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

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

Spanner sets...do I need imperial and metric? seen a nice Bahco set which is metric.b
bacho evertime
pe cutters...Bahco ones again look good.
there not,kopex or monument
pipe benders...Rothenberger was suggested by my tutor.
hes not been plumbing long enough then hilmor,but the older type theres a seller on the bay doing refurbs
Wrenches....What sizes are the most common everyday ones people need or use...6", 8", 10" etc
you mean spanners,22mm for rad tops,16mm for trv tails also buy a ratchet hex tail tool

Blow lamp....Rothenberger super-fire 2
yep,best you can buy

Read more: http://www.ukplumbersforums.co.uk/p...ewbie-site-hand-tools-help.html#ixzz28H2UPQkg

 

[Subby]

Get a good pair of grips (pump pliers) - Vise grip recommended; and a pair of long reach screwdrivers, although I am yet to find ones of good quality (I hear good things about Snap-on and Wiha).

 

[malcky]

Thanks guys, so Bahco gets the thumbs up for spanners/wrenches...probably safe bet for the pliers too im guessing? Lamp choice is good, will look into the Hilmor brand for benders....any other tools I should be looking out for?

 

[tamz]

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.
You'll rarely use them so buy a set at a fiver on ebay (metric)
pipe cutters...Bahco ones again look good.
Looking is not working. buy Kopex or Monument
pipe benders...Rothenberger was suggested by my tutor.
Hilmor or Bend it Now. If your tutor was good on the tools he would still be on them.
Wrenches....What sizes are the most common everyday ones people need or use...6", 8", 10" etc
Bahco wide jaw and knipex alligators or cobras. 6 and 8" on the spanners and 7 and 10" on the grips
Blow lamp....Rothenberger super-fire 2
You got that one right :smile:

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

I hope you have deep pockets :wink:

 

[tamz]

Get a good pair of grips (pump pliers) - Vise grip recommended; and a pair of long reach screwdrivers, although I am yet to find ones of good quality (I hear good things about Snap-on and Wiha).

CK for yer long drivers

 

[Best]

Also check out Footprints - 7" & 10" ones. Takes a while to get used to them, but they are very compact & versatile & become part of your hand.
Hand bender 15 - 22mm, though not as good to use as a frame bender, will be a cheap, easy carried bender. Hilmor may be best. Record did similar & it was great.

 

[tamz]

^^i agree^^
A set of 9" footprints are the best buy you will make. You may not use them everyday but they just do what it says on the tin and will get a turn when nothing else will.

 

[malcky]

Ok cool, settled on the kopex or monument cutters, hilmors for the benders, super-fire 2 lamp, 6" & 8" wrenches + 7" & 10" pliers from Bahco, have already got a set of Wera screwdrivers but will add long reach to the list.....anything else that are must have hand tools?

As for deep pockets....well its like everything you start from scratch, its always expensive starting out and thats why im not going to get cheap stuff and then replace after a few months use.....want good reliable and hopefully years of use.

 

[malcky]

Dont think I have ever seen...defo not used footprints before but will check them out too....

 

[Best]

Sandvik 244 hand saw (Bahco) is hard to beat & cheap. The Baracuda one is slightly dearer but has a thicker blade. They last for ever if you don't let them rust & don't cut grit & steel nails with them!
A good set of ball ended Allen keys essential also. Just a 9 piece set up to about 10mm will do wee things.
A decent claw hammer & a nice thin bolster not to be overlooked as you need these for floors etc.

 

[tamz]

hilmors for the benders
Have a look here for a bender
Hilmor GLM Hand Pipe Bender Refurb Superb Condition BARGAIN | eBay
These are NOT refurbs. they are made by the co who made hilmor before they shipped out for the cheap labour

As for deep pockets....well its like everything you start from scratch, its always expensive starting out and thats why im not going to get cheap stuff and then replace after a few months use.....want good reliable and hopefully years of use.

If you stick at this long enough you will spend more on tools than you did to buy your house!

 

[Best]

Don't rule out cheaper hand tools. Some are very good quality & if you lose them you don't mind the small cost. I have a 15" adjustable spanner (the better bare metal type that is identical to Bahcos). It says "made in China" on it & that was years ago when Chinese stuff was frowned on. It cost a fiver & is very high quality!

 

[tamz]

A decent claw hammer & a nice thin bolster not to be overlooked as you need these for floors etc.

The ONLY decent claw hammer is an Estwing.
The thin bolsters are called feather splitters or a 2 1/4" electricians bolster (i've yet to see an electrician who could use one).
The best ones are made by Eclipse

 

[malcky]

Wow helpfull folks on here and what a good deal on the hilmor benders...just ordered them now...will get some good practise on them (need to see about scrap copper though) Suppose some cheap stuff might suprise you if been made well.

keep the suggestions going folks. thanks

 

[tamz]

Good choice. Miles better than a rebranded cheap import rothenberg.
You will see when it arrives on Friday or Saturday. These are the real deal. If they refurb them i've yet to find where.

 

[Mike Jackson]

For screwdrivers Halfords professional take a lot of beating. Their long reach screwdrivers are the dogs and the two that I use the most.

 

[kay-jay]

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

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[Harryplumb]

For spirit levels make sure its either stabila or stanley fat max. Scaffolders, 600mm and 1200mm should be the ones you require. Bahco hacksaw and files, estwing hammer. can't go wrong with a nice 3' crow bar either!

 

[Kyle87]

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.

 

[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.


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[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.