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Recommend a good socket set

I've been using Halfords Advanced but many years and it's massively better than the Draper stuff I had before that.

I've used Snap-On stuff as well and it's very nice, but very expensive.
 
Halfords; say no more

Although I've got a lot of Sealey, Draper and Silverline stuff and never had any issues with it :)
 
Another vote for Halfords. As said, there are often sales and you can get a set at half price or less. Also, I think they still have a lifetime guarantee on breakage.
 
Another vote for Halfords advanced; it's in the 'more than good-enough stuff' range, and up for a bit of abuse. I've slowly added to mine with short sticks of more specialist bits and bobs - deep sockets, hex and spline bits etc as or when required and not bent, sprung/rounded, broken or seriously dinged one yet (nor, incidentally, 'eaten' any fasteners!) More than quite good enough as a domestic go-to; and if I need a one-off, then I'll buy that at the best quality I can justify - e.g. last example I can think of - I've a 32mm Facom ring/open spanner, and it was about £35 some years ago - but utterly superb for the couple of tasks I want it for. Also simply a very nice object in its own right - lovely, well-thought through design in the hand in use, the tapering and rounded grip and bead-blasted, very precise finish.

Smaller hand tools - Allen keys, screw & bit drivers, nutspinners, screwdrivers etc - another vote for Wera, all the way. You get what you pay for, top quality, ergonomics and fit. Again, delight to use.

tl;dr: buy only what you actually need and then add to it selectively as/when required - and you'll always have superb tools to hand.


(that said, Halford really ought to do a 5-pack of 10mm sockets ...they evaporate before you can wear them out.)
 
hifilover1979 said:
Halfords; say no more

Although I've got a lot of Sealey, Draper and Silverline stuff and never had any issues with it :)
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I have a small Silverline set that has sat in every old car I have ever run, it’s had loads of use and is now over 40 years old. I will probably regret saying this but it still works well and cost me about £7.99 when it was new but I guess it will fall to bits now! I do have a few Facom Sockets and spanners; they are lovely but are rather pricey these days.
 
martin clark said:
...then I'll buy that at the best quality I can justify - e.g. last example I can think of - I've a 32mm Facom ring/open spanner, and it was about £35 some years ago - but utterly superb for the couple of tasks I want it for.
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The first Facom spanner I bought was a banana shaped one which cost an eye watering £3+ back in 1980 ish. It is rather wonderful and allowed me to replace heat-exchangers on a beetle without pulling the engine – worth every penny. It did seem a lot of money though for just ONE spanner but it taught me a lesson about the value of good quality (and appropriate) tools though.
 
gavreid said:
Milwaukee is made by the same company as Ryobi in Hong Kong - just another brand name these days.
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Not strictly accurate or rather not the whole story. They are owned by the same parent company (Techtronic Industries) but are not the same kit. See link Ryobi stuff is very much the cheaper consumer grade stuff with Milwaukee at a higher level for prosumer. I own a lot of Milwaukee and have seen and used Ryobi and they are not in the same class for quality and to the user, share no common parts.

TTI own a lot of companies and brands, some high end other not so much, a bit like Stellantis owning Jeep, Maserati Fiat Peugeot, Citroen and Ferrari plus many more.
 
Vinny said:
@cctaylor - same here - but I never suggested otherwise. I just said that imperial AF get labelled as AF, not even imperial, whereas metric AF get labelled as metric, not metric AF.

Whitworth tend to get labelled WW or whit.

Don't foget BA spanners/sockets etc..
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It`s a matter of history, imperial AF became popular during the war with the large quantity of kit coming in from the US, no one had heard of metric then so when metric hardware became more well known it was just called metric. No doubt on the continent where Whitworth and imperial AF are little known they just call them spanners.

When I was working up in London a few years ago one of the less technical chaps came up to me and asked to borrow a spanner, I said certainly, what size, he held his hands about 5 inches apart and said one about that big.....
 
cutting42 said:
Not strictly accurate or rather not the whole story. They are owned by the same parent company (Techtronic Industries) but are not the same kit. See link Ryobi stuff is very much the cheaper consumer grade stuff with Milwaukee at a higher level for prosumer. I own a lot of Milwaukee and have seen and used Ryobi and they are not in the same class for quality and to the user, share no common parts.

TTI own a lot of companies and brands, some high end other not so much, a bit like Stellantis owning Jeep, Maserati Fiat Peugeot, Citroen and Ferrari plus many more.
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I didn't say they were identical, just that Milwaukee isn't US made like it used to be.
 
The small stuff in my work bag is Facom, but my 1/2" set I carry in the van is Cromwell Tools own brand called Yamoto and it has been bomb proof, must be over 20 years old now as I bought it when I bought my first car that needed spannering.

The ratchet got wet once and seized up but it is perfectly serviceable in minutes and hasn't missed a beat since.

I also have a decent sized Wera 3/8" kit but I've never used it, looks nice though!
 
gavreid said:
I didn't say they were identical, just that Milwaukee isn't US made like it used to be.
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You said "just another brand name these days" which implied badge engineering to me. However I agree they are possibly not what they used to be but as they have been made in China since 2004 and still have a great reputation in the main I guess they are doing a decent job.
 
Halfords here too. Got it for doing 'everything' on our canal barge....diesel engine, electrics, pumps and plumbing, heating system and fixings. Bashed it around for three years and for 10 since. Never blinked once. Top stuff.
 
Just a thought. Halfords have a trade card and when I applied for one I seem to remember them being keen to give me a card and not really caring about what I did for a living. I've hardly ever used it (except to buy a socket set funnily enough) but I did get a reasonable discount..
 
matt j said:
but my 1/2" set I carry in the van is Cromwell Tools own brand called Yamoto
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that’s what I’ve got!!! Yamoto 1/2”. IIRC it was about £40 in ~1999. They’re about £90 now. Not had loads of use but for those brake calliper / wheel nut / bike general things it’s a mighty solid set. I’ve got an old Halfords 3/8” set and similar little 1/4” set each in grey plastic clamshells and between all 3 I’ve never needed anything else.
 
Linds said:
that’s what I’ve got!!! Yamoto 1/2”. IIRC it was about £40 in ~1999. They’re about £90 now. Not had loads of use but for those brake calliper / wheel nut / bike general things it’s a mighty solid set. I’ve got an old Halfords 3/8” set and similar little 1/4” set each in grey plastic clamshells and between all 3 I’ve never needed anything else.
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Sounds like the same one, 1999 is about right!
 
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