Tools for life?

The usual suggestion is Snap On, but they cost, and in reality, don't last forever. The warranty is 'limited' but still good.

Facom are surprisingly good too. Gedore appear to be of good quality, and as usual, if you use your tools properly, they will last anyway if they are of a half decent standard.
 
I generally prefer to get good quality tools but when I buy for boaty use I buy on the assumption that expensive tools are much more likely to fall in the water. Cheap ones seem more likely to stay on board.
 
Gedore were the tools of choice in South Africa and cost a lot there.

My 1/2 inch drive Gedore socket set was purchased about 30 years ago and is still going strong as are the mole grips.

Wouldn't take them on the boat though, they make expensive 'plops'
 
dylanwinter said:
good one... I bought an expensive torch once

watched it shining as it sank

looked great

D
Click to expand...

Brilliant... did you calculate the depth as it was going down... ;)

Reminds me of the time I was snorkelling over a reef. Must have fell asleep with the sun on my back, took a lung full down my snorkel and when I ripped the snorkel out of my mouth I also pulled out my lovely new plate with four teeth on... saw them making for the bottom like a panicked crab... never did find em...

Back to Gedore tools. I've still got a Gedore socket set that I bought about 40 years ago, they've certainly had some use and are still going strong. The ratchet gave up the ghost and I replaced that with a Britool one... now they were good tools. Snap-on, Facom, Proto are all good tools, but too good for an on board kit in my opinion. I've got all of the above makes in my tool collection, but they mainly live in my workshop. The kit on the boat is... shall I say... on the cheaper side.
 
Rum_Pirate said:
Anybody used these 'GEDORE' ?
Click to expand...

I have had a full 1/2" drive socket and spanner set for about 25 years now and they are still perfect.. Sockets are strong and even on very long bars, for stupidly tight bolts, have never lost their shape at all.. Although I have cracked a socket once using it with a pneumatic impact wrench.. ;)
 
no haven't used those. they dont look bad. but whats the worldwide support network like? in my experience ratchet drivers with soft grip handles never seem to be as well made as nice heavy all metal ones. I dont know why theres no direct link between coating the handle with rubber and the quality of the mechanism in the ratchet head, but thats what I have found.

I was working in newfoundland for a while and whilst there I bought loads of 'mastercraft' tools in canadian tire. it was cheap (especially with the exchange in those days), and the half and quarter drive ratchets and metric and imperial sockets have taken years of hard use at my hands and they still look like new. torque wrench too. Lifetime warranty but its a long way back to canadian tire if it ever breaks!

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brow...t+Maximum+1+2-in.-Drive+Ratchet.jsp?locale=en

For the rest of my tools I had cheapo stuff but have gradually been replacing with used snap on or britool stuff as it (the cheapo stuff) breaks.

the draper expert range used to be a good quality for the price, not sure what they are like now.
 
I bought a set of Gedore spanners when I had my first motorbike, almost 50 years ago. They were very good quality, but as they are imperial BSW/BSF sizes they are now lurking in the workshop drawer that houses tools that get little use, for which read "they probably have not seen the light of day since I put them in there".
 
I worked at a university for a while and the lab technicians rated them. I used a few spanners once and they seemed pretty good - if a little "chunky".
 
Having gone down the route of buying quality joinery tools when I lived on dirt, I bought cheap tools (sockets, spanners, engineering tools) for the boat. Since I left the the UK and the dirt life 7 years ago I wish I had bought the quality tools for the boat as well. I've had to in any case as the cheap **** just fails when you need it most. They may rust and look like **** at times but the quality lasts, and when you need it it doesn't let you down!

Back to the OP, I've never heard f them but I'll look out for them in the future .
 
saxonpirate said:
Brilliant... did you calculate the depth as it was going down... ;)

Reminds me of the time I was snorkelling over a reef. Must have fell asleep with the sun on my back, took a lung full down my snorkel and when I ripped the snorkel out of my mouth I also pulled out my lovely new plate with four teeth on... saw them making for the bottom like a panicked crab... never did find em...

Back to Gedore tools. I've still got a Gedore socket set that I bought about 40 years ago, they've certainly had some use and are still going strong. The ratchet gave up the ghost and I replaced that with a Britool one... now they were good tools. Snap-on, Facom, Proto are all good tools, but too good for an on board kit in my opinion. I've got all of the above makes in my tool collection, but they mainly live in my workshop. The kit on the boat is... shall I say... on the cheaper side.
Click to expand...

I bought an inexpensive attache-case sized toolkit for the boat. It has been adequate for most tasks, but I often bring tools form home if I have doubts about torques or seriously tight bolts. I've a collection of decent tools going back through 40years of car maintenance, but I don't want them going over the side (as a few of the "cheap" ones have already done! )
Magnets have been tried, but never recovered anything!!
My "Metrinch" 3/8 face drive socket set has almost never been defeated by rusty nuts/ bolt heads, and proved worth the money, but I'm seriously careful where I use it on board..

Graeme
 
After paying out weekly over decades for my Snap-On tools they are never likely to see the boat. On the boat I use US Pro tools, not as good as Snap-On but do the job well.
 
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