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Recommend a good socket set

I think the first spanners i bought were King Dick, i've got a few where the ring end has been ground down. Facom spanners aren't to bad, i don't think you can beat Snap-on spanners.
 
Space is the Place said:
I think the first spanners i bought were King Dick, i've got a few where the ring end has been ground down. Facom spanners aren't to bad, i don't think you can beat Snap-on spanners.
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Facom "aren't too bad"! You're having a laugh, right? They're as good as the best in the world. You'll hope so when you see the prices. They are *eye wateringly* expensive. So too are Snap On. Sure, they're good, but the buyers are generally pro mechanics who set up a payment plan on the never-never. I know a couple of home mechanics with Snap On setups, they tend to belong to people with a collector car, a heated and carpeted garage, and they get used a couple of times a year for a bit of light maintenance before being cleaned and put away. That's fine, but there's a whole range of tools that will be just as good at a fraction of the price of you want a tool for the job rather than a piece of garage jewellery. Not that there's anything wrong with collecting garage jewellery if that's your thing, I 'd rather like the shiny fitted garage look but I don't want to invest north of £10k on it and I'd still fill it up with half dismantled bikes.
 
stevec67 said:
Facom "aren't too bad"! You're having a laugh, right? They're as good as the best in the world. You'll hope so when you see the prices. They are *eye wateringly* expensive. So too are Snap On. Sure, they're good, but the buyers are generally pro mechanics who set up a payment plan on the never-never.
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Spot on, Facom are the dogs danglies. My brother started a career as a marine engineering mechanic originally before music took over and Facom was his brand of choice and still has a few of them but stopped buying once he became an impoverished musician.
 
Like i said Facom are good spanners, but they aren't Snap on good, the ring end of Snap-on spanner is noticeable thinner walled than a Facom spanner, the Snap-on spanners are flank drive too which help stops rounding off nuts and bolts. I still have sets of both makes.
 
I'd actually buy a Facom or Snap-on set of spanners if they made the ones I want, in fact any quality brand would be great as I can only really find Chineseum ones.

I have a few Snap-on spanners that my old man pulled from a factory fire about 25 years ago, they weren't in the blaze just sooted up badly, I cleaned then up and still carry the 12mm open/ring combo in my tool bag.
 
Don't get me wrong i've got some great Facom tools, i quite like the old fine tooth ratchet when a Snap-on ratchet is to coarse, and i've got some Facom screwdrivers that have proved to be virtually indestructible, but i really like the Snap On spanners, although looking at the prices of them, i couldn't justify buying them now! A 10mm combination spanner is £40!
 
These are sold items and prices from the bay. Why buy new when you might be able to buy a set of used tools with a lifetime warranty for the price of just one new item?



 
Tony Lockhart said:
These are sold items and prices from the bay. Why buy new when you might be able to buy a set of used tools with a lifetime warranty for the price of just one new item?



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Yes great idea, this is how i bought 2 of my sets, quite a few of them have been replaced now because of chrome falling off and a few breakages.
 
The Halfords professional or advanced or whatever they call them these days are hard to beat. I’ve got a set I’ve been using at work for over 20 years and they’re pretty much as good as new. Great value for money
 
To echo what others have said... Halfords Professional range are hard to beat, but never pay full price. I have a set of their combination spanners and they are excellent. Also I bought a set of Britool ratchet spanners about five years ago, they are top quality. I have had a set of Stanley sockets since about 1987, metric and imperial sizes and they are still in good condition, though the ratchet was purloined by my Dad when his broke and he wouldn't buy a new one. I have used a Gedore one I was given, it's very strong but it's not great for automotive use as the ratchet is quite coarse - it's more intended for industrial use (e.g. scaffolding or electricity pylons), so I have a Britool ratchet more fit for purpose.
One of the best investments I ever made was a set of surface drive sockets, sized from 10-19mm, Sykes Pickavant I think made them. Still in perfect condition and been used since 2000 in many cars. Great for removing rounded nuts and bolts, and prevent rounding them off. I have on occasion found tools in scrap yards, including a 1/4 Snap-On ratchet with flexible head - new cost is about £90.
It's also worth looking in the likes of Aldi and Lidl for tools - they are decent quality at fair prices, though the cheaper/small tool kits are best if only used for light work. The Aldi 'Ferrex' power tools e.g. impact wrenches are made by Bauker (sold in Toolstation) and use their batteries, Lidl's 'Parkside' are made by Einhell. Also, there is a chain of shops called 'Proper Job', mostly around the south west of England who do reasonable tools for the money, they tend to be low-end to mid-range though.

In general, you do get what you pay for with tools - the more they are, the better quality they are and the longer they last. They are also nicer to use.
 
cutting42 said:
200 Piece
175 Piece
100 Piece
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You wouldn't go wrong with any of those. They're nice to use and you won't wear them out unless you are a 40-hour-a-week car mechanic wanting to use them every day for 20 years.
Most non pro users of tools have to replace them not because they break themm or wear them out but by losing them or leaving them somewhere to rust away. Tell a lie, I did once break a 3/8 drive 19 mm socket trying to get a wheelnut off. Serves me right. That's abuse. I could break a 3/8 drive Snap On at 250 lb ft too.
 
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