socket set?

[whoislulu]

I have seen the socket set mentioned from £112 to £250, seems to cover all the bases and it matches my nail varnish and welder.
I like to be coordinated.

I have actually just bought a pick and screwdriver set, a ratcheting screwdriver, files and and inspecation lamp all with orange accents and by snap on to match my new electric orange top box

And on the Halfords set, I saw it was covered by the lifetime warranty thing, I think I'll ask them to replace the 3/8ths ratchet tomorrow and if it breaks again I'll ask for a refund and get something a little (lot) better

 

[Ragnarok]

haha, use it a lot as soon as you get it make sure if it's gunna go it goes soon so they don't say the warranty is for replacement not refund.. hate it when people do that if something is totally useless...

 

[whoislulu]

I think there's some retail law that allows 28 days for a refund....?
The first broke on first *light* use, no doubt anything after this one will be much the same, which is a shame because it'd be a nice little set if the ratchet was a wee bit stronger!

Anyway, sleep o'clock.
G'night all

 

[Ragnarok]

haha yeah they're usually copies of good quality stuff though, not a unique design if you want a quality one of a similar pattern it shouldn't be hard to find

night

 

[tigler]

I think there's some retail law that allows 28 days for a refund....?
The first broke on first *light* use, no doubt anything after this one will be much the same, which is a shame because it'd be a nice little set if the ratchet was a wee bit stronger!

Anyway, sleep o'clock.
G'night all

Worry not, regardless of what any retailer indicates the warranty might be it is 12 months unconditional by law in the UK. Excluding products damaged by blatant abuse or accidental damage, like something dropped on the floor and being broken.

 

[david500]

I Have a set of 1/2 Britool which are ancient, past down from father to son and I think he got them from his dad and they were S/H when he bought them The box says 1958, Really heavily made. Shame they dont fit anything.

An "Irish salesman" sold me a set of Japanese stamped 3/4 drive Hilka for £20,Got a bargain there The ratchet is starting to go now,But they have had heavy use for 8 years.
Seen Hilka since and they look nasty now, same as draper, only in a red box.
But Might try another set,they look cheap enough

Keep some 3/8 drive BETA in the van, Good, but not sure they live up to the hype.

By far best ones I have are 1/2 drive Elora They are quite old now,Not sure about their newer stuff

 

[Ragnarok]

By far best ones I have are 1/2 drive Elora

elora are great i have a 1/2" elora ratchet that i was really luck to get, my draper ratchet broke years ago when it was the only one i had, needed a new ratchet in a hurry and a local tool shop happened to have a new old stock one at a good price, can't remember how much but i know i was very pleased, anyway that was 8 years ago or longer, it's totally solid, bomb proof bit of kit, even better than my britools not 72tooth though

 

[mike os]

I have also got a draper pro 1/2" set that has done me well for years... but I dont use them all the time. (yes I was surprised at how decent they actually are)... needed a set in a hurry away from home, cheap enough

 

[kelsham]

socket set

I bought a Geodore set back in 1966, They were very expensive at the time. They have migrated from the original tin box with plastic insert. The plastic broke up. They now live in the drawer of a card index cabinet on three rows of socket clips.
They comprise BSF, AF, and metric. the ratchet was not much good and has been replaced. I use them on a variety of old cars. Could say I have had my moneys worth.
Only complaint being 1/2 inch drive they are sometimes a bit clumsy on modern cars.
A 3/8 metric set covers this problem. Buy a good set and they will last seems to be the lesson.

Kels.

 

[knoba]

Bahco are owned by SNA, who also own Snap-on (amongst others).

Most of my current stuff is snap-on (1/4" to 1/2"). I also have older socket tooling (3/8" to 3/4") from; Elora, Britool, Teng, etc. If these weren’t any good, they simply wouldn't have lasted.

I wouldn't know about Halfords.

 

[Wedg1e]

I suspect a lot of the issues with modern tools, and the reason why older ones seem to be lasting better, is down to the quality of steel used.
There's so much reprocessing of scrap going on now that the content must be all over the place.
Historically, a tradesman acquired tools and generally expected them to see him to retirement. One wonders if the tool makers don't expect a man to spend his entire life in the same job, therefore think the tools don't need to last as long... but it's probably just a case of using the cheapest material they can get away with.

The cheapo new Britool spanners can be easily told apart from their older offerings as they appear to have a poor 'cast' finish rather than a crisp forging, whilst the Britool logo is suspiciously accurate, as though it was added afterwards on a CNC machine...

 

[h3rman]

BETA tools are awesome but pricey! Italian made and the same tools used by the Yamaha MotoGP pit-crew.

 

[chunkolini]

I have spoken to Mr Satan and it looks as though I will be getting the Bahco one.
I can then use my old Draper one as catapult ammunition.

 

[bigtip]

i've got a few Elora and vast majority Draper Expert and Greenline 1/2" sockets. they've lasted 20 odd years and used to get used daily. also got a Teng 3/8 kit and it was good till it got nicked. just before it got nicked i lost the ratchet and replaced it with a halfords one (which wasn't in the box that got nicked) and it's still good 10 years later. Years ago got an Irimo 21mm socket and that's had a lot of use on japanese wheel nuts.
got draper, king dick and s.a.m.(think they're Facom) spanners and it's got to be bahco for adjustables, Vise-grip for mole grips.
Snap on does feel good in the hand but i could never justify the money. All those poor mechanics who gave half of their wages to the snap on man and only added a couple of items a week to their boxes. I prefer beer and stuff.

 

[Shox Dr]

BETA tools are awesome but pricey! Italian made and the same tools used by the Yamaha MotoGP pit-crew.

All that means is they gave the most money so they would use their stuff

 

[chunkolini]

Mr Satan I mean santa (aka Momma and Poppa Chunk)dropped by early with the big Bahco socket set.
Luuuursh.

The bloody sockets would not fit on the ratchets.
Oh!! you press a button to get the ball bearing out of the way.
For the price a bargain, sockets galore and spanners.
Those big ugly black spockets? I always wondered what they were for.
Bike magazine explained they are 'impact sockets' a bit more malleable (?) for use in extremis with impact drivers. They even come with a little cardboard cover so you dont get black fingers.
Mike OS and anybody else who reccomended this the local cats hate your guts.
Draper sockets make great catapult ammunition.
I think Poppa Chunk is off to buy himself one.
The cheapskate who got one for sixty quid had better watch his ass. I have the last two Draper sockets left.

Big thanks, Chunko'.

 

[pedrobedro]

I got the S87+7 set cheap on ebay. It lives under the sofa in the living room I love it so much. No cold damp shed for my preciousssss. You have to press the button to get them off again as well Chunk and the 1/4" drive handle for the screwdriver bits has a square in the end so you can use the ratchet to turn it as well.

 

[chunkolini]

Aaaahhh Pedro you are so odd.

 

[metalspanner]

I have heard good things about Halford Pro stuff, anythoughts there?



Chunko'.

*Mr Santa?
Intriguing that his name is an anagram of Satan.
** Why are the drives still measured in imperialist sizes? what does Johnny foreigner ask for?[/QUOTE]


Halfords pro and advance have earned their place in my toolbox, Draper expert is good also (only the expert though) Teng is like snap on to me brilliant kit, Britool is fantastic also, Bahco I bought a 1/4 set and it has also been great.
Any of the above all have a lifetime warranty, are a fraction of the price of snap on and just as good on quality, though someone who has spent the equivelent of a small town house on Sandbanks, on their collection would obviously disagree.
Having worked in the Ag sector and working on LR I know what stands up to the rigours of the job, and the list of failing tools is long and surprising.
I would not touch,
Sealey
Rolson
Silverline
Kamasan
ordinary Draper
amtech
black and decker
ryobi
And a whole raft of other stuff that aint worth the mention.

The choice is yours, but spend the most you can afford, make certain it's chrome vanadium, and that the sockets are 6 point, and that you get a set from around 10mm to 32 with as few ommissions as possible, you can add to this of course as you need too.

 

[rambo]

Ive got halfords pro socket set, nice bit of kit, even my dad rates halfords stuff, and he's a confirmed brittool man.