*Warning* Excessive spendy content.
So, I have been off the fags for a while, stayed in and been a good boy.
My current tool collection is OK, but it’s a collection amassed over a period and I fancy something a bit more…….co ordinated.
Looking at a roller cabinet (not massive) and the new modular trays look ideal so I can buy what I want and still have everything in order.
Currently looking at the Facom (JET +) range. Owned by Stanley apparently, but the range is great, and it gets good reviews.
Anyone have any experience or suggestions?
Thanks!

all I will say is be careful.

no one company makes the best(or in somecase even a workable full range)of everything.

better to have everything you need to do your jobs in serviceable tools than to have it all matching imo.

suggest having a scooch over to garage journal forums and see what they have to say on the matter. ok they are American biased but there are a good number of us uk based members and growing.

I hear you. I know it should be Knipex for grippy tools etc but it’ll still be a big step up for me in terms of quality anyway. And, as a hobbyist bike mechanic, Facom is likely excessive TBH. Won’t be going snap on money!

US pro tools is ok. Or get to a car show like race retro next month with hard cash. There’s some bargains to be had.

Oh n Costco do a BIG toolbox.

Though Halfords stuff price vs quality takes some beating

Not sure if I like the modular tray thing. Great if you’re working next to the cabinet but that’s not always the case so prefer most of my tools in there own boxes or larger items just laid in the drawer in my preferred order.
If you want the modular system then look at Teng who do great quality tools in a satin finish so you can grip them with greasy fingers. They also do the cabinets pre-filled with tools at big discounts compared to buying them a set at a time.

Am I the only one who’s disappointed that upon opening this thread only to find out it *wasn’t* about the band?

I’ve been waiting for the new album for years :/

The halfords ones are pretty well regarded tbh and if you get them on one of their regular deals they’re a bargain, the pro ones are great but the industrial ones are even better.

I tend to aim for tend and bacho for my tools as I think their good quality for the money. Maybe not the absolute best but as much as I’ll ever need as a home mechanic.

Stanley-black and decker, also own Mac tools, owned a couple of Mac boxes now, both have been up to the job of daily use, no issues with drawers collapsing/distorting. I do however think that the snap on box is just that little better constructed.

I’ve had my Snap On box for 30 plus years, it was well second hand when I got it, and its still going strong – check out ebay.

We have Facom tools at work, including the roller boxes.

The boxes are just OK. Nothing special. There are far better boxes available, but obviously that depends on how much money you have to spend. I’d rather have good tools in an OK box than cheap tools in the best box.

The Facom tools are again OK. There are better tools, again for more money. The modular trays are good for an industrial environment where space isn’t an issue. You can open a drawer and find what you want with ease. You can also see if anything is missing. A place for everything, everything in its place. BUT they are not very efficient when it comes to storage space. I’ve got far more in my smaller roller box at home, but it takes a little longer to find.

As for the best tools and brands. It’s all personal. Somebody will be along and say that Snap-on is the minimum. But if your not using it all day everyday then it’s just expensive window dressing. I had lots of Snap-on but sold most of it, except a few bits.

My preference for tools. Bondaus for Allen keys, Knipex for pliers and cutters, Bahco for spanners, shifters, wrenches. I’ve got some Halfords Pro ratchet spanners that have stood up to some horrible abuse. Proto ratchets, and Gedore sockets and hex bits. Stanley screwdrivers, but they’re pretty much worn out after 20 years.

Bike tools are a mixture. A few bits of Park Tools, some Fat Spanner for things I use very rarely, Cyclo bits and pieces too. I’m not a bike mechanic so I don’t need pro level tools. If I was I’d transfer the best of the industrial tools across and use the best bike specific ones where necessary.

I’d always go for random tools rather than a matching set…means you can buy just what you need, duplicate common items, replace worn out/broken tools without trying to find one that fits the slot in the tray etc.

I got the Halfords Industrial Cab, fantastic although the one annoying feature is that the top handle on each cab scrapes the top of the cabinet when you lift and pull…drawers are just a little too close!

And a final word of warning… Check those bolts on the castors regularly! I have rubber mats in my garage so the laden cab need a firm pull to move it…a couple of months ago I executed a U turn whilst moving it and the whole thing started tipping over. Managed to save it and then found some of the bolts had loosened, and on one, enough that the castor could start to tuck under itself.

trail_rat – Member
all I will say is be careful.

no one company makes the best(or in somecase even a workable full range)of everything.

+1

As a bus mechanic I have just about every tool manufacturer under the sun in my tool box.

I love my fine tooth Snap on ratchets, but I also have some Snap on molegrips that are truly horrendous.

If you buy tools at a decent price from any of the major manufacturers eg: Teng, Facom, Stahwille, Mac, Bahco… They will all be decent tools that won’t break, explode, make children cry or make your parents no longer love you.

I have found it all comes down to the little things that is a mixture of personal prefference and some manufacturers just do get a certain tool more ‘right’ than others, for example knipex, I have yet to use a better pair of sidecuts (I had a pair of snap on ones that went blunt) they don’t get blunt the pivot never seizes and they feel comfortable to use – the latter being important too I had a set of snap on combi spanners, but I found them uncomfortable to use the edges dug into my soft girl hands when doing something up to FT and they were too long, I got some bahco spanners instead; cheaper yes, inferior quality? Maybe… but I prefer using them so that’s all that matters. Also on tool longevity… splashing the cash on a tool just because it will last 20 years – lets be honest you will probably lose it, run over it with something or throw it across the garage in a fit of rage and never see it again. Any tool will wear I think it’s better to replace a tool every 10 years and pay £5 for it, than pay £10 and replace it every 20 years, a new cheap tool will out perform an expensive old worn tool.

Edit: With regards to the Facom jet x modular thing: I’ll put it into bike terms for you… It’s like buying a complete bike from a bike shop with full Shimano spec, you’ll be happy at first then you’ll start to fancy some new hope brakes or some stiffer cranks, then you’ll try out your mates bike with the latest sram groupset and… you know the rest

Deceptive thread title

Well I’ve gone and done it!
On order;

and

Probably won’t need the box spanners and replace with some T-handle torx and hex modules.
Plus some Unior and Park tools.

I went the route of waiting for some nice second hand snap on boxes, 26″ rollcab and top box, and mix of other tools and totally would agree that how they feel when you use them is just as important as who makes them. tools that are for you can become very attached to and even sadness when something gets lost/broken or has to be retired. there are lots of good tool makers you’ve just got to be a bit selective. A lot of real top end stuff I’ve accumulated has been second hand and some real bargains.

Long before the days of the web I bought the majority of my hand tools from the reps who visited the agriculture engineers next door. I bought a couple of used Snap On boxes to put them in.

It was an odd mix of stuff as I needed Whitworth tools to work on vintage cars and Imperial tools for classics and some metric tools for my everyday car.

Tools can be bought much more cheaply these days. You can pick up an amazing 3/8 Facom socket set with a ratchet, extensions and U/J for £50 on eBay. A quarter drive Facom socket set I bought from Machine Mart for £100 is now around £35 on eBay.

I’ve picked up tools over the years, some good used stuff by Britool, Stahlwille, Bahco, Knipex, Channellock, Sykes Pickavant and Proto.

Buying stuff as and when you need it is preferable to buying ‘sets’ of stuff that you may never use. Look after them and they will last you a lifetime and more.

That does look like a pretty good kit and it’s nice ot have things the same… Mine used to be mostly teng, which was lovely when it was all laid out nice. Kind of confidence inspiring too, like, you’re pretty sure you’re a bodger but how can you be, with this pro looking toolbox? But now it’s allsorts, whatever works at the right price so you’ve missed the thrill of the chase

chojin – Member

Am I the only one who’s disappointed that upon opening this thread only to find out it *wasn’t* about the band?

TBH I can see the link- when i last saw them, maynard hid up the back of the stage, you could have replaced him with with a roller cabinet and nobody’d have noticed.