Thread: Apprentice's First Tools, - Stahlwille? Repco? or ???

FYI SP+kingchrome come from the same place and are of interchangable quality. get whichever is the cheaper where you purchase your tools from.

STAY away from metrich, and the multi size socket ranges that claim the same capability from SP and Kingchrome.

Just remember that some, not all, but alot, of these companies have completely changed hands, maufacturing plants, processes and locations. So saying youve had them for 30/40 or even as little as 15 years may offer no idication of that same brand name quality today. Do a little research via wiki and see some of the Historys.

AFAIK Snap-on, Stahlwillie, Gedore are still the same companies from years gone by, with at least same quality from past if not better. I have some of these 3. For rachets and sockets I would not go past Snap-on. For the spanners It would be a toss up between Snap-on and Stahlwillie. While Gedore is very good, they cost the same as Stahlwillie and IMO Stahlwillie has it over them in all aspects. Snap on screwdrivers have always felt great in my hands.

Snap-on use to cost double of Stahlwillie and just rediculiously more than it should. They have brought their prices in line with other top tools, and if you shop smart, buy only when they have their specials and you usally end up with extra tools for the same cost. Example, buy a set of metric fland drive plus spanners at regular cost and get the SAE set free! I have bought about 60% of my gear here and the rest online. If you know exactly what you are looking for and sharp on your prices it can save you some bucks.

Masters now sells Stahlwillie and at a pretty good price AFAIK.

Really, a lot comes down to personal feel. Ie, do you like the look of it? Does it give you pride of ownership? Do the ergonomics suit you?

I personally don't like heavily chromed & polished tools as a rule. They look more like they're for show than work somehow & I'm old enough to have grown up with tools that needed looking after. Added to which I think highly polished tools are more likely to slip in oily, greasy hands.
Personally I have a large mix of tools, as a result over the years of financial restraints, avoiding theft (a very important consideration in some places) lack of knowledge (of better brands), experimentation with different sorts of tool, gadgets, home made tools, adapted tools, working all over the place & thus having access to many suppliers, needing a tool there & then that for some reason I didn't have (what I call a Get Out of **** Tool.) - and so on & so forth. There are several duplicates, as I've either upgraded, bought sets, had to purchase a G. O. o. S. T. & so on.
As a fridgy there always seems to be a new (to me) piece of equipmenr with some fitting or fixing that you don't have a tool to fit!

Generally I have learned that a professional grade tool should be more accurately dimensioned, with better steel & heat treat enabling a thinner profile for th same or better strength as the cheaper tools. Often with better ergonomics (which frequently mean more expensive manufacturing processes) & should always be better finished.

These are my personal opinion. I own & use tools from all of the following.
I don't like Sidchrome. For the money, they're poorly finished & look cheaply made.
Kinchrome seem similarly finished but better value for money.
Britool did rest on their laurels for a long time, but were coming good again when I bought some several years ago. Like Facom, they had (for me) very good ergonomics in their screwdrivers.
Facom are great (I really like their ergotwist screwdrivers) and little known in Oz which means they're easier to keep an eye on.
King Dick are good sockets.
Halfords are excellent for the money. Apparently made for Halfords (the UK's answer to Repco) by Sykes Pickavant.
Bahco. Don't bother buying any other brand of adjustable spanner (shifter to Aussies). Just don't.
Gedore are excellent.
Stahlwille are what I aim to own in spanners & sockets. Have a few spanners, just love them!
Draper (Expert range). Ok. Generally good mid price tools. Still haven't managed to break my 1/2" ratchet, some 15 years on.
Mitutoyo. Pretty much the world standard in measuring instruments.
Fluke. You are unlikely to find better electrical / electronic test instruments. I have other brands that I use more, but they're designed for my trade. DON'T scrimp on anything that has electronics. Repeatability is king!
I'll try & add some photos later to show the differences in the hand tools.

I think snap on are going down hill, seen some brand new off the truck gear fail in the first couple of days, some of which were first use. I would stay clear.

as below, SP & Kinchrome are the go for a first box for the price as they come with a fair bit of stuff for the coin & then just add sets or pieces onto it that you find are needed or useful as time goes on.

I also have a couple of stanley kits in half inch & 3/8 + 1/4 drive for the car & really for how cheap they are i cant fault them. After two years & several full blown kicks to the 3/8 ratchet, it only just failed the other day when i dropped it & the selector broke out of the back . I gave it hell as i have another backup which came with another kit & wanted to see how much it could take. Stanley & Sidchome are the same manufacturer.

High end brands that i like & if i had the funds to buy complete kits from, would be either Hazet or Gedore

i use teng tools are my primary set.
Teng Tools Working with Winners Catalogue


if i need to buy 1 or 2 extras, i buy repco

Originally Posted by chang

I think snap on are going down hill, seen some brand new off the truck gear fail in the first couple of days, some of which were first use. I would stay clear.

as below, SP & Kinchrome are the go for a first box for the price as they come with a fair bit of stuff for the coin & then just add sets or pieces onto it that you find are needed or useful as time goes on.

I also have a couple of stanley kits in half inch & 3/8 + 1/4 drive for the car & really for how cheap they are i cant fault them. After two years & several full blown kicks to the 3/8 ratchet, it only just failed the other day when i dropped it & the selector broke out of the back . I gave it hell as i have another backup which came with another kit & wanted to see how much it could take. Stanley & Sidchome are the same manufacturer.

High end brands that i like & if i had the funds to buy complete kits from, would be either Hazet or Gedore

Was it Snap-on or blue point. It seems Snap-on now has alot more entry level stuff. I havent used it, but If im in the truck its for the good stuff anyway. Anything can fail and I doubt they have dropped quality much in the last few years. My truck guy is very friendly and helpful.

Their new rachets are uber smooth.

Im not sure if Hazet is still about? (looks like they are: The Company - HAZET-Werk) I know Proto changed hands a few times, before being gobbled up by Stanley Tool Works. For a brief minute there you could buy a brand called Sidchrome Proto (by Stanley) and they looked pretty darn good, better than the previous Sidchrome, and much better than the cheap junk that is Sidchrome now. I have seen and used the Stanley industrial stuff in 3/8 drive and it seemed good for the $$$. (Stanley Tool Works owns Sidchrome along with many other brands and is one of the biggest tool makers/companies period!)

I started buying Gedore spanners in the 90s as they were resonable (price)compared to Stahlwillie and the never able in hell to afford Snap-on. Now they are the same price as Stahlwillie and Stahlwillie are much nicer IMO. I can upload some pics of both if anyone is interested.

Stanley Black & Decker (now known as) own:

Stanley
Sidchrome
Facom
Proto
Mac tools

While they own them, that doesnt mean that they come from the same factory. Nor are they the same quality.

Stahlwille Are beautiful to use. If you are doing a lot of spanner work there is no better ring or open ender to be in your hand.
Teng make some good gear as well.
If money is no object (keeping in mind they are for life) Stahlwille are the way to go.