What tools do you use ?

[Guest]

Most of us probably own a 'second eleven' set of tools just for the boat. I have for years.

They range form 'King Dicks' to weird looking things that probably saw service in the Great War.

I have to admit to buying that attractive range now available in cheapo shops i.e. hacksaw 50 pence, hammer 75 pence etc.
Last weekend I used a hammer where the tip snapped off and hit me on the bonce. A large 50 pence hacksaw disintegrated with the first firm push. The only thing that has really worked so far is a puller.

Are there not trading standard laws that protect fools like me from themselves ? I would like to join the 'blame claim' culture but do we have to go to China ?

I have now set aside £50 for a decent set of workable tools. I would be grateful for suggestions of makers that you know are reliable but not too expensive.

Thanks

 

[ronniewood]

Usually find the Draper range offers good value for money and you can get your money back if they break. Get them at B&Q or Homebase. Or if you are feeling affluent get a set of stainless ones!.

 

[Guest]

I've found that screwfix (http://www.screwfix.com/) are very good for price and quality - good value packs of stainless fixings as well!

 

[Guest]

Vic,as a sailor and an engineer, I can only say that there is absolutely NO subsitute for good tools,dont buy cheapies just because they are for the boat.If your out there in a howling gale and need a decent socket / spanner or screw driver to save your life you want the best.Buy "Snap On" or "Bedford" or any good well priced tool.After all you cant just walk off to buy another tool if the one you have has broken under load.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Halfords,

Bought a perfectly good set of adjustables, moles and pliers, prepacked in an OK toolbox from Halfords for £19.99. I guess they would have cost 3x that bought item by item from a chandler.

B&Q supplied a Draper socket set and a Bosch cordless drill/driver in a January sale and gave me change from £50. Screwdrivers are Stanleys bought from Poores of Acton, a builder's merchant. Found a big shifter screwdriver, slightly rusty, in the bilges when the engine was replaced, and a rigger's knife in the marina car park.


None of my tools are guaranteed rust proof, so I lay them on a sheet of newspaper a couple of times a season and spray them lightly with an aerosol of GT40 silicon grease. Seems to work so far. Total investment about £85.

Apart from anything else, I'm not likely to collapse in tears if one of these goes over the side.

 

[Guest]

If you talk to the men from Sea Start they don't spend hugh amounts on tools. A really nice set of stainless tolls will cost many hundreds of pounds so Sea Start buy good quality (draper or similiar) and replace them when they get rusty.
I would love to have a full Snap on set but i also want to own a boat not just a box full of spanners.
1 stainless socket can be £5..???
So just buy good quality tolls but expect them to rust and expect to repplace them every other year or so.

 

[AndrewB]

Buy secondhand!

The ONLY way to buy decent cheap tools is secondhand at an open-air market or boot sale. Avoid the new shiny cheapo chrome-plated jobs at all costs, and go for those that look like they have seen a bit of action. If they've been well used, the handles aren't loose, the blades aren't chipped, they are long enough to get a decent grip on, you will do OK.

I got my 'King Dicks' that way, and very good they have been.

 

[johnt]

what about looking in the bin? thats where I got my mole grips after someone chucked em out cos they where rusty

5 mins with a rotary wire brush and a drop of oil and they're fine!

 

[andrewbarker]

Halfords - I hate to say it but the quality is excellent & the prices are good. Also, if you aren't happy with the quality of something, you can change it.

 

[Seapepper]

I have used Draper tools for years and they have not needed replacing because of rust.. If they go rusty, then there is something wrong with your boat...ie it leaks!

 

[Avocet]

I stand firmly in the "cheap tools" camp but try to recognise their limitations. Most of my spanners are made by a company called "drop forged" or another called "chrome vanadium"! Anyway, the spanners are usually pretty soft so they round off after a while but by then, they're usually rusty or lost. Obviously things that you hit (hammers, punches etc) can blind you if they shatter so get a recognised brand. Dont bother with cheap cutting tools (taps, dies and drills) they simply won't work. I generally use cheap spanners, sockets, pliers but good screwdrivers, Mole grips (American "Vise Grips" are very good) and ratchet. Hand-me-downs are pretty good. the free-ads papers normally have loads of secondhand mechanics' tool but beware, there's a lot of stolen stuff about.

In a rough order, I've found that Snap-on and Facom are about as good as tools get (but VERY expensive), King Dick are good as are Sykes Pickavant. Halfords' own brand are OK (I think they're made by Sykes anyway) A newish company called Bergen (Eastern Block) make some very reasonably priced good quality stuff. Kamasa are also worth a look and Draper have been mentioned. After that you're back to stuff nobody's ever heard of. Hilka (if they're still trading) used to make reasonable stuff but later stuff was pretty rough.


Hope this helps.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Everyone for the Advice (NM)

nm

 

[peterg]

Ron Dennis (Head of McLaren Racing) has recently bought a complete Snap-On toolset for his garage at home and it cost him £54,000 - don't ask me how I know though....

 

[AndrewD]

Peter you are so right. What's the point of buying cheapo tools? Your life might depend on being able to bleed that engine PDQ, and if your el-cheapo 17mm spanner breaks where are you then? I have a complete set of Halfords Pro range spanners from 6mm up to 24mm. Hex and star drivers ditto. No messing. It just isn't worth it.

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