Tools (spanners)

[DeeTurbo]

Hi guys,

I'm going to be buying some new spanners, ring, combination and ratchet.

I'm looking for something half decent but not to expensive.

These are what I've found a the minute;

Combination Link
Ring Link
Ratchet Link

Ideally I'd like the type of spanners that act on the flat and not the corner but I think there all out my price range. If there are some that are ok price wise I might try and but one month at a time or something.

What do you guys think?

[Jonny81191]

As long as you don't go silly cheap, combination and ring spanners are much the same until you spend a lot. So that lot look fine. But tbh I would go for halfords ratchet spanners, very good for the money.

[Piggy]

I have almost 90% signet stuff...

but I hear only good from halfrauds stuff...esp as its lifetime guarantee...I will be buying a basic kit from them soon, all ina tidy box, for when I go out to fix someone elses car etc

[Jenkosowls]

Best sub £250 I'v paid on tools only gripe I'v got is moving it ideally for the car just need one of 150 piece case sets for emergencys had no issues except lose a socket. I'v also got there rachet spanner set and used the 10mm ratchet spanner to take the head off a fully torqued dturbo it just bent a little that's all. Still functions fine
   

[Tonibruce]

I use halfords proffesional seem good to me

[Poodle]

Likewise, halfords pro is hard to beat for the money.

[Grant]

Just to echo the above, Halfords professional. Life time warranty on non moving parts, and cheap as chips on trade

[bingham123456]

Iv broke more spanner sets than i care to remember. Halfords tools are good but after i broke 2-3 spanners in 4-5 sets in a year thay refused to replace them lol.

i don't abuse my spanners.... Much but will stick to my grandpa's ww2 tool kit and his proper old school tool set he left me. Those things are indestructible

[Chris_90]

Iv broke more spanner sets than i care to remember. Halfords tools are good but after i broke 2-3 spanners in 4-5 sets in a year thay refused to replace them lol.

i don't abuse my spanners.... Much but will stick to my grandpa's ww2 tool kit and his proper old school tool set he left me. Those things are indestructible

How did you brake halfords spanners? I've never broke one even extending them with another spanner never managed to brake one

[Dum-Dum]

As above how did you break Halfords spanners. I've had scaffold poles on them to extend them and still not broken them.


Gotta say though they also get my vote for value and quality especially the ratchet spanners, just dont forget youll have to buy an 11mm and 16mm to complete the set.

[pugjohn306]

I have almost 90% signet stuff...

but I hear only good from halfrauds stuff...esp as its lifetime guarantee...I will be buying a basic kit from them soon, all ina tidy box, for when I go out to fix someone elses car etc

You can come and fix my car if you want lol i dont know whats wrong but im sure we can find out lol

[bingham123456]

Iv broke them trying to undo some fairly rusty bolts or ones that have been done up with air tools.

i used to work on some really old/batterd cars, busses and lorrys, oh and the occasional steam roller.

had almost every size brake on me at some point the ring end is the first to go but had some that have snapped clean in two. One smacked me in the head and had to go hospital to get stitches lol

still got a "set" of Halfords tools and some are bent and broken. But most are still ok

[Stephen]

ask 306puggy he knows all the answers

[DeeTurbo]

Cheers guy's.

Come to think of it my very first 3/4" ratach set was a halfords one and I bought that 15 years ago. The only problem was the tabs breaking on the blown plastic case.

Do you get trade discount at Halfords through the club?

[Chris]

Halfords spanner tray 6-22 and a 24mm combination spanners and brake pipe spanners. For £65 quid!
53 if on trade iirc.

Ratchet spanners I'd go for the halfords non flexible ones. Around £50 again not on trade.

[306carter]

I've got some Blue Point ratchet spanners they where about £100 and worth every penny. Had them about 3 years not had a problem with them.

[darrenjlobb]

Ive got all sorts in my tool collection, and im a farmer, and believe me, the tools get a hard time, and not just from me....In terms of spanners, ive got lots of sets over the years etc, but I have a halfords set which i bought maybe 6 years ago, just as a "tidy" set to use around cars etc, but its been used for everything snice having them, for example only last week did i have a 32mm spanner on the end of the 19mm tightening a feeder house chain on the combine...and to this day, ive not broken a single one,and there still snug / tight on a nut, nothing worse than a slogged out 13mm that smore like 13.5mm due to cheapy metal, resulting in lots of cock ups in the workshop...I really rate the halfords tools, quite honestly.

[306Puggy]

Those spanners look fine bud. I use Draper "DIY Series" for most of my tools and have never suffered any problems. Unless you are a pro you don't really need to spend too much on these things really. Just my opinion.

[Niall]

Ive got all sorts in my tool collection, and im a farmer, and believe me, the tools get a hard time, and not just from me....In terms of spanners, ive got lots of sets over the years etc, but I have a halfords set which i bought maybe 6 years ago, just as a "tidy" set to use around cars etc, but its been used for everything snice having them, for example only last week did i have a 32mm spanner on the end of the 19mm tightening a feeder house chain on the combine...and to this day, ive not broken a single one,and there still snug / tight on a nut, nothing worse than a slogged out 13mm that smore like 13.5mm due to cheapy metal, resulting in lots of cock ups in the workshop...I really rate the halfords tools, quite honestly.

Agreed. For personal use like most of us use, you can not beat Halfords pro stuff.

[ConorTRG]

I use draper expert everyday and never had a problem with them, have a few teng, britool, king tony, us pro (budget brand) aswell and find them dead on.

[cully]

another vote for Halfords pro stuff
i have
170 kit think it was £120 on offer
set of ratchet non swivel spanners £39 on offer
rail of socket keys
rail of torx sockets male and female
and have started colecting the big 35mm combinations downwards think the 35mm was £12 with trade i will build a full set of these from 35-9mm

other stuff in my collection
is Kamasa old socket sets
old Britool combination spanners I buy these off ebay way better than any new crap

[darrenjlobb]

Ive got all sorts in my tool collection, and im a farmer, and believe me, the tools get a hard time, and not just from me....In terms of spanners, ive got lots of sets over the years etc, but I have a halfords set which i bought maybe 6 years ago, just as a "tidy" set to use around cars etc, but its been used for everything snice having them, for example only last week did i have a 32mm spanner on the end of the 19mm tightening a feeder house chain on the combine...and to this day, ive not broken a single one,and there still snug / tight on a nut, nothing worse than a slogged out 13mm that smore like 13.5mm due to cheapy metal, resulting in lots of cock ups in the workshop...I really rate the halfords tools, quite honestly.

Agreed. For personal use like most of us use, you can not beat Halfords pro stuff.

Mine is far from personell use, it gets used and abused daily!

[Niall]

Ive got all sorts in my tool collection, and im a farmer, and believe me, the tools get a hard time, and not just from me....In terms of spanners, ive got lots of sets over the years etc, but I have a halfords set which i bought maybe 6 years ago, just as a "tidy" set to use around cars etc, but its been used for everything snice having them, for example only last week did i have a 32mm spanner on the end of the 19mm tightening a feeder house chain on the combine...and to this day, ive not broken a single one,and there still snug / tight on a nut, nothing worse than a slogged out 13mm that smore like 13.5mm due to cheapy metal, resulting in lots of cock ups in the workshop...I really rate the halfords tools, quite honestly.

Agreed. For personal use like most of us use, you can not beat Halfords pro stuff.

Mine is far from personell use, it gets used and abused daily!

Fair play. It is good stuff!
Personally, if I was using tools professionally, I'd have snap on or mac tools. I know some on here say it's pointless but you really can tell the difference and it lasts for bloody ages. I've got a old flexi head ratchet that is 3 years older than me and it's only just gone bad because it was in the top of my tool box when my shed flooded and the top of the box filled with water local snap on man is replacing it for me when I can be bothered to go and see him.

[Frosty]

I have a lot of snap on/blue point and mac tools. It is good stuff but even I would admit it is over priced but most of it has lifetime warranty with hassle free replacement and I got accounts with them so can pay it all off weekly which makes it feel not as painful. It is also all getting used daily so I don't mind spending the bit extra. I got have a lot of other tools like US pro and Bergen which I highly rate. For the money of it you cant go wrong and cheaper tools are great for modifying for certain jobs.

[Dicky]

In all honesty, like everyone else Halfords Pro is the ones to have..

I use more of my Halfords tools than my MAC box

[swampy]

Iv broke more spanner sets than i care to remember. Halfords tools are good but after i broke 2-3 spanners in 4-5 sets in a year thay refused to replace them lol.

i don't abuse my spanners.... Much but will stick to my grandpa's ww2 tool kit and his proper old school tool set he left me. Those things are indestructible

Then you are doing something seriously wrong when using them!!

As for using your grandads tools be careful as most of them will be whit worth or imperial sizes so won't fit securely on most modern cars


I also use halfords and rate them highly

[bingham123456]

Yeah have 4 separate tool sets.

One that's just whit worth spanners,sockets and tap n dye set.

one that is just imperial spanners, sockets and tap n dye

my old vintage tool set (grandpa's stuff that was old when he had it and ww2 usa made tools)

my every day tool set, mixed between a set and a half of Halfords, a set of snap on, random assortment of old tools


in not to hard on my tools tbh. I beat the hell out of the old stuff every week and thay have never let me down. Mainly the ring end on the Halfords sets i brake