Machine Mart Torque Wrench

[nellway]

Machine Mart have proven that their customer relations are as useless as their products.

I bought a torque wrench in 2006 which i only used for the first time last month - and it didn't work. So I wrote to Machine Mart telling them this. Their reply - Well you bought it in 2006 so we can't exchange it... Not an ounce of regret or apology for selling completely **** tools that don't work.

 

[malcolm]

Friend had one of them. I can't remember whether it didn't work at all or was massively out of calibration. Might have been the calibration as he borrowed a couple of mine and set up an elaborate Heath Robinson test to check the calibrations. Mine turned out to be fairly close and the Machine Mart one went back.

Not entirely surprised they don't swap tools after 2 years. Especially at the rate you break them.

 

[Wozzaaah]

I know it's not what you're going to want to hear but I wouldn't really expect them to change it. Two years ought to be plenty of time to find out if something works or not. I doubt any retailer would do any different so you shouldn't really bad-mouth MM just because they happen to be the people you bought it from, they'd have surely changed it if you'd used it and taken it back sooner.

 

[Drains]

I don't believe i'm suggesting this.. but Mr Nell, are you familiar with this thread. All problems of supplying goods unfit for use, solved!

Also, I wouldn't write to them, I'd take it to the shop, and give them a look. One of those looks that says, "i'm not leaving until you change it, and i've got all day". Our local m/m guys change stuff without a receipt. They know their stuff is crap.

 

[Normsthename]

I bought a MM Grindstone Dresser, it fell to pieces the first time it touched the stone!
I got it exchanged and the second one was as bad.
The screw would come undone as soon as the thing spun up
So I fixed it by TIG Welding the screw to the casting
I keep buying MM Clarke crap, even though I say that it will be my last

Andy

 

[JimM]

Like most places these days think there's good and bad to be had at MM

The pillar drill I bought from them was terrible, it only cost £30 but was pretty shocking even at that price.

A ball joint separator I bought, broke the first time I used it BUT my local branch exchanged it even though it was about a year old.

On the plus side I've got a couple of their small 'Pro' socket sets and they've been great - OK they're no Snap-On equivalent but for my occasional use are ideal especially at the price.

I can't blame the shop for not wanting to swap a 2 (possibly 3) year old tool although if you've spent a fair bit in MM it wouldn't hurt to point that out.

Lastly to pick up on what Malcolm said I wouldn't use a £20 torque wrench on anything where accuracy is critical. My cheapy one is only for wheel nuts, for engine parts etc I have a couple of Norbar wrenches. Think Britool are supposed to be pretty good, as are Halford Pro ones

Cheers

Jim

 

[nellway]

You missed my point.

I really didn't expect them to rush round and change it - I didn't take back to the shop as i wasn't expecting them to change it - I wrote to the company to say that they were selling obviously shoddy goods - all I wanted was a simple recognition of my disappointment in getting something that just did not work.

My next letter will be to the CEO.

One doesn't really expect tools to have a use by date...!

Anyway Halfords professional seems to be more up to scratch.

 

[aero]

With torque wrenches you really want one from a company that specialise in them. Norbar do some reasonably price ones. I found one on a secondhand tool store for a tenner last year. Took it to work and put it on the torque wrench calibration tester and it was massively out. A couple of turns on the calibration adjuster bought it back in and its been good ever since.

I hear what you are saying, and I'd go for it. You may get a thinly disguised ****ogram back, but there again they may offer to send you more of their crap.

 

[busastars]

Buy a new one, take the old one back saying its the new one but faulty, get a replacement so you then got two good one's and sell one on ebay.

BUT, thats not being hounest!

 

[Chickenjohn]

I don't believe i'm suggesting this.. but Mr Nell, are you familiar with this thread. All problems of supplying goods unfit for use, solved!

Also, I wouldn't write to them, I'd take it to the shop, and give them a look. One of those looks that says, "i'm not leaving until you change it, and i've got all day". Our local m/m guys change stuff without a receipt. They know their stuff is crap.

My local MM has been good about changing stuff- when a pair of tin snips went faulty on my they swapped it without receipt and gave me the ""upgraded"" "pro" model.

I guess if you want to take gear back years later for a fault- you need to buy something like SNap-On that has a lifetime guarantee.

 

[Splatfest]

I test around 150 torque wrenches a week (its the day job)
The type sold by Machine Mart are sold by quite a few companys branded with umpteen different names-Draper,Sealey,Teng,Da Juin just to name a few.
All are made in China,all go out of calibration quite quickly.In fact I'd say 95% of them are out when new.Teng seem to be finished to a better standard than the rest,but even so they wander out of calibration.

Anyway Halfords professional seems to be more up to scratch.

The Halfrauds ones are quite good(the orange/black ones) as they are actually a Norbar wrench,they hold calibration well and spares are available should you manage to bust it.The MM type ones we buy just for ratchet replacements and I think they cost about £7,which is about £6.50 more than they're worth.

 

[Chickenjohn]

Which tools are still made in the western world these days???