Cost effective tools - Recommendations

[4agtepwr]

F*#$% when I started my apprentiship my tools cost me over 5 gs but that was a full range of really good quality mics and measuring stuff as well.

[adikt]

im gonna have to back teng tools too.
i use them at work, they arent chromed, have a nice non-slip texture, and as yet i havent managed to break any of them.
and the teng ratchet spanners - VERY strong. ive used bars on mine (not recommended) and havent had any issues as yet.
also bars on the normal spanners, ratchets (both 3/8" & 1/4" dr).
also i use the boss's snapon gear sometimes, and thats nice

[DRFTIN]

i sell teng stuff at work so obviously have got a few things myself, gotta love cost prices
they seem to be pretty good stuff, havent managed to break anything yet
but anything with a handle on it is horrbile to hold... my only complaint so far
can do good discounts too

[Si]

how much for the full 1001 piece set my friend?

[sergei]

I was looking at Teng tools and this

looks very similar to King Tony (infact it looks the same):

and the fact that these tools both made in Taiwan makes me think that these brands are acutally same thing or very similar.

[Chickenman]

i have seen many cheap brands fail with out abusing them, powerbuilt and repco included

at home its a lil different, im not swinging on 1" or 3/4" drive sockets.
imo dont buy tools from the likes of repco / supercheap etc. shop around there are much better places to buy from.

trade tools, sulco, blackwoods / paykels do really good deals,

jbs and kingtony are good, and you will get a decent full 3/8 set for under $150 retail.
spanners, infar, aigo, jbs, are good and relativly cheap, sidchrome flank drive are awesum.
.

In one sentence you are saying not to buy Repco, but in the other you are (jbs are good)

Ever put a repco and jbs spanner, or socket set beside each other? Same, itentical. Just different name stamped on it.

He was just saying you can get them cheaper somewhere else.. it aint called ripco for nothing

[Dragger_Dan]

I'm going out on a limb here, possibly risking flaming, but the Super Works Gold tools from Supercheap Auto are actually pretty damn strong. I've been suprised at the punishment they can take, particually the 3/8th sockets. All you who have done a head gasket on a 4age will know, the only socket that fits is a 3/8th double hex 10mm. I've been stripping an old 4AGE where the head bolts are practically siezed in, but that little socket can take all the punishment I've given to it so far.

[Stealer Of Souls]

i sell teng stuff at work so obviously have got a few things myself, gotta love cost prices
they seem to be pretty good stuff, havent managed to break anything yet
but anything with a handle on it is horrbile to hold... my only complaint so far
can do good discounts too

How good are we talking?

I think I'll look into the powerbuilt stuff. I really don't use the stuff enough to warrant anything too expensive. I'm working on my 4AGE at the moment, but will probably not work on much other heavy duty stuff after I've finished this job.

On my experience note...
3/8 Fuller basic set of sockets... I give this absolute hell. It just doesn't die... It's only a little set, and I've even used a bar on the rachet. Pop the rachet lock out, but it click right back in without missing a beat. Still works perfectly. I pretty much removed a 4AGE from and AE92, then disassembled the 4AGE and even got gearbox mounts off using this stuff... And it's still going strong without any apparent damage...
I'm very impressed by it.

[adikt]

yeah, ive been impressed by superworks gold as well.
got some of it at home.
also been throw at a 4age & survived lol

[Si]

also try cash coverters,

often pick up brand name good quality sets for cheap

[cr1mnl]

Infar, Facom, King Tony, Koken all good quality at a average price.
Snap On, Stahlwille, S.K, MAC, even better if you can afford them

Supa works or whatever they are are shite. and repco/ powerbuilt are fairly average.

For the same price you pay for a repco or powerbuilt set if you shop around and wait for specials etc you can get a decent brand for around the same $

oh yeah sidchrome tools used to be pretty good but for some reason the stuff the make now is crap.

[Vertigo]

well i just picked up a superworks powerbar today. did the job (taking headbolts off) superbly.

[Dragger_Dan]

Supa works or whatever they are are shite. and repco/ powerbuilt are fairly average.

Each to their own, but can you justify that statement to me? Just wondering if you have a horror story from SWG.

[adikt]

to be honest, some of the guys at work have fair bit of repco gear, and we give it absolute death.
for the most part its survived pretty well so far

[Silent Knight]

I support Repco/Powerbuilt gear.

I've got a Repco branded socket set which is still allive and kicking today just as it was when I first bought it.

I've done a couple of manual conversions, tranny swaps, engine swaps, diff swaps, head work etc. you name it. I've thrown things arround, bashed with mullet and also had a crack at it with a big hammer and used a crowbar bashing them aswell.

Most of the sockets aren't even scratched yet.
I've recently bought a PowerBar from Supercheap which is doing it's job perfectly aswell. The biggest problem I have with Tools are loosing them.

After a day under the car there's always 1 or 2 little sockets that bloody go missing and I find them 2 Months later or something after I've bought new ones.

I think the biggest problem with the cheaper brand's reputation is that there is 1 or 2 people that has had bad experiences with those tools so obviously they are not going to speak good things about them. And of course because allot of people are under the impression that anything sold by Repco or Super Cheap must be crap...

[HELBND]

yea ill give a plug to repco/powerbuilt - mine withstood pretty much everything that got thrown at them, and didnt break.

someone obviously thought they were good enough to steal out of my toolbox

[Leon]

I will go look in my toolbox at home, but I purchased a cheap socket set from Supercheap and turned one of the bars into a banana on first use. Also managed to twist a ratcheting spanner (I think fuller?) from Bunnings into a wreck on first use. This having not broken anything for I think around 14 years.

That was a bad day, considering that both these breakages were without using violence.

I will go look and confirm what brand name each tool was.

[Alex B]

The biggest problem I have with Tools are loosing them.

Heh exaclty my old mans argument (mechanic) you far more likley to loose/have tools stolen in the workshop, then accualy breaking them.

[Dell'Orto]

Heh, I just thought I'd add another one - Motoguard

I've got one of these 3/8" sets (have had for nearly 9 years now!), and its been mint (bar the ratchet) for doing all kinds of work. Done heaps of motor removals/dismantling, gearbox swaps, diff swaps with it.
I think they only retail at $70 for the set, though possibly the older stuff may have been better?.

[saft]

i've got a couple of craftsman sets, they dont seem too bad