One perhaps for Mr Cheerful - battery testers

My tester would say that at 12.4 it needs recharge before testing or it is duff !!! The tester I use was sold by snap on a few years ago, it has a digital readout and when the probes are pressed down it engages a load (variable to suit the battery size) the resultant voltage can then be matched with temperature to give a very good guide to the battery condition (basically under ten volts under load is duff). I have seen the new type ones being used and they seem to work just fine and can be used by amateurs, I have not seen one flag up a duff battery as good yet. The AA / RAC carry them on every van. I think the main advantage is that they are fast and cheap.

I dunno the Snap On one, neither do I much care for that company. I have an ACT unit which has proved accurate on every occasion I've used it which is often.

It works by applying a pulsed frequency load test for a fixed period, and calculates the actual battery capacity from that. It is temperature and voltage compensated - if either is outside its working range it won't give a reading, but will tell you so. If it shows a capacity in amp.hr (20 hour rate discharge) of less than 65% of the correct reading, the battery needs replacement. UK batteries usually have this amp.hr rating on their details - but I'm told this isn't the case in all countries. The battery also needs to be in a reasonable state of charge.

To get an accurate reading, you have to disconnect the battery and use the special crock clips straight on the clean terminals. If not the common round tapered lead sort, you may have to use the supplied adaptors. It depends on having a very low impedance connection to the battery.

I believe their technology is patented - it has certainly won several design awards. So it could well be others don't work as well.

It happens that Mrcheerful formulated :

The first time I took it in flat, I saw it indicate it was under ten volts, so perhaps operator error.

I could not really see much of the testing yesterday when I took it back a second time, to be able to comment. It just seemed odd that my experience of it was that it was a dud, the Bosch agent confirmed it as without a doubt dud, yet they said their Snap On said it was not just OK ,but completely fine. This particular tester had a pair of what looked like cheapo bronze coloured crock clips, a digital illuminated display which told them what to do during the test - as in turning the headlights on and then to start the engine.

They advertise themselves as offering a free battery test, so you would think their equipment would er a bit on the side of replacement :-)

Why so? The few mechanics I've known swear by their stuff, and it always seems to be in pro-garages. Or at least their tool chests ;-)

But then I never fully understood. One mechanic (rally/racing) I knew quite well explained they'd always replace without question, and that was why he liked them. I tried to get him to explain what would break, how often, how that might compare with other brands. It was clear me he didn't want to discuss it any further.

I've always used mid-range stuff like Draper and had no problems, despite doing some pretty stupid things. I've also got one of these, found it in the street:

Rob

perhaps they have another tester for potential customers, the one you saw was for non profit work :)

My battery tester is not branded snap on, although they supplied it. snap on stuff is nice to use, both in the hand and actually doing the job. If you use tools all the time then eventually you break something, like ratchet mechanisms, screwdriver tips, impact sockets wear out etc. all are exchanged without question, even if obviously abused. Most domestic stuff never gets enough use to wear it out within the guarantee period. Things that I use all the time are mainly snap on or mac, less used things can be any make as long as they work efficiently.

Perhaps they need the free credit to buy their stuff? I dunno. I can't say I've tried all their tools, but their screwdrivers ain't a patch on Wera.

I like wera screwdrivers too, but my snap on ones are over thirty years old and still work well. The free revolving credit is useful, but the discount for cash is much better. Snap on tool boxes are definitely good and really hard to break, even when lugged in and out of a van on a regular basis.

I've never used any - I take it the screwdrivers just 'melt' - softer than screws - or lose their tips? That's bad and there's not much point getting that sort of nonsense replaced.

No intention of buying them in any case, just curious. I used to hanker after a Britool set in the 70s when I was doing a lot of car stuff, and still have a couple of small ring spanners I bought - good as new.

Rob

I managed to chip a bit out of a flat blade while using it as a lever, and snapped off the end of my pozi while using it with a spanner for extra leverage, otherwise my original set of snap on screwdrivers are still going well after 30+ years.

Ones in point were cross head types.

Halford's pro range is pretty good and can be good value when on special offer. Lifetime warranty too. Although probably not unconditional - so the same as Snap On. There is no tool ever made that can't be abused.

Britools screwdrivers wheren't particularly good, I don't know if the Facom buyout's improved that.

Sounds pretty good!

I've got some of those - came 'free' with oil. At least I think they are

- 'Advanced professional' it says on the handles. Seem fine to me.

At the time (mid-late 70s) in my limited circle their sockets were the ones to get as the best domestic tools. Certainly looked the part. ISTR gather they went lower quality/same prices/Chinese for a while in the 80s?

The sockets and spanners have always been excellent, The Facoms are slightly slimmer & get the fancy speed wrench options, but the Britool spanners seem unchanged.

I thought ratchets (as in the clicky bit) and impact sockets were specifically excluded from their replacement policy.

Snap On screwdrivers used to be good many years ago but I wouldn't ever consider them now as the heat treatment is poor and gives them very brittle tips. Wiha, Wera or Sandvik Belzer (now Bahco) are IMHO the current cream of the crop for screwdrivers.

Proto ones, made in the USA in the 1960's and early 1970's were the real dogs danglies though, I have a some that are now third or fouth hand and the tips are near perfect.

the snap on man has replaced at least three ratchet mechanisms for me and a couple of impact sockets, so maybe it is down to having the right rep.? I have not had any of the latest crop of their screwdrivers to know if they have changed, pity if they are inferior.

Well any supplier with sense knows which customers are worth keeping happy.