Spanners cost??!

J

john_morris_uk

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How much do you spend on spanners? I recently saw a YouTube clip where various makes of spanners were tested. I like good quality tools so I looked up how much the best rated combination spanner sets are according to this particular test site.

https://www.raptorsupplies.co.uk/pd/proto/jscvm-20sb

I think I’ll stick with my Halfords Professional set along with the one or two Snap-On ones I’ve acquired over the years.
 
Does say trade prices available. Most of mine have names such as "Bedford" or"King Dick". Remember them? The latter wouldn't be a good trade mark today perhaps.
 
I also like quality spanners, but I am in the habit of losing then when I finish a job, I just place the spanner near when I worked so I tend to misplace the spanner and cannot remember where I left then so I buy seral sets of cheap spanners
 
a range of good (expensive) bad(old and a bit rusty) ....and otherwise (where did that come from?) i find the smaller the tool the easier it is to watch it disappear into the big blue halfway thru a job....so i spend a bit more on other boaty things than spanners..
 
I have an assortment of ( mostly imperial) spanners inherited from my dad so probably originated in the ‘60s. I also have a metric set of Draper ones that I bought when I first got married 40 years ago and are better quality then the Chinesium sold these days,
For the boat I bought these when I was stocking up in the Netherlands https://www.amazon.nl/Neilsen-CT0126-6-32-Combinatiesleutel-Set/dp/B008C7PM9M/ and, while I’ve not actually had cause to use them much, they seem very solid.
Not spanners but my pride and joy at home is a 1970s Snap-On socket set which has imperial sizes 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch in both standard and long and a huge collection of ratchet, slide bars, extensions and UJs. The equivalent would cost over £1000 now but I got it for £120 at an auction of assets from a bankrupt garage.
 
i always used halfords professional when i had to buy tools for work. They used to come with a lifetime warranty but I think its only with the receipt now.

Kamasa have always been pretty good and fair priced for me. Now in work I use the provided bahco sets and spanners
 
I find buying "boxed sets" of spanners and sockets a good way of keeping track of them.
I try and ensure that they are all present and correct when I finish a job.
But I do have a large and heavy tool box full of assorted tools that I've collected over the last 60 years or more, and it's surprising how often I rummage through the box to find that special tool I remember buying many years ago to do some specific task, and I only use once every blue moon.
 
I've still got my original Imperial Britool spanners, bought during my apprenticeship, bought via the firm at trade prices and paid for weekly. I tend to buy cheaper tools for our boat but get Halford tools when necessary.
 
Most of my tools are cheapos, especially the boat ones, because Neptune is a kleptomaniac with a particular weakness for tools.

I do buy decent screwdrivers, including cordless ones and their tips because, so often, they make the difference between a stubborn screw coming out, and a stubborn screw stuck in place with a mangled head I still have several perfectly serviceable spanners from an Argos toolkit that I bought when I first got a boat over 20 years ago. Professional quality and price they are not, but they've done the job just fine.

I generally work on the basis that I'll get a cheapo tool to do the job in hand. If I use it enough to wear it out, I'll get a decent one. For example, I have a big Parkside angle grinder, bought to cut slabs for a patio for around £30. It must be 15 years old, but is still going strong, probably because it only comes out a couple of times a year. Same for an Aldidl "Dremel", bought for one job donkey's years ago, but still working perfectly when I needed it last month.

Actually, I reckon Aldidl tools are at least as good as B&Q and the like's offerings, and usually significantly cheaper. No, I wouldn't get them if they needed to earn my living, but for DIY use, they're fine, provided they have what you want when you want it.
 
Most are mid range but 10/13/14/17mm are branded, often Halfords pro, I wish the lifetime guarantee would cover lost in boat or at bottom of marina though
 
I have a huge collection of spanners and sockets. I have not often bought spanners/sockets new but have picked up a fair bit of stuff from car boot sales. My favorites are long sockets for 1/4 drive and 1/2 drive. Also been involved in cleaning out a few old folks workshops and got all sorts of stuff. I love collecting.
I am a bit skeptical of lovely looking spanner/socket sets. In reality only a few sizes are often used. I have not had a failure of even the cheapest spanner/socket.
So cheap it is for me even though I take the required tool to the boat rather than take every thing. I find the cheapest tool, pliers or screw drivers are the least likely to leap over board unlike the treasured ones.
 
It is a good job that I have my old AF and Whitworth spanners, given some of the old tractors that I get called to work on.
For the boat I wouldn't dream of keeping expensive tools on board for the occasional use that they are needed. Silverline are decent spanners if you can get the right ones.
The engraving is not that good so the sizes tend to wear off.
 
I keep some cheap ones on the boat.
Most boat work doesn't need the best spanners.
I'm happy to lend them to people and sure enough the odd one goes missing, it's no big deal.
 
Oddly, I did. Bit like Footprint wrenches - the tool that will undo any bolt (if there is space).
 
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