Tool snobery ?

[roswell]

Evening all

Just a general discussion but lets see opinion.

I generaly dont follow the snap-on / facom etc tool kit followers, I have a 3/8" 6 sided machine mart socket set, some halfords spanners and a B&Q set of 1/2 " impact sockets a few random other tools I have picked up over the years.

The FIL believe in Snap-on, facom , sykes picvant etc
Now you can guarentee when I get stuck it results in a call to the FIL, He turns up with a 24" snap on breaker bar, a snap on extension bar etc etc 2 minutes later im looking a fool as he chucks the offending nut / bolt in my direction and tells me for the 600th time I need a better set of tools.

Discuss .. Are you a casual tool owner or a tool snob ?
Keeping this on a DIY level not professional as obviously I understand tools for every day use need to be high quality and high cost.

[m8internet]

I just buy the right tools and equipment, as and when required
Sometimes a set is cheaper
My tool box has a full set of screwdrivers and a basic socket set
This has recently filled with individual drill bits, to fill the gaps from the cordless drill kit below
Other tools include nose and bull pliers, three paint scrapers (fine, small, and medium), wire cutters and strippers
Then we have the unusual tools, including a set of stereo removing clips

Separately I have a full range socket set in its own box and carry case

I have two cordless power drills
The first is a dedicated (non-branded) drill, the battery doesn't last long but is capable of masonry drilling, also included was a drill bit set
The second is a Black and Decker triple drill set, including jigsaw and mouse sander (never seen these for sale in B&Q)

I also bought a Black & Decker paint remover (heat gun), used it for one small job, Tesco was selling them for £3 so was a good buy at the time

Last is a Dremel kit, this has had all kinds of uses

[lee gsi]

Depends what the item is.

If its sockets and spanners I get Snap-on as they grip the nut/bolt better and less chance to slip off and either round the nut/bolt or whack my knuckles.

Hammers and wire brushes etc I just get cheap ones.

Every tool has it use.

[DNS]

The price of tools versus their quality isn't an easy thing to judge.

For instance, a £15 socket set will be crap, double the price and you get 10 times better quality. Double the price again and you'll get better, but probably won't notice a huge difference.

I've got a standard Draper socket set and it's never failed me, I've used it hundreds of times and every piece is still in the same condition as when I bought it.

Screwdriver-wise I've got all-sorts, but the ones I can always rely on are the branded ones (if they've got a name on, be it Draper, Halfords, Wickes etc, they're better than any unnamed kit in my opinion).

In terms of power tools, if it's something I'm going to use a lot like a drill, these days I only buy "trade" brands, had too many "DIY" brands which have conked out on me. Bosch, Makita, DeWalt etc all the way. Guess that makes me a bit of a snob!

On the subject of tools, I keep meaning to get a new torque wrench, but they all seem to cost a fortune. Anyone got any recommendations for a reasonable quality, reasonable price one? Don't mind ordering online. Nothing huge, a 2ft one would be perfect.

[Damo77]

Sorry but i'm a sucker for tools and only have but a few........... but with the nature of my job it helps...... don't buy cheap nasty tools as they don't last especally when replacing the likes of landing gear on B767 and doing Wing/Pylon work on aircraft (amongst other things) etc.... only the best will do
Over time I try to buy either Blue Point, Craftsman, Proto or Snap-on even Facom but it always seem to be that, blue point and snap-on seem to stand up to more abuse, don't get me wrong FACOM and even the likes of Halfords do work well but don't quite cut the mustard ;-)

[benny]

if your a sunday afternoon messer toffe tools are ok ...but if your actually going to work useing the tools and make a living , snap on britool facom and so on are the way to go ....

[marktaylor]

The price of tools versus their quality isn't an easy thing to judge.

For instance, a £15 socket set will be crap, double the price and you get 10 times better quality. Double the price again and you'll get better, but probably won't notice a huge difference.

I've got a standard Draper socket set and it's never failed me, I've used it hundreds of times and every piece is still in the same condition as when I bought it.

Screwdriver-wise I've got all-sorts, but the ones I can always rely on are the branded ones (if they've got a name on, be it Draper, Halfords, Wickes etc, they're better than any unnamed kit in my opinion).

In terms of power tools, if it's something I'm going to use a lot like a drill, these days I only buy "trade" brands, had too many "DIY" brands which have conked out on me. Bosch, Makita, DeWalt etc all the way. Guess that makes me a bit of a snob!

On the subject of tools, I keep meaning to get a new torque wrench, but they all seem to cost a fortune. Anyone got any recommendations for a reasonable quality, reasonable price one? Don't mind ordering online. Nothing huge, a 2ft one would be perfect.

try machine mart online , they usually have some good prices for torque wrenches

i use halford proffesional tools in the workshop , never had any bother with then and have a lifetime guarantee

[snapsnap]

The halfords torque wrenches are made by norbar - superb for the money.

Providing your tools are branded, they are likey to serve you well.

While snap on is good, its not worth the money for a DIYer - you are essentially paying for a man in a van and backup at your place of work

[TimTay]

i replace my tools every year. amazing what you get in xmas crackers now adays. still useing the screwdriver set from 4 years ago! cant diss tesco finest! must admit tho it does look pretty minced. but does the job

[Caveman_nige]

I have found that when i spend some money and buy a decent tool or set I am getting tool that does the job better and it more hardwearing.. But I have a collection of inherited tools and some cheapos that are knackered along side some expensive ones that do the job first time every time.. Its expensive pieceing together a reasonable high quaility tool collection and its only really worth buying if your do a reasonable amount of DIY (house or car) i reckon..

My main tools for the car are Britool, I have a socket set i inherited that are almost 40 years old and still work perfectly but I decided to retire them recently as I needed a whole bunch of torx ones so bought myself a new Britool set.. while i still use the old set I now want to clean them up and put them aside as they were my dads.. He would be happy to know that I have been using them for another 20 years on top of the 20 years used them...


@ DNS - I use Norbar Torque wrenches and saw that they recently (this year) came top in a review of the whoes who of torque wrenches on PPC magazine.. If you look on the bay you will see a bloke the sells the Norbar SL1 for the half the usual price and they are a great all rounder for most jobs on the car..