Tools. What's in your box?

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Well i thought i was over stocked with tools . But Bruce looking at your kit i am not . I have lots of imperial tools no longer used on my car. All my large engineering tools , 3 tool boxes full of them were collected by the Severn Valley Reailway . I dont think i would need a 3 or 4 inch open handed on my cars .And these were the small ones .Would be ideal to take a boiler out of a loco .lol
 
I know a mechanic with a good selection of tools and the knowledge to use them properly.
I don't have the experience, or the inclination to get it, to need such an extensive set of tools
 
Well i thought i was over stocked with tools . But Bruce looking at your kit i am not . I have lots of imperial tools no longer used on my car. All my large engineering tools , 3 tool boxes full of them were collected by the Severn Valley Reailway . I dont think i would need a 3 or 4 inch open handed on my cars .And these were the small ones .Would be ideal to take a boiler out of a loco .lol


Imperial tools have a £ value on ebay. Many classic car buffs still require them. I have retained a 'full' set of imperial spanners and 1/2 drive sockets (Draper Expert) that I bought when I was eighteen. I can honestly not recall when I last used them or even thought about using them. But you know what happens, the very second that you do not have them?

I bought nearly all my boxes via ebay and most for a really good price. US-Pro do decent DOY boxes with a great selection of shapes, sizes and prices. Snap-On boxes cost thousands and scare the hell out of me.
 
And of course the tools in the boot of my 124 Wagon.
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Lot of people have a growing dislike for Snap On. Yes quality was there but some sense it is dropping as some manufacturing is now in China, but the main thing is the way they treat their Franchisees, effectively using them as cash cows

"The total cost of a Snap-on franchise is £110,143 which includes:


  • All starter stock
  • Dallas training week
  • UK head office training programme in Kettering
  • Dedicated support team
  • Exclusive, protected territory
  • Operations manuals, advanced sales and stock IT system
  • Training and support: franchisee forums, annual conferences and workshops."

"You pay just £24,143 and we fund the remaining monies on a six-year interest-bearing loan."

Investment

Dont know what the current rates are in UK, but last year US Franchisees were paying 17.9% to 19.5% and are very far from happy about it, claims of being illegally locked into a cycle of debt. Lawsuits are flying

And over on Wall Street, analysts have noticed something....

"There are questions about channel stuffing, adds Compass Point Research & Trading analyst William Ryan. He points out that inventory rose 20%, to $675.6 million, versus $598.5 million at the end of 2016, twice the sales rise. That suggests weak end-user demand, he says.


For example, contract receivables, mostly loans to franchisees, accelerated to 11.8% growth from 7.3% in the fourth quarter of 2016. However, finance receivables—loans to end users like auto mechanics—grew 9.8%, down from 15.7% in the year-ago quarter.

Additionally, Snap-on’s credit division’s loan originations rose 1.8% even as the tools business saw a 3% organic sales drop. That suggests nonfinanced sales are “getting hit hard…and that if Snap-on Credit doesn’t finance the sale, end user demand is weak,” Ryan says. With franchisee receivables rising and customer receivables slowing, it seems more tools sales are ending up on the franchisees’ trucks rather than in mechanics’ garages"


Snap-on Earnings: Q4 Is Worse Than It Looks
 
Who makes the Halfords Advanced Spanner’s? I find them excellent almost unbreakable. Given the abuse on the ratchets that is some going.


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From my understanding Bruce, its Ed China's best.. TENG Tools. seriously.. I was worried when Halford ditched their own in favour of Teng, but I needn't have worried.. still do the job without problems and warranty is good too..
 
From my understanding Bruce, its Ed China's best.. TENG Tools. seriously.. I was worried when Halford ditched their own in favour of Teng, but I needn't have worried.. still do the job without problems and warranty is good too..
I bought a sizeable Teng socket set some years ago and it's up to any job you can give it and still in perfect condition.
I seem to remember it has a lifetime guarantee.
 
Many many years ago (well around 52) I was an apprentice mechanic.

I rarely do anything mechanical now the cars are way to complicated for my knowledge.

Anyhow I kept some of the tools and had them out today funnily.

Both imperial and metric, they are either Britool or Gordon, the point of this is that they are in exceptionally good condition particularly the Britool which still look pristine considering they have been kept in an ammunition box and had no love showered on them.

I keep wondering whether to sell them but am too lazy and they would probably be worth nothing anyway.

Robin


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Many many years ago (well around 52) I was an apprentice mechanic.

I rarely do anything mechanical now the cars are way to complicated for my knowledge.

Anyhow I kept some of the tools and had them out today funnily.

Both imperial and metric, they are either Britool or Gordon, the point of this is that they are in exceptionally good condition particularly the Britool which still look pristine considering they have been kept in an ammunition box and had no love showered on them.

I keep wondering whether to sell them but am too lazy and they would probably be worth nothing anyway.

Robin


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Britool AF sets go for around £50+ on eBay.


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Both imperial and metric, they are either Britool or Gordon, the point of this is that they are in exceptionally good condition particularly the Britool which still look pristine considering they have been kept in an ammunition box and had no love showered on them.

I keep wondering whether to sell them but am too lazy and they would probably be worth nothing anyway.

Britool and Gordon are still very sought after by restorers of older vehicles, pre 70's stuff and American cars. It really is good quality stuff and built to last. Only a few weeks ago I sold a Britool 1952 ex MOD 12" extension bar still covered in grease and I know it will last another 50 years. You can often find this stuff at Steam Rallies although prices are on the way up. So do not give away your Britool collection for pennies unless you really want to.
I was listing some " new style Britool sockets only the other day, and they really do not have the feel of the older stuff.
Something to look out for is the older Kamasa stuff that was made in Japan before they went bust. Ignore anything stamped Taiwan or no country of origin. After they went bust all and sundry were putting " Kamasa " on socket sets. Latter years, Laser Tools have taken over Kamasa and the quality has improved. Give Laser stuff its credit also, I have sold lots of this over the years and rarely ever had anything come back for their lifetime guarantee.

wu56shoozz.......Thanks for the :thumb:

Steve.......Selling tools since 1985 ......
 
Some of my tools when i look at them they bring back memories of the job i used them for .
Like one small ring spanner i cut in half, just to get in to remove my oil pump in situ from the Rover v8 engine . And a jig i made up to remove a broken stud from exhust manifold on my w123 so i did not have to remove the cylinder head .The items go on and on .I am sure you all have rough looking items that were used to do that awkward job .
 
Some of my tools when i look at them they bring back memories of the job i used them for .
Like one small ring spanner i cut in half, just to get in to remove my oil pump in situ from the Rover v8 engine . And a jig i made up to remove a broken stud from exhust manifold on my w123 so i did not have to remove the cylinder head .The items go on and on .I am sure you all have rough looking items that were used to do that awkward job .


I have some great 'jerry built tools' MY favourite at the moment being the 4ft long crank pulley locker that I had to have made out of flat bar and steel dowels by a local engineering shop. ALl that just to be able to lock the crank pulley on the Pajero 3.5 V6 when I had to fit a new pulley and bolt @185Nm.

I have a selection of heat bent spanners for those hard to reach bolts that you never encounter again.

Toolman.

What a great post. Thank you
 
I've got a few ratchets and sockets from Britool (the key sizes) from 20 years ago and they are like new still despite a fair use.

Very good.
 

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