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Halfords: ratchet spanners £29.99
Humbug - 19/6/05 at 07:45 PM

Seen in Halfords today: 8 reversible ratchet spanners for £29.99 "while stocks last": ratchet one end, C spanner the other, sizes something like 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, 15mm, 16mm, 17mm, 18mm.

Quality looks OK

Monday 20 June: N.B. these are not the flexihead ones

[Edited on 20.06.2005 by Humbug]

JoelP - 19/6/05 at 07:49 PM

10mm ratchets are very useful for tightening worktop bolts! But i always loose them

indykid - 19/6/05 at 10:13 PM

from personal experience, quality is as good as the top brands, and they have a no quibble lifetime guarantee, assuming they are halfords professional. change the 16mm for a 19mm, (and drop the 18mm to make 8) and that's the sizes.

alright, i work for them, but have no reason to plug them i just think they're worth the money.

tom

DavidM - 19/6/05 at 10:55 PM

My son bought me a set of these from the professional range. They really are good spanners.

David

stevebubs - 19/6/05 at 11:16 PM

Buy them...now....one of the best tool sets I've ever bought. Make sure they're the flexi-head, though.

They also have an adapter that will accept screwdriver bits.

Only ones I can think of that would be more useful are the angled ones which can be used for undoing manifolds on tip-tops - they curve round into awkward places you can't get a straight spanned into.

Quality of the majority Halfords Professional stuff is top notch.

[Edited on 19/6/05 by stevebubs]

indykid - 19/6/05 at 11:23 PM

i broke the hinge on my flex head 19mm, from my set, probably putting a bit too much force on a seized nut, so it would'nt hold it's position unaided.

i got that replaced and that's a £14 spanner on its own! i paid just over £20 for my set 2 christmases ago.

can't fault it really.
tom

marshall - 20/6/05 at 05:29 AM

i use halfords socket sets 1/2 in and 3/8 and i have had them about 7 years
and they are steel going strong today

ChrisGamlin - 20/6/05 at 11:58 AM

The Halfords Pro stuff is generally good IME too, although I think with the ratchet spanners, the ratchet itself is exempt from the lifetime warranty which is a bit cack.

[Edited on 21/6/05 by ChrisGamlin]

Avoneer - 20/6/05 at 04:24 PM

Aren't they made by Snap-On Tom???

Pat...

greggors84 - 22/6/05 at 06:30 PM

Yeah the halfords stuff is made by snap on now apparently.

I think if you just take the ratchet back they will change it. If they won't just take it to another store as they seem to have different ideas on the guarantee. One store told me it was only 2 years as that was deemed to be the lifetime of the tool and i needed the reciept. Another store changed a socket for me without a reciept no questions asked. I think it depends on the person you take it to as well and how good a mood they are in.

donut - 22/6/05 at 07:22 PM

Screwfix direct do a set for £19.99

I got some but not used them yet. Seem ok but not as good as pro stuff. You pays yer money!

tony9876 - 22/6/05 at 09:00 PM

Got to agree with everyone but halfords pro range are really good quality. I have belted the small ratchet in my set with a ball pein hammer and it still works

indykid - 23/6/05 at 08:56 AM

quote:
Originally posted by ChrisGamlin
the ratchet itself is exempt from the lifetime warranty which is a bit cack.

[Edited on 21/6/05 by ChrisGamlin]


generally speaking, this is true, as most ratchet mechanisms (for ratchet handles)in the range are replaceable (there'll be kits somewhere on the tool wall), but in the case of ratchet spanners, the mechanism is sealed, so i wouldn't think that was exempt from the exemption, as in it would be covered. if they get narky, you'll just have to make sure a non ratchetting part of the spanner breaks

when mine broke, it was the wavy washer in the pivot that cracked in two places, so it didn't support the head anymore, so was replaced without quibble.

as far as them being made by snap on? it's something that's always been banded about amongst various people i've worked with, but no one's ever shown me any documentary proof.
if they were made by snap on, why are they a quarter of the price? that's not to say they're a quarter of the quality, and i still prefer my halfords 72 tooth ratchets to the snap on ones i used on work experience.
halfords guarantee also includes the T40 torx driver, which snap on does not, being possibly the most broken tool ever by the sounds of it.

anyway, as has been stated, you pays your money, you takes your choice,
tom

tony9876 - 23/6/05 at 06:14 PM

As far as i was aware they are made by teng tools.

DEAN C. - 26/6/05 at 10:51 AM

I bought a set of these about a year ago with the flex head on offer at Halfords for £39.99.
They are Gearwrench spanners(says so on the box),these are the same people that also make them for Signet and a few other top brands.
Dont think they are linked to Snap on though,but Signet are owned by Facom who also now own Britool.
PS.I paid £140 for my fixed head ratchet spanners with Gearwrench on one side and Signet on the other.
These are exactly the same set less a couple of the less commom sizes,buy with confidence because at least five of the lads in my workshop use these everyday on lorries.