which socket set?

[heata]

Over the holidays I've been using a borrowed socket set, (Kinchrome) which I took home from work to put on my bash plate and winch. But sadly I need to return it in the next week or so.
So I need to buy one. I'm after advice on what I really need for use on the nav.
So far I think;
1/2" drive
breaker bar is good.

but what else?
And yep cost is a consideration, at the moment I'm thinking this one is the best I can find
STANLEY 43PC METRIC / SAE COMBO SOCKET SET 1/2'' DR. (eBay item 140443294104 end time 18-Jan-11 17:56:13 AEDST) : Cars, Bikes, Boats

any advice from guys that work with them daily is useful.

 

[d22dave]

Thats a good selection of sizes for you. As far as brand it,s not the dearest or the cheapest, So for home use should last a while.

 

[d40 abuser]

nothing beats a 3/8 repco socket set 1/2 the price of snapon which they copied and life time warrenty. i just took my ratchet back after 5 years use and they replaced it no questions asked

 

[Al]

repco tools are pretty sweet, Most of my tools are SP tools, which are nice but anything with a lifetime warranty are good enough as you just get them replaced if they fail. I also have couple of super works gold socket sets which are decent (made by sidchrome) but now supercheap have discontinued those lines.

 

[terryc]

The Stanley looks alright to me. Caveat, home user.

I actually purchased a metric(1mm steps) & imperial(1/16" steps) kinchrome set/box with top and two drawers and eventually ripped out the plastic and divided it into metric and imperial draws and too big to fit in the trays/draws for the top.

Into each level, I've added sets of socket/open ended metric and imperial spanner sets with extra ratchets, longer handles and any special sizes like various spark plug sockets.

If your use is a tool tray to carry in the Nav, then great. If for home, try for something bigger to allow for expansion. So much easier to have everything in one case when you sit your arse down to do a job. OTOH, you have to live with the limits of what you can lift..

 

[simonk8]

that stanley set looks like a good deal. I have had the stanley 1/4 - 3/8 set for about 10 years, has been used heaps and have had no problems.

 

[shaggy]

Hi Fellas

I have the same socket set.I got my set from supercheap when it was sale last year.All good.
My tool's I use at work are Craftman

Shane

 

[bullwinkle]

I bought a slightly smaller Stanley set from Bunnings with a gift card I got for Christmas for $29. It was one of those 'manager's specials' and they only had a few left. Suits my needs as I don't need a full set.

 

[Pinelli]

I've had a Sidchrome set that my Dad bought for me when I turned 18. That was 20 years ago. He also has a Sidchrome socket set that he has had since he was 18 (46 years ago). All still good in both sets. No idea how they compare price-wise as I've never had a need to look for a set since. Probably won't look either for another 10 yrs when my boy turns 18

One thing to look for is separate ring and open spanners. Don't get the jobbies where you have both 12mm spanners on opposite ends of the one tool. The number of times you need the pair on opposite ends of bolt and nut to get the dam thing to come undone.

 

[tukangbaso]

i used to have a snap-on impact socket set which cost a bomb but they always crack even thought they will replace it under warranty. eventually i gave up and sold them.

stuck to my sidchrome set at work which has lasted me 4 years of constant abuse with the occasional rattle gun treatment and they have not crack. and they have lifetime warranty too!

however price wise for home use i think kinchrome would be the best value for money as they're pretty tought tools for decent price. you can also check out teng tools or KC tools as in my opinion they are also good value for money if you're not using it 5-6 days a week.

if i had to vote i'll vote for sidchrome for socket set but ratchets etc i would recommend repco as someone said they are lifetime warranty.

 

[Dion]

TOOLS MY FAVOURITE TOPIC

Do you have any real need for the AF sizes? I've got a baby Kinchrome set (wants to be a Sidchrome set when it grows up) and the AF sizes never get used... My ideal kit for a Navara would be 8-26mm in six-point (for the 19mm+ sizes anyway - better torque capacity, you never need 1/12th turn increments on fasteners that big), with two sizes of ratchet handle, two adapters, one breaker bar, no screwdriver-styled bullshit handles, they're useless, two sizes of extension, no uni-joint extensions, also useless.

One thing to look for is separate ring and open spanners. Don't get the jobbies where you have both 12mm spanners on opposite ends of the one tool. The number of times you need the pair on opposite ends of bolt and nut to get the dam thing to come undone.

Excellent point Pinelli and remember that if you buy ring-ring and open-open spanners, you're still only buying the same quantity of spanners as if you bought a combo set.

Full polish look great but they're hard to hold onto.

however price wise for home use i think kinchrome would be the best value for money as they're pretty tought tools for decent price. you can also check out teng tools or KC tools as in my opinion they are also good value for money if you're not using it 5-6 days a week.

FYI there are three levels of Kinchrome products, the two top levels are up there with the professional manufacturers.

 

[heata]

Thanks for the tips guys. I've looked at some sidchrome sets pinelli, but at my budget I'd need to forego the imperial sockets in sidchrome, which reading Dions post might be worth considering.

 

[Al]

can't rememeber whn i last used imperial
just get metric

 

[heata]

they seem to hold their value well!!
Rare Sidchrome Socket Set (eBay item 110636235902 end time 25-Jan-11 11:00:06 AEDST) : Home

seriously though something like this?
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Sidchrome-33...59560630?pt=AU_Hand_Tools&hash=item3a626f3db6

 

[the_bluester]

Another one I am fond of is Stahlwille. I have some Stahlwille spanners I inherited off my father and they have had some dreadful things done to them at times and I still have a lot of the originals that he bought over 20 years ago. And the spanners are well shaped and nice on the hands.

They are far from cheap though.

 

[Dion]

Another one I am fond of is Stahlwille. I have some Stahlwille spanners I inherited off my father and they have had some dreadful things done to them at times and I still have a lot of the originals that he bought over 20 years ago. And the spanners are well shaped and nice on the hands.

They are far from cheap though.

Best spanners and sockets ever made. But $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[scottybobcat]

Sidchrome is made by Stanley now.

 

[will]

repco tools are great, i think they are made with the same molds as Snap-on. great to use the offsets are as close to perfect as you'd ever need. or if the budget permits, Snap-on are #1 or Bluepoint.

 

[Pinelli]

My sidchrome socket set isn't quite that extensive as the ebay set. I've got metric 8mm-19mm, ratchet, two extenstion and a breaker bar, as well as two spark plug sockets and 8-19mm open and ring sockets. Never missed imperial. On the odd occasion I've had to remove an imperial nut, i've just bashed on the next size down with a hammer, and pushed it back out once it was off.

Tells you two things - they're bloody good sockets, and I'm a pretty ordinary home mechanic

 

[the_bluester]

The only test the Stahlwille's fail is the "Don't buy spanners so expensive that you are not prepared to modify them to do a job" test. Like hammering them onto a nut that is half a mm to large as it is not metric.

I bought a cheapo Kingchrome set years ago so if I need to cut or bend one for a job I use one of those. They have actually done pretty well, I still have some of the first set I bought 20 years ago, but they are not in the condition of the Stahlwille's and were never as nice to use.