Can anyone recommend me a tool kit?

[mat_the_cat]

I'm after something reasonably lightweight that I can just chuck in the back of whichever vehicle I'm using, without having to cart around loads of tools I'll likely not use. Rightly or wrongly I'm thinking that by buying a set I'll save money compared with getting the tools individually, but a lot of the sets seem suspiciously cheap!

 

I don't need it to be top quality as it (hopefully!) won't see heavy use, but don't want things to break or round off the first time I do something difficult. Needs a socket set (possibly - I could always pop in one of my spare sets but an all in one kit would be neatest), screwdrivers, spanners, allen keys, pliers and maybe an adjustable spanner.

 

Does anyone have recommendations please? I'm thinking around the £50 mark.

[spike60]

A couple of years ago I bought a Beta toolkit in an attaché type case with spanners, screwdrivers, allen keys, hacksaw, hammer etc from Ebay. It was new and I was only bidder at £25, try keeping a look out for similar but try to avoid crap quality. Dead handy.

[omegod]

Halfords, watch out for there periodic sale or if you know someone with a trade card you can pick up a decent socket set, great quality plus lifetime guarantee

[Station]

Agree with Halfords, it's really good quality stuff. Don't buy cheap tools! Also avoid imperial size stuff, it is obsolete on today's cars (unless you are Junkman).

I find Japanese cars always use 10, 12, 14mm, and European use 8, 10, and 13mm. I have a small bag of tools for whenim 'out in the field', and have most tools for any job on a car.

Keep it all in one of those canvas bags and have a couple of tool wraps to keep everything organised - they really are a godsend and saves digging about for a random spanner.

[sierraman]

I'd spend it on AA membership.

[omegod]

This would be good for you at £60, may be cheaper if you can get your hands on a trade card.Really good quality stuff

 

http://www.halfords.com/motoring-travel/tools-diy/socket-sets/halfords-advanced-professional-90-piece-socket-set

[fordperv]

Another shout for the halfords stuff.

[LC Torana]

Don't avoid imperial size stuff, it is necessary for cars old enough to be worthwhile owning.

FTFY

[purplebargeken]

Another one for the Halfords stuff. Never let me down and fairly priced. They also do a decent holdall. 

[Richard]

The selections are a bit odd on them sometimes, my kit has a full set of Imperial sockets but no 16mm deep socket. The other set I have is 1/4" drive up to 13mm. The tools are excellent though.

 

My Lidl tool kit was about £70 IIRC and it's never let me down content-wise. Quality is good enough for emergency work but I wouldn't use it daily.

[colino]

I used to recommend buying a cheap toolkit and replacing the heavily worked items with individual, "good" pieces as they were required.  Frankly with the lifetime guarantee Halfords stuff, don't waste your time, get the best kit you can stretch to (they always appear to be on sale, but Trade Card does even better) and you wont go wrong.  Only criticism is that there isn't a proper breaker bar in the sets now, but they don't appear to flinch at a scaffold pipe.

[PiperCub]

Don't ignore autojumbles & steam-fair type events. You can score some amazing bargains there - as in high quality used stuff at a fraction of new cost.

 

I've recently put together a pretty comprehensive set for 'Out-of-workshop' use (ie: taking to scrapyard, doing stuff at other folks places etc) using odds I had lying around together with A/J buys with the odd other thing coming from Toolstation. None of it is valueable and all is expendable.

 

 

For 'Boot-kit', I can recommend a 3/8" Amtech socket set from ebay - was about £12 I think, compact, has all you need (probably). Got one in each 'keeper'. Plus a small toolkit in each:

From memory it contains:

C/spanners 8-19mm

Adjustable wrench

Mole grips

Hammer (b/p)

C/pliers

Snipe nose pliers

Slip-joint/waterpump pliers

Knife

Screwdrivers: flat, No.1 & 2 pozi, term driver

12V electrical tester & a 'jumper-lead'

HT cap tester

Bleed tube (1way)

Small brass brush

Spark plug gapper tool (coin-type)

Strip of emery cloth

T/P gauge

Insulting tape

Cable ties                  (I've prob missed a couple of things)

 

Plus a couple of other bits relevent to specific cars (odd relevent allen keys or Torx etc).

 

Most of which fits in a Sennheiser microphone case if you cut a inch of the hammer shaft.

 

Add to this a decent wheelbrace - one of those extendables is useful as you can put a socket of the end (with adapter if req'd) and use it as a breaker bar in emergency.

And of course, WD40, more longer cable ties, a long cheapo flat blade screwdriver or crowbar to use as a prybar, wire, fuses and gaffa tape!

[twosmoke300]

I think purely for the " grab a box with nearly everything " convenience you can't beat the halfords stuff . Quality is more than ok for DIY use too

[mat_the_cat]

Cheers, I did browse through the tool kits they offered but couldn't see an all in one which fitted the bill. I have 3 socket sets plus many random sockets but aside from that, very little duplication of tools!

 

http://www.halfords.com/motoring-travel/tools-diy/tools-tool-kits/halfords-114-piece-aluminium-tool-set

This fits the bill,but is a bit spendy, plus I begrudge paying for tools like a spirit level and tape measure that I won't use on the car!

 

http://www.halfords.com/motoring-travel/tools-diy/tools-tool-kits/halfords-52-piece-aluminium-tool-set

This looks perfect at first glance, but sockets only up to 13 mm and no 10 mm spanner?

[Richard]

The gushing praise you see for Halfords tools isn't for their budget range.

 

It might be worth looking at B&Q's Torq range. It looks as if they have an eye on the Halfords market, there might be bargains to be had while they establish the brand. Quality looks quite decent.

[sierraman]

My objection to halfords stuff is the sockets are 12 point ones, I always use 6 sided flank drives

[omegod]

A further shout would be Costcos stuff, my first decent kit 15 yrs ago was from them and made by "crescent" still plenty of it still going strong and they have a decent warranty. This one looks ok 

 

 

http://www.costco.co.uk/view/product/uk_catalog/cos_8,cos_8.1,cos_8.1.3/922243

[barmatt]

funnily enough I'm currently browsing toll boxes and saw this http://www.gumtree.com/p/tool-storage-workbenches/clarke-toolbox-/1124283567

 

seems fairly cheap for a Clarke box with tools.

[beko1987]

Ive had a 9.99 halfords socket set for years. Nothings broken, ive done suspension, engine brakes and exhaust work with it, it takes a lump hammer well.

 

Just saying!

[twosmoke300]

B and q were selling off their tools for sod all online when I last looked .

[derskine]

Halfords advanced.

[gordonbennet]

For socket sets, as above, forget the 12 sided sets, you want 6 sided only, and preferably a set of impact sockets as well for those really stubborn suspension bolts that need some impact (hammer) action.

 

Some the multi sets look impressive but check carefully the sizes, invariably they won't have enough larger sizes and you''ll end up buying spanner sets etc in the future anyway.

[sierraman]

I've never actually bought a tool kit, I've just added to it over the years. Been a fan of Clarke sockets as they always fit well and never seem to split.

[pshome]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wenger-Giant-Swiss-Army-Knife/dp/B000R0JDSI/

Read the customer reviews!

[jonny69]

I've got a Sealey metric and imperial socket set. I'd say at the same price it's better than the Halfords one, the sockets are slimmer and the ratchet can take far more abuse and clubhammer action.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SEALEY-45-Piece-3-8-Metric-Imperial-AF-Socket-Set-Ratchet-Case-AK692-/390358188154

 

I'll back up what has been said about not buying cheap. I've had 2 cheap socket sets from Lidl that I bought as secondary sets that I could abuse with excessive hammering etc so I didn't have to kill the good set. Well neither of them actually stood up to much normal use, let alone abuse, the boxes fell apart, a couple of the sockets broke, the ratchets failed and the breaker bars bent if you leaned on them. So that was £25 wasted on them when my good set was only about £50. It takes all the abuse regularly and everything is completely intact after 10 years.

 

I like Halfords spanners. Slim, strong and comfortable in the hand to work with, reasonably priced at about £25 but I'll warn that they can't take too much welly. Get ball-ended Allen keys - Eklind are a budget but professional brand you can't go wrong with for about £10 per set, or Wiha for premium hex keys with snap ring at £25. Also don't underestimate a good quality screwdriver because it makes your life SO much easier when it actually fits what you're trying to work on and when the handle is actually an appropriate size and shape to get hold of.

[Dead_E23]

The Halfords pro socket sets are really good, but need to be complemented with a selection of screwdrivers, pliers etc to be much use at the side of the road.

 

I have a couple of these 'Draper Value' kits, which get knocked out dirt cheap in Robert Dyas from time to time.  Apart from the ratchet handle (crap) they are fine and contain enough bits and pieces to be really useful.  The Amazon price is too dear though - I paid roughly half that.

 

I sometimes like to use my 'side of the road' kit for doing small jobs on the car instead of the proper tool box.  Doing that helps me remember which tools are in the set, and also to identify things that could usefully be added to the box (e.g. length of wire, cable ties, etc).  It also provides an opportunity for the really shit tools to break where they can be conveniently replaced instead of in a rainy layby in the middle of nowhere.

[barmatt]

I've got a Sealey metric and imperial socket set. I'd say at the same price it's better than the Halfords one, the sockets are slimmer and the ratchet can take far more abuse and clubhammer action.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SEALEY-45-Piece-3-8-Metric-Imperial-AF-Socket-Set-Ratchet-Case-AK692-/390358188154

 

 

 

That's the same socket set I've had for the past 10 or 11 years and it's still in one piece*,  I've used the ratchet with extending bars a few times and not broken it and even ran over the whole thing with a Discovery and only bent the box. Some swearing and bending later it almost closed.

[catsinthewelder]

I bought a Siegan (cheap Sealey) socket set recently and the 6 sided sockets are great,  unfortunately the ratchet lasted about 2 days despite feeling really chunky and well made.

 

My 3/8 drive deep sockets from Laser have been brilliant too.

[mat_the_cat]

For socket sets, as above, forget the 12 sided sets, you want 6 sided only, and preferably a set of impact sockets as well for those really stubborn suspension bolts that need some impact (hammer) action.

 

Some the multi sets look impressive but check carefully the sizes, invariably they won't have enough larger sizes and you''ll end up buying spanner sets etc in the future anyway.

 

True, but for roadside repairs I can probably get away with 12 sided. Good point about checking the size range - I've already ruled out a few on that basis although I'll risk leaving anything bigger than 19 mm at home.

 

I've never actually bought a tool kit, I've just added to it over the years. Been a fan of Clarke sockets as they always fit well and never seem to split.

 

Same here, but I figured a kit would be the neatest/lightest way of having something I could easily transfer between cars. A few good suggestions which I'll weigh up. I do actually need imperial sockets too, with having a few Rovers V8s on the fleet.