Hand Tools - Your favourite brands?

[Agrismith]

One that hasn't been mentioned is toptul
I haven't used it but some of the American forums rave over it. Some of there kits look brilliant as mobile sets as they seem very well thought out


I think you would struggle to do better than these for a compact all inclusive kit to go in a car or van when traveling

80PCS Professional Grade 1/4" & 1/2" DR. Tool Kit - TOPTUL The Mark of Professional Tools

Detailed information of 80PCS Professional Grade 1/4" & 1/2" DR. Tool Kit offered by TOPTUL The Mark of Professional Tools.

www.toptul.com

150PCS 1/4" & 1/2" DR. Tool Kit - TOPTUL The Mark of Professional Tools

Detailed information of 150PCS 1/4" & 1/2" DR. Tool Kit offered by TOPTUL The Mark of Professional Tools.

www.toptul.com

 

[MetalMonkey]

One that hasn't been mentioned is toptul
I haven't used it but some of the American forums rave over it. Some of there kits look brilliant as mobile sets as they seem very well thought out

I have quite a bit of their stuff and I rate it. Very good for the price. Their 1/2" sockets are nice, 3/8 are a little chunky compared to KOKEN. They have a really nice satin chrome finish. Ratchets are nothing special but serviceable. Picks are nice. Spanners are excellent. They (rotar?) are the OEM for a lot of Facom/Mac/USAG stuff - they make the Facom 440 / Mac precision torque spanners which are excellent.

Pretty unknown over here, so not sure how well they would sell unless you could develop the brand awareness.

 

[steveo3002]

some good stuff mentioned here

one brand i dont like is sealey , advertising implies its thier own high quality stuff , but spend 5 mins on an auction site and our over seas friends make stuff that looks the same without the sealey sticker for 1/4 price

 

[8ob]

Nothing to do with quality/brands but I do prefer the mirror polished tools, come clean up time a quick wipe and its done, the non polished tools always need to go in a tub of brake cleaner for a scrub.Just a preference thing.

Bob

 

[Tom Orrow L]

What’s your target market @Tom Orrow L?

Do you want something unique that’s a selling point. Or do you want a brand that everyone knows and trusts? Are you targeting the manufacturing sector, hobbiest, automotive etc etc.

I don’t think any of the big jap brands have a official uk importer yet or at least not offering thier full range. So you have.

Koken
Tone
Ktc
Engineer
Vessel
Nepros

Etc etc to choose from there. May get you a bigger name for yourself in wider industry. Though is a risk and may flop you would have to put in a lot of advertising effort too get it known that they are there and you are selling them.

Wera
Knipex
Gedore
Stahalwille
Hazet
Facom
Usag
Expert (Britool)
Bacho
Wiha
Felo
Pbswiss
Irwin
Nws
Elora
Black bolt

More well known European brands with excellent reputations. I could go on for a while.

Do you have a target budget you wanting to supply too?

Personally don’t rate teng made of Swiss cheese in my opinion but easy to get so take your pick,

Could go with the best of British.

King dick
Lucas pliers
Del tec
Etc etc

Of course there is the Taiwan and American brands too.

Used all these brands at one point or another all have thier good and bad points.

Ever thought about getting a tool truck franchise but attached to a shop? Matco, Mac, Snapon. May open a lot of doors if I could be worked out with one of these brands.

It's a good question, and to be honest the decision is still being made as to where in the market we want to aim for. However, I will say that we usually like to find a good balance of quality to price, as does everyone.
The Japanese brands you mentioned certainly look interesting, I will look into that further for sure.

I do also like the sound of supporting British manufacturing, it'd go hand in hand with the Technical Arc & Oxford machines we sell and support.

Good stuff, lots to think about

 

[Robbie260]

It's a good question, and to be honest the decision is still being made as to where in the market we want to aim for. However, I will say that we usually like to find a good balance of quality to price, as does everyone.
The Japanese brands you mentioned certainly look interesting, I will look into that further for sure.

I do also like the sound of supporting British manufacturing, it'd go hand in hand with the Technical Arc & Oxford machines we sell and support.

Good stuff, lots to think about

Hope you figure out where your going with it.

https://britishtools.co.uk/

May help you out there.

Personally I’d go with a low end range, a mid and a high end. Then you would cover the majority of peoples needs and budgets.

Low end:- Europe
calurous
Black bolt

Mid range:- British
King dick
Norbar
Foot print
Lucas pliers

High end:- Japanese brands
Ktc
Nepros
Koken

Specialty tools- lazer and sealey

Then just cherry pick what you would want from a selection of brands in your price brackets or stock one specific brand in each category only bringing in another if they don’t make something you want to stock.

The examples I picked are stuff I like admittedly but also think is good value for the price you are paying at the price point they maintain/sector they target.

 

[Robbie260]

Nothing to do with quality/brands but I do prefer the mirror polished tools, come clean up time a quick wipe and its done, the non polished tools always need to go in a tub of brake cleaner for a scrub.Just a preference thing.

Bob

Have to admit my personal preference too. Chrome with a small knurled section is better than tumbled finish tools. So much easier to clean and keep good. Also found they resit rust better if chromed which is critical when working out in wet environments.

 

[northwest]

PB Swiss would be cool, potentially better than Wera but I've never used them myself so I can't say for sure. I think @Northwest has some?

I have lots. Some of my PB Swiss tools have been in daily use for more than eight years now and they are as good today as they were their first day.
I take the view that if your customer sees you molesting their property with a set of B&Q specials they are not going to be best pleased but if you are using quality kit at least, it gives the impression you know what you are doing, well that is my hope at least.
It also makes the job much easier.

 

[RWD3M]

If they keep the same manufacturing places, then NO!

USA made Craftsman stuff is pretty good - I've not broken anything in the last 20 plus years. But the more recent stuff, that lost the "Made in USA" tag is pants . . . stuff with the exact same part number, off the same peg in a nearly closed Sears - one with "Made in USA" stamped in it, one without . . . you can tell blindfolded which is which.

You can buy Craftsman in Lowes - I'd rather buy Husky stuff from Home Depot these days, but luckily rarely need a new tool.

Couldn't agree more. Fortunately I bought pretty much all of my Craftsman stuff before hey started outsourcing production, so all Madi Iin USA. But you're right, some of their stuff is mediocre nowadays.

 

[Guzrik]

I have lots. Some of my PB Swiss tools have been in daily use for more than eight years now and they are as good today as they were their first day.
I take the view that if your customer sees you molesting their property with a set of B&Q specials they are not going to be best pleased but if you are using quality kit at least, it gives the impression you know what you are doing, well that is my hope at least.
It also makes the job much easier.

I agree, PB 225A is out of this world an everything else from PB is simply the best you can buy.

pb swiss 225 - Google Search

 

[Maker]

I agree, PB 225A is out of this world an everything else from PB is simply the best you can buy.

pb swiss 225 - Google Search

Really? I've never liked that type of "boiled sweet" screwdriver handle.

 

[northwest]

Really? I've never liked that type of "boiled sweet" screwdriver handle.

I used to think the same, not anymore, you need to try one - or two.

 

[Brad93]

Never heard of them but just found the website and they look really good, I'll have to get myself a pair. Carbide tipped side cutters, yes please!


Does anyone have any experience of Maun pliers? I've got a really old pair which are very nice with solid steel handles, but the new ones appear to have tubular handles stamped from flat sheet and they don't look nearly as high quality. Made in England too, I really want to like them.

They're good for cutting welding wire and that's about jt

 

[daleyd]

Facom are probably my favourite brand, I guess working for a french company for 9 years converted me!!

I don’t know about their newer gear, most of my stuff was bought some years ago now, my only complaint was their screwdrivers handles disintegrated after a few years, some are ok but quite a few crumbled but only the red plastic part - the rest of the harder material stayed ok. I don’t know if they were left out and uv got to them, but I wouldn’t recommend them (though I think the design has changed so may not still be an issue).

Their ogv spanner’s are excellent and I have a set of their satin finish ratchet spanner’s with the lever mechanism which are also very nice. My 1/2 socket set has also taken some serious abuse over the years.

 

[Nomad]

Wera for screwdrivers, Facom for anything else.
Some decent handtools from Milwaukee & Makita, also Bacho.
Very impressed by Sealey LED torches but a lot of their other stock feels more mid-range.

Older Snap-on is great, newer items seem to have increased in price while quality has gone down slightly (not bad - just not worth the premium price)
Hope it helps

 

[Turbo]

Aye! I’m not sure whether they have an exclusive agreement with another supplier in the UK. Could be worth looking at though.

Carver clamps are probably the best & even though they are expensive they are modular in that the clamp head can be used with different lengths of bar.

 

[Tom Orrow L]

Carver clamps are probably the best & even though they are expensive they are modular in that the clamp head can be used with different lengths of bar.

Yup! Sell plenty of carver clamps, the only problem is getting your hands on them at the moment. They're like rocking horse poop!

 

[jimi_boom]

I do like the Gearwrench stuff, I have three sets of their spanners (ratchet, standard and long reach) and also a couple of the socket sets, 1/4" and 3/8"
really well made and i think good quality hard to get in the UK at a decent price but very reasonable over in the US

 

[atomant48]

I do like the Gearwrench stuff, I have three sets of their spanners (ratchet, standard and long reach) and also a couple of the socket sets, 1/4" and 3/8"
really well made and i think good quality hard to get in the UK at a decent price but very reasonable over in the US

Agreed. I’ve got a 17mm ratchet spanner I have abused (ashamedly) and it’s never failed. Nice in the hand their spanners too.

 

[Robbie260]

I do like the Gearwrench stuff, I have three sets of their spanners (ratchet, standard and long reach) and also a couple of the socket sets, 1/4" and 3/8"
really well made and i think good quality hard to get in the UK at a decent price but very reasonable over in the US

King dick tools ratchet spanner’s are made by gear wrench may make them a better price over here if your ever wanting more.