Hand tools: any reason to bother with imperial, and what brands are "quality"?

[oh]

After having had pinched from me a toolbox with a mix of metric/imperial socket tools/ wrenches, spanners etc., I need to go shopping again. I'm a very long way from the nearest physical B&Q/Homebase/Halfords/Screwfix I'm afraid so I'll probably do the on-line thing, although it is hard buying tools unseen ;-) ... I'm Scandinavian so not totally au-fait with UK DIY, and most of my old tools were bought ~20 years ago...

I like decent tools to I'm a bit skeptic about things like a Screwfix "Tool chest 235 pieces" for £63.61, particularly when it's half-full of imperial tool sizes. Having a 2-year old house, 1998 car and a German yacht, I doubt I will see an imperial sized screw very often. However I could be wrong, so my first question is: are imperial sized nuts and bolts and stuff something that still are in common use, or did they die out together with the shillings?

Looking at various on-line cataloges, there are names like Draper and Laser that ring bells, and Famex has an interesting kit for £150. Does anyone know if these are the quality names I think they are, or should I save a few pounds and get the more generic tools from Toolstation, Screwfix etc.?

I'm leaning on around £150 for a well-stocked 1/2" socket set, torque wrench and full spanner set. Pointers to good on-line vendors than the usual big ones would also be very welcome!

Thanks in advance!!!

[meow2222]

Sounds like you've answered your own question -you've probably got nothing likely to need imperial tools. I dont often use mine these days.

NT

[Cicero]

========================================== Of the four stores you cite I would suggest that Halfords is the one to go for but I would also suggest a browse at:

where there is a good range of almost every kind of automotive tool. It's possible to build a good tool kit from Machine Mart by buying selectively rather than buying a 'set' which often contains stuff you never need or already have. I wouldn't buy Imperial unless you have a particular need for it.

Cic.

[meow2222]

Cant help re brands, I've used all sorts of different makes and not experiecesd too much difference so far. With your budget I'd definitely not limit myself to 1/2" sockets, they don't do all jobs. I find a 3/4" set quite useful on occasion, and theyre not that expensive. Also a little quarter inch set sees occasional use for tiny stuff, and they cost peanuts.

There are also a couple of oddities that are handy to have: the main one being parallel pliers. For a decent set of tools these unusual things are amust hahve imho.

some of this may be useful too:

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I have a pretty comprehensive car tool set and find I use my 3/8 drive socket set far more than the 1/2 one.

[Adrian]

[e-mail] gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

I'd go with 3/8" for most stuff, 1/4" is certainly useful for the smaller sizes, though (roughly

[Andy Dingley]

Teng is good kit and Screwfix were offering sets last time I looked.

I'd go for 3/8" drive (of decent quality), with a small set of 1/4" drive for little stuff. 1/2" drive is only needed as a one-off for a wheelbrace etc. That can be added to as you need itm, you don't need a set.

I'd strongly recommend Facom (from Machine Mart or some Halfords) as the ratchet maker, but they're probably more than you need for sockets and spanners.

[Scabbydug]

You say you are Scandanavian, hows about something a bit more familiar to you then i.e Bahco (Sandvik). Good quality stuff,

[Cicero]

========================================= An additional suggestion about storage. Tool boxes and chests tend to be quite expensive so you might consider an alternative to the conventional offerings. Stationery cabinets like these:

can be useful if you prefer to keep your tools in a fixed location. They're not cheap and they won't suit everyone but they can provide very neat tool storage. Try googling for 'multi drawer cabinet' or '10 / 15 drawer cabinet'. A cheap 'yoga mat' from Lidl cut to size provides drawer linings.

Cic.

[Peter Parry]

If you buy a set of Imperial spanners you will probably never need them. On the other hand, if you don't you will need one within a month, on a Sunday evening, in the dark, while raining when every shop is closed and with water/oil/diesel/petrol pouring out of whatever you need it for.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Do you actually mean Imperial as in BSW and BSF, etc? Or are you including the Unified threads where the spanners are labelled AF in inches?

[Adam Aglionby]

Unless you have vintage UK or modern American, imperial is just added weight.

Halfords Pro range of sockets and spanners is pretty much as good as anyones with a lifetime warranty you can actually claim on......

Draper Pro, not just Draper thats the budget end, stuff is good other high end brands include Gedore,Elora and King Dick.

Also agree that 3/8" drive is most convenient for majority of car / household type stuff, 1/2" can be a bit chunky to get in some places.Get 6 sided, hex or wall drive sockets, 12 point/ bi hex tend to round things off too easily.

Facom make particularly nice 72 tooth ratchets.

Screwfix stock Wiha and Toolstation Wera screwdrivers, they are just great and you won`t regret spending a few pennys extra on quality drivers.

Mole grips should either be called Mole or Visegrip any other brand will give you sore knuckles sometime.

Bahco invented and still make the best adjustable spanner and pricey but the best parallel slip joint pliers, makes reaching plumbing ftiings so much easier.

Tools that should fit fasteners really are worth spending a bt on, a good spanner will grip and loosen a tight bolt without effort whilst a budget one may well round it off before it will move, ditto with screwdrivers.

Had a lot of luck on ebay with looking for above brands, now if you search for Snap-On......

Adam

[Reentrant]

Sometimes you need two spanners the same size, so having a "near-enough" imperial can be useful. And sometimes an imperial spanner might fit a damaged metric nut better than the correct metric one. (That nut might have been rounded by some idiot using an imperial spanner on it)

[Ron Lowe]

Buy what you need as you need it. If you don't see a need for imperial tools, then don't get any at the moment. The most likely reason you'll come across for imperial tools is US kit. The merkins still use it.

As regards brand names, I really like the Eklind allen keys. ( the workshop sets of 10 t-handles ones in a stand ).

( I had to buy a 5/8 Whitworth spanner the other day! )

[Ron Lowe]

Ah, the 'Belt on the next-smaller socket with a big hammer' trick. An old favourite!

[Bob Eager]

I thought that!

The OP might consider (as mentioned here recently) getting both metric and imperial adjustable spanners...

[oh]

Got a 1/2" spanner set, torque wrench and combo wrench kit from Toolstation because they could deliver so fast (next day, free!), all metric of course, for a grand total of £63! Got my eyes on a well-stocked combo 1/4"-3/8" with loadsa bits for lighter work but for heavier work particularly on the car I thought the 1/2" would be compulsory.

Now, I almost threw the new ratchet tool away in anger. I was on the boat tightening up the alternator belt and put a 13mm socket on the ratchet. Afterwards couldn't get it off, no matter how hard I pulled! So I dumped it in a bag and drove home ready to call and complain. Only after starting to mess about with a flat screwdriver, trying to prise it off with brute force, did I notice something looking like a small black button on the ratchet head... "Click"! Didn't have that on my 20-year old ratchet tool...!

And now off to get a couple of adjustable spanners, gonna insist that they're metric ;-) ...

[Bob Eager]

I'm glad I'm not the only one to have been caught by that...!