Brand name tools

[Mick D]

Didn't want spend too much.
Just want something to leave behind the seat for emergency bike repairs.
My bikes and ute are all metric. Why lug a round a combo set that is half full of unrequired SAE.

Clearance table at Aldi, reduced to $49.29 Metric only.


The spanners look ordinary, but everyone does fit perfectly.
The rest is way above average in design quality and finish!
The case has steel latches as well as steel pinned hinges.
Every socket and bit is Knurled for finger friction.
All Chrome Vanadium. Even the ball end Allen keys are Cr-V
All finished in satin chrome.
All internal corners of every socket are mill relieved so they don't leave marks on the corners of plated nuts and bolts, like all other six and twelve sided sockets do(except for second generation metrinch). A clever attempt to emulate but avoid patent infringements on the super expensive, but absolutely brilliant US Metrinch range of sockets.

This is the best carton of beer I have ever spent in my life!
I would still feel amazing value for money if I had paid $200.

 

[fred99999au]

I got a similar Sidchrome set from a tool shop a couple of years ago. Was reduced to $99 in the cattledog, and I thought these will go quick.

Rang them and the bloke says yeah, we have heaps, will still have them in a weeks time.

I got there about half an hour after the sale started and there were 6 left. I bought two. One for my car and one for the missus car. Missus thinks I am an idiot for buying her a  tool kit.

[Mick D]

I got a similar Sidchrome set from a tool shop a couple of years ago. Was reduced to $99 in the cattledog, and I thought these will go quick.

Rang them and the bloke says yeah, we have heaps, will still have them in a weeks time.

I got there about half an hour after the sale started and there were 6 left. I bought two. One for my car and one for the missus car. Missus thinks I am an idiot for buying her a  tool kit.

  Yeap, strange cattle hey Fred
I bought a partner a set of tools for Christmas once, I thought it brilliant idea since I was always fixing stuff for her.
I will never forget the look on her face  
And she was unwilling to listen to rational explanation 
I bet she is still telling anyone who will listen

[fred99999au]

She still tries to get some mileage out of the story, except when something breaks and it proves it's worth again. And again. And again....

[skypig]

Just to prove even handedness:

I bought my girl some huge, quality, dress making sissors.
She seemed slightly disappointed when she found out I bought myself a pair as well for "cutting up rags" in the workshop.

She has the cheesiest, most incomplete set of tools, at her place whenever I'm required to fix anything there. A good idea for Xmas.

I can see it now: " but baby, they are chrome vanadium!"

[jimson]

Gday Mick I have some spanners from Aldi's & they had stamped on them DIN 3110 so I googled that & Bahco spanners came up with the same ratings. So they can't be that bad. Jimson

[Ollie]

I am an Aldi tragic  even though I have waaaayyy to many good quality tools at home I still cant help myself when Aldi bring out their socket sets, I have bought about 3 sets of the 1/4 inch drives and 2 of the multi size as pictured above. The long reach allan heads are awsome (especially when they are only $5.99 for the set) and the long reach screw driver sets are good as well. Told you I was an Aldi tragic  One thing that erks me though is they have a ratcheting combination set that doesn't have a 12mm !!

Favourite spanner of all has to be my Stahwillie 8/10 mm ringy always goes in my tool kit on the trail rides.

Ollie

[smed]

I purchased a Pro-Choice (Kmart's own brand) 1/2 inch drive metric/AF socket set from K-M in about 1995, I used the set as a professional mechanic from the day of purchase till 2005 & then used it for restoring & racing VMX till 3 months ago when I started a new job back in the bike trade, My trusty PRO-Choice came out to earn me a dollar again , I shouldn't but regularly use the sockets on a rattle gun & have never had a problem, The only failures have been the multi angle wobble adaptor pins came out (welded the pin ends years ago,been fine since ), And I had to replace the ratchet, it was one of the plastic wrapped dog bone type jobbies & I ruined it by using the head as a hammer over the years as I was too lazy to go get a gentle persuader, eventually the plastic wore through to the ratcheting mech & she was all over (so not the fault of the tool but the tool using the tool ), Yes I know, I am ashamed of myself , Now I am back on the tools I needed a new set for home & the race track, I would love to find Pro-Choice stuff but K-M did not stock it for very long, I have purchased a similar kit to MickyD's from Aldi but sockets only & am so far impressed, time will tell if they live up to there older brothers reputation
 

[Colin Jay]

The socket set and spanners in my work tool kit are Bahco as are some of my engineering pliers and multigrips. My electrical screwdrivers and pliers are a mixture of Nipex, Wattmaster and a few other name brands. Most of these have been bought while on clearance special from a local hardware store who reduced the price because nobody was buying them or at trade prices from electrical wholesalers.

In the shed, my bike tools consist of a Koken 3/8"drive socket set which I bought and used back in the early '80's while working as a bike mechanic for a Honda dealer. I also have/use a Sidchrome 1/4"drive socket for fiddly jobs and tight spacesI also use a collection of T bar wrenches which were Honda tool made by Showa. for the big stuff I my 1/2"drive sockets are mainly ETC (Eastern Tool Company), which I bought while an apprentice in the 70's, supplemented with a few large Sidchome socket.  Engineering screw drivers are Stahlwille, which again were bought and used while I was a mechanic in the 80's.

The Koken socket set has survived quite well, the ratchet handle is a bit dicky and slips at times but still works, and I split the 12mm socket back in the day trying to undo the cylinder bolts on a Honda XR500 engine. This isn''t too bad, because I also split at least half a dozen 12mm Sidchrome socket trying to undo the same bolts on Honda XR and XL engines. In the 80's when I bought the Koken socket set they were the brand of tool used by Toyota and a few other Japanese manufactures on their production lines.

[Nathan S]

Part of the problem with talking about good tools is that it takes many years to really know if they're any good or not.
And by then, you can't buy a direct replacement...

[LWC82PE]

Gday Mick I have some spanners from Aldi's & they had stamped on them DIN 3110 so I googled that & Bahco spanners came up with the same ratings. So they can't be that bad. Jimson

The chinese can and will stamp fake ratings/part numbers etc on products.

[skypig]

Part of the problem with talking about good tools is that it takes many years to really know if they're any good or not.
And by then, you can't buy a direct replacement...

The ironic truth!

With most quality tools, only one is sold per customers lifetime, so a limited market. Most people will throw way a number of the same "cheap Chinese version" - continued customers.!

I think the above business model is partially responsible for the demise of many "Quality" niche markets. HQ tools, HiFi, cycles, even motorcycles.

Too a greater and lessor degree many of these products have long service lives and don't provide repeat and/or ongoing custom for the retailer.
I still have great sounding HiFi components purchased from a long defunct retailer, over 30 years ago. (To be fair I've spent $1000's on upgrades/extras lately, at a local dealers.)

With less of the population placing the emphasis on traditional quality. (MP3 v belt drive Rega Planner) there are less new customers, and the old ones only buy trinkets for the next 30years.

Hence Harleys marketing strategy:
All the lifestyle accessories to spend your money on. Between "major purchases".
("You'll need some leather chaps if you want to ride with the cool kids. No, not gay if it has 'Harley' on it!")

[GMC]

I had an odd bod collection of specials in my early days and hated them, then in a rare moment of sensibilty I bought a set of tools complete with toolbox with draws in 85
KC was the brand and from memory cost me around $400 for 200 odd parts. I considered it to be a mid range brand, better than some of the cheap shit that was around but not up there with Snap On etc.
They have served me well over the years, broke one ring spanner when I was heaving on it with a metal pipe over the end for extra leverage and my 10mm step ring did lose it's sharpness so I replaced it but now along with a few others over the years have gone walkabout.

Will look at buying a new set next year which will probably see me out so will consider the same brand again.

[Ngapuhi]

When I was in the panel game. I bought a few Snap On tools as they let you run an account with weekly payments and no interest, as if they needed to. Wicked strong spanners. My socket sets are Koken brand (popular around the trade in NZ) and have lasted the years of abuse but some of the rachets have been swapped for Snap On items. I do have some cheap tools at home that do the job quite well. You just have to match the right weapon to the right job.

[Tim754]

Got a soft spot for old Sidchrome (aka Siddons Industries) tools. Here is just   some    of the useful ones   I have over the buggering up bench.

Metric, SAE and Whitworth sets to cover most bases of course.