Newbie on site....hand tools help.

[malcky]

Hello all, new to the site and also to the plumbing world and in college after nearly 20 years in office work and fancied a change of career.

So looking for a wee bit of assistance getting the best hand tools needed for my new chosen career.....Only hand tools for the time being as the budget wont allow it for now while im studying at college....I will do another thread for power tools when the time comes.

If people could let me know of the most common and best tools to start the ball rolling, I dont want the cheap everyday stuff as dont mind paying for good quality items, even if they are pricey.....(buy cheap buy twice or more)

My shopping list so far is:

Spanner sets...do I need imperial and metric? seen a nice Bahco set which is metric.
pipe cutters...Bahco ones again look good.
pipe benders...Rothenberger was suggested by my tutor.
Wrenches....What sizes are the most common everyday ones people need or use...6", 8", 10" etc
Blow lamp....Rothenberger super-fire 2

This is just the start of many tools I will get, so please list any other good quality brands too for anything I should be looking out for.

Thanks folks.

Malcky

 

[kay-jay]

Knipex cobras are awesome. And you can get them for 20 quid on flea bay.
I find the monument red/yellow pipe slice good.
I use it when I need to slice only a few mil off the pipe and as this pipe slice hugs round the entire surface of the part you are cutting it helps not to deform the pipe like your other pipe slices will. Found it very handy fitting trv's when the new valves were a touch bigger than the last ones.

do you mean the ones with the hinge? they were on sale in aldi for about 2 quid in a blisterpack attached to a card which said something along lines of cheap tat tools....
but looking at the tool itself it had monument written on it. i dont like em myself but if you are so inclined keep an eye out in aldi

 

[Kyle87]

Yea the ones with the hinge. Not an everyday use tool but has its place

 

[malcky]

Excellent.....few more things to add to the list.

One of the lads at college bought the super-fire last weekend so will see how he got on with it...although he probably only used it for a few minutes.

Still amazed with the replys here...top job guys and this will help other newbies too so keep up the suggestions.

 

[Subby]

Great advice here. Only thing i disagree with is the superfire blowtorch. I have one and seldom use it unless on 28mm.

It is ruthlessly efficient but flame is too wide to train on a small area and I've burned through lots of heat mats.

I went back to using my bernzomatic can't fault it and flame has more of a tip to it. In many instances i don t even need a heatmat whereas i would with the superfire

you can get a different nozzle for working on smaller pipe, more£ though.
I heared that Benzomatic is just a rebranded rothy?

 

[TBServices]

I have a pencil nozzle on my superfire, much better. Although I think I read on here that rothenberger have stopped making these?

I have an Estwing hammer that I bought for £17 from Stax, massive bargain. It's the only hammer I've had since I started as an apprentice, so it's had 8/9 years of abuse and will never break..... If it does, Estwing will replace it, no quibbles.

The Stanley fatmax XL levels are the best on the Market IMO (Silver, not yellow). Super rugged, handy grips on them and easy to see exploded bubbles. My tiler buddy has the 1800 version, he uses it to level up plasterboards and it still gives a perfect reading.

I have the Irwin Vise Grips which are pretty good, will probably try knipex when they pack in.

Will have to get myself a pair of these footprints everyone raves about, although ill be honest, I'm not really sure what their intended use is.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Subby]

never used my footprints lol. Top Gear dropped one of those fatmax levels off a remote controlled helicopter onto a quarry, and it suffered no damage!

 

[tamz]

I have an Estwing hammer that I bought for £17 from Stax, massive bargain. It's the only hammer I've had since I started as an apprentice, so it's had 8/9 years of abuse and will never break..... If it does, Estwing will replace it, no quibbles.

I've broke the head of one 😳

There is a photo of it on here somewhere.

 

[Mike Jackson]

I've actually got a Wickes level. Really nice level and a lot cheaper than Stabila.

 

[AWheating]

you can get a different nozzle for working on smaller pipe, more£ though.
I heared that Benzomatic is just a rebranded rothy?

benzomatic make rothenberger torches. rothenberger dont make many of there own tools especially some of the recent crud they have brought out.

 

[AWheating]

if i had a new trainee come work with me i would not allow him to use a super fire torch. too powerful to learn with and too expensive to buy and fix. get a brass small flame torch and a sparker or lighter. Spend £50 on a power torch when you know how to solder in the real world ie. 10mm away from wallpaper at ceiling level or under a timber floor and not a bench with a vice.

 

[malcky]

if i had a new trainee come work with me i would not allow him to use a super fire torch. too powerful to learn with and too expensive to buy and fix. get a brass small flame torch and a sparker or lighter. Spend £50 on a power torch when you know how to solder in the real world ie. 10mm away from wallpaper at ceiling level or under a timber floor and not a bench with a vice.

This is a fair comment I would say, its all practise and in the technique and I have only had about 3 hours worth of time using a torch, so defo no expert...not sure how old most peoples trainees are on here but based on some of the young lads (im 35 in case anyone wondered) using the college torches scares the crap out of me....so heaven help whoever they end up working with or houses they could likely burn down.

Theres are loads of Estwing claw hammers with all sorts of weights to them....any type in particular I should be looking at?

 

[AWheating]

20oz claw hammer is the lightest id suggest going for. closer to 30oz if your confident in your hammer swing 😉

 

[tamz]

20 oz curved claw. Nylon or leather grip depending what you like. The leather ones have about 35mm shorter shaft.

You will probably have to sharpen the claw as they seem a bit blunt these days. Probably due to some health and safety nonsense.

 

[Phil]

I'd love an Estwing hammer but I'm always leaving them in skips after beating an old bucket or something. Lost two decent ones this way so now its the cheap tubular ones for me. but 16oz, for ease of carrying toolbox.

 

[Bernie2]

What tools you want depends on what sort of work your doing. Buy quality of course, but bear in mind everybody knows what quality tools look like so they could make tempting targets for those who collect other peoples things. Get good screwdrivers it drives you nuts when the heads chip off or round out after a few uses. As Tamz says CK are not bad and not very dear. Wera are dear but I am not sure how good they are. Stanley seem to make tools now days with far lower standards than they once where. but there Fat Max stuff sounds good and I have found it okay. Monument stuff have been making Plumbers stuff for years and years, its usually good. Rothenberg was once the Plumbers premier brand but some say it is now slipping. Stabila is still good but dear. But its all cash.


The cheaper stuff gets me a bit mad really, it looks good until you use it and usually find the metals they are made of are possibly inferior to paper.

But German stuff is usually good and some Spanish and even Indian and Japanese. I think that perhaps Chinese stuff will become good but it is not yet very good. The American stuff is usually great if you can get it.

 

[malcky]

I have only just started college last month so have plenty time to kit myself out with the most common HAND tools for the most common jobs you guys do on a daily basis, not looking at power tools yet....will get that thread started another time.

One thing I want to do IF possible...and thats a BIG if, is try get as many of my HAND tools that are made right here in the UK, which I know will bump up my costs...this is also assuming that stuff that is still made in the UK is good stuff and not cheaper materials from elsewhere and then built in the UK if that makes sense?

Thats one of the reasons I ordered the benders that was posted earlier in this thread, which arrived today and they look brand new....not a mark on them so probably stripped down and re-painted yellow and changed every nut, roller, guides and the other bit I cant remember the name of right now..haha. £45 delivered seems fair to me...although not used them yet.

Ordered the 7" & 9" footprints (not the thumb version) today seeing as they are well liked on here and also discovered made in the UK as well, these I will take to college and see how the things work compared to the adjustables used there.....Will I still need a set of adjustables or do these footprints cover the same tasks?

So, items to look for that are still made here will most likely be: spanners, pipe cutters, claw hammer and anything else people can suggest.

 

[Best]

Plastic waste pipe chamfering tool is a must. Not sure what is best. I have a basic one that is a shaft with an 11/2 " & a 11/4" tool on each end.

 

[Leo21]

Estwing no doubt. Pump pliers, crescent every time. Ther fantastic, tried snap on and all the other brands. Toolman in yardley, mail order they actually exist and there cheap.

 

[AWheating]

toolman is my mecca! :Angel_anim:

 

[Glenwils]

Had my gear for a while from memory, hes what i'm rolling with:

Bag - Stanley fat max open tote (lasted over a year so far and still going strong)
Torch - Superfire2
Screw drivers - Wera chisel drivers (really handy when knocking tiles, bricks out etc)
Spanners - 2 pair of 10" Bahco wide jaws, Smaller set of bahcos,
Hacksaw -Bahco ergo
Junior hacksaw - Bahco
Chisels - Draper (pretty **** to be honest)
Wire snips - CK
Hammer - stanley fat max extreme anti vibe (recommended by a few chippys on site)
Level - Stabila boat level
Benders - Hilmor
Pump pliers - Knipex cobra
pipe slices - Kopex
Socket set - Bahco, (got a bargain from suppliers)
Tape measure - Stanley fat max (has lasted about 5x longer than any of my other tapes)
Stillsons - 10" 18" 24" Rigids

I could go on for pages but they are the hand tools I used most that are kept in my bag.