A quality socket set for sub £60?
Discussion
mgroadster said:
Dog Star said:
I was looking at the Halfords stuff the other day and what really pisses me off is that about 30% of the stuff you get is useless - who needs AF sockets? I don't think I possess one single thing with AF/Whitworth. Totally pointless. Why don't they do metric only sets?
My tool box is mostly AF which is needed to work on early British sports cars.You can get metric only sets, no problem.
Why were you associating Halfords with quality? time for a rethink i reckon.
My sockets are a mixture of Teng, Britool and Halfords Pro. The Teng sockets probably get the most use as I have a set of 6 points in both standard a deep varieties in 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 inch - all the Halfords stuff I have is 12 point so I don't use them unless I have to.
Ratchet wise, I'll nearly always use the Halfords Pro ones - they have a nice feel in the hand and a nice smooth ratchet. The Teng ratchets are a bit clunky I find.
I also bought a set of Clarke wobble bars in sizes from about a couple of inches up to 24". They are fine and have never broken despite some brutal use as Tommy/breaker bars!
Edited to add that if I were to buy a starter set, it would be Teng in 3/8". Good quality, unbreakable stuff, and their 6 pointers are wall drive.
Edited by Riff Raff on Saturday 16th July 14:42
turbopug said:
MX7 said:
turbopug said:
EDLT said:
Really, I've used the same set for years and it has been fine. The chrome came off a couple of sockets but that night have been because they got some abuse.
To the OP: Clarke and Laser tools are OK if you are just doing DIY work.
How often do you use your socket set though? I use mines 6 days a week, sometimes 7. 3 months in unacceptable for something which is supposed to be a "quality" product.To the OP: Clarke and Laser tools are OK if you are just doing DIY work.
I've got a big Halfords Pro set of 1/2" and 3/8", metric and AF. It's done me well in a semi-professional capacity for 2 years - it's decently made but I'm slowly updating to better quality 6 point socket sets.
Ratchet-wise I'm looking at stuff at about £40-50, was thinking Teng/Facom/Beta, which brand would people recommend or are they likely to be pretty much the same?
PS. The guy complaining about AF sockets, should people who want to work on an old British car go without just because you don't use them?
Ratchet-wise I'm looking at stuff at about £40-50, was thinking Teng/Facom/Beta, which brand would people recommend or are they likely to be pretty much the same?
PS. The guy complaining about AF sockets, should people who want to work on an old British car go without just because you don't use them?
mgroadster said:
Why were you associating Halfords with quality? time for a rethink i reckon.
Odd that the Halfords Pro sockets are very highly recommended by many across various car forums - I assume your comment isn't based on experience as you haven't elaborated further?My Halfords Pro set was a gift so I have no idea how much it cost, but it's robust and is standing up to all I can throw at it, which sometimes does involve throwing it..
I've got all sorts from 25 year old Kamasa sockets to new Halfords Pro sockets. I broke two Halfords breaker bars in a row taking the wheelnut off a Maestro a few years ago and had them replaced FOC without a murmur. The old Kamasa sockets are bearing up, but a few well used ones have been replaced over the years.
sorry, I am the resurrection
Ive just snapped my 25y old driver and have also realised that most of my metric spanners have gone walkabout too - although I do have fond memories of the 12mm socket I gave to an ex gf for her old Alfa, thats not a euphemism by the way....
Anyway I need new toolkit and the brief window of functionality thrown up by PH search has lead me to look at Halfords stuff which seems to be heavily discounted at the moment
The 2 most obvious choices are:
lots of stuff I prob wont use
and
everything I probably need
What I actually need is something to cover most routine options but a £125 discount is sweet innit!
I have a small selection of Torx already for eccentric bike stuff but my metric spanner collection from 8mm to 20mm is toast
Comments welcome
Ive just snapped my 25y old driver and have also realised that most of my metric spanners have gone walkabout too - although I do have fond memories of the 12mm socket I gave to an ex gf for her old Alfa, thats not a euphemism by the way....
Anyway I need new toolkit and the brief window of functionality thrown up by PH search has lead me to look at Halfords stuff which seems to be heavily discounted at the moment
The 2 most obvious choices are:
lots of stuff I prob wont use
and
everything I probably need
What I actually need is something to cover most routine options but a £125 discount is sweet innit!
I have a small selection of Torx already for eccentric bike stuff but my metric spanner collection from 8mm to 20mm is toast
Comments welcome
Served my time as a mechanic many moons ago.
I've got a selection of Snap on , Britool and a few other spurious sockets, plus power bars , ratchets and extensions.
All housed in a battered old Britool socket set box.
Open the lid twice a year and spray with WD40 , never get used nowadays.
I've got a selection of Snap on , Britool and a few other spurious sockets, plus power bars , ratchets and extensions.
All housed in a battered old Britool socket set box.
Open the lid twice a year and spray with WD40 , never get used nowadays.
Mr2Mike said:
Dog Star said:
I was looking at the Halfords stuff the other day and what really pisses me off is that about 30% of the stuff you get is useless - who needs AF sockets? I don't think I possess one single thing with AF/Whitworth. Totally pointless. Why don't they do metric only sets?
I use AF sockets, so do many other people - do you think Halfords should only make socket sets specifically for you?BTW, Halfords do sell metric only socket sets, though only the smaller sets IIRC.
Anyway - I needed more sockets (I had a couple that had broke etc or just needed extras) and since I already have extensions, ratchets etc I simply bought another clip-rail of < 20mm and another of >20mm from the Advanced Range - £44 (I think), so job done, and I now have plenty of sockets in all sizes in corner and surface drive. Should keep me going for another 30 years, by which time I'll probably be dead or home spannering will be illegal
Dog Star - I for one agree. The most obvious solution is to buy a set that offers metric only. The very cheap set I bought a couple of years ago is still going strong, apart from the 1/4" ratchet which gave up the ghost a few weeks ago. Served me well as a cheap set (it was only about £40, and seems to be even cheaper now), but as mine get a fair amount of use I will upgrade to something a bit better.
When trawling through the range of stuff on ebay, the worrying thing is that there are some quite expensive sets that come from manufacturers with decent reputations, that look exactly the same as my cheap one! Whether it's just the box that's the same I don't know!
When trawling through the range of stuff on ebay, the worrying thing is that there are some quite expensive sets that come from manufacturers with decent reputations, that look exactly the same as my cheap one! Whether it's just the box that's the same I don't know!
Athlon said:
Facom, Teng, second hand Snap-On, Mac all great and very nice to use.
The Halfords lifetime warranty is a laugh, I have a good few and if you can't show the receipt then no dice, despite the fact I am self employed and the accounts are with the accountant, even explaining it has HALFORDS stamped on the socket was no good so I went back to proper tool retailers that honour the warranty.
Just this, I had a ratchet spanner that failed, the guarantee only covered the handle, what a crock of st.The Halfords lifetime warranty is a laugh, I have a good few and if you can't show the receipt then no dice, despite the fact I am self employed and the accounts are with the accountant, even explaining it has HALFORDS stamped on the socket was no good so I went back to proper tool retailers that honour the warranty.
Carl
I wouldn't knock having a few old AF sockets in your set as they can come in very handy at times.
Just tonight I've been trying to remove a stuck 13mm head sump plug from a Ford. It wouldn't budge, and rounded it off trying. The cure was to hammer on a 1/2 " socket which gripped fine and allowed me to remove the stubborn little bugger.
I'm sure there are a few other AF is a bit smaller than metric fixes that can get you out of a pickle...
Just tonight I've been trying to remove a stuck 13mm head sump plug from a Ford. It wouldn't budge, and rounded it off trying. The cure was to hammer on a 1/2 " socket which gripped fine and allowed me to remove the stubborn little bugger.
I'm sure there are a few other AF is a bit smaller than metric fixes that can get you out of a pickle...
Dog Star said:
I seem to be getting some ire directed at me for my statement. I would say that most people - in the order of 90% or so - will have no need of AF sockets. I'm a keen home mechanic and currently have 3 cars and 4 bikes (as well as other home items that might need fixing). Apart from my Briggs and Stratton mower engine everything is metric. I doubt that I differ much to most people in the UK in this.
Completely agree.I've been working on my own vehicles for 27 years and I've never owned a car or bike that needed AF tools.
Sure, it's different for classic enthusiasts who need and will buy AF stuff, but the average DIYer will never need them.
As such, I find it perplexing that AF bits are still included in standard tool sets 30+ years after they went out of common use.
Seems to be one of those traditional things that's persisted long past the point of usefulness.
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