snap on though, without a doubt, make the best ratchets, their flexi head ones are fuken awesome....
REPCO - I dont even touch them, i have brocken, too meany repco sockets and spanners to remeber, repco spanners are too short, an imo opinion a bit overrated, as is sidchrome, HOWEVER, the sidchrome stuff you get good leverage from the length, if you cant get in there, you use a shorter stubby or something, if you need longer, link two spanners together, i have no problem with the rathetc, when they get dirty they get shitt, but if i have 1/2hr smotime i wash the ratchet head out in kero and then lube it up again and its all new. i havent bronken 1 sidchrome tool yet, but many cheappy and repco ones, mainly spreading sockets.
I got the incentive for $800, then used my $450p/a tool aloowance and ended up getting a $1600 sidchrome kit, which also came with the 9 draw roller cab as a extra and deep sockets etc, have always usually had what ive neede, offset spanners, pip apanners 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 universals extensions, the only thing i dont have is whitworth for all the old jaguars and bentleys and some othe pommy cars. Snap on, althoug i find good, are to expensive for an apprentice to be buying.
You're never going to become a rich c**t being a mechanic, if you run a well oiled bussiness of your own, you have a great chance of making some dosh though. Im am at the end of my first year time wise, nearly end of 2nd theory side of things. and i get payed 230.00 after tax + over time in cash no tax $10p/hr with a minuimum of 2hrs a week becasue i work a 40hr week becasue of our opening hours. I also work in a workshop of 3, so you could say we're small.
Pictures are shitty camera phone pics before the roller cab and deep sockets arrived. And there are a few more tolls and bits and pieces and specialty tools etc now.
snap on though, without a doubt, make the best ratchets, their flexi head ones are fuken awesome....
Hey,
I'm just about to turn 3rd yr electrical apprentice.
I was first given a tool kit from Trade Tools including "Force" 1/2 Inch Socket set with another small 1/4 Inch set in the same box. I have since purchased a Sidchrome set for home in 3/8 size including deep sockets for $50 more than the Force set. The first "mini" breaker bar that comes with the set was a dud, the handle grip flew right off, then the little spring/ball that holds it @ 90/180/270 degrees flew apart because the screw that held it together was in an un-threaded hole! This was set that cost me $220Was replaced under warranty, but I still had doubts over the rest of the set.
In all honesty the sidchrome set looks flasher, but the force ratchet in particular is miles ahead of the sidchrome. A lot of guys at work have Snap-On, Stahlwille and others that are all really $$$ and offer great warranties, but if I was buying again I would look at a full force set of sockets/spanners.
Only gripe with Force is a set of insulated (1000V) screwdrivers that are average quality, but I got 11 for $55 in the set so they are pretty cheap!
Sidchrome = Nice looks + Nice spanners, but questionable quality now made in Asia as opposed to Aus Ratchets =
Snap-On = Nice looks and quality, Price =for apprentice
Force = Still looks ok, but really good for value and performance = FTW!!! Pretty sure Force has good warranty's too
My 2C, hmm more like 5C
Oly
(corolla kid) i was looking at getting that tool box that you got there it seem to be really good value for money
buy snap-on if you like, get yourself a good tax return.... but be cautious of snap-on/bluepoint air tools.... not quite as good quality as the hand tools (in my opinion), my choice for air tools = CP. good quality and well priced. I also think KC are good tools for what you pay for them.
anyone else managed to break a snap on 3ft 1/2" breaker bar?
i was quite shocked!
Girlfriends brother just got a massive roller cab full of kc pro tools... was fixing his starter the other day and flogged a ratchet, i dunno about longevity of the pieces as he had just bought them but i thought that the ratchet just felt shit if you know what i mean... didnt have that crisp "click" and just felt generally sloppy compared to my sidchrome stuff.
Did the job though... personally i feel much more confident using sidchrome though!
When I did my apprenticeship, I was handed a Sidchrome toolbox full of basic Sidchrome tools. I quickly found that most of it was garbage. The only things worth keeping were the ring spanners. It was actually possible to watch the open-enders spread as you applied load on them.
In the kit, we werent supplied with small sockets, so I bit the bullet and bought a set of Snap On 1/4" Drive sockets and a swivel head ratchet. I have worn out 2 internal ratchet mechanisms, but the rest of the ratchet is in the same condition as when I bought it, which incidentally was 15 years ago.
I've put more torque on that 1/4" drive ratchet than it deserved, and it always comes back. The worst I remember off hand involved undoing a set of 40-odd bolts that had been subjected to 1000's of degrees in the turbine section of a 747 engine.
For a cheaper alternative, find someone that is going to the USA. I've been using Craftsman stuff at home almost exclusively at home for quite a while now, and its great. Super cheap too at todays exchange rate.
Leo
News just in...i broke a snap on 1/2 rathet/bar one of the ones with the long handle like a breaker bar the other day, yes i have a new one, BUT, it broke, as did my bosses 3/8 sidchrome a while ago, however he did get a new one of them, so warraty wise i dont think its much different, but for snap on it took ages becasue they wanted to asses the damge before sending out a new one in case they could repair the old one, sidchrome, just went back to carbitz and gave him a new one over the counter.....but get what tools you want. If it seems good quality at a reasonable price, do it.
i call the guy who drives the snap on truck the "snap off dealer" and he is very unimpressed
all my tools are teng tools, snap on - wank factor in my opinion lol
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