Spanners and Sockets........

[aslabend]

Surely real men only need a ten pound lump hammer to fix things mechanical?

 

[saltwater_gypsy]

Metrinch spanners are brilliant particularly on some Volvo engines where there is a mixture of metric and imperial sizes. The spanners engage on the flats of the nuts which is possibly more secure than the corners. Here is a top of the range set but smaller sets are available.

http://www.directsupplyukltd.co.uk/products/met-0076-metrinch-30-piece-combination---socket-set/264/

 

[Bosunof]

I too give a hearty thumbs up for the Halford's box of goodies. Terrific bit of kit.

 

[mickywillis]

Or how about a set of Kamasa?
Perhaps even a set of Stanley (if you can find them) Had mine 25 years and the sockets are still in the original palstic case and have NEVER rounded off any nut/bolt heads. they fit the metric and imperial systems really well (lots of contact points within the sockets) Only problem is that I broke the ratchet, but that was my fault (trying to undo a FWD Vectra driveshaft nut, using the ratchet and a 4 ft bar as it was torqued to way over 150 ft/lb's!!)
Couldn't justify using the "lifetime guarantee" (due to my misuse!!) so just bought another 1/2" drive ratchet.
What is pretty essential to your choice of tools is the size of drive. 1/4" is fine for small types of nuts and bolts or those in a restricted space. 3/8" drive is better, but possibly a bit flimsy for anything over say 17mm nuts and 1/2" drive is far better but restricts you on the size of the sockets (ie their physical dimensions for getting onto nuts/bolts in a tight area) 3/4" or 1" drive is available if you own a JCB/steam train/tractor!!
Avoid budget sets like the plaque as they are made of Chinese alloys and fall apart at the first sign of heavy work.

 

[RestlessL]

Before splashing out on every size of metric spanner, bear in mind that for most cases you only need 10mm, 13mm, 17mm and 19mm. This covers bolts sizes 6, 8, 10 and 12mm. These 4 combination spanners, and 2 open ended (10-13 and 17-19) will cover nearly everything.

For smaller bolts, 5.5mm, 7mm and 8mm spanners cover bolt sizes 3 to 5mm.

You will also find a couple of bsw spanners useful for pipe fittings where imperial sizes still dominate.

John

 

[Ubergeekian]

Halfords professional could be Draper Expert in disguise and are good. Draper Expert are OK as well in any case. Other than that Facom, Britool and Snap On are the obvious but expensive choices.

Modern French-made Britool is very variable - I've seen some real rubbish with the hallowed badge.

 

[carise]

Surely real men only need a ten pound lump hammer to fix things mechanical?

No mate we use 25lb sledgehammers!!!! lol

(have got a 3/4" and 1" drive socket set in garage which I now use about once every few years, but would never get rid of!)

I have an eclectic mix of tools built up over many years (including AF, Whit etc!)- some of which have been shortened/lengthened/bent etc for specific tasks- I would never ever consider getting rid of any of them as they all come in handy at some time- toolkits look pretty, but unless you are making a bespoke kit for the boat, they will always be a compromise, regardless of make.

Paul

 

[Scarboroughsloop]

How about the Elora stainless steel spanners?

 

[mrgrumpy2]

Apologies for the radio silence.....I've had a technical issue. Thanks for all of your comments and suggestions. I have decided to go for the large Halfords set (1/2 price) and then transfer all the essentials into tool rolls and onto socket trees. Everything that is not required for now will be stored at home thus reducing ballast. Thanks again everyone!!!

 

[Coaster]

I have decided to go for the large Halfords set (1/2 price) and then transfer all the essentials into tool rolls and onto socket trees.

Good choice. I've done much the same and am very pleased with the Halfords Professional quality.