Spanners (buying advice reqired)

[julianf]

In follow up to my original post...

I cashed in the £40 of credit i had, and purchased a slightly incomplete set of snap on (8-18mm, less two spanners) for £47 quid.

...which is way more than id spend normally, but i had the £40 of cashed in credit.

I looked at halfords pro and some other brands, but it seemed like the cost was not much better, used, and the availability (to fill in missing gaps) was not as good, hence ending up with whats normally the most expensive set available : /

(it would have cost me more to get the halfords set and fill in the gaps, but then, i guess, they would have been new)

So, there you go : )

 

[Cobbler]

i was told that halfords professional range of tools were produced by stanley who are part of the MAC group so are apparently good quality.
ive been slowly replacing lost and damaged snap-off tools with halfords and have to say im happy enough with there kit, all of my ratchet spanners are gear wrench and do a decent enough job,
on a side note most of my dads stuff is king dick from his days in the dock yard and i dont think i have ever heard him complain about any of it.

I've just been into Halfords & asked who makes their range of "Advanced" spanners, the guy looked it up & said "Apex Tools" " I've never heard of them" neither have I. Their previous range was made by Facom apparently.

These "Advanced" spanners don't look as good quality as the Profesional range was

 

[Rocketman]

I've just been into Halfords & asked who makes their range of "Advanced" spanners, the guy looked it up & said "Apex Tools" " I've never heard of them" neither have I. Their previous range was made by Facom apparently.

These "Advanced" spanners don't look as good quality as the Profesional range was

The previous range was made by Facom, Mac tools or which other in the Stanley group today?

The probably best description is that they came from Stanley Black & Decker Group and who knows where it was outsourced to but saying it was made by Facom is very romantic but not very realistic at the price point the stuff is/was at.

 

[julianf]

re: King Dick


I have a king dick tool which i dont know the name of - its like a breaker bar but the drive will slide along the bar. It can locate at either end, and also at the mid point, with a ball bearing holding on grooves in the bar. You can even slip the drive section right off the end of the bar entirely.

Anyone know what this is called? I couldnt find anything on the products page.


Also -

The bar has a bend in it, not damaged by me, i might add. That's why i was looking - i wondered if the bar was replacable (ie if it was still an off-the-shelf item)

 

[mr migwire]

sounds like a T bar, pretty common but unsual in the fact the drive comes off the end,

 

[julianf]

Thank you - i know what to search for now.

It looks like this, but, instead of having the stops at each end, it has rings identical to the center locating ring. So the sliding part can click into place on any of the three rings, or be pulled off either end also.

 

[justin]

I had a full set of king dick spanners and other pieces given to me when i started my college course in the 80's
I was really impressed with them until one of the local thieving bathplugs thought that they should have them instead.

 

[Bill Edwards]

The bar has a bend in it, not damaged by me, i might add. That's why i was looking - i wondered if the bar was replacable (ie if it was still an off-the-shelf item)

Why don't you try to straighten it?
A press, or vice, can work wonders.

 

[Maker]

Why don't you try to straighten it?
A press, or vice, can work wonders.

On other forums I've seen people get serious bollockings for using vises a presses.

 

[DAPPH]

Julian ,

Buy the cheapest stuff from Aldi or Lidl , that way when some git steals them you won't cry all the way to the shop for the next set.



Seriously some of their spanners & sockets are now quite comparable with some of the much more expensive ones these days and you get a 3 yr. warrantee on most of them so keep the receipts.

 

[Bill Edwards]

On other forums I've seen people get serious bollockings for using vises a presses.

1. I don't care if I get a bollocking
2. Find me a good reason why a vice isn't suitable to straighten a T bar
3. Think this may be a better forum than those you are referring to!

 

[brightspark]

On other forums I've seen people get serious bollockings for using vises a presses.

i bent things with a 4lb hammer in mine and tighten things up as far as i can without using a pole on it and its fine

 

[Maker]

i bent things with a 4lb hammer in mine and tighten things up as far as i can without using a pole on it and its fine

That's the other thing that really winds up vise-bigots, using a breaker bar on a vice.

 

[Bill Edwards]

The great thing about vices is that, being made of metal, us lot have the capability to weld them if they break!

 

[PhillipM]

It's a tool, if it can do the job, use it.

 

[MattF]

It's the same as with any tool. Use it outside its limitations and it may break. Using a vice as a press within reasonable limits is fine. As someone on here can attest to though, it can go tits up quickly when it does. With regards to piping a handle, if a vice ain't got enough grip without resorting to that, you're either using the wrong vice, you have knacked jaw inserts else you need some other material inside the jaws. As the old saying goes: "Look after your tools, and they'll look after you".