So which is the best brand spanner to buy these days?
Submitted: Thursday, Mar 21, 2013 at 20:51
ThreadID:
101230
Views:
13075
Replies:
13
FollowUps:
18
This Thread has been Archived
Axle
It used to be sidchrome, But its like oils now, Soooooo much out there, Toolex seem to be popular now, need to stock up the old tool kit with maybe some more modern ideas useful spanners..lol.
Cheers Axle
Reply By: andrew t - Thursday, Mar 21, 2013 at 21:18
Thursday, Mar 21, 2013 at 21:18
depends on how much you want to spend, i have sidchrome,kingchrome and
stanley stuff both at
home and work and find that they are all pretty good i have also used metrinch spanners and sockets at
home and work and they are pretty good as
well and sometimes are better on any rounded off nuts and bolts and you don't need to carry both a metric and imperial set as the name suggests the will fit both nut/bolt head sizes i have also used some of the superworks stuff from super cheap auto and they are ok as
well.it just depends on your budget and how often you will use them and how
well you will treat them.
AnswerID:
507302
Follow Up By: Axle - Thursday, Mar 21, 2013 at 21:27
Thursday, Mar 21, 2013 at 21:27
Mate i hate spending money, hard on tools , and use them a lot.
Cheers Axle.
FollowupID:
784538
Reply By: Graeme - Friday, Mar 22, 2013 at 15:42
Friday, Mar 22, 2013 at 15:42
I use predominately Snapon as in my trade (Aviation) a lot of the fasteners are multi hex and very small and very hard so my 1/4 drive set gets used mostly.
In my box I also have SK Geodore and Stahwille and Proto.
The old Sidchrome were not very good as they came to grief on the hard fasteners used on aircraft engines, but the modern ones are made by Proto and are now good quality.
I have used the Kingchrome and they seem to be a good tool. I know my 1/4 AF multi hex ring open end gets a good workout and it has not failed yet. The Craftsman brand from Sears is also good.
AnswerID:
507368
Reply By: Szyco - Friday, Mar 22, 2013 at 23:28
Friday, Mar 22, 2013 at 23:28
I've broken pretty much every brand of spanner at least once. I wont go past Snap on now. They still break, but not as often, and its always replaced quickly and for free.
I carry blue point stuff when im out in the car as they small service kits seem to have a decent variety of tools. Its not snap on, but its pretty good.
Kingcrome is a cheaper brand that is also pretty good, Coretech and Repco stuff also.
It is possible to purchase snap on directly from the US on ebay and the like. Considerably cheaper however may make it more difficult if you ever have a warranty issue.
I second the ratchet spanners - very very handy tools. Just make sure they have a lever to reverse them or one day you WILL get stuck.
I dont bother carting alot of
tools with me when on the road, today's modern vehicles usually cant be repaired on the roadside anyway.
AnswerID:
507387
Reply By: The Bantam - Saturday, Mar 23, 2013 at 15:21
Saturday, Mar 23, 2013 at 15:21
Sorry but Sidchrome where never top shelf spanners, in comparison to the top shelf brands from europe or america in the day they where, crude, chunky and inaccurate.
Its just the only brand half the country recognised.
These days, you simply cant trust any of the old popular brands of
tools from the past...the companies and brands have been baught out and the reputations prostituted to sell very ordinary product.
Just about every spanner you will buy, these days is made in china or tiwan.
Lets face it even the current respected brands, do not own factories and are made under contract in a variety of factories in the east.
And there are quite a few sellers having a lend of us big time selling fairly cheap stuff, telling us it is top quality and charging top shelf prices.
That said, the standard of the better generic brands is pretty good these days.
Any of the better quality generic product regardless of the brand stamped on it will be better than the sidchrome stuff from the 70's.
In addition to the selection of good stuff I have had since the early 80's I have some fairly modest spanners......I have not managed to break anyand and they seem to be a fair fit and a fair shape.
One thing that is worth spending some money on is a good ratchet......but don't rely on brand or price...and this goes for all
tools these days....look for obvious quality.
cheers
AnswerID:
507421
Follow Up By: AlbyNSW - Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 at 06:51
Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 at 06:51
Well said
There is actually an advantage in buying store branded
tools like Repco over the other brands.
If you have a problem they swap the tool over on
the spot in the store whereas the other brands they have to send back to distributor and have them send you a replacement.
This takes a week or two and can be inconvenient
FollowupID:
785010