Basic Tool Set .. from Santa

WLM21

I have a campervan and not being very mechanically minded (or interested) am lucky to have a friend who is the complete opposite.

However, he always grumbles at my lack of tools .. a collection of old spanners, screwdrivers that have seen better days and the total lack of any socket set.

With Christmas coming and hopefully Santa, my kids can maybe buy me a set of spanners, a set of decent screwdrivers and a socket set (I knew there was a reason why we opted for 3 kids)

What makes would folk recommend please and are there any good deals on at the moment.

I don't want to be a mechanic, but having the right tools surely makes even the simplest job 100 times easier.

thanks :beer:

forgotmyname

Avoid the cheap sets.. Instead of buying a chocolate teapot set. Spend the money on one decent ratchet and add decent sockets later.

I wouldnt normally say Halfords.. But their sets are OK quality. Bit overpriced.
Wait for the 50% off offer. Even then they are a bit dear.

Machine mart sell draper and clarke sets. Never had any issues with either.

Rolandtheroadie

Bought this recently,

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_173083_langId_-1_categoryId_255215

My last one went missing when the garage door was open and the scrap collectors/clothing collectors/mattress sellers were doing the rounds.

Good starter set, works for me. I buy other stuff as and when required.

skivenov

Depends what you want to spend really. The Halfords Advanced sets are pretty hard to beat, and some are on half price at the minute. You can do most things on a camper with them.

At the other end of the scale, most Asdas do a few tools. I have a bunch of their spanners and screwdrivers in my bag for desparate moments. The quality's not the best, but they do the job. Only problem is the spanners only go to about a 13mm, so you could do with a few bigger sizes.

Cheap socket sets can be a bit of a false economy because the gears in the ratchets don't last. Machine Mart do some decent smaller sets (Clarke branded), but by the time you've bought normal and deep sockets and a couple of extension bars, you're a fair way to one of the half priced Halfords sets.

red_eye

WLM21 wrote: »

I have a campervan and not being very mechanically minded (or interested) am lucky to have a friend who is the complete opposite.

However, he always grumbles at my lack of tools .. a collection of old spanners, screwdrivers that have seen better days and the total lack of any socket set.

With Christmas coming and hopefully Santa, my kids can maybe buy me a set of spanners, a set of decent screwdrivers and a socket set (I knew there was a reason why we opted for 3 kids)

What makes would folk recommend please and are there any good deals on at the moment.

I don't want to be a mechanic, but having the right tools surely makes even the simplest job 100 times easier.

thanks :beer:

deal here http://www.sealey.co.uk/PLPageBuilder.asp?gotonode=ViewProduct&method=mViewProduct&productid=14661&promotionid=85232&promotiontitleid=473 cheap good quality box with free quality tools although I do not like the ratchet with the direction lever on the top of the head

my wife brought me this back in 09 A little more tools then you need but free tools! http://www.sealey.co.uk/PLPageBuilder.asp?gotonode=ViewProduct&method=mViewProduct&productid=14285&PromotionID=85258&PromotionTitleID=473 I had the exact socket set when I was an apprentice I brought it for £50 as some thing to get me though my apprenticeship adding to it where possible and replacing with snapon or mac when anything broke 24 years later im still using (abusing) it I gave the new set to my dad. just to add life time warranty

check might have something your looking for http://www.sealey.co.uk/PLPageBuilder.asp?id=26&method=mPromotionTitlesCurrent

arcon5

Agreed with above... don't buy cheap rubbish. I made this mistake with extension bars recently and in the midst of changing my water pump 3 of them twisted and snapped. Last thing you need is to be half way through a job and find you don't have the tools you need.

The Halfords one before is apparently very good. Although personally i'd prefer sockets on rails.

Mrs_Imp

I got the Halfords socket set years ago. It gets regular use, but not loads. As bits fail I buy very good quality ones to replace them, because they're obviously sockets that I use a lot. My universal joint fell apart, and as it's something I use a lot I splashed out on a new one. The ratchet on my set has been going for about 15 years with no problem.
Personally I see no point in getting an expensive set, just replace the ones that wear out with better quality ones.
Just be careful - my brothers bought my socket set for me one Christmas, and wrapped all the sockets individually!!

ILW

I belive the Halfords Pro range come with lifetime guarantees. Break something and they replace. Very good quality IMO.

Inner_Zone

Get the Halfords set linked to in post #3. I got one last year on Boxing day for £89.99 (1/2 price and 10% off). Excellent quality and apart from the ratchets, a life time guarantee.

colino

I'm not a fan of the, "Bike Shop" usually , but their Advance tool kits, only when on special offer mind, are hard to beat in terms of quality and value.

Joe_Horner

I'm going to buck the trend slightly and (for spanners at least) suggest Silverline. B een using them for about 5 years now, having had to replace all of my old Britool stuff (the proper old Britool) in a hurry after a theft.

At between about 75p (for 6mm) and £3.50 (for a 24mm one) per spanner, the plan was to use and replace as they broke. But 5 years, about 6 engine changes, 4 engine rebuilds, a couple of transmission rebuilds, a head gasket swap, and all the regular maintenance that 4 classic cars need in between, they're still going strong!

Their loose sockets also seem to hold up well to abuse - like scaffold bars on breaker bars to undo stubborn hub nuts - but I haven't tried their ratchets. For those, Hilka, Draper (at least their Expert range) and Halfrauds all do the job well enough for semi-regular use including the odd bit of abuse.