I've mentioned previously how I'm a big fan of Halfords. Their "Halfords Advance" range of tools are pretty decent. However do make sure you're buying from their "Advance" tools range - Nothing wrong with their more budget stuff compared to other budget tools, just don't expect miracles if you buy one and expect it to undo a humoungously tight fixing! Over the last 15 years or so I've bought a number of their Advance tools, most impressive has been this "go thru" socket set:
View attachment 445032
which allows use when dealing with very long threaded fixings. Used it just yesterday on the battery hold down strap bolts when fitting a new battery to daughter in law's Mazda ". An unexpected advantage of it has also been the slimness of the ratchet head/socket:
View attachment 445033
From the left the ones at the bottom are typical examples of 1/2" then 3/8" and finally 1/4" drive ratchets. Above them are the equivalents in the Go thru (American spelling) ratchet/socket assemblies. You can see how the go thru design is considerably less deep? this has been of great advantage when working on stuff like cam belts where access is limited between the front of the block and inner wing. Only criticism I can think to make is you can't buy a power bar/"T" handle for them in the UK. However the socket wall thickness is very average so probably you wouldn't choose one of these to undo "stupidly tight" fixings?
I'm very interested in quality tools and have spent many hours researching suppliers on the internet. During these searches I've been interested to find that a lot of these mid range but good quality tools are produced by big tool making concerns. For instance, I believe the Go Thru sockets I bought from Halfords are actually manufactured by the Apex Tool Group:
https://www.apextoolgroup.com/ I have seen the exact same tools, but with a far bigger range of optional add ons, in tool stores in the US branded Gear Wrench. I wouldn't be surprised to find that many mid range tools are "rebrands" manufactured by a relatively small number of manufacturers and this is probably not a bad thing in terms of quality. Unfortunately there is also a lot of nasty cheap dross out there too so you need to be careful. Buying from a trusted source - like Halfords or Machine Mart - would be a good starting point. My local Trade factor stocks good stuff too.
Regarding loosing tools? I think it's almost unavoidable. However I have a few simple rules I impose upon myself. Whenever possible I have a small portable table which sits beside me when, for instance, working under the bonnet. I always put tools, or fixings (nuts, bolts, washers etc) down on the table - never on the scuttle panel or inner wings. If it's not convenient to use the table I always lay tools on the ground. That way when the car is gone any tools are immediately evident. Buy a mechanics tool chest with lots of shallow drawers. Spanners and other tools can then be laid out rather than on top of one another - as they end up in the typical cantilever box for example - and if one is missing you'll see the gap right away.
Sockets are especially easy to loose because they are small and can roll away. I can strongly recommend the "clip type" socket rails where you store the sockets on physical clips. If a socket is missing you will immediately see the clip standing out:
View attachment 445036
I'm not so keen on the flat strip magnetic type for this reason. As your tool kit builds up being able to see at a glance if there's a "gap" is very handy and saves time at the end of the day when you're tired and just want to go in and have a nice cup of tea instead of checking socket sizes to find which one it is that's missing. You could spend a good few minutes checking something like this:
View attachment 445037
Yup, I tend to always reach for those black impact sockets first. However the much thinner sidewall of a 12 point chrome socket is sometimes needed due to clearance problems. Compare these two:
View attachment 445038
The 12 pointer on the left just doesn't have the thickness to survive a decent impact wrench's attentions. Impact sockets, like the one on the right are made of less brittle metal too. If you do use a thin wall socket on an impact gun then be very careful as it can shatter quite violently and spin off wee sharp bits of metal as it breaks up - don't want something like that in your eye! By the way, notice that both these sockets are "Wall Drive". Look very carefully at the shape and you'll notice they are not "sharp" hex (or Bi hex) shapes. The points are rounded so that the force is not applied to the very point of the Nut/bolt hex shape but rather to the flank of the hex. This greatly reduces the tendency to round of a tight fixing. Most manufacturers are now producing tools to this design but cheaper offerings may not - just something to look out for.
And finally, if you're buying plug sockets, try the type which has a magnetic ring to retain the plug:
View attachment 445040
The two on the right are "old friends" both of which have lost their rubber inserts while the two on the left have the magnetic rings plainly visible. With most modern engines having their plugs deeply recessed in the head you really need a socket which holds the plug while you are installing it - Ok, you can "fiddle" about with bits of rubber hose etc, but a retaining socket is much easier. The magnet is strong enough to hold the plug while you gently get it engaged with the thread and then tighten down all in one operation but then can be pulled out of the hole still on the extension. ie. the magnet is not so strong the socket stays on the plug and the extension comes away on it's own! I only bought these a few years ago as a "treat" but wish I'd bought them earlier. they are far superior to use compared to the old rubber insert type. I don't think they are likely to loose their magnetic rings either whereas the rubber inserts always shrink or fall to pieces when they get older. You'll notice too that the old ones are bi hex (12 point) and not Wall Drive whereas the new ones are single hex (6 point) and do feature wall drive design. Obviously a 6 point is far less likely to round off the fixing/plug/whatever. I mention this because spark plugs are very different "animals" these days compared to what they were in days gone by. Not so long ago you would renew plugs at 12,000 miles or annually, or maybe Bi annually, but now 50, 60 or 70 thousand miles with 5 or 6 years between attention not unusual. I know plug threads are now "Bivalent" plated (think that's what they call it?) to stop them corroding to aluminium heads, but if it does corrode in place it's going to have a nice long time to "bond" before you get to it. The single hex gives you more of a chance of getting it out - if you don't shear it in place that is! By the way, anti seize is now definitely frowned on when installing plugs. See here:
https://ngksparkplugs.com/en/resources/5-things-you-should-know-about-spark-plugs#:~:text=This silver or chrome-colored,agent during spark plug removal.
As usual, I'm afraid I did "go on" a bit. Sorry if anyone got bored? Hope someone found it useful though?
