Thread: Spanners & sockets: Sidchrome v Kincrome v Stanley v Superworks etc

Originally Posted by Darren Kin

I was privileged to watch a foxtel documentary recently on Taiwanese tools and how Taiwan has become the world leader of high quality mechanics hand tools.

Interesting you should say that, when I bought the Force set that was a strong advertising point. At the time I found this slightly odd, but this makes more sense to me now

Originally Posted by Darren Kin

Kincrome for me is probably the best value for money, quality professional hand tools available in Australia.

I don't doubt it at all (and if the choice were between Sidchrome and Kincrome I think I'd probably opt for the Kincrome too). If I were a professional mechanic on the tools every day, then quality aside, I would happily pay a bit extra for an established name - even if I knew for a fact they were exactly the same tool. There is additional value in a known brand with numerous outlets supporting them, it's a bit like insurance. The SWG stuff is only sold through a single retailer, and their lifetime warranty will be worth precisely zip if SCA is bought out by, say, Autobarn in a year or two.

For me, though, an occasional user, the warranty isn't the important part. Assuming the tools are good (and by all accounts they are), breakages will hopefully be few and far between over the next 40ish years. If and when they happen, if I can walk into SCA and get a free replacement than that is something of a bonus - otherwise, I will just toss it in the bin, grumble a bit and buy the Sidchrome/Kincrome/Repco/JBS replacement. The tools aren't 'mission critical' for me like they are for a professional, so I'm happy to take my chances and pocket the change today. To get what I got in Kincrome would probably hit the $1000 mark, so that's an extra $500 in my pocket which should more than cover the odd spare down the track.

Of course, my opinions are now probably the least impartial of us all...

Originally Posted by Darren Kin

I was privileged to watch a foxtel documentary recently on Taiwanese tools and how Taiwan has become the world leader of high quality mechanics hand tools. I notice most Kincrome items are Taiwanese, rarely the cheaper Chinese product that the likes of Superworx and Repco sell.

Just for the record, and somewhat reassuringly, all of the Superworks Gold I bought was made in Taiwan. The various other brands in Supercheap may well be Chinese made (I don't know), but like Batpig says the SWG stuff kept under lock and key certainly seems superior.

Sorry to dig up an old thread but what are peoples experiences with KC Tools? I am looking at 1/2" dirve socket sets. Am I mistaken or are they tied up with Supatool/Kinchrome somehow? Their ratchet seems to be very similar to my Supatool one.

What are your experiences with JBS socket sets? I have a JBS tool chest which seems to be good quality however I have a feeling alot of the tool chests on the market at the moment seem to be out of the same factory.

Originally Posted by naddis01

Sorry to dig up an old thread but what are peoples experiences with KC Tools? I am looking at 1/2" dirve socket sets. Am I mistaken or are they tied up with Supatool/Kinchrome somehow? Their ratchet seems to be very similar to my Supatool one.

What are your experiences with JBS socket sets? I have a JBS tool chest which seems to be good quality however I have a feeling alot of the tool chests on the market at the moment seem to be out of the same factory.

I do have an affiliation with JBS, as I work for the parent of the company which sells them.

BUT, before my current career I was an auto electrician. I purchased 3 x JBS socket sets (1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 inch), and metric and imperial spanner sets. I used all of these very heavily on cars, trucks, buses, cranes and earthmoving equipment and never had a failure or issue. The other tradies in the workshop then started buying JBS too.

Whenever I have bought tools since I have bought JBS.

They all come with a lifetime guarantee, and a 90 day satisfaction guarantee. See JBS TOOLS

I believe most (if not all) are made by Sidchrome.

EDIT: "I believe most (if not all) are made by Sidchrome." I am referring to the spanners and sockets - not the whole range of JBS tools.

Thanks for the reply.

You wouldn't happen to be able to get a discount through your affiliation? Ha ha

I worked as an industrial electrician for many years and worked on Gensets with cylinders big enough to climb through.
I have used a range of different tools and have never broken a spanner, socket or ratchet.

For the bigger spanners, ie over 30mm I bought Sidchrome many years ago, they were very expensive, mostly because of the size but they will survive a holocaust.
For many jobs I had to fly by chopper so tool weight was limited.
I carried all sorts of tools for electrical jobs as well as Metrinch spanners, a Stanley 3/8" socket set, Snap ON 1/4" socket set and SP Tools ratchet spanners.
All of these items were brilliant and I still use them today.
I even used the Stanley sockets on a Panasonic 15.5V cordless rattle gun without issue, and I have done the same with SP Tools sockets.

Regarding Metrinch, I have found that the range of movement required is more than a conventional spanner and this can be an issue in confined spaces.
I haven't used them for a while but there is one particular size that doesn't work well at all, I think on the one particular size they have had to compromise to get it to fit both metric and imperial and one of them loses out.
That being said, I have a Metrinch 3/8" socket set and a large spanner roll and I wouldn't sell them.

My 4WDing tool kit is pretty much all from Supercheap, ring spanners, ratchet spanners, sockets, screwdrivers etc.
The biggest job I have done 4WDing was a water pump change on my Troopy on the side of the road and less than $100 of tools performed admirably.

I guess it just comes down to how rough you are.

FWIW, the last I recall a colleague having a problem with a Snap On ratchet he was informed their warranty is now repair if they can rather than replace so he had to send his ratchet to them and wait for it to come back.
Repco were the only tool maker offering full replacement warranty for a number of years but according to this thread that may have changed.

Originally Posted by Jack E

. . . . For the bigger spanners, ie over 30mm I bought Sidchrome many years ago, they were very expensive, mostly because of the size but they will survive a holocaust. . . . .

Not quite, if you cook them in a fire long enough they will soften to a point where they cannot be used. About 20 years ago some friends of ours had their big Sidchrome socket and spanner set caught up in a farm fire. The sockets and spanners survived the fire but they were softened to a point beyond usable. Sidcrhrome replaced them all at no cost

Originally Posted by BobL

Not quite, if you cook them in a fire long enough they will soften to a point where they cannot be used. About 20 years ago some friends of ours had their big Sidchrome socket and spanner set caught up in a farm fire. The sockets and spanners survived the fire but they were softened to a point beyond usable. Sidcrhrome replaced them all at no cost

Yeah, well I was simply making a point, they are virtually indestructible, the spanner roll full of tools is bloody heavy.

Originally Posted by Jack E

Yeah, well I was simply making a point, they are virtually indestructible, the spanner roll full of tools is bloody heavy.

I agree,

My kit contains a mixture of Sidchrome, Kincrome, Supatool Premium (Kincrome), Great Neck & Stanley. Alot of my imperial stuff was my Pa's, most of it is old Japanese made including a ETC brand 1/2" socket set. This stuff got hammered on old Kingswood's and Falcon's years ago when I first got my licence and is still going strong. The missing stuff has been topped up with SWG/Calibre stuff from SCA, which seems okay.

Great Neck is an American brand I think, probably mid range? A set of 10 metric ROE spanners and 5 double ring spanners cost $70-$80ish from a tool stand at a swapmeet 8 years ago. The ROE's seem okay (Havn't broken one yet), but I love the double ring spanners. You know when you pick up a tool and it feels nice to hold and even better to use, this is what these are like. No doubt they're not the quality of a Sidchrome or Kincrome, but they're fine for my weekend warrior stuff.
A few tool shops are selling a Stanley 24 piece metric/imperial ROE set for $90 (normally $190ish) with a lifetime warranty. Might get one and finally have a full set of matching spanners. The old ones can serve duty in the back of the 4by.

I also got sucked into the '2 in 1' Metrinch spanners! Paid a small fortune for a full set and in 12 years I'd be lucky to have used them twice. If you need a 13mm spanner, grab a 13mm spanner, if you need a 1/2" spanner, grab a 1/2" spanner.

I've got a mix of brands in my tool box too. Mainly Sidchrome, filled out with cheaper stuff.

I've also got a set of Metrinch sockets and ROE's, and I really like them. They seem to me to be very strong, hard, and well finished. They feel loose because they grip the sides not the corners, but they don't slip.

They're ideal for slightly rounded heads and nuts, and on odd jobs if you're not sure of the size, a couple of spanners will cover a fair range.

I recently replaced the head on my 6 cyl Falcon and those head bolts were hard to budge. The bolt right at the back was slightly rounded and my Sidchrome socket slipped, so I used the Metrinch and it gripped like a vice and loosened it easily.

They're not as good in tight spaces as they need room to move before they grip, but other than that I think they're great!

Best wishes

Steve

Seems to be a love em or hate em attitude with the Metrinch stuff reading through this thread.

I'm not doubting their quality, finish or strength. They better be for what they cost me. Maybe I'm just a bit pedantic about they way they grip. I've hung onto them for when I come accros rounded heads, but if the heads fine I'll grab the correct sized spanner everytime.

Originally Posted by Kyle

I'm not doubting their quality, finish or strength. They better be for what they cost me. Maybe I'm just a bit pedantic about they way they grip. I've hung onto them for when I come accros rounded heads, but if the heads fine I'll grab the correct sized spanner everytime.

Same, unless I have to travel light and the machinery I am going to fix is a mix of imperial and metric.

In that situation Metrinch can't be beat.

Do Metrinch make ratchet spanners, that would be a great tool and would overcome the extra room needed to swing them.