Tools- T25 extra long bit for 1/4 impact driver

[GardenKit]

This has been an interesting thread.

 

I have a mixture of tools built up over the years and they are mostly of good quality.

 

Britool were always a safe bet for spanners and sockets, but the more recent addition have been Facom, They are outstanding quality.

 

I have a 40 year old Britool 1/2 drive ratchet that has never needed any new ratchet parts and still works perfectly, likewise a 30 year old Facom 3/8 drive.

 

A couple of Bahco adjustables around 35 years old which have been subjected to serious abuse in my Ag days, and are still perfect.

 

For so called 'mole grips', only Vise-Grip are worth consideration.

 

I did try a set of very expensive torx drivers from Snap On, which are quite frankly rubbish compared with Facom. I wore the T27 out in 6 months. I would never again buy Snap-On.

 

As for Silverline and Halfords, I have a few odd spanners etc from these brands, but they are by no means up to pro use. Ok for occasional amateurs, but wear out quickly.

 

Facom screwdrivers will outlast any other make I have tried.

 

The trouble is finding a supplier for quality kit such as Facom these days, but luckily I have an account with a good supplier.

[tim Ber]

all that jus to find out were to buy torx bits for impact drivers,i would try Power Tools, Hand Tools, Professional Tools from Makita, Dewalt, Milwaukee and more! | ITS.co.uk i get my torxbits ther 1/4 drive

[doobin]

As for Silverline and Halfords, I have a few odd spanners etc from these brands, but they are by no means up to pro use. Ok for occasional amateurs, but wear out quickly.

.

 

I use Silverline & Neilson spanners every single day, and on larger kit than you work with these days. Never 'worn one out' or broken one.

 

And to dispel the myth that Snap-On is cheaper in the long run...

 

I can have five Silverline spanners for the price of one Snap-On. Even if it did break, I can then carry straight on with my second spanner while the broken one is replaced under the lifetime guarantee. They're also cheap enough not to cry when they get lost or you have to cut them up and weld them into specialist tools. I'm more efficient because for the same money I get five spanners, which I keep in a variety of different places and vehicles so they're always to hand.

 

Snap On is just not cost effective, it's a fashion brand.

[difflock]

Ding! ding!

Seconds out!

PS

I'm in Doobin's corner.

[aspenarb]

Actually everyone on here is right. Many moons ago when men were men and pansy`s were flowers there were quality tool and total rubbish with nothing in between. You either went for quality like snapon, britool ,gedore,facom etc or you risked personal injury undoing a bolt. Chocolate spanners ,sockets and screwdrivers back then from east were just downright dangerous.Old gits like me have collected the stuff we have from necessity and not for any other reason. Fast forward 30 years and the secrets to decent tool making are no longer and the markets are awash with decent quality tooling at very reasonable cost. If I was starting out again I would probably not go with snapon but its what I started with so i keep going with it.

 

Just to prove I am not a complete tool snob I bought one of these Bacho tool kits to keep in the back of the van. Sockets up to 24mm , quarter drive and a set of spanners up to 19mm. been very handy.

 

Bob

 

[peatff]

I was getting worried then but mine has swivel spanners in as well It's Bahco not Bacho These are on a par with any of the top price tools and I love mine so much they live under the sofa in the sitting room. This set was from ebay for the princely sum of £50 with about £10 postage and they are as good as any I have including Britool and Facom. I also have a couple of Kamasa sets which I have had about 40 years and only broke the ratchets.

[treequip]

Just my thoughts on the Snap On

 

I have a small mig built by cebora

a mate has the same set badged by BOC but with a Cebora plate on the back

Another mate has a Snap On mig badged snap on and plated Cebora

 

They are all the same machine but the snap on one was more than 3x the price of the others. These the reason you get a lifetime warranty, its because you paid for 3 machines at the outset.

[GardenKit]

I use Silverline & Neilson spanners every single day, and on larger kit than you work with these days. Never 'worn one out' or broken one.

 

And to dispel the myth that Snap-On is cheaper in the long run...

 

I can have five Silverline spanners for the price of one Snap-On. Even if it did break, I can then carry straight on with my second spanner while the broken one is replaced under the lifetime guarantee. They're also cheap enough not to cry when they get lost or you have to cut them up and weld them into specialist tools. I'm more efficient because for the same money I get five spanners, which I keep in a variety of different places and vehicles so they're always to hand.

 

Snap On is just not cost effective, it's a fashion brand.

Fair comments, but as a full time user of spanners, I certainly have worn out, and broken, plenty of cheaper brand tools.

 

I have broken cheap spanners when abusing them by extending with another combo spanner, but cannot remember ever breaking on of my top quality ones. It is not a pleasant experience to break a spanner, and can result in injury.

 

It is the smaller stuff that wears out fastest and it is in this sector that top quality really does count. 8mm spanners wear faster than 10mm, 10 wears faster than 13, but 17mm hardly wears at all.

 

Silverline, Halfords pro, Kamasa, Palmera etc have all been worn out an chucked away whilst Britool and Facom just keep performing year after year.

 

A comment was made in an earlier post that a Silverline ratchet will be repaired FOC every time it wears out. This is fair enough I suppose, but a good quality ratchet just will not wear out if used correctly. My old Britool and Facom ratchets are testament to this.

 

There is nothing worse than a spanner which does not fit snuggly. Even the design of the the 'teeth' on a ring spanner will effect its grip and Facom are particularly good in this aspect.

 

A high quality spanner will be slimmer and better balanced. They just 'feel' better, but maybe thats just me.

 

I don't know why I have ever bought the cheaper stuff, but I have (rather late in life) learnt my lesson and it will only be Facom spanners and drivers from now on, especially as I now have an account with a good supplier.

 

But I agree with you on Snap On. Not only is it very overpriced, but it is not particularly good quality.

[WeFixIt]

I think some may be mistaking brand names like blue point and others which Snapon which are a part of the Snapon empire but are also not not branded as a Snapon tool these tools are not made from Virgin steel unlike Snapon tools which give the Snapon spanner and a like tools there strength over the cheaper brands the pure quality of the steel is always going to be the stronger.

 

And you maybe able to buy 5 for he price of 1 but if your out on site when it lets you down the other 4 in stock back at the workshop are no bloody use to you now !! Customers cursing you turn up to the job cheap tools that are not up to the job, there down time is costing them you've now have to return to get more cheap tools at your cost wasted time cost money wasted fuel costs money.

 

That's why mechanics now how to there job best, and buy the best they can afford so they can provide the best service to there customers

 

Buy cheap tools to do a professional job is cutting conners we are mechanics not cowboys

 

And I've given up expecting non professional mechanics to ever understand or except that it's our trade and after years of service we might bloody know better!

 

 

Is it a chipper, is it a mower or another broken stump grinder who cares we'll fix it!

[Mull]

I use Silverline & Neilson spanners every single day, and on larger kit than you work with these days. Never 'worn one out' or broken one.

 

 

 

And to dispel the myth that Snap-On is cheaper in the long run...

 

 

 

I can have five Silverline spanners for the price of one Snap-On. Even if it did break, I can then carry straight on with my second spanner while the broken one is replaced under the lifetime guarantee. They're also cheap enough not to cry when they get lost or you have to cut them up and weld them into specialist tools. I'm more efficient because for the same money I get five spanners, which I keep in a variety of different places and vehicles so they're always to hand.

 

 

 

Snap On is just not cost effective, it's a fashion brand.

 

 

Aye you can move on to next spanner of the five, if you haven't broken three fingers and lost three knuckles when the first piece of crap breaks!😄