Quality tools

[Martin Bush]

Hi all

I am after a bit of advice about tools.

Like many people I have stocked up on special offer screwdriver sets and bits and pieces from Poundland and elsewhere. Now I think it's time to slowly invest in a bit of quality - I've had enough of screwdrivers changing shape while trying to take out screws that are more than finger tight.

Right now I need some files to do a simple job (enlarging some holes in a soldering station cover) and don't want to get half way through to find that they have disintegrated.

I know the old advice is to spend as much as you can afford, but I was wondering if there's any particular brands to go for or ones to avoid. Is it better to get things like files in ones rather than as sets?

Martin

[M0FYA Andy]

Vallorbe files, made in Switzerland, are possibly the best -

http://www.vallorbe.com/Standard.php?p=1&m=0&l=3

Readily available in the UK.

Andy

[mark pirate]

I bought a cheap set of Blackspur files from a poundshop, these have been fine for filing plastic, wood and aluminium, though I suspect using on harder materials would soon blunt them.

It really depends on how much use you would give them, the set I bought had several profiles and have proved themselves to be a handy addition to my toolbox.

Mark

[paulsherwin]

I agree with Mark - horses for courses.

Draper are a good budget brand.

[Martin Bush]

Thanks for everyone who has posted so far.

These days I am unsure as to which big brands are still quality products and which are now simply "names" that get applied to any old item.

Oddly, I think the best value item I bought in recent years is a small driver with interchangable magnetic bits that came from a pound shop. For some reason, despite having only small bits, it can always be found when you need to nip up a screw and doesn't self destruct.

[Refugee]

I go for the best or the rest.
A good local place to get good tools if you are prepared to wait is Aldi.
They stock each section of there range of non food items on a rota over 6 to 9 months so you have to keep your eyes pealed. Last week they had the angling themed range on but when hand tools are on stock up there and then. I think they do it to get you into the store. I have heard that Lidle do something a bit like this too.
I had a Wickes cordless drill with a tired battery and for the cost of a new battery for it Aldi were able to provide me with two cordless drills so now I have an extra battery with the new one and a motor/gearbox for a coil winder or other project for the price of a battery for the old power tool.
I am pretty sure they are Chinese with better quality control than pound shop stuff.
Don't knock pound shops as they are good for reading glasses and cheap scart leads that can be stripped for the conductors. I once found a scart lead with real solder connections in it at a pound shop.

[Martin Bush]

I suppose if you know what you are looking for then hunting round can be really rewarding.

I bought a set of drivers from Maplin and they are OK, but the handle of the case dropped off in a day and I suspect that the drivers themselves won't last a few tough screws or mistakes.

It's interesting to hear that Aldi stuff is good. I know more about food than tools at the moment and am able to pick out the good ingredients (of which there are many), so hopefully I can do the same with the tools.

[vidjoman]

Aldi and Lidl are good value tools. Not the very best quality, but very useful for non continuous use. I've bought many new tools there.
All the electrical items have a 3 year guarantee.

[broadgage]

For light duty use, even cheap tat is usually ok, as in the example given of pound shop files on non ferrous materials.

For more demanding use, but still reasonable price I favour car boot sales, good second hand often beats cheap new for non powered tools.
Look for a private seller, not a trader with a van full of cheap modern tat.

For power tools I favour black and decker for light duty use, and any of the more expensive well known brands for heavy duty use.

[Refugee]

My old tool was just a single speed driver but the two new ones are two speed with switchable hammer action.
They are certainly one of the better non premium brands.
I must have a look at the bits I am gathering to create a drill press to see if the spare will fit.
I have a mobility scooter battery so with a float charger it will not tie up the extra battery either.

[TonyDuell]

I have often said 'I am not rich enough to buy cheap tools'. This is not just because I intend to buy most tools once in my lifetime and pass them on to my heir, but also because cheap tools may damage the thing I am working on. If I damage a valuable piece of classic computer equipment then I have lost the cost of the expensive tool in one go.

That said, the brands I favour (but I haven't bought any for many years, so quality may have changed) are :

Screwdrivers :

Small : CK, Moore and Wright (if you can find them!) and any genuine Swiss watchmaker's screwdrivers

Medium / sets : Wiha and Xcellite. I have virtually the complete System 99 kit (screwdrivers, nutdrivers, hex keys, torx, Bristol Spline) and swear by it.

Large : (as in for woodwork, etc) Stanley are not too bad

Spanners / sockets : The best cheap-ish ones are Elora (== better brand of Draper). Britool are not bad. I find the best are Stahlwille, but be sitting down when you hear the price (£20 for a single spanner is not uncommon). Facom are a very close second at about half the price.

Pliers/cutters : CK, Lindstrom for small ones Knipex for large cutters that will get through piano wire.

Measuring tools (micrometer, calipers, etc) : Starret, Moore and Wright or Mitutoyo. Only!

Power tools : You'll not get what I have, as they're all old ELU, before they were taken
over by DeWalt/ Black and Decker. I am told the professional (blue) Bosch are good, the
green domestic ones are nowhere near the same. I have no use for cordless tools, I do all the work in my house/workshop where amazingly I have mains. Batteries are just another thing to go wrong or go flat at the wrong moment.

Drill bits : Dormer. Cheap twist drills are not only softer metal but also not ground accurately meaning they don't drill the size hole you think they will. Ditto for end mills and slot drills.

Taps and Dies : I like Presto, but sometimes I have to put up with cheaper ones for odd sizes/pitches.

[ms660]

Don't do much metal bashing but for small holes/curves etc I use decent chainsaw files, they are made to file through chromium when sharpening the saw teeth, not expensive, often sold in five's or ten's, a flat chainsaw file is available too.

Lawrence.

[emeritus]

A visit to local jumble sales can be worth while. I have acquired a good selection of engineers' tools for a song inthis way over the years (Moore & Wright callipers, die stocks, scribers etc). My local suppliers of new top-quality tools have all closed over the last few years, but nowadays I can usually get what I need in quality second-hand engineering supplies like taps and dies from a stall in the Thursday flea market in Chelmsford. Genuine Swiss files are certainly worth while getting. Axminster Tools are a good mail order source.

[Refugee]

The Thursday flea market at Chesterfield is pretty good for me with tools both second hand quality and new cheap ones. There is also the occasional bit of antique lab equipment and even some vintage radios.
It is worth a browse if you are in the area on a Thursday.
Finding free parking saves you a trip to the gym too.

[Martin Bush]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback, especially TonyDuell for the comprehensive run down including brand names.

I do make a point of checking out the car boots and markets and get some decent stuff. If some of the stallholders spent a bit more time organising and cleaning the items up I've no doubt they would make more cash... I find that there's a special kind of "tool dirt" and they have it by the box load on car boot sales which puts me off.

From what some of you have said, it is also useful to develop the skill and knowledge to make use of lesser kit or items designed for other tasks.

[Diabolical Artificer]

I have quite a few vintage files picked from a chap as he was about chuck them away at the tip. I can send you a few if you wish. They're made of good steel, are well made and have years of life in them.

Halfords used to do a decent range of screw drivers, get ones that have a different coloured bit to the shaft, IE hardened. Snap on is another good brand, but expensive.

Heres my tips for power tools. I'd agree that blue Bosch power tools are well made - had my Bosch angle grinder for 10 years. Makita drills are worth a look. With cordless power tools, get one's that runs on 18 - 20 v + batteries, and get one's that come with 3 batteries. Look for brushless motor types, they last longer. Check the chuck on drills and get one that has a big grip on chuckless types that you can actually get a grip on. Farm supplier's are a good source of quality tools and fixing at a good price. Like amp's/electronic equipment weight is a indicator of quality.

It's taken me years to get a decent tool collection, buying them when I got paid and paying as much as I could afford. Better to pay once.

Hope that helps,Andy.

[Telleadict]

Hello

I've heard on car forums etc that Halfords "pro" range are good mid-price stuff for spanners etc although I don't have any myself. I don't know if they do anything usefull for radio work but might be worth a look if you're near a store.

Bye
William

[woodchips]

For flat blade screwdrivers the best I have found are Bahco, one of the very few who dimension the blade by both its width and thickness which is essential for precision work.

Don't like Wera or Wiha, but they seem all that is offered by some distributers like Rapid because they are owned by a German parent company. The tips twist after a few uses, unlike my PO Footprint screwdrivers which have done decades of sterling service.

For sockets the Halfords professional range are good quality, what lets them down is the inane selection of sizes verses drive size. My set has 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" ratchet drivers, but only 4 1/2" sockets, the 3/8" go up to 22mm, ridiculous. I did buy a set of Hard Case metric sockets from CPC, about £45+, and these have had some real stick repairing plant and machinery and haven't brocken. On the other hand the 3/4" drive set CPC sell use cast iron for the sockets, which isn't funny when undoing things with a 3' breaker bar.

For pliers and cutters the Swedish, Lindstrom, Bahco etc are very good. But buy a pair of cutters to match the job, a pair of 8" ones are essential, the Irwin from Machine Mart are good. I can wear a pair of Knipex 8" cutters out in a year, the Irwin, and Stanley, are ok. What is immensely irritating with large cutters is if they cut right to the joint, and the last wire in the hinge isn't cut, grrrr!

Best place are the various sales, old but lightly used tools for not very much.

[TonyDuell]

I find Bahco files to be quite good, certainly good enough for most work. I don't like to admit owning one, but their adjustable spanners are good too.

I have a set of Wera (I think) security screwdrives which has never given me any problems and I use it a lot. The only downside is the hex keys only come in Metric sizes which for somebody who repairs American computers is not a lot of use.

I thought all decent screwdrivers were specified by tip width and thickness....

[Nickthedentist]

Originally Posted by woodchips

Don't like Wera or Wiha, but they seem all that is offered by some distributers like Rapid because they are owned by a German parent company. The tips twist after a few uses, unlike my PO Footprint screwdrivers which have done decades of sterling service.

Fair comment, but as far as I'm concerned, their products are miles better than the usual DIY sheds' offerings. In fact, dare I say it, I consider my Wera screwdrivers to be my best ones.

I have found Bahco adjustable spanners second to none.

Both are/were stocked by Screwfix.

Nick.