[Closed] Socket set PSA

Oooh....must resist..

I'm pretty close to spending £100 from that psa about the HiLo seatposts and now you go and post that! Actually when you look at all that for £80 £100 for a dropper post looks ridiculous.

Wow, thats a good price for a great quality socket set. I already have a full set of Halfords professional sockets, otherwise would buy this.

I already have the original set which has done very well. Although I need to take a few bits in and get them replaced under warranty. It's getting a bit tired now though as I always end up working on the cars in bad weather so they are getting a bit rusty, ratchets worn and the box is starting to fail at the hinge.

I did say I was going to buy another set for keeping in the house for working on non-car stuff so silly to resist at this price quite frankly.

for anyone wanting it for working on the car this new set looks better suited to car stuff: http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_862463_langId_-1_categoryId_255215

I'e got that first one posted, I got it for £100 two years ago, proper good value and the tools have a lifetime guarantee

I'll be honest, i've probably used less than ten sockets 😳

I wish they would do one like the 150 but without the imperial sockets.

I've used pretty much every part of my kit except most of the imperial stuff so could live without them for a workshop kit.

I want more imperials.

I also use whitworth spanners so that probably counts me out of most of the general populus' surveys of spanners most wanted ha ha imperial impacts impact sockets are en route the end of this month

The beauty of working on land rovers, you get a nice eclectic mix of sizes and standards. Most of my sockets get some action.

Don't 'need' another socket set, but the offer is tempting.

Just resurrecting this thread...any advice from those in-the-know which would be the best set for working on a variety of bikes? I was looking at the 90 piece set to cover most of the bases regarding bike-specific stuff.

[url= http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_862455_langId_-1_categoryId_255215 ]Linky[/url]

To be honest a big set like that is wasted on just bike stuff and you only need a few bits and bobs, get a decent set of Allen keys (I rate bondhaus) and things like a chain whip and tools to remove cassettes and bottom brackets, a good torque wrench is good but not essential. For bike maintenance I would say build up of tools that you actually need as some are job specific and you'll need them no matter what or you'll end up with a box of shiny unused (in the main) tools!

exilegeordie - I'll mainly agree with marcus above. But a few small things
- a decent socket set us really handy for (the non-intended use) of drifting out and in bearings.
- you'll have the set "forever" and dont know now what it'll be used for in the future. If you like fixing things.
- bike specific : a decent set will have each of the hex and torx bits (and probably a few philips) on their own 1/4 or 3/8 "socket" ie you wont need to find that elusive adapter to use a hex bit with the ratchet. So in the link you posted I'll guarantee that you'll loose the adapter for the bits, then you'll start using a 8mm socket, but that doesnt hold the bits properly so the bits drop out and you'll go grey prematurely.

Of course if you've got a decent separate set of hex keys then thats less important.

btw - I got a small Halfords Pro 1/4" set a few years back to replace various sockets and it's pretty good.

Anyway overall: do you like or are interested in fixing stuff? Yes- get a big set and save some cash long term. No - or just bikes - buy what you need and save some cash long term.

Oh I forgot to say have halfords pro tools among others which for me perform just as well as my SO (won't say it as I'm not a proper mechanic.... By all means get the set as you will probably use them on other things especially if you like to tinker with stuff, I just meant it wasn't the best thing for pure bike work.

Thanks for those replies marcus and csw.

I use my Halfords Professional 1/4 drive socket set more than any other tools I've ever owned. I've had it about 10 years and it gets used pretty much daily - the box hinge is broken but the drive and sockets are still like new.

D'Oh!

Back up to the usual reduced price of £99.99!

Why didn't I see this PSA last night?

The OP is a month old.

I bought the smaller Halfords Advance set a while back. The 1/4 drive ratchet died recently after no serious use. I returned it only to be told that the warranty applies to the body of the tool but not the mechanism.
I pointed out that it was no longer a tool with a mechanism!

He swapped it for me this time to keep my business.

Love the socket set though. I added a set of adapters to hop the drive sizes up and down across all my various ratchets and sockets.

I got this set (or it's equivalent) about 20 years ago as a Birthday present from my Dad - still going strong.

They also have (ends today I think) a deal on their 7 drawer Professional chest AND 5 drawer cabinet - for £199.99 which is 1/2 price.

Hope the linky works:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchCmd?storeId=10001&catalogId=10151&langId=-1&action=discount&promotionCode=219139

I bought the smaller Halfords Advance set a while back. The 1/4 drive ratchet died recently after no serious use. I returned it only to be told that the warranty applies to the body of the tool but not the mechanism.

Same happened to me, after about a fortnight. When I took it back, they [i]really[/i] didn't want to replace it. Made me produce the receipt and spent ages buggering about 'testing' it, but eventually swapped the entire set. A word to the wise, stash the receipt somewhere safe.

Anyone want to go halves on the cabinet set?? I only need the roller cabinet y'see...

DrP

Yeah I've got two top boxes and would like a rollcab.... 🙁

Now that seems to say bottom 149 top 199..
buy together for 199..

good PSA, just ordered the tool cab set 🙂

for how much though?

Mine says:
1 x Halfords Professional 7 Drawer Ball-Bearing Chest (£149.99)
1 x Halfords Professional 5 Drawer Ball-Bearing Cabinet (£249.99)

Both = £199

DrP

£199 for both 🙂

free delivery as well!

Dave

They also have (ends today I think) a deal on their 7 drawer Professional chest AND 5 drawer cabinet - for £199.99 which is 1/2 price.

Thanks for that - just ordered one 🙂

Comes up as 349 when i try..grr

PSA> dont forget quidco and BC members extra 10% off for 13% off total

Looks this this after you add both items:

[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8397/8697500155_0c0bf9a623.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8397/8697500155_0c0bf9a623.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/8697500155/ ]Order[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/brf/ ]brf[/url], on Flickr

Not for me it doesnt

wysiwyg - are you a blatchatter?

Am i a what? Lotus driver? No..
Ive sorted it, had to buy from the page where both boxes are shown, not click thru as to individual pages..

Mine arrived last week, finally got round to putting it in the workshop and putting all the tools in it:

[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7325/8732761938_44ea6a1ebd.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7325/8732761938_44ea6a1ebd.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/8732761938/ ]Toolbox installed[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/brf/ ]brf[/url], on Flickr

[img] [/img]

Nice boxes them:)

Bloody hell ... at this rate all my wallet is going to get lighter this summer ... arrgghhh ....

But good call as I need a set of tools to mess with my car ... 😆

Also need the followings ... arrgghhh ...

1. Sony AS15 as car camera due to zombies on the road.
2. Nilfisk C110.4-5 X-tra Pressure Washer.
3. Some heavy duty car jack ...

😯

The only downside with them is the promotion stickers on them don't peel off easily. Will need to use a hot air gun to shift em.

I just left em.

How does Halfords' range compare with those use by proper car mechanics?

I just left em.

So I noticed. Personally they look a bit 'shop display' for my liking, so I'll get them off at some point.

Ok - quick question - for general bike work do I need 1/4 inch, 3/8 inch or a metric set...?

Wont really matter unless your a profesional car mechanic though will it ?

They are fine for me doing general car and bike work

Oh and the 3/8th set will be fine

Sockets them selves will be metric but the drive square is measured in inches

trail_rat - Member

Wont really matter unless your a profesional car mechanic though will it ?

They are fine for me doing general car and bike work

I want to use them to service my car (2005 Toyota Corolla 1.6 auto) in the followings:

1. Brake pads.
2. Brake disks.
3. Coil spring change ... to something stronger but not to lower.
4. Oil change - engine, gear box, brake fluid etc.
5. Oil Filter - that special tool with a loop.
6. Installing strut brace and rear stabiliser.
7. Air filter (mate told me to get K & N mushroom looking thing ...).
8. Pulley - may not do this as it might void my insurance.

For my bike I think I got most of the tools ...

😮

p/s: anyone here use Black Diamond brake pads & discs for their cars? How good are they?

Those "how it works" stickers are a pain to get off!, god knows why the put them on! 🙂

Well i used mine to take a pair of land rovers apart...... And slowely putting one back together

They will do all that .

Not sure why you are putting strutt braces and stiffer springs and k and n on an automatic bland mobil mine you though

trail_rat - Member

Well i used mine to take a pair of land rovers apart...... And slowely putting one back together

They will do all that .

Okay ... which tool set from the Halford range is better? It will be a long term use for me as I am trying to learn the mechanics of cars ...

Not sure why you are putting strutt braces and stiffer springs and k and n on an automatic bland mobil mine you though

LOL ... no reason to be frank. Just try to make the handling better with more grip on the road. Not into boy racer stuff but a few more hp increase here and there is fine with me, and the insurance company might have the last say ... 😀

Ok - quick question - for general bike work do I need 1/4 inch, 3/8 inch or a metric set...?

The 'inch' sizes refer to the drive side of the socket set, not the sockets themselves. So you'd need a metric set, but this will contain a 1/4" (smaller) and / or 3/8" ratchet driver for those sockets. If that makes sense.

Ie, on a given socket, there will be a metric hex at one end to fit your bolts, and a (something) inch square on the other end to fit your drivers.

Just put 4 good tires on , easier and will have more effect.

The one i linked to originally covers most bases, add a good 3 ft breaker bar, a strap wrench and a set of spring compressors should see you good

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

Anal 🙂

[URL= http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/mark-90/MTB/IMAG0215.jp g" target="_blank">http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/mark-90/MTB/IMAG0215.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Not anal 😀

trail_rat ... OOoouuhhh ... nice tools ... 😆 😯

trail_rat - Member

Just put 4 good tires on , easier and will have more effect.

The one i linked to originally covers most bases, add a good 3 ft breaker bar, a strap wrench and a set of spring compressors should see you good

Tyres are still fine so will start tinkering with other part of the car.

Okay ... good advice that.

[b]How about torque wrench? The manual says I need to use torque wrench to tighten things properly especially the gearbox oil plug ...[/b]

mark90 - Not anal

I bet I will end up the same as I don't really have that much space.

Nothing wrong with a few stickers either....

[URL= http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/mark-90/MTB/IMAG0212.jp g" target="_blank">http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/mark-90/MTB/IMAG0212.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

😀

Blue tape imperial then 😉

I have the strap on sticker on mine too 🙂

Aye. My one consession to organisation 🙂

If I mention your wratchet spanners aren't all the same way round would you have to go line then up? 😉

Only thing i use a torque wrench for is cylinder heads- borrowed it an all.

Dont know your back ground but ive been using my hands in a mechanics/engineering roll all my adult life so used to it. If your learning its probably a wise investment , my hands were calibrated in the 90s on alu weight saving bike parts 😉

That was corrected after the first time i posted that 😉

Good man. OCD all or nothing, no half way house 🙂

Coil spring change ... to something stronger but not to lower.
Installing strut brace and rear stabiliser.
Air filter (mate told me to get K & N mushroom looking thing ...).
Pulley - may not do this as it might void my insurance.

On a Toyota 1.6 auto?, trolling? - genuine q btw i'm not being arsid?.

Stronger springs?, by this i mean you don't like the cars body roll and bouncy ride? - waste of time on a 1.6 auto imho

Strut Brace/rear stabiliser?, strut brace will do absolutely **** all on a modern car, likewise the uprated rear anti-roll bar (you prob have one fitted anyway), however if you do manage to fit an uprated rear anti roll bar such as an eibach item it will seriously disrupt the effect of the rear suspension to the detriment of the cars road handling.

K & N Air mushroom (induction?) air filter, this will take hot air from around the engine bay and thus decrease your cars power, however you will notice an increase in induction roar which will have all the schoolgirls pointing at you in pity.

Pulley - I seriously doubt you have a supercharger fitted 🙄

A torque wrench is handy but i doubt your working in a motorsport application so i'd not bother with one for the car, i use mine quite often but the wheels/suspension/steering/engine components i fiddle with need it.

Your friend sounds like he's the sort to do a drive through in halfords, just enjoy your 1.6 auto for what it is, cheap-economical transport that is bought and paid for.

If I mention your wratchet spanners aren't all the same way round would you have to go line then up?

This is actually bothering me quite a lot - please post an after picture 😕

Now, mark90, it's spelled "ratchet"

Meh, spelling never was my strong point. Never mind, I'm not anal 🙂

trail_rat - Member

Only thing i use a torque wrench for is cylinder heads- borrowed it an all.

Dont know your back ground but ive been using my hands in a mechanics/engineering roll all my adult life so used to it. If your learning its probably a wise investment , my hands were calibrated in the 90s on alu weight saving bike parts

I think I better invest in one just in case.

My background is not in mechanics/engineering but rather some fairy role of being pen pusher. However, my father is an aircraft engineer and a very good one. One of my boy racer mate is also very good at messing with engines/cars etc ... he is in the process of building a rotary engine quarter mile racer using 1977 Mazda coupe chassis. It will be ready next summer in the far east. He was going to advise me on things car related but somehow he got a bit fed up with my hair dresser's car. 😆

But I built my own bikes and computer ... if that counts.

What impressed me was how much space it saved. All these are for the scrap heap.

[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7293/8733123868_704388761f.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7293/8733123868_704388761f.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/8733123868/ ]Redundant[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/brf/ ]brf[/url], on Flickr

Tools are much more accessible in the drawers:

[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7292/8733125986_caa1d91896.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7292/8733125986_caa1d91896.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/8733125986/ ]Stuff[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/brf/ ]brf[/url], on Flickr

somafunk - Member

On a Toyota 1.6 auto?, trolling? - genuine q btw i'm not being arsid?.

No. Not trolling. Seriously yes I thought a bit of tweak here and there ... you know ... wanting to make it even better.

This is the first proper car in my life. It's a Toyota which I wanted for a while. The last one I had was a 660CC toy box that Jeremy Clarkson hammered it for fun in the far east. [img] [/img]Before that I was borrowing my father's VW Beetle which had nothing to mess with because it was not mine.

Stronger springs?, by this i mean you don't like the cars body roll and bouncy ride? - waste of time on a 1.6 auto imho

Well, I thought I want to see how it feels like. Only changing the coil to something slightly stiffer but the suspension will be standard. Yes, I have driven some super stiff road racer before and my whole body ached after that ...

Strut Brace/rear stabiliser?, strut brace will do absolutely **** all on a modern car, likewise the uprated rear anti-roll bar (you prob have one fitted anyway), however if you do manage to fit an uprated rear anti roll bar such as an eibach item it will seriously disrupt the effect of the rear suspension to the detriment of the cars road handling.

For the strut brace ... okay ... I thought it has something to do with preventing chassis "twisting" coz all my boy racer mates have one. Yes, not a good excuse but thought it would look as if I have something on as well ... 😆

The rear stabiliser/anti roll bar ... yes, I have not checked if I got one yet. I remember many years ago my mate had Koni on his ... hmmm ... not sure how effective that will be if I have one now.

Seriously will it affect the rear suspension that badly?

K & N Air mushroom (induction?) air filter, this will take hot air from around the engine bay and thus decrease your cars power, however you will notice an increase in induction roar which will have all the schoolgirls pointing at you in pity.

Yes, I thought so as this is one item I thought I don't want. A loud car.

Pulley - I seriously doubt you have a supercharger fitted

No. But just lighten it ... but I doubt my insurance permits that.

A torque wrench is handy but i doubt your working in a motorsport application so i'd not bother with one for the car, i use mine quite often but the wheels/suspension/steering/engine components i fiddle with need it.

This is just in case scenario as I am not engineer so need one to be on the safe side.

Your friend sounds like he's the sort to do a drive through in halfords, just enjoy your 1.6 auto for what it is, cheap-economical transport that is bought and paid for.

😆 He is in the other part of the world I am afraid, but we used to visit car breakdown yard to salvage 2nd hand parts ... he does it still ...

Yes, it's bought and paid for by my hard earn money ... It's a proper car.

Lidl are doing tools today....... Arc welder for 40 notes if anyone fancies it

Too many references to 'anal' on a 'look at my tool' thread.... Scuttles off......

Arc welder for 40 notes if anyone fancies it

unless your repairing a gate or something equally as crappy you might as well try and weld by setting fire to 40 quid and brazing using the flame.

im wondering if ill have any tools left at this rate-the lovely travelling folk moved into the field down the road. welded a sheet of steel over the inside of the window of the garage last night and made sure all the bikes were locked up solid :S

they will be off with one of the landrovers for scrap no doubt.

Trail rat how are your sockets organised? I've got a set where the original box has given up and like how the sockets are ordered in the top of your black cabinet.

Just peg board from halfords

I have a bergan socket tray in there now.

Just peg board from halfords

I bought one of these on Saturday, but some bastard had nicked all the pegs out of the box, so I'm taking it back after work today!