I need to get a set of spanners. I don’t want to spend much – what would you recommend?

Halfords do some reasonable kit at various price points – often have bargains online too.

Halfords is usually my stock answer for decent tools that don’t cost a bomb, their Advanced range have lifetime guarantees and as wwaswas says there’s usually an offer on.

What sort of application? As in what soze are your nuts ,)

That’s a bite personal parksie! 8-20mm should do the job

Yes, I use Halfords mostly in the shop – still on the same set of Professional spanners after 15 years.

As a slight hijack, any recommendations for a torque wrench (3/8″ drive) with a low torque range that’s not going to break the bank?

Halfords Advanced are almost always a good answer. I like my Teng ones more than my Halfords ones, they were a little more expensive but I really like the grippy, unsmooth surface… Polished tools clean up easily but they’re much easier to drop especially when covered in goop or your fingers are frozen

Draper do a 3/8″ Square Drive that covers 10-80Nm and comes with a calibration certificate. I bought mine from the local motor factors for ~£26 but I’ve seen them online from ~£22.

Open ended or combination?

Halfords advanced and maybe splash out on the ratchet spanner set when its on offer.

Open ended or combination?

Combo, definitely – you want to use ring spanners as much as possible, only using the open-ended when you have to.

Halfords expert/advanced,
Teng,
Facom
or Snap on. Listed in cost order ish.

I treated myself to a set of the Halfords Advanced ratchet ring set the other day – on “special” at £40 IIRC.

Lovely bits of kit, but they have quite fat profiles – even on the open jaw ends. But I also have another lower grade set with lower profile for tight spaces.