Are these tool kits a good buy, and worth keeping?

[Alex]

^^ Alex, what kind of lights do you have turned on, under the bumper of "Wanky Wagon?" Looks brighter than your low beams.

they are narvas.

awesome lights

alex

[Alex]

So I went out and bought a Supatool (made by Kinchrome did you know) impact socket set for $30.

i have the same set (came in a red box) they are great as at the time i required a hex head socket rather than a star style which my whole sidchrome set is. (was stripping bolts)

alex

[niterida]

i have the same set (came in a red box) they are great as at the time i required a hex head socket rather than a star style which my whole sidchrome set is. (was stripping bolts)

alex

by hex head you mean flank or wall drive - they have little recesses right at the corners so that no pressure is ever placed on the corner of the bolt and should therefore never slip or round off. Also called 6 point but I don't think 6 point has the corners recessed.

by star style you mean 12 point - these only drive on the corners of the bolt - which is why they can slip and round off the bolt. They do make it easier to put the socket on the bolt though....

[2nd Hand Yank]

they are narvas.

awesome lights

alex

What size and wattage?
PM me if you'd prefer not to discuss this on a public forum, since they appear on with your low beams.

[2nd Hand Yank]

by hex head you mean flank or wall drive - they have little recesses right at the corners so that no pressure is ever placed on the corner of the bolt and should therefore never slip or round off. Also called 6 point but I don't think 6 point has the corners recessed.

by star style you mean 12 point - these only drive on the corners of the bolt - which is why they can slip and round off the bolt. They do make it easier to put the socket on the bolt though....

I thought the 12 point had better grip than the 6 point, with some pressure on the sidewall.

I feel like returning my 1/2" drive set now.
If I had to own one set, I'd prefer the best grip.

[niterida]

I thought the 12 point had better grip than the 6 point, with some pressure on the sidewall.

I feel like returning my 1/2" drive set now.
If I had to own one set, I'd prefer the best grip.

personally I think the impact sockets provide the best grip - they are basically the same as the expensive Metrinch and other non-slip designs.
And lets face it they have to be since they are subject to the rattle and the impact of an impact driver so they gotta have a firm grip otherwise they would just round off every nut and bolt.

[2nd Hand Yank]

I saw a few options in the store today,
as I returned these tools that I don't think I want anymore...

I saw a hex-grip set for $15 at SuperCheap that I nearly bought
but a store worker was saying he doesn't trust each wrench
as each wrench had both metric and SAE stamped on them,
so it's hard to tell if it's correct for the metric size or SAE size.
Brand had something about "grip" in the name.

I also saw impact socket sets with a range that would be perfect; 8 or 10mm - 19 or 21 mm for $38.
Only thing is I would need to buy a 3/8" socket wrench to fit them,
and I wasn't sure which brand I could trust, for a fair price.

I also saw socket sets advertising chrome-vandium sockets,
6-point so they'd have more grip than a generic 12 point
comes with a wrench for $48, brand starting with a big "R"
only it was made in China and I didn't see how long the warranty was for.

Thoughts?

I'd rather have a small set of tools I know I'll use and pay a bit more, if need be; save weight and space in my wagon.

[niterida]

I think $15 says all you need to know....

Supatool impacts 10-24mm from Bunnings - $30 - and they are made by Kinchrome !!

Just because something is chrome vanadium doesn't mean it is any good.

[Silverbullet]

A bit of subject change I know but, how many of you guys have ratchet spanners? Experiences? We've got one, the most useless size of 13mm I keep thinking I need to buy a 10, 12 and 14mm but they're about $30 each Would make life so much easier though...

[niterida]

I'm about to buy a set of flex head ratchet spanners. Think about it - when do you really need the ratcheting action ? When the nuts/bolts are in tight, ridiculous positions where you can't get a normal spanner your fingers in or a normal spanner can't get enough of a swing. So whats the point of a ratcheting spanner if you are still limited on where you can get it to fit.

Now I know as soon as you go to a flex head the price almost doubles - and you want a good set with locking flex heads like Kinchrome or a spring washer like the Gear Wrench ones that keeps the heads tight - over $200 for either of these.

But then I was thinking - you probably won't ever actually use these to crack the thread so you are really only buying them for their ability ot get into tight space and to ratchet so you probably don't need to buy such good quality.

I am going to Bunnings tomorrow to buy a cheap set of Craftright ones for $30 - can't remember what sizes they are but think it is 8,10,11,12,13 & 14. And they have an allen screw that can be tightened to keep the flex head stiff - unlike the other cheap ones I have seen that only have a pin punched into them.

If I remember I will report back on them in here once I get them and have had a chance to use them.

[sven '2']

A bit of subject change I know but, how many of you guys have ratchet spanners? Experiences? We've got one, the most useless size of 13mm I keep thinking I need to buy a 10, 12 and 14mm but they're about $30 each Would make life so much easier though...

Yep, I have the sizes you mention. I wonder what I did before. Probably swore more and drank more beer.

Branded JBS (= Stanley).

[Silverbullet]

I'm about to buy a set of flex head ratchet spanners. Think about it - when do you really need the ratcheting action ?

Would just be easier to use than a normal spanner. Like where socket won't fit you can use a ratchet spanner. With a normal spanner it's loosen 1/4 turn, remove the spanner and replacing it again for another 1/4 turn, gets tedious real fast

[Smash1911]

I bought a set of impact sockets from supercheap a fair while ago, came with 3/8 deep sockets (metric and af) and short 1/2 drive. Been hammered on the end of my rattle gun (ingersol rand, 600ftlbs!!) and the only thing I broke was the 1/2" to 3/8" adapter. Being single hex the socket won't round off bolts which translates to safe knuckles!!
Kinchrome ratchet ring spanners are also worth their weight in gold. My set has seen full time abuse for over 8 years, well worth the investment.

[niterida]

Would just be easier to use than a normal spanner. Like where socket won't fit you can use a ratchet spanner. With a normal spanner it's loosen 1/4 turn, remove the spanner and replacing it again for another 1/4 turn, gets tedious real fast

Yes i realise that - what I was getting at is when you really really need the ratcheting is when you probably also need the flex head - so I wouldn't bother with fixed head ratcheting spanners when you can buy flex head ones.

[Silverbullet]

Yes i realise that - what I was getting at is when you really really need the ratcheting is when you probably also need the flex head - so I wouldn't bother with fixed head ratcheting spanners when you can buy flex head ones.

Ah I see, fair point.

[steptoe]

13mm turns up on battery terminals and on the ends of some thread cleaner taps. I think ALDI did not realise the importance of a 12mm in one set of rachet rings!

[TOONGA]

Warning thread hi-jack

I climbed on the cheap tool bandwagon today expendable tools



the ratchets are stanley and the spanners (ratcheting) are super cheap. all together it cost 127 dollars, the stanley stuff has a life time warranty or until you use it.

the stanley stuff worked out to 1 dollar a tool, 69 tools for 69 dollars. the spanners were a little more expensive at 4.91 each.

but when you look at replacing snap-on sockets at around 22 dollars each or a ratchet at around 250 dollars. I think I would prefer to lose the stanley and SCA brand stuff.

This way I don't worry about leaving my snap-on or gearwrench tools in the car

TOONGA

[2nd Hand Yank]

Warning thread hi-jack

I climbed on the cheap tool bandwagon today expendable tools



the ratchets are stanley and the spanners (ratcheting) are super cheap. all together it cost 127 dollars, the stanley stuff has a life time warranty or until you use it.

Lifetime OR until you use it?

Keep it in the packaging and it's lifetime, aye?
Cheeky aren't they.

the stanley stuff worked out to 1 dollar a tool, 69 tools for 69 dollars. the spanners were a little more expensive at 4.91 each.

but when you look at replacing snap-on sockets at around 22 dollars each or a ratchet at around 250 dollars. I think I would prefer to lose the stanley and SCA brand stuff.

This way I don't worry about leaving my snap-on or gearwrench tools in the car

TOONGA

I'm envious mate. I hope they last you longer than you expect them to.

I still have an engine oil drain plug to remove, and a roobar to tighten,
yet I don't own the proper sized ring spanner or socket.
All I want is something that I can trust at a fair price...
(I already have that, but on a different continent )

[2nd Hand Yank]

If I'm going to buy a set,
I'd rather have something I'd always be glad I bought,
and can either be a great bargain and work as well as anyone could hope for from an average tool...
OR
can impress people who have rounded or old nuts to loosen, at a reasonable price for professional tools.

I saw a set that interested me from KingChrome today.
$144 for a 1/4" and 3/8" drive set (mostly 3/8"s)
with something "Lok" in the name, meant to take off rounded nuts.
It has extensions and spark plug sockets, but I think it's missing a flex-joint in the kit.
This I think was possible a "6-point" socket set.
It's actually the perfect size and weight to keep in my wagon.

How often do you need a flex joint?

I'm thinking a socket wrench should be fine 90-99% of the time,
and the rest of it you'll need a spanner and/or fancy flex joint set up to loosen a nut.

I also saw an SP set (Discount Auto) for $120 set that had more joints, but basic 12 point sockets,
and an even more expensive KingChrome set with even more flex joints, a 1/4-3/8" adapter but was also 12-point.

I figure if I'm going to spend over $100 on a Lifetime Warranty set,
I don't want to buy something with a generic grip that grips the corners.

In my own experiences,
it's more common to damage what you're trying to fix, like a nut or screw
than it is to brake a tool, even with a cheap tool.

[TOONGA]

there is still one of those Stanley sets at Super cheap, or there was when I bought mine. it is all 6 point and the quality is actually better than I guessed.

Im home this weekend if you want help with the oil change and tightening of the bull bar.

as for the flex joint my snap-on one looks brand new as it has rarely been used

TOONGA