Where is a good place to buy tools from?

I have mostly halfords professional stuff as i get it cheap and it has a lifetime guaranty but they dont do much imperial stuff and i need a few bits specificly. Mainly a long ball head 5mm hex 3/8" drive.
Also i wouldnt mind a new roll cab, but the new halfords stuff is meant to be rubbish.

My local motor factors just sell cheap rubbish.

What about online? Or is it not worth it because of postage costs.

Good value stuff from here amongst others that will follow.
http://www.cromwell.co.uk/category?code=030803

I use toolstation.

I have got some halfords professional tools - seem very well made!

try machinemart for a roller cab- they have a shop here n gloucester so you can try before you buy. IIRC they have about 3 different standards for the cabinets (red/yellow/black?)

screwfix is ok for some tools, but for random/odd/imperial tools then I think Frosts has the best variety.

on further inspection frosts doesnt seem to have much in the way of sockets. btw I got my imperial ratchet spanners and sockets from halfords

[Edited on 6/7/06 by Lawnmower]

I bought a Halfrauds tool chest. Its a big heavy black thing that has all the things I need. It's from the 'Industrial' range.
I got it for £100 because it has a small dent in it and I haggled. It was 'sposed to be £240ish IIRC. Then I dented it some more getting it in the garage!

If you have a NVQ that has Mechanical mentioned in it then you can get a Halfords trade card, usually good for 10% or more off the Professional range of tools.

And Consumable items as well e.g Fan belts usually about £3.50 trade price £1.80!, Dashboard bulb usually £1.50 trade price 58p! Crazy!!!

really?? Thats good to know. I'll have to dig out my 'Not very Qualified' certificates. What do they knock off for a HND??

can't fault halfords professional some good suff & i second the halford trade card, service bits are so cheap with it, oil & filter for about £10, not all things are under it though , i needed a front reg plate, it was classed as 'touring' ??? not seen many caravan's/trailers with front reg plates ?

I've got a CSCS card (crappy construction industry card - engineer) wonder if I couyld blag it with that?

Have Blagged student discounts with it before....

Think prety much anything with Engineer in it will do,

Mines a Mechanical Maintainance Services NVQ (Heating and Ventilation) but just showed them the mechanial eliment and managed to blag it

Worth a try if nothing else,

Thats how i get the halfords stuff cheap!

I did a placement at Nissan last year and took in my payslip although i worked in an office all day long, they still gave me a trade card. Apparently i could have got one if i proved i was doing automotive engineering though!

I've bought from a raft of places online, normally making sure I've seen what I want elsewhere in the flesh or it is a manfacturer I am confident in their products quality.

machine mart, screwfix, ebay, toolstation, tooled-up, lawson-his and others I've probably forgotten..