Second Hand/Old Socket Sets

[Rhyolith]

I am looking about for secondhand socket set bits. I am wondering which old makes were known for good/best quality? (to narrow the search on eBay) My go to at moment is Britool and Elora.

I already have a nice small set by Swinbourne with as ratchet, extender and a small set of AF sockets which I really like, but this make seems rare as I have only seen 2 more things by them on eBay.

I mostly want to complete my hap hazard socket collection, but also get longer extenders, brakers bars etc... maybe a set of hex sockets two (only recently found how much better they are!).

 

[AndyT]

Britool are nice.

 

[loftyhermes]

Gordon or King Dick

 

[kevinlightfoot]

Gedore are pretty good.

 

[sunnybob]

I have to admit I find it quite funny how "old tools" are so desirable nowadays.
15 years ago I gave away 2 buckets full of spanners and sockets, purely because they were not metric.
But as far as quality, I never looked at the name, I just made sure they had "chrome vanadium" stamped on them. I knew I couldnt break those whatever foul deeds I perpetrated on them.
I still have 1/4 3/8 and 1/2 inch sets of sockets and ratchets and bars, but I use the word "set" purely to say I have at least one of each size. In over 50 years of mechaniking, I've never broken a socket, and I only recall one ratchet that got too loose to bother with.

 

[TFrench]

Andy, those are the first other set I've seen that are hex drive, not square. There's a set at work, up till now its the only ones I've seen!

 

[Trevanion]

I have to admit I find it quite funny how "old tools" are so desirable nowadays.

It's probably because of all the absolute carp that's made today has made people appreciate the good old tools more. They were made in a time where manufacturers were more concerned with having a good, solid reputation rather than how much is lining their pockets.

 

[AndyT]

Andy, those are the first other set I've seen that are hex drive, not square. There's a set at work, up till now its the only ones I've seen!

Well spotted!

 

[Cheshirechappie]

My dad had a set of Britool hex drive sockets to fit Whitworth bolts and nuts. It was a wedding present from mum's father, a mechanic by trade. They only ever fitted dad's first car - every car he owned after had either AF or metric fixings.

Look out for Gedore, Belzer and Stahlwille - they're the best of the imported ones. Home-grown, then most of the good 'uns have already been mentioned - Britool, Gordon, King Dick (solid, these - real industrial jobs, and worth looking for in 3/4" drive if you need bigger stuff).

 

[Boringgeoff]

Here in Aus' No1 would be Sidchrome but I've also seen Gedore and King Dick. I have broken a socket once, I wasn't abusing it and a big chunk cracked out the side. I took it back to the dealer and eventually a replacement arrived along with a note from Sidchrome advising me not to use a "cheater bar" on their sockets, which I wasn't when it broke.

 

[Sideways]

Beta tools (beta utensili) and Facom are quality makes too.
Something worth a thought: I've noticed that older sockets and spanners are often thicker and heavier (even the reputable brands mentioned in many of the previous posts) than modern stuff. It's not always a good thing if you are lugging them around or working in very tight quarters. Top quality steel and good methods can make a strong tool that is slimmer and lighter. I've a handful of Stahlwille spanners that impressed me for being slim and light but still very strong.

 

[Gerry]

Not old and surprisingly good but if you want good quality tools that will take a lifetime of abuse have a look at the Halford's Professional range.
I have had a 1/2" Drive socket set for over 20years and abused the crap out of it and it's still functions like new.

Gerry

 

[Eric The Viking]

In 1976 I bought my first motor vehicle, a moped (nice Gilera, incidentally, but very secondhand). I also bought a Draper 1/2" drive socket set, AF and metric. I still have all of it and it still gets a lot of use.

Draper don't have a good reputation these days, but back then there was more British competition (and the pound bought more abroad!), and it was a good, mid-priced purchase. I have a feeling it might even have come from Halfords!

I also have one of the original-design "Norbar" torque wrenches, a special, low torque version intended for motorbikes. Again it's been flawlwss.

I'm with AndyT on the quality of Britool - a sort of British Snap-On (or vice versa!) - but there really was a lot more good stuff around, even Halfords own brand, than today. I bought a set of open + ring spanners recently from Lidl, just for light duty and lending out, but they are like cheese and beginning to spot-rust through the chrome (they looked nice at the time and they were really cheap). That's after only a year or two, whereas my socket set is now 43 years old, and not significantly rusty.

 

[Rhyolith]

I have to admit I find it quite funny how "old tools" are so desirable nowadays.

It's probably because of all the absolute carp that's made today has made people appreciate the good old tools more. They were made in a time where manufacturers were more concerned with having a good, solid reputation rather than how much is lining their pockets.

Yeah basically, dam throw away culture :? . Though I am not sure the old company’s were any less concerned with making the money than the companies today are. Whats different is the customers now who are used to extremly cheap products and are no longer willing to pay for quality, so its not profitable to produce it.

I have got my eye on 3/4 set (and 3/8 for that matter) but they are SO expensive... least for anything good. If I see anything going cheap I’ll grab it, but I think its wishful thinking to look for it without a bigger budget at the moment.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I had a very good Kamasa set from the late '70s until someone relieved me of it - like Draper some older Kamasa was excellent (although Draper Expert seems goods). I have a Screwfix 1/2" set from about 25 years ago that is is good and a Kamasa 3/8" set which has been fine except for a wrecked ratchet. and the little Bahco 1/4" set in the orange box. I also have a CK 1/2" ratchet that I would think pretty much indestructible, and odds and sods of Elora, Gedore and Stahlwille (none of which I've paid more than a quid for ). None of these are Britool class, but I am unlikely ever to break them.
..................................
As a matter of interest I have a fair number of 1/2" Britool and Gordon in metric and AF - if anyone has sets missing bits give me a shout and if I've got one they can have it.

 

[Rhyolith]

I had a very good Kamasa set from the late '70s until someone relieved me of it - like Draper some older Kamasa was excellent (although Draper Expert seems goods). I have a Screwfix 1/2" set from about 25 years ago that is is good and a Kamasa 3/8" set which has been fine except for a wrecked ratchet. and the little Bahco 1/4" set in the orange box. I also have a CK 1/2" ratchet that I would think pretty much indestructible, and odds and sods of Elora, Gedore and Stahlwille (none of which I've paid more than a quid for ). None of these are Britool class, but I am unlikely ever to break them.
..................................
As a matter of interest I have a fair number of 1/2" Britool and Gordon in metric and AF - if anyone has sets missing bits give me a shout and if I've got one they can have it.

I’d be interested in the metric stuff.

 

[skeetstar]

I have some Elora spanners.. been buying them as I need them. I have to say that they are brilliant, better than anything else you can get nowadays. I'm told that SnapOn have declined in quality. The Halfords Professional stuff is really good but doesn't exude the same feel of quality as the Elora kit does. Ill look it up, but I presume Elora is a german brand?

But the few Britool and King Dick stuff I inherited from my father is made of real hard metal.. will last for 100s of years.

 

[skeetstar]

Yep, just looked it up, Elora is German.

 

[mbartlett99]

I bought a set of Sandvik (not Bahco) spanners before theywere bought by Snap On - seriously good, slim, light, well polished and tough as you like. If you see some buy them - like hens teeth.

My other old stuff is Britool which appear to be indestructible and heaven knows I've tried.

 

[Trevanion]

I bought a set of Sandvik (not Bahco) spanners before theywere bought by Snap On - seriously good, slim, light, well polished and tough as you like. If you see some buy them - like hens teeth.

In my opinion, Sandvik gear was some of the best stuff you could get at one point. I've got these Sandvik F-Clamps that are absolutely bombproof and super strong and I've never seen any other ones except for the 3 I have that I picked up in a farm sale. I've also got a Sandvik axe which has seen a lot of use, it holds an edge like no other axe!

I'm not really sure what happened to Sandvik, I know they still make gear for turning and milling but I'm not actually sure what happened to the hand tools part of it. As far as I know, Bahco isn't actually the same company technically even though they're both owned by snap-on?