badnews

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SNAP-ON-BLUE-P...QQcmdZViewItem

lots of stuff to be had on ebay think twice about cheep tools, blue point are a bit cheeper than snapon and carry the same warrenty, these look ok for a starter

JamesH

iTrader: (21)

But you can get the same thing in Halfords for £60

Plus if it DOES break, you can go get a replacement at your own conveneince, rather than have to wait a week to see snap on man, then him order it in if need be

badnews

halfords = shite and good for hobbys snapon = quality and hold there value hence a box of snapon tools will cost a few grand and halfords a half eaten apple and an empty coke can

pa_sjo

badnews, you've obviously never touched anything from the halfords pro range (or infact snap-on, as i've had snap-on stuff break, but not halfords!)

Stu.750

Seems to be some Tool snobbery out there

Teng stuff , BETA , Facom , Britool , and Hafords Pro are al good stuff and carry a lifetime guarentee - Snap-on And MAC have the conveinience of coming to your work

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

halfords had an offer on recently - buy one of their £19.99 cans of oil, and get a professional screwdriver set worth £19.99 free!

Was ruddy good, soon sold out tho when i went back the next day to get more!

badnews

don't make me laugh i have had snapon tools for years and yes they do break but the warrenty is second to none. i now live in australia and have spent $5000 on upgrades and new SNAPON tools, what good would halfords warrenty be for me none. stick with them chap whatever floats your boat i have a world wide warrenty not some micky mouse home brand made for hobbys laughingly called pro range

cozzfather

iTrader: (1)

i started with halfords stuff and it was ok but i would of prefered snap on,
when the halfords stuff got nicked i got a full snap on mechanics box ,
it came direct from snap on usa not off the local van.
i would rather wait for the van than go to halfords if somthing broke.
you get some great offers from the van too

and you can pay weekly if your starting out with the snap on fella

pa_sjo

So as I said, you appear to never have touched the halfords pro stuff (where I have use both halford pro and snap-on/bluepoint).

badnews

i have seen and used halfords tools and in MY opinion and many others are not the as good as snapon. i use my tools day in day out and have very little to moan about things do break but are coverd by warrenty. i am not a tool snob but when asked for advise on what to buy i look for the best i can afford. or in this chaps case he is starting out to make a living with his tools he needs to look at quality for the job he is doing. i started out with facom and 20 years later i still have them to and would recomend them as a good starting point to anyone. but as time go's by you look for things that last i have tried many tool makes and if used on a daily basis do not compare in the long run. will halfords pro range be around in 20 years i dout it. as i have said if you like them use them but i like to buy things that last and they still hold there value even when used. would you use a three year old halfords torque wrench on a ten grand engine i think not. if it go's out of spec your stuffed or something lets go due to not being done up properly where will he stand with a big bill and looking a fool. i don't dout that halfords tools are good value but they are not the choice of pro's for a reason figure it out for yourself chap

dumptackler

are facom good then? i see what you mean by bits breaking and i want to buy properly now then not keep breaking and replacing parts in the future. im currently considering the teng tools, facom and britool. as far as i can see they are just as good but there is the snob value which comes with having snap on tools and thats it. dont really trust halfords to be honest but with people who i work with having various sets of different manufactures im justgoing to look around and see whats cheapest at what time i think

SiZT

I use Halfords Pro, Britool and Snap-on, out of them all I probably rate them in the order I've written. Last year I broke 2 3/8" ratchets and a HSS nut extractor, all Snap-On and the nut extractor didn't even get replaced......... Whats the point in paying £100-£200 for tools if they aren't covered under the warranty

badnews

you won't go wrong with facom they are good quality and have good back up. i have a teng 1\4 drive set and it's good i'v had it years it has never broken i use it for trackdays and going to the breakers if you loose it it's not cost the world. i went out to see a rep today at work and he stocks facom over here wich is saying something about the quality to export french tools to oz

Rick

Facom are better than halfords, worldwide support, plus their ratchets are second to none IMO. In America, they carry big snob value - perhaps not as much as snap on in this country but I prefer them.

ollie_247

Rite for my sins I used to manager at Halfords so here it goes.

Most of the tools are infracted britools re-branded, all the stuff that goes back to reditch and then credit with the supplier but it does get tested first to make sure its a manufacturing fault, if it is not it will get skipped.
I could never work out why one guy who came in every couple of months had broke a 24" breaker bar found out he was trying to get lorry wheel nuts off with it. Muppet

Halfords is very good for the money but if you using it every day I would go for teng or snap on

dojj

iTrader: (3)

but the op is working in the uk, not australia or america so the halfords stuff being a lot cheaper than the snap off stuff has got to be worth the saving

i've used halfords stuff for ages and i've also got a few snap off bits as well

but in my experience i've found that snap off stuff tends to go walkies a lot mreo often than the halfords stuff, in that i've only lost 1 small halfords imperial socket (7/16th) whereas i've "lost" loads of snap off ratchets and screwdrivers and spanners etc because people assume they are much better

if you can afford it then fine, but you don't need to start presurising the lad into buying stuff he may not be able to afford or infact need just to bouy up his ego in the workplace

my halfords stuff has lasted for at least the past 7 or 8 years so i don't have a problem with it, and i know they are just around the corner and that i can get pretty much everything i need from them as opposed to waiting a week for the snap off guy to come round and order me bits i might not see for another week

rickslack

Alright badnews? treated yourself to new tools in oz then. No point getting cheap shite. like you say- cheap for a reason. most of mine is facom and britool which have been excellent but recently started getting more and more snap-on. wasnt convinced till i started using them. the design and quality is in a different league! if you are using tools every day buy less of them but get the best! (and stear well away from throw-away tools like halfords). Bergen was mentioned by someone else- broken everything ive ever had of theirs!

Dingy

looks like britool make halfords slacky so eat ya words LOL

cossie604

iTrader: (2)

Halfords are great tools for home...wouldnt bother with them at work tho tbh. One of our apprentises has recently bought a big halfords tool set as it was on offer. When you compare his stuff to mine, mostly snapon mac etc, it just feels much cheaper and poorer in design. The ratchet gears feel and sound very cheap, and the handles aint very chunky...on very tight bolts they can be much less forgiving on the hands when compared to a snap on ratchet, in fact they feel like a mac ratchet from about 20yrs ago imo. Also, the halfords sockets tend to be slightly thicker walled then the snapon equivilent, which doesnt sound like much but it can mean the difference between getting a socket on the nut and not, which means doing the job or struggling your ass off and getting no where until you have to borrow a decent socket, normaly from my tool box As I said, good for home use but I couldnt live with them during a full working week.

Whose gonna start the tool box willy waving pictures then?

rickslack

Dingo, bit like veyrons and beetles! same company made them but not really any comparison!

Gadget

I've got a big snap on roll cab, top box and side cab, Tool wise i've got Snap on, blue point, Britool, Trade marque and facom!
Not had any faults with any of them

foreigneRS

what about Irwin tools from america? anyone any experience with them? i've got a few bits and bobs and they seem pretty good, especially the masonry drill bits

legend289

Both Snap-On and Mac carry Irwin kit in the UK, so it`s probably pretty good. Some of the lads in our workshop have some Irwin bits and pieces, not heard any complaints yet.