Decent socket set

Unfortunately, cheap and strong don't always go together.

Halfords Pro stuff seems well made. If you're not desperate, wait for one of their special offer seasons which knocks a fair bit off.

Halfords professional stuff is fine for the price.

Well TEngs a reasonable bet , however if you only need 10, 13,17&19 then Britool do a nice set with a ratchet & a 6" extension bar.

imperial].

it may be

If you want value for money, have a look through Drapers tool catalogue. Screwfix, and J & S Tooling also often carry good cheap tools.

I use loads of cheap tools at work for the same reason as you fear. They get stolen. Forget buying by make. IME as long cheap tools are made from chrome vanadium, you can't go far wrong. Chances are that they will give good service. In case you're wondering. I am an engineer, so I think I know what I'm talking about. :-)

Most tools with a recognisable name will cost more. Much more if that name happens to be Snap-on or Proton. IMO they are little better than the 'cheap' tools that are so easily dismissed by those who believe the only tools worth having are the expensive ones, and haven't really tried the cheaper alternatives. Not forgetting of course, that there is a certain snob value in having a Snap-on toolkit. Shows you're a real professional. :-)

TBH I think Snap-on tools are ridiculously overpriced. At least 80% of the prices they charge is just for the name IMO. And from personal experience, some of their tools are absolute rubbish. Their hexagon keys and screwdrivers, for a start. I've baught better ones in a DIY store.

Chrome vanadium is what you need to look for. If they they simply say drop forged, forget it.

Examples. A set of 9 CV combination spanners baught 2 years ago from Screwfix. 10mm to 32mm. Cost £13. So far no signs of any wear. The same for a 1/2" socket set costing £24.99 from J & S Tooling. At that price it's no big loss if you lose one or two spanners or sockets.

Have a look on eBay. You'll find loads of cheap tools. Just look for the magic words. Chrome vanaduium. :-)

I go on a bit, but when people say their are no such things as cheap good tools. IMO they don't know what they are talking about. Disagree by all means, but don't try to convince me otherwise. Mike.

I bought a Kamasa socket set with 12 metric sockets 15 imperial and 9 whitworth, 2 extension bars, a universal joint, speed brace and a ratchet, for 27 quid.

The speed brace broke the first time that i used it, but i welded it back together The ratchet screwed up after about a week - works great for clockwise, but the mechanism lets go on counterclockwise operation.. I did some work for a friend, who gave me a new Teng ratchet as payment (they're about 30 quid!)

The rest of the sockets, i doubt i'll manage to break, but everything in the set is lifetime guaranteed if you want to send it back to Laser tools (kamasa owners). I personally couldnt be arsed, because I knew it would jsut break again, but i bore the following points in mind:

Tools will break, usually through user error Tools will be borrowed and never returned Tools will get lost

The chances of loss or theft, is far greater than the chances of breakage.

Hence, buy cheaper tools because you'll be less pissed if they disappear, than if your snapon ratchet wanders off. To back up what other people say here, I dont rate snap on as much as some people do, and i dont think that having a load of snapon tools makes you more professional, but much of the world is about image these days (sadly) A friend was going to buy a teng set.. 250 piece something or other,

400 quid. I repeatedly told him not to, and in the end, he half-listened and bought a 139 piece set for about 180 (which was a good price), but still.. he's got a load of great tools there, which he lends out to the rest of the dickheads at work (he's far too nice like that) and they do abuse them/lose them..

I'd have told them all to bugger off and get their own.. 100 quid set from Machine Mart - Sealey tools, which are pretty good, and you get a box with them too.. If a few bits break, then replace them with more expensive stuff.. the rest of them will hold together and youll end up with a set of tools that works and is suited, for not much money

Other brands i would recommend (in addition to the halfords pro already mentioned) are Draper Expert, Sealey, ScrewFix premium stuff.. theyre all fairly cheap kinda thing..

I know you mentioned metric only, but you wouldnt believe how handy imperial are sometimes, when youve bollocksed the head ona bolt with your 13 mil socket, you can whack a 1/2 inch on and have another go.. plus if youre whacking cheaper sockets with a hammer, youre not so worried about doign it (i's abuse, really) than if it was your prized crap-on set..

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One other thing.. Buy a cheaper socket set and youll probably end up with a load of rounders bats.. So called, because the design of the socket means it has 12 points inside (2 hexagons, overlaid on each other) - fine for general use, but dont even try undoing a really tight bolt with one of these, because it will round it off (if it's a small,

I've got a Kamasa 1/4 3/8 set with metric AF and BA sizes that I've had for ages and never broken. Main complains are the coarse ratchets and lack of locking on the sockets - like many 'cheap' ones they have no ring inside but just rely on friction between the spring loaded ball.

It's probably the most used tool set I own - and it's in a nice steel box.

My Kamasa socket set ratchet broke almost instantly too. So did the one in my

1/4" drive set but I'm not sure what make that was without going and finding it. In fact only the Draper stuff has never let me down. 20 years old and still going strong. My Draper screwdrivers are still good as new too but I've loads of other ones that turned out to have been made out of plastic when subjected to any force. In fact I reckon I only regularly use half the tools I've bought over the years as the other half are either s**te or already broken. I have a 3/8" drive socket set and two 1/4" drive ones but I have to use all those sockets with my 1/2" drive Draper ratchet with adaptors given the lack of any other ratchets that fit. The adaptors are Draper though so at least they won't break even if the sockets do.

I'd guess their quality has fallen - as has happened with much. Mine is probably 20 years old. The only other Kamasa tool I have is a pair of slip joint pliers, and they've been fine too.

The only spanner type tools I've bought recently have been Halfords Pro, and I'm pleased with them.

Of course, they won't get the use you give them.

Draper I find very variable, quality wise. Not surprising given that they only rebadge stuff. But it's generally ok.

Thank you all. I got a set of Crescent sockets and tools from Costco for

39.99 The case clips are the weak point but it's fine for the amount I use it.

In article , Z writes