Total tool Confusion... who STILL makes quality?
Discussion
I work in a dealership so quality matters. I have mostly snap on and bluepoint. I try to buy tools that have been recommended to me. Almost every tech had bought the big bluepoint service set when they started, I can see why now. Have one for work work and one for home. I think if I didn't earn a living with my tools I would buy halfords pro for sockets and ratchets. Sealey for air tools - have some at work and there brilliant.
I have an old britool 1/2" ratchet that was my dads, it's still going strong. I looked at replacing it with another britool ratchet but the weight and quality was quite low compared to the same SO ratchet.
I've found recently that some SO stuff is rebranded and not as good quality. It definitely depends where it's made
I have an old britool 1/2" ratchet that was my dads, it's still going strong. I looked at replacing it with another britool ratchet but the weight and quality was quite low compared to the same SO ratchet.
I've found recently that some SO stuff is rebranded and not as good quality. It definitely depends where it's made
Update: My newest kit is mostly
Bacho spanners, adjustables and hex keys
Draper Expert engineers screwdriver set (far superior to the Halfords which appear to have points made from shiny cheese)
Makita & DeWalt drill and driver bits
3M sanding blocks
Hilka impact driver
Facom Nano 1/4" drive socket set (awesome bit of kit)
and Stanley 19" & 16" tool boxes.
All been well used and the only casualty has been a Makita 3mm HSS drillbit
My 13 year old Halfords Pro 150piece socket set is still in excellent condition
Bacho spanners, adjustables and hex keys
Draper Expert engineers screwdriver set (far superior to the Halfords which appear to have points made from shiny cheese)
Makita & DeWalt drill and driver bits
3M sanding blocks
Hilka impact driver
Facom Nano 1/4" drive socket set (awesome bit of kit)
and Stanley 19" & 16" tool boxes.
All been well used and the only casualty has been a Makita 3mm HSS drillbit
My 13 year old Halfords Pro 150piece socket set is still in excellent condition
Edited by leafspring on Saturday 22 February 19:45
^^^ that's the problem, they used to be the best... but
I've switched to Facom and Bahco. Brilliant, my new favourite brands
Draper expert engineers screwdrivers have far out stripped the Halfords pro driver set too.
I'm still using the Halfords sockets and ratchets although comparing their 1/4 drive ratchet to the Facom one... Facom wins hands down it's just tighter, more precise and feels more robust.
Makita still seems good, no problems so far, although there is still that nagging doubt about the drill batteries.
Chippy at work has a lot of Stanley FatMax gear that seems to hold up well too
I've switched to Facom and Bahco. Brilliant, my new favourite brands
Draper expert engineers screwdrivers have far out stripped the Halfords pro driver set too.
I'm still using the Halfords sockets and ratchets although comparing their 1/4 drive ratchet to the Facom one... Facom wins hands down it's just tighter, more precise and feels more robust.
Makita still seems good, no problems so far, although there is still that nagging doubt about the drill batteries.
Chippy at work has a lot of Stanley FatMax gear that seems to hold up well too
leafspring said:
^^^ that's the problem, they used to be the best... but
I've switched to Facom and Bahco. Brilliant, my new favourite brands
Draper expert engineers screwdrivers have far out stripped the Halfords pro driver set too.
I'm still using the Halfords sockets and ratchets although comparing their 1/4 drive ratchet to the Facom one... Facom wins hands down it's just tighter, more precise and feels more robust.
Makita still seems good, no problems so far, although there is still that nagging doubt about the drill batteries.
Chippy at work has a lot of Stanley FatMax gear that seems to hold up well too
I do love facom stuff, its just great to work with. I have a set of their flexi head ratchet spanners & they are just right, flexible, but not sloppy if you know what i mean.I've switched to Facom and Bahco. Brilliant, my new favourite brands
Draper expert engineers screwdrivers have far out stripped the Halfords pro driver set too.
I'm still using the Halfords sockets and ratchets although comparing their 1/4 drive ratchet to the Facom one... Facom wins hands down it's just tighter, more precise and feels more robust.
Makita still seems good, no problems so far, although there is still that nagging doubt about the drill batteries.
Chippy at work has a lot of Stanley FatMax gear that seems to hold up well too
I was in need of a replacement 1/2" drive ratchet a couple of weeks ago & popped into my local tool dealer (who only stock Teng), where they had this for £40:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TENG-1-2-Dr-60-Teeth-Rat...
But they also had this for £54!:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Teng-Tools-18-Piece-1-2-...
I didn't really need the additional sockets etc, but for the extra £14 it's a no brainer.
except cork Or wooden sanding blocks... which float away to just out of arms reach 
How do Wera, Facom, Bahco and Teng Tools compare? Compared to these, is Snap-On noticeably better or just over priced?I'd say they are pretty close, certainly close enough for home/part time use.
In my workplace I'd say 80%+ of our tools are snap on. IMHO for full time use you can feel a difference. We don't personally pay for them either so a definite bonus! If I paid for my own, I'd still use a lot of snap on - sockets/spanners/screwdrivers etc.
In my workplace I'd say 80%+ of our tools are snap on. IMHO for full time use you can feel a difference. We don't personally pay for them either so a definite bonus! If I paid for my own, I'd still use a lot of snap on - sockets/spanners/screwdrivers etc.
After 50+ years of bending , loosing , having stuff stolen, a couple of years as a Snap On dealer and being a life long petrol head my kit has a wide range of makes from Snap On to koken, bahco to unnamed german stuff but most used is a halford kit my wife bought as a christmas present 12/13 years ago only 1 breakage in that time replaced with out hassle in my op its as good as you can buy! .Britool lost out stopping in t30's/40's ideom ,mat chrome etc Gordon was another good name . If I had to start again halfords stuff , bahco ,facom stawille,teng would all be considered , last year as a rework I threw away a barrow load of large stuff - up to 76 mm spanners etc could not give them away all the english top make virtualy unused were no even worth weighing in!!
DuraAce said:
I'd say they are pretty close, certainly close enough for home/part time use ... I'd IMHO for full timue use you can feel a difference.
For home/part time use, would I feel any difference between Facom, Bahco and Teng spanners? Any differences in look and feel or fit and finish? I was given the choice as a Christmas present.Wera Joker spanners look awesome, but way beyond budget. I imagine Snap-On spanners would also be too expensive.
SVS said:
For home/part time use, would I feel any difference between Facom, Bahco and Teng spanners? Any differences in look and feel or fit and finish? I was given the choice as a Christmas present.
Wera Joker spanners look awesome, but way beyond budget. I imagine Snap-On spanners would also be too expensive.
Snap on, wera, factor, bahco, teng would be the list as I would grade them. The bottom three are close though. Any would serve a home mechanic well I would say. I do like the look/feel of the snap on chrome though! Wera Joker spanners look awesome, but way beyond budget. I imagine Snap-On spanners would also be too expensive.
Just gonna stick my 2p worth in.
I served 5 years as a mechanic in the army most of the stuff there was draper expert and elora mixed most of it was well used and abused daily not any complaints there.
I still have a 19mm draper not expert mind and it's a beast, I've owned Bergen sockets and torx bits hands down better than the halfords pro/advanced feel more like the draper tools.
However I have used a twin set of halfords advanced and halfords pro ratchet spanners solid for 11 hours a day 5-6 days a week for the past 3 years and they haven't skipped a beat get some hydraulic oil and clean them out and they are as good as new.
I lost a 13mm for a week or so and brought a bluepoint replacement what a expensive load of cheese that is the open end flexes more than my halfords pro (being slightly thinner than the advanced), although the ratchet/angle are a nice touch. Bluepoint made my modern day snapon not worth touching if they were the same price as halfords I'd still buy halfords.
My uncle who owns his own garage and has been in the business 40+ years has all the old I mean old snap on gear his stuff is solid the new stuff is like chocolate in comparison, he brought a new set of 6 sockets recently and they had expanded after a few days of use so returned them and brought some draper ones to replace them said they felt more like the old snap on ones.
Elora still awesome spanners used a few my old draper is the same style. Draper tools not the expert range.
Teng seem fairly solid step up definitely from the halfords.
Bahco adjustables nothing else compares to them, they're mini socket 1/4 drive are very dependable.
Facom not used many but spanners are solid and the open end doesn't budge.
Wera spanners not to bad the nut holder is a bit gimicky but they feel similar to the teng.
Halfords Advanced slightly wider spanners but more chunky and handle more abuse than the pro range, pro range is more refined but hard to come by. All made by signet also make Gearwrench.
Gearwrench identical to the halfords Advanced range.
Wera screwdrivers are the dogs nuts can't fault them.
Anything pliers snips grips etc go knipex.
Having said all that my go to spanners/sockets/impact sockets etc are all halfords used daily not to expensive especially if damaged/lost but if ratchet fails or torx bit sheers all covered by a decent warranty. Replacement tool there and then most of the time rather that than have to wait for a rep to come in and you have a halfords in just about every town.
My next set would be a facom set of ratchet spanners for personal use if I fancy a upgrade and same lifetime warranty wouldn't grumble with them hehe.
All above is based on my own and fellow colleagues workshop experience. Plus my Uncles old snap-on/bluepoint Collection vs new snap-on/bluepoint experience.
I served 5 years as a mechanic in the army most of the stuff there was draper expert and elora mixed most of it was well used and abused daily not any complaints there.
I still have a 19mm draper not expert mind and it's a beast, I've owned Bergen sockets and torx bits hands down better than the halfords pro/advanced feel more like the draper tools.
However I have used a twin set of halfords advanced and halfords pro ratchet spanners solid for 11 hours a day 5-6 days a week for the past 3 years and they haven't skipped a beat get some hydraulic oil and clean them out and they are as good as new.
I lost a 13mm for a week or so and brought a bluepoint replacement what a expensive load of cheese that is the open end flexes more than my halfords pro (being slightly thinner than the advanced), although the ratchet/angle are a nice touch. Bluepoint made my modern day snapon not worth touching if they were the same price as halfords I'd still buy halfords.
My uncle who owns his own garage and has been in the business 40+ years has all the old I mean old snap on gear his stuff is solid the new stuff is like chocolate in comparison, he brought a new set of 6 sockets recently and they had expanded after a few days of use so returned them and brought some draper ones to replace them said they felt more like the old snap on ones.
Elora still awesome spanners used a few my old draper is the same style. Draper tools not the expert range.
Teng seem fairly solid step up definitely from the halfords.
Bahco adjustables nothing else compares to them, they're mini socket 1/4 drive are very dependable.
Facom not used many but spanners are solid and the open end doesn't budge.
Wera spanners not to bad the nut holder is a bit gimicky but they feel similar to the teng.
Halfords Advanced slightly wider spanners but more chunky and handle more abuse than the pro range, pro range is more refined but hard to come by. All made by signet also make Gearwrench.
Gearwrench identical to the halfords Advanced range.
Wera screwdrivers are the dogs nuts can't fault them.
Anything pliers snips grips etc go knipex.
Having said all that my go to spanners/sockets/impact sockets etc are all halfords used daily not to expensive especially if damaged/lost but if ratchet fails or torx bit sheers all covered by a decent warranty. Replacement tool there and then most of the time rather that than have to wait for a rep to come in and you have a halfords in just about every town.
My next set would be a facom set of ratchet spanners for personal use if I fancy a upgrade and same lifetime warranty wouldn't grumble with them hehe.
All above is based on my own and fellow colleagues workshop experience. Plus my Uncles old snap-on/bluepoint Collection vs new snap-on/bluepoint experience.
I can only agree with everything youve said. Ive been in the motor trade and buying tools for over 40 years, the quality of modern day Snap On tools is nowhere near as good as 40 years but then I believe most of it is manufactured in Taiwan now. A recent new name is Neilson tools, Ive bought a few of the more specialised sockets and other bits and pieces and they seem to be reasonable quality, the local dealer is offering a set of offset ring spanners from 10mm to 32mm for a price that it may be stupid not to take a chance on them.
My problem now is that I have so many tools Im soon going to have to make another major storage purchase to hold them all.
My problem now is that I have so many tools Im soon going to have to make another major storage purchase to hold them all.
sparkythecat said:
I asked on another tool thread whether the Bergen stuff was any good, but no one seemed to know. There's usually loads of it for sale at auto jumbles and the like. Are they decent quality German tools, or is it just cheap Chinese stuff that's been given a Germanic name?
I've a a set of Bergen hex sockets, they're okay but only occasionally used, for tight stuff I've a Draper impact screwdriver with some much more solid hex bits included, they feel stronger and more secure. For sockets a Halfords 3/8 set is my "go to" and Sealey 1/2" for heavier work.
My wife bought me a 3/8 Teng socket set about 25 years ago which is still going strong (apart from the 17mm socket which a "friend" broke!) My even older Kamasa set is still fine with a replacement ratchet. Gedore sockets are not cheap but are very good - I have several 6 point sockets which often can get a better grip.
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