Timing Light

I know that Snap-On do their spanner is both shiny Chrome and oil-black finishes. We all know which one is better with oily hands, but which is the most expensive?

Phil

same prybar

was in the

cotter pin

thing with

look-alike from

same.

(Facom is

However

strong and

Try their hexagon keys. Absolute rubbish. I use hexagon keys a lot. Baught a set off the Snap-On van once. Screwed one up the day I baught them. Give me a genuine Allen key, or Unbrako key any time. Some of those I've had for years. At least they don't decide to become corkscrews at the first tight bolt they meet.

Another time, I baught a Phillips screwdriver off the van. Cost about £6 IIRC. Didn't get that much use, but within a month the corners had rounded. Tried to get it replaced, the guy didn't want to know. Probably because I wasn't a regular customer. One I baught from Halfords a day or two later, for about £1 is still going strong. Not pristine, but in better nick the the Snap-On one.

The quality of Snap-On tools is vastly overated IMO. Most are not that bad. Quite good in fact, but certainly not good enough to justify their exorbitant price, but as long as people _think_ they are the best, and worth the money, they'll keep buying them. Me. I'd rather have twice the number of equally as good tools at only a fraction of the cost of Snap-On ones. Mike.

Andy Dingley realised it was Wed, 24 Sep 2003

I held my newly acquired, reasonably priced set next to the outrageously expensive Snap-on set at the Essen show - less than an inch apart, they might even have touched. I studied them carefully. They were *exactly* the same. Same finish, same size handles, shanks and blades, same cheap plastic tray, same colour except for the handles. They definitely came out of the same factory.

I prefer Facom, too. Not cheap, either, but a lot more value for money.

I've got a Snap-on combination spanner set (AF). Cost me an arm and a leg, it did, had to put the whole family on short rations for a month just to pay for them. They're bloody nice spanners, too. There are few spanners that make a nicer noise when dropped onto a concrete floor. I'm pretty sure they'll outlast me and probably my heirs as well. But are they worth what I paid for them? Definitely not. I've since bought a metric Kraftwerk set, which looks, sounds and feels just as nice as the Snap-on set. The quality at least equals that of Snap-on. But it's less than a tenth of the price an equivalent Snap-on set would have cost me.

No more Snap-on for me, unless somebody is kind enough to give the stuff to me freely.

No - it used to be fine.

Yes, and move freely. Of course it's difficult to check they do under operating conditions - I'm assuming one or the other is jamming in some way.

Right. It appears to be virtually unworn with the possible exception of a plastic thrust washer, so setting up on the correct machine would be the answer. Trial and error using the engine as a test bench sounds a right misery to me - the clamp bolt is dead awkward to get at if you're removing the distributor.

I'll give them a bell tomorrow. I can remember getting bits from their place in Acton...

I was going to try and get one off ebay.co.uk - there are plenty on there if you're willing to gamble on the descriptions being accurate it would appear that you can get a bargin if you're lucky. I kept getting outbid in the last 3 seconds of the auction by hardcore ebay geeks with fast connections so gave up. Still, might be worth a look...

I picked a cheap no name Chinese one from a poundland store, £1, its pretty naff but if you wait till it starts to go dark & put a few small spots of white paint on your timing marks it should get you through,

Steve.

Let me know if you are still looking. Email me privately and I will give you some prices. Not looking to advertise on this group but will help out when people cannot find something specific. We have an independent van sales operation in Milton Keynes and can supply all the leading makes. Liz Hall