home garage tool kit

[anonymous-user]

Good all round genreal purpose tool kit for home mechanic new to things..Anybody recommend one for around 150 or a good place to start..

thanks

[Zoobeef]

The biggest one halfords do. I have it. Its only £99 with a trade card or when they have offers on over christmas.

Lifetime guarentee. I think its the 150 piece halfords professional set

[Mattt]

Yep, I have that - decent enough for most common tasks.

[Defcon5]

I was thinking about that halfords kit, but have decided to wait til machine maart have a VAT free day and spend 100 in there instead.

[anonymous-user]

Ok I've been collecting tools for years, and have a comprehensive kit, I've now decided to buy a 7 draw box and a top box, seen exactly what I want and collect it next week, but how do people keep the tools in order in the draws?
I don't want the spanners to rattle round etc, can I buy kits to devide the draw up?

[Toilet Duck]

Berw said:

how do people keep the tools in order in the draws?
I don't want the spanners to rattle round etc, can I buy kits to devide the draw up?

I use anti slip rubber mats. I can't remember where I got them from, I think I bought a roll of it and cut to size. Its a thin textured rubber matt type thing, spanners etc stay where you place them. I am a bit OCD and have to have all my spanners in size order all facing the same way equally spaced.

[anonymous-user]

Yes that me want all the spanners in a row. All hang up nice and I know if their touched, (wife keeps 'borrowing' screw driver for the sowing machine and I know each time). My problem is I live in a condominium, so I need to be able to wheel the tools around (to the lift) and keep them in order.

[Mattt]

Might sound silly, but cutlery drawer insert?

[Steve_D]

I use these Sharks Teeth.
You stick them down in the drawer so they stay put. I think the actual ones I have are much longer but I don't know where they came from. Another quick Google found The ones I have

Steve

[anonymous-user]

3 piece universal tool kit






(although i can't guarantee that "refitting is the opposite of removal" ;-)

[HereBeMonsters]

The Halfords Pro kit is great, almost as good as my Snap-On kit and for a fraction of the price. But make sure it's proper Halfords Pro stuff (or "Advanced", as their old gear was) because their standard kit is st and wouldn't even grace the walls of the pound shop.

[spend]

Max_Torque said:

3 piece universal tool kit






(although i can't guarantee that "refitting is the opposite of removal" ;-)

What are the 2 small ones used for?

[anonymous-user]

Some times only minor "percusive maintainance" is required you kmow.......... ;-)

[maniac0796]

spend said:

What are the 2 small ones used for?

Interior work and electrical faults.

[944fan]

Toilet Duck said:

I use anti slip rubber mats. I can't remember where I got them from, I think I bought a roll of it and cut to size. Its a thin textured rubber matt type thing, spanners etc stay where you place them. I am a bit OCD and have to have all my spanners in size order all facing the same way equally spaced.

Me too! The rubber mats are good for small items spanners etc. I bought some packing foam off ebay for larger itesm and cut round the shape with a scarpel.

Regarding the Halfords £99 kit it is good but I think the lifetime warranty only applies to a failure of the metal, which is fine for the spanner and sockets but I am pretty sure it doesn't cover the ratchet mechanism. Having said that Halfords do sell a ratchet repair kit

[NiceCupOfTea]

maniac0796 said:

spend said:

What are the 2 small ones used for?

Interior work and electrical faults.

I have the Halfords Pro kit for £99 (usually on offer from £150) and it is very good. A bit overkill though - lots of imperial sockets that you will probably never use (except for hammering onto chewed up metric ones ), and you might want to buy a set of metric hex sockets as well as most of them (except the 1/4in drive and impact sockets) are 12 sided sockets. Add in a breaker bar and torque wrench (Halfords Pro again) and you are good to go

Got a roll of non slip matting in Halfords for the toolbox too. Actually keep the Halfords Pro kit in the case it comes in though, very solid.

[Toilet Duck]

Quinny said:

I've taken a few ratchet spanners back, some of which have been abused way above the call of duty, and split sockets, again through abuse, all have bee replaced without question

Do you have to show a receipt? I've got a few Halfords pro tools but I don't have/have lost the receipts. One of my torx head socket things broke trying to get a window bolt fixing out. Will they just change it seeing as its obviously one of their "lifetime gaurantee" tools or will they demand a receipt?

[944fan]

Quinny said:

I've taken a few ratchet spanners back, some of which have been abused way above the call of duty, and split sockets, again through abuse, all have bee replaced without question

I've never broken a Halfords too during "normal" use either.

That's good then. I must have misread. Good to know, with the amount of nuts and botls that seem to be welded to my car it wont be long before something breaks! fking audi and their use of steel bolts in aluminium housings.