Stupid Question... what kit brand for driveway spannering?
Discussion
Morning all
About to start looking at some work on suspension and brakes on three cars I have, one being a L322 that when then wheels got changed the underside made the Mary Rose look less decayed.
I have a very basic socket set, no impact wrench, and some lovely Wera screwdrivers, that's about it.
I would prefer to buy once and keep forever rather than cheap stuff that breaks, what brands/sources do people recommend for sockets, extensions etc.
I look last night at impact wrenches, seems the mains powered clarke got a good vote from posts a while ago on here.
Thanks in advance.
About to start looking at some work on suspension and brakes on three cars I have, one being a L322 that when then wheels got changed the underside made the Mary Rose look less decayed.
I have a very basic socket set, no impact wrench, and some lovely Wera screwdrivers, that's about it.
I would prefer to buy once and keep forever rather than cheap stuff that breaks, what brands/sources do people recommend for sockets, extensions etc.
I look last night at impact wrenches, seems the mains powered clarke got a good vote from posts a while ago on here.
Thanks in advance.
Nothing wrong with the Halford's range.
Got a few of their sockets & ratchets myself - although the bulk of my stuff is Facom, bought years ago when I was working in a motor factors.
The small amount of 1/4 & 3/8 drive stuff I've got have come from B&Q!
You will likely need a few multipoint sockets but much of my 1/2 drive stuff is hex sockets which help when dealing with rounded off or damaged fasteners.
Got a few of their sockets & ratchets myself - although the bulk of my stuff is Facom, bought years ago when I was working in a motor factors.
The small amount of 1/4 & 3/8 drive stuff I've got have come from B&Q!
You will likely need a few multipoint sockets but much of my 1/2 drive stuff is hex sockets which help when dealing with rounded off or damaged fasteners.
Scrump said:
For hand tools the Halfords professional range with lifetime guarantee is my recommendation (although I read somewhere that Halfords no longer sell this range, you would need to check).
The 'Proffesional' range is now called 'Advanced' and still has the lifetime warranty.Another vote for the Halfords Advanced.
It's perfectly adequate for general DIY, decent enough quality and has a lifetime guarantee. They occasionally have sale offers on socket sets etc, though not the 50% reductions they had a few years ago. It depends when you need them as there will likely be 'offers' at Easter, though I doubt there will be many tool sets reduced for the 'Mothers'Day' sales
It's perfectly adequate for general DIY, decent enough quality and has a lifetime guarantee. They occasionally have sale offers on socket sets etc, though not the 50% reductions they had a few years ago. It depends when you need them as there will likely be 'offers' at Easter, though I doubt there will be many tool sets reduced for the 'Mothers'Day' sales
Can't fault the Halfords sockets / ratchets / spanners that I've bought. The lifetime warranty has been useful when T40 bits have snapped.
I've bought a few bits from Amazon too - the spring compressors that I bought were brilliant, loads better than the ones I first bought from Screwfix.
I've bought a few bits from Amazon too - the spring compressors that I bought were brilliant, loads better than the ones I first bought from Screwfix.
As is always the case, Halfords tools are widely recommended - at seemingly all levels.
Despite this they seem to get a slating for everything else, and have attracted the 'Halfrauds' trope which I don't think is deserved, and because of this I fear that they are not going to be around forever. Perhaps someone would come in and fill the gap on the tooling front, but it isn't obvious (to me at least) how they have managed to offer such good value for money here. Perhaps they just happen to have hit on the performance/price sweet spot, bolstered by economies of scale and an established brand?
Despite this they seem to get a slating for everything else, and have attracted the 'Halfrauds' trope which I don't think is deserved, and because of this I fear that they are not going to be around forever. Perhaps someone would come in and fill the gap on the tooling front, but it isn't obvious (to me at least) how they have managed to offer such good value for money here. Perhaps they just happen to have hit on the performance/price sweet spot, bolstered by economies of scale and an established brand?
The 1/4" ratchet from my Halfords Advance set failed a few years ago, local branch didn't even want to see the receipt to replace it. Definitely recommended. I also have a set of thier ratchet spanners which are pretty good but they're a fraction thicker than my non ratchet set which can be a pain occasionally.
I have used Halfords Advanced (or equivalent, prior, name). With socket sets, I have thrifted out the non-standard sizes. I bought a Halfords Advanced torque wrench recently to replace my Norbar, just because cars have got bigger and torque values needed have increased. I remember reading that Halfords Advance torque wrenches are actually made by Norbar, but I may have mis-remembered.
tux850 said:
As is always the case, Halfords tools are widely recommended - at seemingly all levels.
Despite this they seem to get a slating for everything else, and have attracted the 'Halfrauds' trope which I don't think is deserved, and because of this I fear that they are not going to be around forever. Perhaps someone would come in and fill the gap on the tooling front, but it isn't obvious (to me at least) how they have managed to offer such good value for money here. Perhaps they just happen to have hit on the performance/price sweet spot, bolstered by economies of scale and an established brand?
It's a pity they get such criticism. They may charge more, but where else can you get stuff in the evening or at the weekend.Despite this they seem to get a slating for everything else, and have attracted the 'Halfrauds' trope which I don't think is deserved, and because of this I fear that they are not going to be around forever. Perhaps someone would come in and fill the gap on the tooling front, but it isn't obvious (to me at least) how they have managed to offer such good value for money here. Perhaps they just happen to have hit on the performance/price sweet spot, bolstered by economies of scale and an established brand?
I have a 2007 L322 and have a lot of Halfords kit. But would definitely recommend 1/2” rather than 3/8” as the L322 is more HGV/agricultural in its ability to seize suspension etc components!!
I have a Milwaukee 3/8 impact and Milwaukee impact sockets. It’s a great stubby bit of kit but has not shifted all nuts on the Range Rover!
And a solid Jack - I have a draper evolution 3t Jack. It weighs more than a collapsed sun but is a great piece of kit.
Oh and invest in a solid breaker bar!
I have a Milwaukee 3/8 impact and Milwaukee impact sockets. It’s a great stubby bit of kit but has not shifted all nuts on the Range Rover!
And a solid Jack - I have a draper evolution 3t Jack. It weighs more than a collapsed sun but is a great piece of kit.
Oh and invest in a solid breaker bar!
Super Sonic said:
tux850 said:
As is always the case, Halfords tools are widely recommended - at seemingly all levels. Despite this they seem to get a slating for everything else, and have attracted the 'Halfrauds' trope which I don't think is deserved <clip>
It's a pity they get such criticism. They may charge more, but where else can you get stuff in the evening or at the weekend.Gassing Station | Home Mechanics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff