[Closed] Socket set reczzzz

Halfords advanced. Great warranty by then in special offer season

Bahco or Halfords Professional?

No Halfords here but I've heard good things about the Adv/Pro stuff. Maybe they ship int'l.

I've got an ancient draper expert socket set. Over 25 years old and refuses to die.

As mentioned above Halfords advanced get good reviews. Teng look nice as well.

Halfrauds Pro is the standard STW answer innit. DFS pricing, look out for half-price sales.

Did the Professional get rebranded as Advanced? There is no Pro on their site

I've got Draper 1/4", probably same age, and it's ace. Whether the quality is still as good now...

Actually this looks ideal, 48 quid https://www.halfords.com/tools/hand-tools/tool-kits/halfords-advanced-modular-tray-set---31-piece-socket-set-3%2F8in-269842.html

Demon Tweeks have sizeable discounts on some sets at the moment (Wera, Beta etc).

Halfords Advanced is great for the money. Mastergrip stuff, occasionally in Costco, is well priced and robust as well. Hazet have a lower priced line that's good, and you can get it from Autodoc provided you don't mind waiting.

I will recommend what I have as is the normal, Halfords Advanced good quality look out to buy at Bank Holidays or payday when they get discounted.

Sign up to Halfords for early deals

Did the Professional get rebranded as Advanced? There is no Pro on their site

I could just be misremembering TBH. I've just looked at my 1/4" mini set and it just says "Halfords" on it.

Another Halfords Professional advocate here, think they are now rebranded as advanced.

Brought mine about 15 years ago now, in an old mechanics toolkit they used to sell which came with toolbox, socket set, sockets, allen keys, screwdriver set, spanners and pliers, along with a few other bits and pieces.

Only things ive ever had to replace were things ive lost, spanners still look new as do the sockets seen plenty of use on motorbikes, diy and bike maintenance over the years.

Halfords is my go to for tools given the warranty that comes with them and the quality of the tools.

I was sold on the Halfords but no international delivery. Over to ebay...

Didn't we have this thread yesterday? 🤔

Anyway, I just got this Bahco set for twiddling my motorcycle. It's dope, I won't lie.

I've had this Kamasa 1/2" set for the last 25 years. Ratchet broke 5 years ago. Speed brace 3 years ago. (Both replaced with Chinese copies of well know German brands for less than £15.00). I don't think that's too bad for a set that cost me £29.99 when new.

Good range of sizes, even has Imperial AND Whitworth. Used it on cars, motorbikes, push-bikes and Landies.

NOTE: the Nut on the rear axle of my Japanese IL4 motorbike is 27mm and needs a 1/2" torque wrench to tighten it up properly. Also, check out what spark plug socket you need before you buy a set. You'll probably need to buy an additional plug socket depending on the size as standard socket sets usually only come with a "car" size.

Might be worth thinking about that when you're deciding between 3/8" and 1/2"

I've had my big Halfords kit for over 10 years now. In that time I've returned a couple of cracked t25 bits and a shattered socket that I was using as a drift. Straight exchange every time, no questions asked.

Even better value if you know someone with a trade card.

Didn’t we have this thread yesterday? 🤔

We did? Sorry! I must've missed it hidden amongst the toilet brush / tin opener / socks threads!

That Bahco set was the one I used to have, along with an ancient but excellent 1/2" King Dick set... all sadly towed away and crushed inside my old VW Camper

NOTE: the Nut on the rear axle of my Japanese IL4 motorbike is 27mm and needs a 1/2″ torque wrench to tighten it up properly. Also, check out what spark plug socket you need before you buy a set. You’ll probably need to buy an additional plug socket depending on the size as standard socket sets usually only come with a “car” size.

Good point. I know the front axle needs a big male hex key to get it out. Haven't looked at the rear yet.
The sparkplug spanner will be somewhat moot (at least for my bike) as it's only really removable using the crappy one in the Kawasaki toolkit - it's literally the only toolkit item ever that is any use.

Some great price reductions on that Demon Tweaks link, I'd make up a set from the most reduced bits and pieces. Definitely go hex/flat drive sockets though.

Have a think about the jobs you might want to do.....

Want to change the oil on your motor bike?...... Oil filter tool is 1/2" drive.

Want to change a square taper bottom bracket on a push bike? The tool is 1/2" drive....

Low profile socket to remove cartridge on Suntour forks...... 3/8" drive

I also have a set of female torx sockets.....(For cylinder head bolts and loads of other engine fastenings. They are all 1/2" drive apart from really small sizes then they are 1/4" drive.

Also got a set of big male torx...... yes.... they are all 1/2" drive.

Torque wrench is 1/2" drive. (Remember to check if its ft/lbs or Nm or your wheel might slip if you give it the beans! ---- Yes..... That was bloody scary!)

Breaker bar is 1/2" drive.

I would say 1/2" is the way to go.... with a handful of 3/8" converters to enable you to use a few special sizes if they only came in 3/8" and a wee 1/4" drive set is always useful.

Mind you.... if I had the money.... i'd probably have 1/4" AND 3/8" AND 1/2" AND 3/4"..... I do like tools!

Bahco or Pro works from MX24

I’ve had this Kamasa 1/2″ set for the last 25 years.

I've got that set that I found in the road - well used but still perfectly functional.

You mean you don't have a 1/4 low range 3/8medium range and a 1/2 big guns torque reckon + conversions back and forth.....

And a bending beam wrench in inch/lb.

My money's on bahco as Halfords 3/8s love to have multipoint and multipoint deserves to die.

And if I was only buying one set it would be a 3/8"

Trailrat doesn't seem to have fired into this one so I will- the halfords sockets are 12-point, which is just inferior to 6 point in most cases. How much inferior will depend on what bike it is- on a Suzuki or Kwak it could easily be proper hair-tearing-out stuff of nightmares, you want the best and best-fitting sockets you can for their rusty cheesebolts.

I would usually say Bahco for the value/performance awesomeness but actually this little Teng set is really awesome.

https://www.uktoolcentre.co.uk/products/teng-m3812n1-basic-socket-set-of-12-38in-drive.html

Very good fit, nice to handle, but also compact which is really handy on bikes. Won't do axles but tbh that's a job for a cheap breaker. 3/8ths can really benefit from spending a little more but any halfway competent 1/2 inch set will usually do the job since the nuts/bolts are so much bigger and the sockets can be bulky to add strength and avoid deforming.

You'll maybe want a decent hex key set for bodywork?

I have 3/8 and 1/2 Britool sets. I know they sold out a few years ago and this isnt a true Britool set, but the quality is pretty good. They were sold at Screwfix. I like the sockets as they are six sided and not multi sided that round and destroy the points on nuts and bolts if undoing them when tight etc. Definitely something to also consider in the socket internals.
This is the half inch set and has just sockets and no gadgets etc.
https://www.rsis.co.uk/hand-tools-c10/socketry-c108/socket-sets-c1403/britool-socket-set-26-piece-748271-p4022

If you do want a Halfords set I'd be willing to get one and ship it out to you?

@schmiken that is an awesome offer thanks, but it would cost a fortune. I'm kicking myself as I've just got back from the UK. Thank you.

I'll go for that Bahco set, ⅜" . As mentioned above, the only particularly large fixing I'm likely to touch in general servicing is the rear axle which is 32mm hex so needs a ½" breaker (and a torque wrench?).
It's *only* for the motorbike, as it lives in a lockup away from the house, so won't be doing square tapers and the like.

All the Halfords modular tray socket sets are 6 point now.