What new spanners?

I like and use the Halfords Pro ratchet spanners, work well... nice action.

Halfords pro or advanced are really good and have a life time warranty

I have the Halfords set, they're excellent. Just don't make the mistake I did and unscrew a bolt straight into a bulkhead. (that was with the 1/4" adaptor and I needed to saw it off to get the tool back.)

Aldi were doing a cheap set last time I was in, I don't think they would last as long as the Halfords set but my Lidl combination set has survived years of abuse.

I was told by a mechanic not to do the final tightening or initial loosening as the ratchets do not last well under a lot of pressure (load), but great for running nuts up the thread. I have the halfords ones and the seem pretty good

I have a set of halfords advanced rachet spanners and also a set of their non-rachet spanners. I'd reccomend having both as the rachet ring is kinda thick and can be tough to use in areas of tight access. I also feel less guilty about wailing on the non-rachet ones 🙂

Halfords good. Really like the Wera stuff too

I have some wera jokers which are lovely, and some bahco which are solid

Bahco make a really nice set of spanners that have a 2 sided ratchet on each end. Set of 3 does for 8 to 19mm. Like these.

I also have a few Stanley ratchet spanners and they are nicer than the halfords, harder to find though.

+1 for Halfords ratchet spanners.

+1 for Halfords ratchet spanners.

I was told by a mechanic not to do the final tightening or initial loosening as the ratchets do not last well under a lot of pressure (load), but great for running nuts up the thread

Makes sense if nut or bolt is tight (or needs to be done up tight).

+1 for Halfords ratchet spanners.

Still have mine from when I worked there. Which was... oh... god... a long time ago.

+Another for Halfords ratchet spanners.

I’ve give some of the larger ones some serious abuse, 3’ hydraulic pipe on the end using the ratchet end, with nay bother at all.

Halfords ratchets are okay - I have some for car tinkering, the only major problem and it is a biggie is that you cannot reverse the ratchet so you can find yourself 'stuck down a dead end street' if you ratchet into a situation where you can't remove the spanner.

Also the heads are inline with the body with no angle.

I have Bahco ratchets at work which have a reversing lever and angled heads which are better.
For normal non ratchet spanners - Gedore cannot be beaten they are an awesome spanner.

I have Halfords ratchets, and haven't managed to break any. I recently bought some Gearwrench spanners as they were the only ones I could find with six-point rings (and the usual offset open on the other end); I have six-point sockets, but the bolt I had to get at had no space for a socket, and I didn't think a 12 point ring would take the torque I was going to need without rounding the corners. They worked well and have a good reputation. I also bought some US Pro ratchet torx spanners, which did the job too.

Halfords are good, but, ratchet spanners ime tend not to live as hard a life so I'm very happy with my cheapies which I think I got in tesco. I've got Proper Spanners for busting tight nuts loose etc but I don't do that with the ratchet end.

Basically I want- 1 quality set of reasonable size with a ring spanner on one end and an open spanner on the other. 1 set ratchets of whatever sort, probably the ones with a ratchet on one end and open on the other. 1 set Big **** Off Spanners- the sort that scale up with the bolt size so the 14mm is like 18 inches long, for those bits I can't get an impact or socket to. And 1 or more sets of Bloody Awkward spanners- bendy heads, offset heads, banana shapes.

At work I use a mix of Snap-On, Bluepoint, Halfords Pro/Advance, Sealey and Gedore. Most were inherited from my predecessor but when I replace stuff I go for Gedore if I’m not in a rush and Halfords Pro/Advance if I am.
At home I mostly use Halfords Pro but I’d use Gedore or Wera if money was no object.

Now I normally agree with the Halfords spanners but the chrome has fell off mine only cosmetics I know but still

I've got Halfords professional at home and they're fine.

We just got some Wera Jokers at work and they're lovely.

Halfords pro, had mine 20 years.

Also the heads are inline with the body with no angle.

Better than a floppy head.

OP
I would look at what you use the most,then buy the replacements from quality brands,Snap-On,Gedore and the likes.
I have done this over the years,and now have my perfect mongrel collection of favourites. 🙂

Halfords Professional are great, I've had a set for, I think ,30 years, and theyre still going strong.
I think the Halfords Pro spanners are made by Draper, i have sets stamped up as both , and they are identical,apart from the stampings, and that the Halfords ones are chromed finish, and the Draper ones are a black finish.
The chromed finish is excellent, but the black finish wears away with daily use. They look slender and fragile but these things are up to proper use, they are excellent value.
Avoid the nice looking Clarke flexi heads from Machine Mart, the chrome on them is shite, it flakes off and gets stuck under your nails (v painful) and the heads fall off when you lose the tiny bolt which holds them together.

Happy owner of Bahco , standard and ratchet.

really nice tools.

Just finished servicing my car with my Halfords tools, cannot fault them. They're good value and take some proper abuse. The added bonus is that if you do have one fail it's usually a short drive to the nearest store with your receipt (all of mine have it stashed in the tool case) and you walk back out with a new one thanks to the lifetime warranty. They have a strong resale value too if that bothers you at all. Pick them upon offer and you have a professional toolset for not much outlay.

dont buy from machine mart, they are over priced on pretty much everything, same stuff on ebay will be half the price

Halfords are OK. I like sykes pic and I think they are the same manufacturer.

Tengs not bad. Nor bacho...

I don't personally like shiny chrome spanners as they're slippy. My favourite set are stahwhille

So if ratchets can't be used to tighted up fully why do torque wrenches ratchet 🤔

My Halfords ratchet spanners swivel, I thought they all did that 🤔

But agreed on the non reversibility, as I said I have OPEX on that issue.

So if ratchets can’t be used to tighted up fully why do torque wrenches ratchet 🤔

He's referring to the mechanism in those particular spanners rather than ratchets in general. Plus a torque wrench lets go.

Another Bahco user here, can't fault them. Ratchets, combination and adjustable, all great.

Bahco make a really nice set of spanners that have a 2 sided ratchet on each end. Set of 3 does for 8 to 19mm. Like these.

They look a lot like my Magnusson spanners I've had for around 15 years. They're just starting to fail. Very useful things

The key with ratchet spanners is a lot of them, the head is just too wide for a lot of of fixings in awkward places where a ratchet spanner is helpful.

The Halfords ones always look too fat to be useful.

King Dick.
I inherited 2 sets of stillsons from my Dad; now used by son who does heavy duty pipework and plant rooms - he's hard on tools but these will, I think, outlast him.
I've had a set of their spanners for 30 years and would buy same again.
Can't comment on their ratchets or sockets.

I've got an assortment of draper, halfords and stanley spanners.

They all seem pretty much the same to be fair.

I'll echo the above though, when using ratchets, you can't use too much power or it will bust, likewise when using a normal or ring spanner, make sure its a good snugg fit, you don't want to be ruining the thread of the thing your're working with, or grinding the corners off a nut, it needs to be a tight fit if you're gonna be using some force.

Torque wrenches don't let go they click...

I've some elora too. Amongst other stuff.

I've used all sorts over the years. I'd also recommend how they feel in your hands

Mine are pretty much all Halfords Pro (from when I worked for them over 20 years ago) including a set of the flexi head ratchet spanners. They can be life savers but there are times when they are a bit too bulky so it’s worth having a set of ‘normal’ ring spanners as well.

Halfords spanner’s are nice, but are quite thick, for example I could not use to tighten my pedals as the spanner’s open end is to thick to fit, I have old set of Britool which are very slim.
As for the recommendations of Wera jokers, whoever thought it was a good idea to put the open end in straight inline with the spanner is an idiot, normal spanners have the head cranked off to one side, so you can flip the spanner to get into confined spaces and still be be turn the nut/bolt, not with a Wera joker.

I have Halfords advance pro and Halfords pro.

The Halfords pro ones are thick.

The Halfords advance pro ones are nice and thin for a given size.

I would always recommend a nice set of ring spanners then ratchets as an option after.

I have the Halfords ratchets also. Don't rate them highly as the flex neck can't be adjusted so after a while they just flop around.

Torque wrenches don’t let go they click…

And in doing so disengage for the given angle. You know what I mean, don't be pedantic.

I have the Halfords ratchets also. Don’t rate them highly as the flex neck can’t be adjusted so after a while they just flop around.

Mine can, or are at least screwed together. Would a blob of loctite on the smooth part of the pin or a thin shim between parts not tighten it up?

I ended up with Halfords Advanced 12 Piece Ratchet Spanner Set Modular Tray for £43.60 including discounts - I couldn't justify £18 a spanner for Wera

Happy Wera user here, although the Gedore ones do look good.