Thread: fitter tools

Hi Dave,

I have a set of Kinchrome ratcheting spanners. They are reversing ones and i would highly recommend this over the one way/flip over type. The main thing with them is not to use them like ring spanners. Even snap on ones will break under that kind of strain (or so i have heard from mechanic mates) I'm happy with the Kinchromes, they are the same as the toolex, supercheap gold and repco ones.

I have several stanley screwdriver sets but i like my Sidchrome (through tang) one's the best. The quality of the stanley ones is not what it used to be, you can bend the new ones, the old ones break.

Depending on what you call "the basics" i can't live without my 2 combination squares (one starrett and one moore and wright-the starrett is worth the extra $$ though) my .1mm rise drill bits are handy. The other highly used tools are my black book and white board. Actually i'm considering painting a big patch of wall with chalkboard paint. Leather apron? A Good tool chest (with white board in lid) and trolley is also real handy so you can just wheel it to the machine you are using.
I used to get $9.50 a week for tools.....and now look at what you get!

Other things to consider,
Fox wedges,3/4"drive sockets,podge bars (small/short),lump hammer,offset stillsons(15"/18"),shifter(18"),any openend/ring spanners upto 2"/50mm,any flogging spanners
"O" Ring picks,thread files,any die nuts,inhex sockets,any large allen keys.

I lashed out and bought a set of snap on ratchet spanners I love them and totally worth the $150 I spent on them. all my screwdrivers are old Australian Stanley ones. I find a pen torch a useful addition to the tool box.

$150 Andre? please tell me you mean each, otherwise you either got the deal of the century or you have got copies.
O.k, so maybe they are not that expensive, but do you mean a set like this? http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....ia&dir=catalog

Edit: Aha! Some snap on stuff is now made in Taiwan, probably the same factory that now makes sidchrome, the USA made stuff is a bit more like the price i expected http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....ia&dir=catalog

Dave ,

If I had to chuck out my collection of old Turner, old Stanley ( rebadged Turners ) and early 80's Bahcos, I'd replace them with a set of Swiss PB Baumann screwdrivers PB SWISS TOOLS: PB Swiss Tools.

I have owned some for twenty five years and bought a few more in Lucerne last year. Superb.

Bondhus ball end hex keys and hex drivers are worth owning. I use mine constantly.

As far as the other stuff goes, speak to Andre (Welder). I think he is challenging both Greq Q and Stuart in the forum's best trawler stakes. Thinking about it, Stuart tends to seek out items of a more personal nature so he may not be a contender. Sorry Stu.

BT

Ueee I picked them up on eBay USA one night I was the only bidder.

SOEXRM710, Set, Wrench, Metric, Combination, FD® Plus, Ratcheting Box/Open End, 12-Point, 10 pcs.

Thanks for that link bob they look like good screwdivers and they have parallell shanks

Originally Posted by welder

Ueee I picked them up on eBay USA one night I was the only bidder.

SOEXRM710, Set, Wrench, Metric, Combination, FD® Plus, Ratcheting Box/Open End, 12-Point, 10 pcs.

Thanks for that link bob they look like good screwdivers and they have parallell shanks

Well done Andre that deserves a bigbuy of the century.......

Yes those screwdrivers look good.....sigh, more tools to own....

yeah I thought I did pretty well on the spanners they "feel" much better than my other Aldi spanners. I have been trolling Ebay lately as I got the first of my government money for tools

Originally Posted by welder

yeah I thought I did pretty well on the spanners they "feel" much better than my other Aldi spanners. I have been trolling Ebay lately as I got the first of my government money for tools

Andre,

When you are perusing Ebay next, search for Stahlwille. I have a lot of Snap On and some Stahlwille. There is a quality, and subtlety about the German stuff the Yankee tools don't possess.

BT

Another cheap option is Total Tools. Have many of them and they seem to be better then the sidchrome and Teng tools I have. Better warranty as well, lifetime warranty.

I purchase a set of the Taiwanese Snap-ons last year while I was OS
BOERM712, Set, Wrench, Metric, Ratcheting Box / Open End, Standard, 15° Offset, (12 pcs.)

At AUS$369 they are overpriced but I paid just over half that so I reckoned it was worth it and I am quite happy with them sop far. The US made snap-ons are slightly slimmer and have a better feel.

Originally Posted by Anorak Bob

Andre,

When you are perusing Ebay next, search for Stahlwille. I have a lot of Snap On and some Stahlwille. There is a quality, and subtlety about the German stuff the Yankee tools don't possess.

BT

Add hazet to the search as well. My father has a hazet socket set he bought in his 20's, he turns 65 this year. The ratchet has probably never been lubed and still works fine.

G'Day Fellas,
I can only second Bobs comments about Stahwille tools, a German company I worked for about 15 years ago supplied full kits of Stahwille hand tools and when they closed operations in Oz we had the option of buying our kits for $50, (perhaps this qualifies as a gloat) this included Fluke multimeters and Mitutoyo Verniers and micrometers, I am still using the same tools every day, the only replacements have been Phillips head screwdrivers ( I am currently using Bahco ) in particular the Stahlwille T handle hex keys are indestructible, they will shear the head off a cap screw before twisting or rounding off.
Regards,
Martin