Chicken Madras

[Joloke]

Poppadom

[DodgeRover]

Machine mart if they do imperial are good for the money especially on a vat free day

[lesapandre]

Isn't this the type of kit to get second hand? Car boot, or (maybe) Ebay. Or a wanted here...maybe someone has some.

[Guest Hooli]

Wasn't WilsonSquared (I forget his name now) doing 'party packs' of Imperial spanners?

[sierraman]

I can't deal with going in Halfords. I think one of the qualifying criteria to get a job there is to know absolutely fuck all about cars or as a preference to be able to talk complete bollocks. At our local one there used to be a really knowledgeable bloke working there, I think he realised he was wasted there and got replaced by a cast of people who couldn't possibly be less suited to working in a car spares shop.

 

Rant over, I'd say check the car boots out, always loads of old Gordon Tools AF stuff and old Britool stuff going for next to nothing.

[purplebargeken]

Seriously though, dickheads aside. The Halfords range is bloody great, especially the ratchet spanners. I have never had any issues with the Halfords Professional range in all the years I have used them. Britool are good too. 

 

Ebay is a good source for stuff. The King Dick (yes, I know) range are good. 7/16, 9/16, 1/2 are the most used sizes.

[PiperCub]

^^ Agree Half-wits pro range is good gear and lifetime guaranteed.

 

But where I'd try is MongTree first, you'd be utterly amazed at some of the tools you can buy on there for minimal money, I've done very well in this respect. (AF) Socket sets of decent make often make an appearance at bargain prices as people often don't know what to do with them and most folk will want metric not imperial these days. 

 

The other place would be ebay as said and for the same reason, AF/Imperial/SAE stuff is plentiful and few people want it (most that use AF already have enough so don't need more) so there's lots about and that means you don't need to pay through the nose for it. This contrasts with metric stuff that is obviously more in demand.

 

Look for older stuff, it's often better made than more recent, names to watch for are, Britool, Elora, King Dick, Gedore amongst others.

 

One other source is word of mouth, I've been given quite a bit of stuff by older guys who've long since packed up jacking with cars etc. and want to clear out the garage etc. They either haven't been able to sell or haven't bothered (CBA) and would prefer to pass them on to someone who gives a shit about old tools and will look after/put them to use. It's worth asking around your more senior cit aquentences or friends of your folks. 

[purplebargeken]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Draper-Expert-Hi-Torq-AF-Imperial-Combination-Spanner-Set-5-16-to-1-12-Piece/401306163631?epid=2256111617&hash=item5d6fb619af:g:USsAAOSwzcpbN~3p

 

Draper are okay too.

[purplebargeken]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HEAVY-DUTY-HILKA-22PC-METRIC-AF-COMBINATION-SPANNER-RING-OPEN-WRENCH-SET/281993318156?epid=524523020&hash=item41a81c8f0c:g:Q-QAAOSwJQdXA6PY

[Eddie Honda]

Trawl local sales and bag some oldies but goodies. Otherwise it's an expensive business. Plus a lot of sets tend to be mixed and not AF only.

 

Best for sockets, be it Metric, Imperial, Whitworth or whatever would be Koken.

 

RS3400A/9 standard 6pt 3/8" drive nine socket rail 1/4,5/16,3/8,7/16,1/2,9/16,5/8,11/16,3/4

RS3300XA/9 semi-deep 6pt 3/8" drive nine socket rail 1/4,5/16,3/8,7/16,1/2,9/16,5/8,11/16,3/4

RS3300A/9 deep 6pt 3/8" drive nine socket rail  1/4,5/16,3/8,7/16,1/2,9/16,5/8,11/16,3/4

 

Starter for 9: Nine socket rail RS https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/391026707406

 

Spanners, maybe a Draper Expert 29546 roll of combinations if the budget isn't up for a King Dick TKC8A set?

 

Quite a few of my Imperial spanners may* have been borrowed from the Army and were given to me because the bloke that had them only worked on new stuff and he saw I had old chod.

 

ETA: I think it's Toptul that make the Halfords stuff.

[MorrisItalSLX]

Deceased Estate Sales, that's where I got the majority of my tools.

 

Old giffer down the road carked it? Need shot of those tools, love? I'll take them off your hands, if I must.

[PiperCub]

OK, crass opportunism aside, this isn't a bad call. Often people just want stuff cleared and gone, stuff they have no use for and CBA to faff about selling, they are invaribly grateful someone is interested enough to take it away and give it a good home instead of possibly ending up taking it to the dump. 

[purplebargeken]

Just remembered. I had tons of imperial stuff via freecycle.

[xtriple]

I think I may still have a complete toolbox of imperial stuff (British bike owner!), I shall have a look in the garage of disrepute when next up that way and see if there is anything of any use to you. I know I have the complete set of brake cylinder adjusting tools.

[PiperCub]

Just remembered. I had tons of imperial stuff via freecycle.

 

Ah yes good call, that's the other place I was thinking of! For the reasons I outlined above. 

[Uncle Jimmy]

I'd go for brand new Jo, prices for quality tools are very good nowadays.

I like Stanley's Siegen range, Gearwrench and Facom if you want real top end stuff that will hold its value. I don't hear good things about modern Britool and I heat rumblings about Snap On quality dropping off a cliff.

I DO like old tools but not spanners, screwdrivers and sockets so much, when they get worn beyond a certain point they go in the recycling.

[Geep]

I would also suggest machinemart. Get their pro range of sockets and they're not very dear at all. 

Clarke PRO363 9 Piece 3/8" Drive AF Socket Set  £8-39

 

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/pro363-9-pce-38in-drive-af-socket-set/

 

If you have metric sets, you have the ratchet, extensions etc so only need the sockets. They do mixed sets as well in half inch drive and you can go in and see them for yourself. Must be one near to you to visit. 

[sierraman]

I've had their 3/8 sockets for about 17 years, they are brilliant, really good quality, in fact their ratchets are good as well.

[somewhatfoolish]

Teng stuff is good gear and reasonably priced.

[lexi]

Bacons Dozen has some NOS stuff.  

[SiC]

I bought the Halfords 3/8" standard, deep, 1/4" standard and ring spanners. These together have done 95% of the spannering on my MGB and now 1100. The only thing I wish was that the spanners were ratched. I'm struggling to find any ratched imperial spanners that are worth owning (i.e. decent brand).

 

Just bought Toolstation impact socket set that had both imperial and metric. Even though they don't advertise the brand, it turns out it's made by Laser tools.

[purplebargeken]

Halfords used to do the imperial ratcheted ones but haven't seen them in store for a long time.

[Richard]

You'll get imperial from an American seller, if you can find one with sensible postage.

[purplebargeken]

Best thing to do is buy them as separates from eBay I suppose but a set of reasonable quality ones go for between 40 to 60 quid on the bay of e anyway..

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Siegen-8-Piece-Ratchet-Combination-Spanner-Set-Imperial/162791087360?epid=2254921090&hash=item25e71add00:g:DiUAAOSwYBRbMmKf

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LASER-TOOLS-RATCHET-COMBINATION-RATCHETING-SPANNER-SET-SET-AF-IMPERIAL-1-4-3-4/162172240054?epid=2282418325&hash=item25c23800b6:g:Y5sAAOSwawpXtHXf