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Thread: Australian Sidchrome
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4th April 2006, 05:33 PM #1
Australian Sidchrome
When was Sidchrome at it's best in Aust.
After recently acquiring some 60's spanners I noted that the quality was not as high as the ones I purchased new in the late 80's.
Any experiences?
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4th April 2006 05:33 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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4th April 2006, 10:36 PM #2
My Sidchrome (AF) spanners all date from the late 50s to the early 70s. I haven't been able to break one yet. Likewise my Dufor Whitworth sockets. I have an openended 1/4" BSW that I ground down to about 1/8" thick to fit in the arbor of my old jointer for the blade holding setscrews. It really gets a workout if the blades haven't been moved for a while and there's no sign of the jaws spreading.
They don't make 'em like they useta!
Cheers
Graeme
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5th April 2006, 06:15 AM #3
I have 80's versions of a Sidchrome socket set, a set of ring spanners and a set of open ended spanners. All are made in Australia. I reckon they're great quality. My understanding is that Sidchrome is now part of the Stanley empire. The stuff sold in Australia now under the Sidchrome banner is sold in other markets overseas as Stanley Proto which is supposedly Stanley's premium brand for sockets, spanners and the like.
Regards,
Mirboo.
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17th June 2006, 10:10 PM #4Originally Posted by Mirboo
You're dead right! Stanley bought out Sidchrome in 2000 and then proceeded to move all the manufacturing to China!
So much for another Aussie Icon !!!
Cheers, Steve.
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17th June 2006, 10:22 PM #5
Does that mean they're going to change their slogan from:
Ya can ne han a man a granna spanna
to:
Screw you! We're going to live from our rep!
DamienIs it wrong to be in love with a sawbench?
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18th June 2006, 12:24 AM #6
Some (20?) years ago someone ran some simple tests on Sidchrome and Kincrome spanners. I think it was Choice. They tested them for strength by bending them until they broke and then for corrosion by exposing them to artificial wet conditions and seeing how long it was before the chrome was permeated so that the steel surface-rusted. Kincrome won by a whisker I think, not on strength but on rust resistance.
It wouldn't surprise me if, despite urban myths to the contrary, the latest Sidchrome spanners actually outperform all of the previous ones. With advances in Metallurgical sciences, why would they drop a few kilos of this or that metal in order to economise on spanners marketed as "quality"?
Personally I use Kincrome, but only because I like Japanese stuff. I've had spanners, both Sidchrome and Kincrome, on the end of a long steel pipe, and they've hung in there well before the bolt or nut has chucked the towel in.
You know, in the end, no matter what you buy, if you accidently leave it out in the weather, you soon learn how good it's metal is. I recently left a Teng Tools spanner out for six weeks (it fell under a trailer) and when I retrieved it there wasn't one spot of rust (yes southern doubters, it rained). That says something to me.
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18th June 2006, 12:45 AM #7Originally Posted by Rossluck
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18th June 2006, 12:58 AM #8
Damien, mostly 'b'.
They are not junk now, but they aren't a match for the older stuff.
They 'feel' soft, and Proto have a rep for soft tools. So they won't shatter or crack, but they will wear out.
The old 'crinkly' finish was nicer to grab a hold of too, but the new snot-slick finish is easier to clean.
I have a set or three of the new ones, picked up cheap. I also have quite a few old ones, and I wouldn't buy the new one's again.
I do think that if I need to get some more sockets/spanners, I'll grab some KTC stuff from here. At 1/2-1/5 the price and good quality, how can I go wrong?
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21st June 2006, 04:56 PM #9
I have completely reamed out the inside of a Taiwanese sidchrome 10mm socket trying to undo a seized nut. Bunnings didn't care - here have a new one.
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21st June 2006, 05:45 PM #10Originally Posted by Rossluck
Irrespective, I'm glad I got my spanners (open and closed) before 2000, so I can be confident that they are the respected Aussie ones. I don't care if my spanners are heavy - they feel better in the hand if they have some weight."Clear, Ease Springs"
www.Stu's Shed.com
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21st June 2006, 06:01 PM #11
Sidchrome.
Yep my dad reckons they are crao since going O/S. i have a few of the older ones and there is a difference in them i think. i have a few snap on spanners and I find them to be great. Shame about Sidchrome though, another great Australian product gone to the dogs.
Dave,
hug the tree before you start the chainsaw.
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21st June 2006, 06:26 PM #12GOLD MEMBER
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For those who have no tools or for someone who is an apprentice starting out there is a special deal on Sidchrome at the moment - the stand, the drawers and zillions of sockets and hand tools for $900 through Just Tools or you may be able to alk down the $1000 from Gasweld.
(PS I'm not in the business)
Carry Pine
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21st June 2006, 06:29 PM #13Member
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Originally Posted by stuart_lees
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21st June 2006, 06:42 PM #14Originally Posted by stuart_lees
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21st June 2006, 06:47 PM #15
Old tools
I have a set of sidchrome sockets 42 piece bought new in 1966 and the only one which broke was 5/8 socket. They have some corrosion which set up on some of the sockets. They travelled around the country for a couple of million kilometers in the tool boxes on the trailer.. I feel I got my moneys worth after 40 years of fairly heavy service, I still use them occasionally.
Regards Mike
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