Halfords flex head spanners

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Got a set of 16 flex heads to 24mm for under £90 and they are awesome bits of gear for the money

Been using a small 8mm on all my hex cap bolts for 5 years or so and apart from the floppy head arising from rather heavy abuse it’s been fine so far

plus If one does conk out they replace it for free

One of those “should have done this ages ago” purchases but they used to be over the 100 mark

[Martin CargillParticipant @martincargill50290]

I have been using a set for about the last 15 years. I use them in my work maintaining wood machinery. So far I have not broken a single ratchet but have had most of the flex head joints fail. Halfords don’t guarantee the ratchet but will exchange them if the flex part fails (you tend to have to argue with the person on the cash desk as they will first tell you that they are not warrantied).

The part that fails is simply a spring washer inside the flex head.

 

MAC

 

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

What good are they, they’m metric not Whitworth 🙂

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

I’ve never had a problem getting metric stuff to fit on imperial nuts

The 22mm did the leadscrew 7/8″ today

Sometimes a slight jiggle and a tap with a coventry spanner helps

[Mark Rand]

On Mark Rand Said:

What good are they, they’m metric not Whitworth 🙂

They do the straight ones in AF sizes, though I’m not sure about BSW.
These are well worth keeping an eye out for, though they’ve not been made for some time.
I think far better for most uses than the more modern black handled type.

 

Bill

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

I got a flex head 3/8 ratchet – the ‘pro’ version with a thin handle (no rubber grip etc) so easy to fit pipe over end as an extender. Flipping brilliant. I have really abused it and ti good as new.

I bought the ratchet spanners early – soon after they first came out, before flex head 🙁 Brillant but 10mm and 13mm (of course) ratchet mechanisims often lock up.

I got a 10mm and 13mm combined open ended spanner in a second hand toolshop last week. I’m so glad they exist but the chances of losing it must be double of the elusive 10 and 13 mm single spanners?

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

Just like a ratchet handle, they benefit from being lubricated occasionally. Unlike a ratchet, you can’t dismantle them, so soaking them in thin oil is the way to go. It doesn’t matter what you use, from 3in1 through sewing machine oil although I find the hydraulic oil at the bottom of the jug is cheapest. This does make them a bit messy to use for a little while afterwards.

[Chris CrewParticipant @chriscrew66644]

You can get a 12 piece set on eBay for under thirty quid. I would put money on that they will have been made in exactly the same factory in China, using the same materials and subject to exactly the same quality control as any other brand including Snap-On which are going for over four-hundred quid. I have never worn a spanner out in over 50 years of use and I doubt if anyone else has either!

[Chris Crew]

On Chris Crew Said:

I would put money on that they will have been made in exactly the same factory in China, using the same materials and subject to exactly the same quality control as any other brand including Snap-On which are going for over four-hundred quid.

Snap-On spanners used to be very highly polished, with very heavy Chromium plating. I don’t know it that is still the case. The only one I’ve got is one that I picked up after it got thrown up in the air when the car in front of me drove over it and nearly broke my crash helmet visor when following said car on my motorcycle.

[Phil PParticipant @philp]

Same thing happened to me on the motorbike, only my lucky find was a Snap On 3/8″ drive ratchet handle.

It didn’t hit me, but I turned round and went back to pick it up.

Phil

[Taf_PembsParticipant @taf_pembs]

I bought an 8 – 19mm Facom set when I had my motorbike shop, think they were the best part of 200 quid but that was a long time ago and were in daily heavy use for years.. and then when I shifted to marine engineering still in daily use in salt water and other than an occasional lube of the ratchet they are still perfect.

I’ve even been very unkind to them, ie putting another bigger spanner on the jaws to extend it and give it some welly but the flex pins are still perfect.

Very impressed!

[Chris Crew]

On Chris Crew Said:

I have never worn a spanner out in over 50 years of use and I doubt if anyone else has either!

I’ve seen plenty of spanners with mullered jaws, though I’ve never mullered one myself. The reason for the damage is usually either poor quality manufacturing or using the spanner on the wrong sized fastener. Adjustables commonly get mullered for the closely related reason of not being tightened down properly on to the fastener before torque is applied.

[Author]

Posts