View Full Version : Garage tools what to get?
Right, so im starting to buy tools every month so when i finally get a track car i'll have most of what i need to get jobs done, so whats the best tools to buy on a budget?
I've been looking at sealey, clarke, kamasa and halfords, im sure most people on here will have a certain budget brand they like for one reason or another.
I've made a list of what i'll need so plan is to get it bit by bit (save her moaning/noticing :p) so in a year or two i should have a decent amount of tools for when i move to our new house with MY garage :thumb:
Anyone got any links on good deals on tools just now?
Sealey ane clarke are only good for their job specific specialist tools, like door hinge pin and cam locking tools and such. I personally have snap on everything simply because I dont really notice the £10-£20 per week I pay him. If that doesnt interest you the I would suggest halfords professional range for spanners and ratchet sets
Halfords all the way for me mate, wait til they are on special offer though.
Remember to keep the receipt so you can use the warranty of lifetime guarantee.
David
chrisd1986
02-02-13, 11:29 PM
my 1st tool kit was a 150pc halfords set and a cheep trolly jack from aldi when i was 15 im now 26 and ca t keep off tbe snapon van, but if your just doing the od bit and not becoming a mechanic then the cheeper the better scour ebay, 2nd hand tool shops and if you know of a market then you should find a tool stall that sells all sorts of cheep stuff ideal for your needs but if your after a decent jack i would avoid the cheep ones and get a clarke aluminum jack from machine mart
A lot of my cheaper Clarke sockets and spanners have lasted me 7-8 years so far with moderate DIY use and abuse. I do like the Halfords sets I've got though
Get yourself a nice tool cabinet/topbox too so you can find everything!
my 1st tool kit was a 150pc halfords set and a cheep trolly jack from aldi when i was 15 im now 26 and ca t keep off tbe snapon van, but if your just doing the od bit and not becoming a mechanic then the cheeper the better scour ebay, 2nd hand tool shops and if you know of a market then you should find a tool stall that sells all sorts of cheep stuff ideal for your needs but if your after a decent jack i would avoid the cheep ones and get a clarke aluminum jack from machine mart
I've heard nothing but bad reviews about the Clarke aluminium jacks, they seem to fall apart a lot and bolts shear under pressure.
Was having a look online and halfords kit seems to have a good name, the 170 piece tool kit looks good to get the collection started. I was just looking at a cabinet just now as it happens so gonna get it in next few weeks, i used to have stuff but its all at my dads and was just random named things bought all over the place tbh, im not a mechanic so the snap on kit is just way to expensive, all this kit is just for working on our cars and my track car once i get one.
One things for sure looking at e-bay all nite could easy lighten my wallet no problems, been on it all night looking and now my list is getting out of control lol, do you guys just buy things when you need it or just but something now and then same as im doing?
I used to do a fair bit of mechanical stuff head gaskets/t-belts/clutches and such years ago, so looking forward to getting back into it as a hobby
I've heard nothing but bad reviews about the Clarke aluminium jacks, they seem to fall apart a lot and bolts shear under pressure.
Going to see my mate for a jack, he used to fit tyres/exhausts and still does time to time when home from offshore, im sure he'll just stick one in his car for me for a small fee lol
Halfords stuff is quite good and a decent price for the quality plus you get the lifetime guarantee just like the snapon stuff i haven't had anything from them break yet and i'm on the tools 5 days a week. As for tool chests/roll cabs i have a clarke professional from machine mart and thats doing good so far and i paid about £500 for the roll cab and topbox. I dont like the feel of clarke's cheaper stuff though its a little too cheap for daily use
steviegsi
03-02-13, 12:28 AM
If you get one of the bigger halfords pro boxes you really won't need much more, other than screw drivers for most jobs. Then just gather a torque wrench, spring compressors that sort of thing as and when you need them. No point going balls deep inside a few months for tools that you have no use for at the minute IMO. I have a mix of halfords stuff and the odd clarke/ draper ratchet etc and its all taken reasonable abuse over about 8 years.
Clarke and Halfords are pretty **** under pressure,
I'm fed up snapping Clarke tools, they should come with free saftey goggles to protect your eyes when they break,
Halfords are ok'ish but end up wearing quite quickly and rounding bolts etc,
Stuff you use often then buy the best quality you can, snap on, MAG or facom I use
thanks for all the replys, well think i'll just go for the halfords kit for sockets etc, i ordered a draper screwdriver set earlier, is draper stuff any good as it also seems reasonably priced for torque wrenches compared to halfords, also gonna see if i can get a my mates father in law to get stuff from halfords as he has a trade account there
camels toe
03-02-13, 09:05 AM
Ive had my halfords stuff for years and its spot on.The rachet spanners and ring spanners have had some real abuse without problems. Only problem has been the rachets that have worn pretty quick and ive had to buy afew replacement mechanisms so now use draper ones and they seem to last alot longer.
Ive got the clarke jacks too,had one 5 years now and it needs a seal kit and oil change every couple of years but the rebuild kit is cheap as chips and only takes 5 mins to fit.
Make sure you get some decent axle stands too.A decent compressor is a must as afew air tools can make it soo much easier.
I have bahco sockets, halfords, ting tong, clarke, blue point and a couple of snap on, few other brands too. I cant notice the difference between any of the. 6 or 12 point. I have 2 snap on ratchets, 1 have mullered and had replaced, another few too (cant remember the brands). As for the sockets i grab whatever, i notice no difference. The ratchets i try to use the snap on as they feel much better. I have destoyed a few sockets and ratchets through the years, only by standing on the ratchet or putting a bar on the end of it. Ratchets most notably. Id get a quality ratchet, and cheaper sockets if i was starting out again.
Screw drivers i have a set of halfords pro and a set of rolson, i replace the cheapo set every few years.
I have a set of Hikka spanners i bought from billing about 5 years ago 6mm-30mm (cost £15) ive lost a few and snapped the 19mm (welded it back up), other than that theyre still going strong. I have loads of random second hand ones i bought at a bootsale (good for cutting up and making a one of tool lol).
I have an assortment of specialist tools, all of which are cheapo makes (laser, ting tong, clarke etc)
power tools- I have 2 cheapo grinders; one for cutting, and the other for grinding. Saves ages changing discs over when your making something. A pair of dewalt drills (cordless and corded) cost me £70 out of screwfix years ago on a managers special iirc. Dormer drills bit (which are the tits) even my gungho style hasnt wrecked them yet! Various other power tools, pillar drill, compressor, 2x welders. Most importantly my kettle!
I have a sealey rocket lift jack which was from a mate, and my halfords one (which is 10 years old). 6 axle stands (draper, halfords and chinese ones). A clarke engine crane.
A few other odds and sods.
I have built about 20 cars with that setup. And never not really had the tool i needed.
Paul
BENDOGGER
03-02-13, 09:22 AM
Halfords pro stuf and blue point are pretty cheap too and good worth a look
turbojolt
03-02-13, 10:12 AM
make sure you get lots of storage aswell, whish i had, my garage has crap scatterd all over it as i dont have anywhere for everything
Not halfrds tools, unless you can get older professional ones rather than the toilet advance stuff they sell now.
L33 LEG
03-02-13, 10:19 AM
Halfords are more than enough for garage use. I've had mine for years and has been totally fine and nothing has broke yet. I would get the decent range stuff though, i've used the cheaper stuff they do and they feel really crap compared to the pro stuff.
They don't do pro (like it used to be) anymore :(
paul james
03-02-13, 10:36 AM
I don't think theres much point buying expensive brand name stuff unless your using the tools near everyday. The only things I've ever broken are a halfords ratchet (my own fault really for pushing it too hard instead of using a breaker bar), and a ball joint seperator which I managed to snap. Obviously I wouldn't recommend buying tools from a poundshop, but the general tools you get from halfords, machine mart etc are up to the task. Theres so many tools that you end up needing to rebuild a car, that if you buy the expensive stuff everytime you'll end up having no money to spend on the actual car.
Spend your money wisely, you can spend hundreds on posh spanners and screwdrivers, and you'll never notice the benefit. Buying a quality trolley jack, compressor with good specs, mig welder with a good range of settings, thats the sort of thing when you'll see benefit from spending more and doing some research on whats best to buy.
i have a big set of halfords tools which were passed to me when my dad passed, lasted him for 6 years and me for 2 years so far, also got alot of blue point tools which have served me well for 2 years also.
Jon_nova1
03-02-13, 11:20 AM
whoever stood on the ratchet and it snapped...you should use a breaker bar
I tend to have a mismatch of random tools, i still have remains of a £30 Argos tool set i bought 8 years ago! halfords stuff is OK, i've even had quite good success with laser, although i would reccommend getting some snap on, namely sockets to go over nuts and bolts that most socket sets would round off as the Snap on tend to grip alot better
Tools i'd say get 6-16 quarter drive, 10-20 half drive, spanners of common sizes (10-12-13-14-17-19) if your feeling really flush get some ratchet spanners. A breaker bar two decent ratchets for your two sized socket sets and socket drive converters
Oh, get about 10* 10mm, 13mm and 17mm spanners as they always go missing lol
Not halfrds tools, unless you can get older professional ones rather than the toilet advance stuff they sell now.
I have got all my sockets/spanners from Halfords, good value and never had them break, screwdrivers, pliers etc I get from Toolstation
Oh, get about 10* 10mm, 13mm and 17mm spanners as they always go missing lol
lol 8mm and 10mm sockets for me must of bought 20 of each over the years lol
just buy cheapo ones for a start, like aldi/lidl special offers... then if you break/wear out a certain spanner, buy a much better one in that size.. i've never been upset whan i've had to grind or heat up & bend a cheap spanner to make it fit in a really tight space
As a proof of you get what you pay for I use a 20torx bit a hell of a lot in my job. I must have gonna through 5-6 cheaper bits before takinghthe plunge and paying £20 for one bit from snap on. Glad I did as it must be in the thousands of screws I've undone and done up with it and no sign of wear at all. Only problem with paying that much is if you loose it
i lost something like a dozen 12" adjustable spanners one year when i was on the groundworks full time.. £3 wilko ones.. i also invested in a padlock for my tool box...
Thanks again, a lot of good advice to be had here, its only tools im looking to get just now and will get a compressor/welder etc further down the line, although i'll keep a look out for good second hand ones as no point in buying them new for all the work they'll get, but yeah its always the 10,13,17 and 19mm that used to go missing before so defo need a good few of them, looking at the halfords stuff for spanners etc there not as cheap as i would of thought, but then again i dont want total crap stuff thats going to get the most use, anyway away to have a look at toolstation and see whats what, never looked there before..
Never ever underestimate how much punching a car hurts when a spanner snaps, never buy cheap spanners
turbojolt
03-02-13, 02:21 PM
my little bench vice comes in hand aswell
my little bench vice comes in hand aswell
Forgot to add that to the list, cheers
And im well aware of how much it hurts punching cars, i basically smashed my old renault turbo to bits after it pissed me off, doors/bonnet/wings and roof all got caved in lol, used to go mental years ago when pissed off but thankfully i've learned to walk away as it saves being pissed off the next day having to deal with the mess lol
gearbox90
03-02-13, 04:05 PM
Forgot to add that to the list, cheers
And im well aware of how much it hurts punching cars, i basically smashed my old renault turbo to bits after it pissed me off, doors/bonnet/wings and roof all got caved in lol, used to go mental years ago when pissed off but thankfully i've learned to walk away as it saves being pissed off the next day having to deal with the mess lol
crazy fool !
phunkynova
03-02-13, 06:30 PM
crazy fool !
Just wait until he gets the Snicker Bars out lol
meritlover
03-02-13, 06:47 PM
a welder, lathe and a compressor are very nice pieces of equipment to have in a garage.
Forgot to add that to the list, cheers
And im well aware of how much it hurts punching cars, i basically smashed my old renault turbo to bits after it pissed me off, doors/bonnet/wings and roof all got caved in lol, used to go mental years ago when pissed off but thankfully i've learned to walk away as it saves being pissed off the next day having to deal with the mess lol
lol+rep for smashing stuff up
Any merris with a second account gen lol
Any merris with a second account gen lol
no no lol, done loads of stuff like that when i was young tbh, hand through nova window cause it started miss firing (was only a slightly broken wire), kicked another renault in at the side of the road for snapping the clutch cable miles from home, bent the steering wheel to a weird shape again in the renault when the turbo blew lol, also used to smashed loads of random things in the garage to de-stress haha,
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