What Automotive hand tools are still made in the U.K.?

[goraman]

Back in the 80's I did 100% of all my own car repairs, I started out with very low budget tools like most teens and very young men.
Tools like Wilmar made in India, Gedore then made in India and some All trade stuff made in Japan and Taiwan.
I decided after a few rounded off bolts as I was repairing my 49 Chevy truck, 72 Buick then 61 Dodge Truck them 59 Apache Truck . So all where SAE of AF. to Buy one good tool each Job or once a month till I had a full Fractional set of Proto,Snap on and Mac tools. Later I bought Metric as my cars and trucks got newer. And My tools became Snap on ,Mack ,Matco,Blackhawlk and some Powerbuilt a Taiwan made brand by Alltrade tools that are better than Craftsman . I Have some U.K. tools that are older I love Like Gedore,Bacho adjustable spanners, Sealey Premier long ring spanners made of chrome molly and every bit as tuff as my Snap ons that are very similar. I also have some Gunson ,Knipex stuff but want opinions on (Britool Expert now available from Mac tools, Teng, Facom, Stalwille, Gedore Bacho, Sealey and Draper's brand?
Seems even A lot of Snap on are no longer made in the U.S. and not stamped that way anymore. I have been told stay way from Chineesium Alloy but embrace Taiwaneesum alloy as there making some of the best tool steels in the world now. German made foundries and there heat treat is outstanding.

Sadly U.K. tools are hard to find here , mine have come from ebay and shipping is very high but some have been so well made it was worth the trouble.
I wish the U.S. and U.K. had better trade going on ,it would be nice to find UK brands here in the U.S.

What are your favorite tools across the pond ? What do professionals use over there on the Range Rovers, Austen Martins and the venerable Morris Marinas?
Thanks, Jeff

[brian2957]

When I was a young man I served my time as a mechanic on buses . During the following 6 or so years I worked on buses and lorries , and cars as a sideline . Initially I used Britool tools until I discovered Facom , and eventually Snap-on tools . The Snap-on van visited my workplace every week and it was like going into Alladin's cave . I built up a substantial tool kit of Snap-on hand tools and air tools . Virtually unbreakable , and guaranteed for life anyway . The biggest problem with the ' shiny ' , and expensive , Snap-on tools were either losing them or someone nicking them . Virtually impossible to prove ownership once out of my ( Snap-on ) toolboxes . I took to putting a little nick on my tools with the bench grinder , however there was always someone with one more nick on their tools , so all they had to do was put another nick or two on to the ' procured ' tool .
Many years ago I sold all my Snap-on tools and now use cheap tools which can easily be replaced if broken . I now do very little with anything to do with cars , however I do like to have my little collection of tools , all hung up in their place in the garage which helps feed my OCD obsession . A place for everything and everything in it's place LOL .

[struth]

Used to have some bahco stuff, and they were good.. Never owned snapon, as they were for real mechanics.

[Gaz]

Halford professional

Lifetime guarantee and about half the price, or less, of Snapon.

Quite possibly the only reason for ever visiting Hellfrauds

[goraman]

We have nothing like a Halford here, I love it they sell tools,cycles ,camp gear and will fix your bike or car ! Do they have a pub inside while you wait ?
We need something just like that here.
There combination spanners looks pretty good but there plier sets are nickel steel (Chineesium) most likely. For pliers look for Chrom molybdenum 4130 unless you beat on them with a hammer they will last for life.
Wrenches can use one of or both alloys Chrom mo and Chrom vanadium, Chromolly alloyed steel can be heat treated much harder is more durable but will crack before it bends, Chrom Vanadium is more ductile like spring steel it will flex or spread then return to its shape most of the time unless way over stressed. So the difference between lets say Snap on vs. brand x is Snap on has a couple proprietary alloyed steels for sockets and wenches using both chro mo and chrom V the steel is very refined before it is poured and they have a proprietary heat treat ,some times double heat treat. Most mechanics want a ring spanner to stretch at the point of failure than brake as when they brake your knuckles go into what ever is in the direction of force. This is why most spanners just use vanadium to alloy there steel. I really like the 5 years ago Sealey long double ring Spanners made of chrom mo as they are really tuff as Hell. But the new ones look the same are half the price and made of Chrom V. Not the same tool at all . Snap on wrenches will open up or bend at failure, My favorite wenches oddly named Mac Tools Knuckle Savers are very hard and more prone to crack or split ,not really conducive to saving your knuckles but you would have to be a 500 lb. Gorilla or use a 4ft. cheater bar on it to make that actually happen and I like the way they feel in my hand. I am not loyal to any one brand of tool and have found some foreign tools to work better in a lot of cases so I never count any reasonably well made tool out.
I have a 3ft. 1/2 inch breaker bar made in Taiwan for example that has served me very well .

The thing that got me back into turning wrenches is my sons BMX Race bike I built him for his 10th birthday.
I started buying some bike tools , Park, Pedros,Ice and Spin Doctor and most are made in Taiwan .
He has been Racing since July and done well but as with any race bike you have to be able to make repairs on the spot.With the exception of repairing broken spokes I have had to make a lot of fast repairs.
We actually have a large BMX pro shop at the track in case I don't have the part I need but I keep 2 tubes, a patch kit, chain links, chain ring fasteners,break cable and a spare free wheel in my tool box.

Some how this made me revisit my larger tool box , Drawers broken under the weight of fractional ,Imperial ,Whitworth tools I will never use since I am done with old trucks and British motorcycles from the 50's and 60's.
I started to clean house and focus on filling in gaps in my metric stuff ,some lost from loaning to people and stuff I have but don't really like all that much. What I end up with will some day belong to my son Conner so I want to leave a good sampling of great tools from everywhere .
So his collection will be some American,some European and some Asian but all of very good quality.

[Gaz]

Believe me you really don't want Halfords lol

[Vince]

Sorry Gaz, gotta disagree about Halfords tools. I have the big Halfords Professional socket/bit set and it's excellent. I bought it for half price, around £200 if memory serves me right and it was money well spent. The quality is superb and a lifetime guarantee, every socket, bit, extension etc I ever need. This is my second as, The first is still the going strong, Alan, (Mad Moon) now has it. I only bought the 2nd one as a treat to myself as it's s lot bigger set. Apart from the plastic snap on fasteners on the case it is spot on and I asked in Halfords about the case and was told they would renew it. I think Alan is going in some time to get a new case.
I've never stripped any of the tools, they all snap together with a nice tight secure fit. They really are top notch in my opinion.
Because I see do very little car DIY now, the set will outlast me I think.

[Vince]

I remember a lad I worked with, in CNC lathes, his nickname was Numpty, thick as a brick.
The company supplied us with good quality Allen keys, Banco and the likes, but he thought he was showing off when he was bringing his own Snap On tools in. Even though nobody else had Snap On, he decided to grind a notch in them to prove they were his. He ground them exactly on the corner, quite a deep grind, and every one snapped when he put any weight on them. It was hilarious, about £80 for the set I think. They were called Snapped Off by everyone.
How he got the job in the first place is a mystery.......Numpty alright. Dangerously thick

[Gaz]

Sorry Gaz, gotta disagree about Halfords tools. I have the big Halfords Professional socket/bit set and it's excellent. I bought it for half price, around £200 if memory serves me right and it was money well spent. The quality is superb and a lifetime guarantee, every socket, bit, extension etc I ever need. This is my second as, The first is still the going strong, Alan, (Mad Moon) now has it. I only bought the 2nd one as a treat to myself as it's s lot bigger set. Apart from the plastic snap on fasteners on the case it is spot on and I asked in Halfords about the case and was told they would renew it. I think Alan is going in some time to get a new case.
I've never stripped any of the tools, they all snap together with a nice tight secure fit. They really are top notch in my opinion.
Because I see do very little car DIY now, the set will outlast me I think.

I actually recommended Halfords sockets in my first post, it's everything else they do that's horrendous

[Vince]

Sorry Gary,
I see what you say and agree with you about everything else