's needed and we have a pretty motley collection going on.
 
Tool talk. :cool:
I have many tools and love them all. I don't use them much anymore but they give me an enormous feeling of well being just being where i can see them. :p
A full kit of tools is one of my standard Man requirements. Being old i come from the generation that believes we can fix anything.
Firstly it is worth paying extra for quality but don't get lost up the snap on road that's well passed now. Thankfully you can buy good quality tools and fair prices now without them crumbling at the first sign of force.
So to start get quality.
Spanners open ended and ring you need 2 sets.
10mm 13mm 17mm spanners You need the best you can afford as these will get used the most.
Screwdrivers. One Very long flat head with a magnetic tip for retrieving those drop nut/screws. 2 stubbys and an Eletrical test screwdriver with bulb in handle.
Pliers. 3 types. Claw Pincers and cutters.
Mole Grips. Panel pins. A couple of diff sizes.
A trolley jack and some blocks of wood. Wheel brace.
A Long Bar. Any piece of long strong pipe will do to slip over any spanner to give leverage.
Wire Brushes. 2 one steel one copper.
Socket set. A good one although i cannot recommend a make. I will say my own set has a Wrench from elsewhere that is ten times stronger than the junk they sell in sets. I get on with shop bought sockets but not wrenches. In my experience the ratchets are made of plastic.
Circlip removers. Torque wrench and wire wool need to be on the list aswell and a jar of copper grease and a tin of Duck oil.
Do Not use WD40 not only is it bad for your paintwork it drys out to quick.
Duck oil is excellent and owns WD40 so get Duck oil.
All slid into a decent cantilever style pull out jobby tool box. Have tried the chest but they are a nightmare in use and only really suitable for garage use.
A tool box that pulls out like the old blue steel cantilever type are perfect.


I am bound to have forgotten loads but may drop back to update.
One thing you will learn in time is that no matter what tools you have whatever job arises will need the One tool you haven't got. ;)
 
mix of halfords pro, gedore, elora and britool here. Will probably stick with halfords pro once I move out of home though, in terms of value for money its pretty good and iirc its made by either facom/britool/sykes pickavant.
 
Spent an absolute fortune on Snap On during my aircraft engineer days, have some Britool, but now buy mostly Halfords professional as and when I need something new.
For bigger stuff, welders, compressors etc - usually go for middle of the road bits - best for the budget etc
 
I've got a halfords set in their snazzy silver brief case thingy. Has most of the £100 socket set in there, as well as screwdrivers and all the rest of it. The only main things I miss from there are mole grips and a torque wrench. Other than that it has all the tools I've needed so far. Excluding trolley jack etc.
 
When I lived with my Dad, I used to just use his tools.

A mixture of Halfords and Draper.

Now I'm living with my mum and her fiancee (who has no tools whatsoever) my collection of cheap spanners just isn't working.

I bought a cordless drill from Halfords when I was installing my speakers... £13.99! An absolute bargain!

No doubt I'll be building my collection up in the near future using Halfords Pro tools.
 
Mainly Halfords Pro stuff, i bought set for around £150. I use Draper torque wrenches and a sealey power wrench along with various other tools.
Irwin Vice Grips come in very handy, I destroyed various halfords ones before buying those.
Ive also got a set of Laser impact sockets.
 
Sealey socket set which I'm very pleased with, Bosch or Makita power tools generally as they last forever. My Bosch 9V battery drill, jigsaw and Makita grinder are still going strong after 10 years of abuse now. I use them all at least a few times a week so I make that value for money!
 
I got a red chest style tool box with sliding trays from Halfords. I think it's got about 150 pieces, all the standard gubbins. Can't remember how much it cost, about £50 i think. I expected most of it to fall apart but it seems pretty solid actually....
 
Another vote for the Halfords kit.
Got the big £150 set for £90 in a sale and its great.
Added a breaker bar, 36mm socket and a draper torque wrench and i have every thing i need to sort the bike.

Robb
 
I used to be a bike mechanic in Halfords, used to be fun to see how many of the value tools we could go through by purely using them as normal :p

Their Pro range is quite sweet, good recommendation tho. The £34.99 Adjustable spanner they sell from Stanley is the best ive used, adjustable up to 35mm! Rubber grip, just a pleasure to work with!

Also cable cutters, if your looking for the cleanest cut, go over to their bike tool section and pick up their "BikeHut Cable Cutters" theyre about £5!

BTW. Halfords torque wrenches suck! they have loads back, and i tested a few to destruction too :cool:
 
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