Which socket set?

Author
Discussion

Riknos

Original Poster:

4,700 posts

203 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
Hi All,

Finally looking to replace the socket set I've been using for 15 years with a new one. I'm not a mechanic so don't need snap on quality tools but do work on all my cars so need things to not break. I was looking at approx £100 ish max if I can. Always heard good things about Halfords pro range, looks like they've put the prices up a bit as when I last looked the 125 piece kit was £80.

Costo's kit also looks pretty good and I know they have good returns policies. Anyone used one of these?

Any other brands to recommend? Or anyone got some Halfords voucher codes so I can get their 170 piece kit a bit cheaper? biggrin

Cheers

kambites

67,460 posts

220 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
My Halfords Pro stuff has been very good. The only bit that's broken in fifteen years of ownership they replaced without quibble. Some people dislike 12-point sockets but I've never actually had a problem with them (I have a six-point impact set for really tight things).

ETA: Personally I'd avoid the bigger sets though, they're full of stuff you'll rarely, if ever, use and you just end up lugging a stupidly heavy case around for no reason when you want to use basic metric sockets.

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 14th March 12:16

99t

996 posts

208 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
Halfords Pro stuff is often on special offer with significant percentages off - worth waiting for that if you're not too itchy to part with your readies!

And it is good.

julian64

14,317 posts

253 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
Anyone seen the halfords advanced pro set in black. It was all oev rth enet for a cheap pricae apparently two weeks ago, but now has effectively disappeared from everywhere

mgv8

1,631 posts

270 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
3rd Hefords pro stuff but only when its on sale.

Deisel Weisel

2,519 posts

183 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
The quality of these sets is at least as good, if not better than the Halfords sets:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vigor-V2461-Socket-Spanne...

I don't think there's any warranty to speak of, at least when I ordered my set from Germany for £77 delivered to UK, but that appears to be a UK seller, so things might be different. £77 being roughly half the price of the Halfords sets, I could have bought 2 sets, which puts the lack waranty into perspective.

Beware, there are similar looking sets on eBay, for much cheaper, but those are cheap chinese copies. Vigor is a subsidiary of Hazet.

Major Fallout

5,278 posts

230 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
The good thing about Halfords is when you damage the tool on a sunday you can swap it the same day.

Snap on you have to wait till the van comes, having said that I have only broken 2 snap on tools and they are 60 years old.

S0 What

3,358 posts

171 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
Smae as i allways say , halfords, last set i had for 15+ years, just bought a new set and passed the old set onto a mate who lost all his tools to theft, broke a few 3/8ths rathets, allways exchanged without issue or the need to show the recipt.

Krikkit

26,500 posts

180 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
Halfords is pretty good, although I prefer Bahco or Wera now.

caelite

4,273 posts

111 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
I've been using a Workzone set from Aldi for the last 6 or so years. Semi frequent personal use and they have held up very well, the only niggle is the Allen keys and some of the screwdriver heads rust easily if you leave them out.

I'm a technician by trade, at work we use a lot of Silverline kit, I've started slowly converting my personal stuff over to them.

eltax91

9,842 posts

205 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
Find someone with a Halfords Trade Card, the tools are then pretty much permanently at the "regular offer" price.

Riknos

Original Poster:

4,700 posts

203 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
eltax91 said:
Find someone with a Halfords Trade Card, the tools are then pretty much permanently at the "regular offer" price.
Good idea, thanks.

Anyone on her got a Halfords trade card? smile

kambites

67,460 posts

220 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
Halfords appear to have 50% off all their socket sets at the moment anyway.

eltax91

9,842 posts

205 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
Riknos said:
eltax91 said:
Find someone with a Halfords Trade Card, the tools are then pretty much permanently at the "regular offer" price.
Good idea, thanks.

Anyone on her got a Halfords trade card? smile
Me! hehe

I live in Leicestershire though - perhaps you could put your location down?

Edit: I just looked on their website, the 120 & 150 piece sets are currently on half price offer....


Edited by eltax91 on Tuesday 14th March 13:40

SystemParanoia

14,343 posts

197 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
really easy to get...

just ask them and lie through your teeth.
if refused, ask at another halfords store.

repeat until you get a trade card smile

paintman

7,669 posts

189 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
kambites said:
My Halfords Pro stuff has been very good. The only bit that's broken in fifteen years of ownership they replaced without quibble. Some people dislike 12-point sockets but I've never actually had a problem with them (I have a six-point impact set for really tight things).

ETA: Personally I'd avoid the bigger sets though, they're full of stuff you'll rarely, if ever, use and you just end up lugging a stupidly heavy case around for no reason when you want to use basic metric sockets.

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 14th March 12:16
Most of my kit is 1/2" drive, at least 35 years old & mainly Facom.
Tends to be the same few sockets & spanners that get most usage so I would echo kambites comment above.

I buy the less used stuff as & when required & that's mostly Halford's professional (I have a trade card) or Laser (from local motor factors again at trade). Have had no problems with either & IMO the Halford Professional ratchets are as good as the Facom.

I prefer six-point sockets as they are less likely to round off corners & can usually get chewed up nuts & bolts undone - although some fasteners are 12 point & AIUI there are fasteners which look like 12 point but are slightly different.

I do have a very small set of 1/4" drive which occasionally proves useful in tight spaces & for small fasteners - last used to overhaul an alternator.

Some torx & hex-key male & female socket sets - I have both - are 3/8" drive but an adapter to drop the 1/2" drives does the trick, just don't get over-enthusiastic.

Riknos

Original Poster:

4,700 posts

203 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
eltax91 said:
Riknos said:
eltax91 said:
Find someone with a Halfords Trade Card, the tools are then pretty much permanently at the "regular offer" price.
Good idea, thanks.

Anyone on her got a Halfords trade card? smile
Me! hehe

I live in Leicestershire though - perhaps you could put your location down?

Edit: I just looked on their website, the 120 & 150 piece sets are currently on half price offer....


Edited by eltax91 on Tuesday 14th March 13:40
Berkshire. The socket sets are always on half price. Sometimes even more than half price, they seem to change their mind on the price of them often. Pretty sure the rrp has never actually been charged by them

eybic

9,212 posts

173 months

Tuesday 14th March 2017
quotequote all
Riknos said:
eltax91 said:
Find someone with a Halfords Trade Card, the tools are then pretty much permanently at the "regular offer" price.
Good idea, thanks.

Anyone on her got a Halfords trade card? smile
Yep, Bracknell based thumbup

julian64

14,317 posts

253 months

Wednesday 15th March 2017
quotequote all
Their trade cards a bit weird. Got me £25 off the £175 advanced 200 piece socket set, and £5 off the £150 advanced socket set in black. Go figure

eltax91

9,842 posts

205 months

Wednesday 15th March 2017
quotequote all
julian64 said:
Their trade cards a bit weird. Got me £25 off the £175 advanced 200 piece socket set, and £5 off the £150 advanced socket set in black. Go figure
Yeh and it was always hard to fathom. Recently though, they let you add your trade card to your online profile, so now you can see the discount clearly, buy it online and then collect in store easily.