Silverline lifetime guarantee?

[keithski122]

A few years ago(4or5) I got a draper expert socket set, what a load of rubbish, the ratchet was slipping from day one.Like everyone else I would avoid silverline,rolsen, and blackspur.
For cheap stuff some of the us pro and bergen stuff seems ok.I also like some of the teng tools but as an ex mechanic lots of my stuff is snap on or mac though I try to avoid the bluepoint stuff.Halfords ratchet spanners are good and always on special offer at around £50.

 

[ronan]

I bought a teng tools socket set when i was serving my time, nice set with the black plastic or fibre rachet handle. It was well used , i remember two of us hanging out of a seized m16 stainless bolt one time , no bother to it. I also bought a full set of britool spanners , they're ok, but not imho as good as the old ones.
The local engineers suppliers (cromwells irish branch) stock a lot of kennedy tools and often have them on special offer, what do you think of kennedy stuff ?

 

[brightspark]

I bought a teng tools socket set when i was serving my time, nice set with the black plastic or fibre rachet handle. It was well used , i remember two of us hanging out of a seized m16 stainless bolt one time , no bother to it. I also bought a full set of britool spanners , they're ok, but not imho as good as the old ones.
The local engineers suppliers (cromwells irish branch) stock a lot of kennedy tools and often have them on special offer, what do you think of kennedy stuff ?

most kennedy gear is ok somes a bit flimsy just look em over 1st

 

[Flapdisk]

Yes that's right Daleyd, I was asking about tips on reliable tools, not information about doing any jobs.

Thanks for the info guys, I rialise it's a minefield, even Silverline isn't Silverline, trading standards said they are a trading name of powerbox who own the company. You have to be so careful because having been bitten you say "Oh I will never use them again" so you buy something else and chances are unbeknown to you it's made by the same company under another name.
I'm really surprised some of you are praising Halfords, I find them a complete rip off on prices on most things.

Dapph, it could just be that the draper you bought in 1973 was made of better material and to a better standard than their stuff now. A lot of manufacturers have cottoned on to making stuff that doesn't last so you have to spend more money and buy more. most everything has inbuilt redundancy to make sure to have to replace it, trouble is some stuff they have reduced the redundancy time on and people are noticing, like the article about washers and dryers on the news the other day.

 

[ronan]

I'm really surprised some of you are praising Halfords, I find them a complete rip off on prices on most things.
.

They are, but they open late when everyone else is closed and for that at least have saved me once or twice when i was stuck for something.

 

[daleyd]

Yes that's right Daleyd, I was asking about tips on reliable tools, not information about doing any jobs.

Thanks for the info guys, I rialise it's a minefield, even Silverline isn't Silverline, trading standards said they are a trading name of powerbox who own the company. You have to be so careful because having been bitten you say "Oh I will never use them again" so you buy something else and chances are unbeknown to you it's made by the same company under another name.
I'm really surprised some of you are praising Halfords, I find them a complete rip off on prices on most things.

Dapph, it could just be that the draper you bought in 1973 was made of better material and to a better standard than their stuff now. A lot of manufacturers have cottoned on to making stuff that doesn't last so you have to spend more money and buy more. most everything has inbuilt redundancy to make sure to have to replace it, trouble is some stuff they have reduced the redundancy time on and people are noticing, like the article about washers and dryers on the news the other day.

Don't pay full price for the ratchet spanners, they are always on offer, usually 50% off, as are their socket sets. (I don't own any of their socket sets so I can't comment on their quality but I've heard they are not bad)

The ratchet spanners seem well built for the money (not full price, for that money you could get facom or similar) and you get a lifetime guarantee. I agree halfords can be a rip off for most stuff but if you use the offers etc to your advantage then you can get some decent deals

 

[Farside]

Anyway, here's a quick list from me.

Draper Ordinary - forget it, diy grade, low Chinese quality control
Draper Expert - worth a look - not S-O, but worthwhile. Better QC.

Sealey - diy grade - monkey metal
Sealey with AK tool numbers - same as Draper Expert idea - much better than the lower tier.

Old Britool - generally tough, put up with a lot, see if you can get it.
New Britools - made in China - pretty much slipped a lot in quality

Don't be fooled by BGS being German - they just import to Germany and wiggle it past the German inspectors, so that they get a 'German' stamp on it. I've an idea one or two others do that.

Some of he Aldi and Lidl spanners are ok for diy use - I've used them as stopgaps but wouldn't want to rely on them all day long to earn a living with. Fine for the hobby weekend tuneup market.
Occasionally the offers are worth looking at - the electrical screwdriver sets can be good.

US-Pro and Am-Tech and Neilson are makes you find a the pikey markets here - that should tell yo what you need to know.

Once Taiwanese make I totally recommend is King Tony - hard to get, but tough as nails.

 

[DAPPH]

You got lucky with your Draper - that's all. They were mostly crap.
Nowadays though; the Draper Expert range is a different kettle of eels - they're actually bloody good and had to be introduced for the exact reason I allude to. Draper were synonymous with rubbish and had slipped into being shunned by anyone with a clue. Draper Expert changed that.
As for breaking Britool sockets; I suppose if you gorilla anything enough it will break, well done. None of mine have broken unless I did something really stupid with them.

Oooh you are awful ........ making such dramatic unsubstantiated spurious statements like that .

We had what was called the new rationalised tool box at the time when the old BSP & Whitworth ranges were with drawn and metric sizes substituted .
The 93 lads .... civvies & servicemen in my side of the military workshop were busting them left right & centre .

I ended up going with the RAOC WO1 & buying Hazet & Saltus gear from an industrial supplier in Munster on local purchase ... none of them broke

Anyway back to your problem WRT failed ratchet.
I have a cheapie new torque wrench ( 2013 shiny crimbo prezzie from my 12 yr old Munchkin ) for taking out when caravanning and to check wheel nuts after so called expert tyre fitters & modern garage mechanics have had the wheels off our Kia Sedonna . We have had two wheels become dangerously loose within less than 100 miles being driven after a mechanic & an tyre fitter put them back on .. draw your own conclusions .

I used it in anger this afternoon for the first time to fit a pair of Kojack jacking points to the caravan in readiness for when we take a run to Poland later this year, so I can change wheels easier with a lighter jack than my three ton trolley jack ( I won't need to take it with me either ) if the need arises .

I torqued the nuts to 68 Newtons as recommended after hand tightening them ,it took just over half a turn till the wrench clicked on all four nuts . It was then that I noticed something that really made me smile .. the wrench indicates it can go to 200 newtons ..it is a ratchet ended torque wrench & made by guess who ..... Silverline.

I think I'll be filling out that little bit of paper that's in the box to register it.

You must have been unfortunate indeed to have one of their ratchets fail or of course part of your last few lines might perhaps apply to you ..TOUCHE!

" I suppose if you gorilla anything enough it will break, well done. None of mine have broken unless I did something really stupid with them" .

 

[DAPPH]

Yes that's right Daleyd, I was asking about tips on reliable tools, not information about doing any jobs.

Thanks for the info guys, I rialise it's a minefield, even Silverline isn't Silverline, trading standards said they are a trading name of powerbox who own the company. You have to be so careful because having been bitten you say "Oh I will never use them again" so you buy something else and chances are unbeknown to you it's made by the same company under another name.
I'm really surprised some of you are praising Halfords, I find them a complete rip off on prices on most things.

Dapph, it could just be that the draper you bought in 1973 was made of better material and to a better standard than their stuff now. A lot of manufacturers have cottoned on to making stuff that doesn't last so you have to spend more money and buy more. most everything has inbuilt redundancy to make sure to have to replace it, trouble is some stuff they have reduced the redundancy time on and people are noticing, like the article about washers and dryers on the news the other day.

Possibly but doubt it as it was purchased at Brierly's in Peterborough .......one of the first UK's stack em high sell em cheap tat shops .
I think it is made in Japan & in those days made in Japan usually seemed to mean made of rubber and rice paper if their cars at the time were anything to go by .

 

[ronan]

Is german stahlwille still good or have they gone the cheap dirt with their name on it route ?

 

[DAPPH]

One thing though .. when buying spanner & socket tools don't be swayed by the bright shiny finish most of the time that's just a heavy plating especially if it just says chrome vanadium as some clever dickies call their tool range " Chrome vanadium " .
Look for " Made from chrome vanadium steel " stamped into the tool instead it makes a big difference .

My Saltus CVS spanners , 5 through to to 38 mm in ROJ's & DER's are from Dec 1970 , won them as a raffle prize in the units Christmas Party draw .
he finish was almost a matt satin, these days it's turned an iridescent yellowish hue, none of them have worn out , broken or peeled , all are stamped , " Made made from chrome vanadium steel ". ( In German )

The one big overriding factor most mechanics appear have to consider these days is that a thief will steal a crap set of tools as fast as a set of tools costing a fortune .
Can you afford to have those expensive tools & afford the same replacements when they have been nicked , knowing full well that the thief will like as not come back for the replacements in a few months time that he knows you must have.... for a ready market that he has lined up.

 

[Rocketman]

Is german stahlwille still good or have they gone the cheap dirt with their name on it route ?

No it's as good as you get - aero space grade tools still.

 

[steveo3002]

another rare brand to look at koken -made in japan , nice high end well finished stuff

consolidated tools in the uk sells them , and some on ebay you can sometimes get a good deal , you can also order from japan but get raped for taxes

 

[Flapdisk]

Oooh you are awful ........ making such dramatic unsubstantiated spurious statements like that .

We had what was called the new rationalised tool box at the time when the old BSP & Whitworth ranges were with drawn and metric sizes substituted .
The 93 lads .... civvies & servicemen in my side of the military workshop were busting them left right & centre .

I ended up going with the RAOC WO1 & buying Hazet & Saltus gear from an industrial supplier in Munster on local purchase ... none of them broke

Anyway back to your problem WRT failed ratchet.
I have a cheapie new torque wrench ( 2013 shiny crimbo prezzie from my 12 yr old Munchkin ) for taking out when caravanning and to check wheel nuts after so called expert tyre fitters & modern garage mechanics have had the wheels off our Kia Sedonna . We have had two wheels become dangerously loose within less than 100 miles being driven after a mechanic & an tyre fitter put them back on .. draw your own conclusions .

I used it in anger this afternoon for the first time to fit a pair of Kojack jacking points to the caravan in readiness for when we take a run to Poland later this year, so I can change wheels easier with a lighter jack than my three ton trolley jack ( I won't need to take it with me either ) if the need arises .

I torqued the nuts to 68 Newtons as recommended after hand tightening them ,it took just over half a turn till the wrench clicked on all four nuts . It was then that I noticed something that really made me smile .. the wrench indicates it can go to 200 newtons ..it is a ratchet ended torque wrench & made by guess who ..... Silverline.

I think I'll be filling out that little bit of paper that's in the box to register it.

You must have been unfortunate indeed to have one of their ratchets fail or of course part of your last few lines might perhaps apply to you ..TOUCHE!

" I suppose if you gorilla anything enough it will break, well done. None of mine have broken unless I did something really stupid with them" .

What's worrying me is that I bought a wrap with 14 spanners in and then another eight separate to fill in the missing sizes, so I now have 22 spanners with no guarantee. It wasn't all just about a £10 spanner it's about over £120 worth :-(

 

[Robotstar5]

As we're recommending makes, I have to add Norbar for torque wrenches, I bought mine about 1978 from one of those "pay weekly" catalogues (Kays?) my aunt was running

As I've been using it a lot recently I thought I'd take it into work and check it on the calibration rig. Checked from 40 - 150 nM every 10 nM and it was less than 3nM out, some were within 0.1nM. It probably helped that I have always slackened the spring off after use and never left it "wound up" to a setting.
No doubt some one is going to point out they are now made in China and are useless

 

[Rocketman]

No Norbar are made in England still. Though you aren't supposed to slacken their torque wrenches right off (may have changed from the olds ones??). You need to leave at least 10% resistance on them for storage to avoid the ball dislodging and really messing up the torque values.

I do prefer my Carolus torque wrench more than my Norbar but both are pretty good

 

[Robotstar5]

No Norbar are made in England still. Though you aren't supposed to slacken their torque wrenches right off (may have changed from the olds ones??). You need to leave at least 10% resistance on them for storage to avoid the ball dislodging and really messing up the torque values.

Mine have got line marked "halt" or "stop" so you're probably right about slackening too far will cause problems.

 

[Rocketman]

Mine have got line marked "halt" or "stop" so you're probably right about slackening too far will cause problems.

It only tells you in the instructs now. Don't know why they have stopped putting it on the scale.

 

[Shox Dr]

What's worrying me is that I bought a wrap with 14 spanners in and then another eight separate to fill in the missing sizes, so I now have 22 spanners with no guarantee. It wasn't all just about a £10 spanner it's about over £120 worth :-(

So that makes them £5.45 each. Really what did you expect. Airline Pilot you say.

 

[brightspark]

So that makes them £5.45 each. Really what did you expect. Airline Pilot you say.

he just flies them doesnt repair em as well specialy not with dodgy spanners. rounded nuts on a rr engine