British tools

[Dave455]

That's sad, I would have hoped that they were still English made like my old Britool stuff. I ordered some Britool Metric wrenches not too long ago and got Britool Expert made in Taiwan. They don't even say Britool on them anymore, they work fine but I can buy Taiwan made tool anywhere. Looks like if I want UK made wrenches, I'll have to buy used.

The old Britool was superb. Sadly, as the years pass, the “old” is getting progressively older.

Britool were bought by Facom in I think 1992, and there hasn’t been any proper Britool since. Facom stamped the name on predominantly Facom tools, but with a poorer finish. When SBD bought Facom they used the name on even poorer tools, and latterly only on the packing.

It says a lot for what Britool once were, that people are still buying on the basis of the name.

Although Facom and SBD are generally blamed for the companies demise, it must be remembered that Britool’s own management made a pretty good attempt at it too. In all the time I’ve been on this planet, I’ve only ever seen Britool quality go down, never up.

I’ve seen the classic Britool of the 60’s and early 70’s give way to the plastic handled tools of the James Neil era, and I’ve seen designs cheapened again in the 80’s (though I do have some mid 80’s tools I bought new that are superbly finished).

Finally, I saw tools produced by their “new” chroming plant in the late 80’s that were so rough as to be unusable. This isn’t accidental, some idiot manager initiated and approved all these changes, and pretty much finished the company before Facom picked over the bones!

I grew up with Britool, my Father used it exclusively, and I love it to use, but in the end the management drove me away with their poor decisions. My Grandfather loved American tools, and I totally came round to his way of thinking. At the time, I started buying Snap On. Costly then, but no regrets.

Later, when I was buying tools for a company, I went with Snap On. Never the cheapest, but always a safe decision. I probably spent a 6 figure sum with Snap On. That business could have gone to Britool, IF their idiot managers understood their tools, and their customers!

 

[Dave455]

That *****. I was really hoping to get some true made in England/UK wrenches. My buddy has some really old sets and he uses them all the time for his MG. I would do the King **** but if they’re using Chinese sourced blanks I will pass for now. Maybe I’ll find some decent used stuff on Marketplace.

The whole idea came about because one of the other machinists at work is taking an extended vacation to the UK and he wanted to know if he could bring me back any true British tools. He knows I enjoy working on older British autos and bikes and I’m a bit of an American Anglophile.

Your loyalty to these British vehicles of yesteryear is much appreciated this side of the pond!

Actually, I totally understand it. The British made vehicles of the 50’s and 60’s were world leaders, but very different to the products of the U.S. Not necessarily better, just different.

I predominantly work on vehicles from the 70’s now. Sure, I work on a few modern ones (my own BMW’s included) but I don’t get the satisfaction I do from the older ones.

There are a huge number of used tools available in the U.K. and you would be surprised how inexpensive these can be if they are in A/F (SAE) sizes. Whitworth ones are creeping up in price, but for SAE, supply much exceeds demand, keeping prices down.

If you can get your buddy to visit a good used tool dealer, or even buy from fleabay, you might do well.

Personally, I’ve lost a lot of brand loyalty. I like to buy tools from manufacturers with a bit of history, as tool manufacture isn’t as easy as some think. I like to buy tools with something of a reputation, as there is more to most tools than you can see. But overall, I buy now on the basis of what I see.

If I can buy from a company who seem to be doing good things, such as improving / maintaining quality, so much the better. Certainly better than buying from a company that are only interested in reducing costs!

 

[CHI_Tool&Die]

Your loyalty to these British vehicles of yesteryear is much appreciated this side of the pond!

Actually, I totally understand it. The British made vehicles of the 50’s and 60’s were world leaders, but very different to the products of the U.S. Not necessarily better, just different.

I predominantly work on vehicles from the 70’s now. Sure, I work on a few modern ones (my own BMW’s included) but I don’t get the satisfaction I do from the older ones.

There are a huge number of used tools available in the U.K. and you would be surprised how inexpensive these can be if they are in A/F (SAE) sizes. Whitworth ones are creeping up in price, but for SAE, supply much exceeds demand, keeping prices down.

If you can get your buddy to visit a good used tool dealer, or even buy from fleabay, you might do well.

Personally, I’ve lost a lot of brand loyalty. I like to buy tools from manufacturers with a bit of history, as tool manufacture isn’t as easy as some think. I like to buy tools with something of a reputation, as there is more to most tools than you can see. But overall, I buy now on the basis of what I see.

If I can buy from a company who seem to be doing good things, such as improving / maintaining quality, so much the better. Certainly better than buying from a company that are only interested in reducing costs!

I have a sincere love for the classic era of British vehicles. I drive my wife crazy because she catches me always looking at any and all used British cars in my area, which aren't a lot but they pop up every now and then. I think it's something to do with the size and character of the cars. It feels more personal, even though I know they were mass-produced. For me, only Italian cars come close to matching the British roadsters and compacts. If I ever win the Lotto or find a large sum of money on the side of the street, one of my first purchases would be a Morgan 3 wheeler.

 

[F-22]

Ah, Lucas, the prince of darkness, inventor of the intermittent wipers and the 3 position light switch - dimmed, flicker and off. A gentleman should not motor around after dark.

 

[Dave455]

Ah, Lucas, the prince of darkness, inventor of the intermittent wipers and the 3 position light switch - dimmed, flicker and off. A gentleman should not motor around after dark.

Well, I’m going to go against the trend here, and state my support for most things Lucas!

I have boxes of Lucas switches in my workshop, mostly built in the 60’s and removed from scrap vehicles, and not only do they still work, but they’re the the highest quality automotive switch I’ve found. Nothing newer comes close.

I have sealed beam headlamps, that in most cases outlived the vehicles they were fitted to, and numerous other components of a similar quality.

The worst products that Lucas made were the bullet connectors that were used on a lot of BMC cars in the 60’s and early 70’s. There’s nothing really wrong with the concept, but the materials allow for corrosion and that’s where the trouble starts.

In fairness, Lucas were a contractor, and ultimately built what the customer ordered. I’d place half the blame for the dubious connectors on the vehicle manufacturers!

 

[F-22]

I assume a lot of the hate went towards the magneto ignitions. At least from my experience with motorcycles... Not gonna say others were much better (maybe Bosch), but the British bike industry was very strong at the time and they made a lot of them... If you wanted a powerful bike in the 50's or 60's, it just had to be British. Then the Japanese came with their bulletproof designs which only pronounced the flaws of the British bikes that much more.

 

[Dave455]

I assume a lot of the hate went towards the magneto ignitions. At least from my experience with motorcycles... Not gonna say others were much better (maybe Bosch), but the British bike industry was very strong at the time and they made a lot of them... If you wanted a powerful bike in the 50's or 60's, it just had to be British. Then the Japanese came with their bulletproof designs which only pronounced the flaws of the British bikes that much more.

That was, for the most part, justified!

You can make a similar argument for the coil systems found on most cars. I’m generally very reluctant to remove original spec components and replace with (often poorer quality) new ones, but the single biggest improvement you can make to most classic British vehicles is electronic ignition.

I saw the demise of much of the British bike industry first hand, albeit at a young age! Most of it was caused by under investment, and total denial that Japanese bikes were ever going to be a threat.

Looking back at those Japanese bikes of the 1970’s now (I’m thinking things like the Honda CB750, and especially the Kawasaki Z1) you realise how good they actually were. Considering the prices charged at the time, they were bargains!

 

[F-22]

Looking back at those Japanese bikes of the 1970’s now, you realise how good they actually were. Considering the prices charged at the time, they were bargains!

I love this video. We get more bike for the same money today, but how awesome it would be to get the same 70's bike for less money! The improvements aren't worth it and are even downgrades in many ways. Make the 360 with modern steel, construction and suspension, fuel injection and abs, and it'd easily be the highest quality bike on the market in its size, even if you totally forget about redesigning the rest of the engine.

Candy paint isn't even used anymore, or chrome and polished aluminium - way too expensive to make compared to stickers on plastic...

That said, 70's Italian bikes were still pretty good. Lacked in some ways, but boy did they know how to make world class castings, lightweigh bikes, ultimate frame geometries... Yeah the Japanese engines were ultra reliable and relatively simple - but who can deny the brilliance and uniqueness of a Ducati bevel twin or a Guzzi V7 Sport (though yeah - the Laverda twins and Benelli fours were total Honda copies). The Guzzi almost looks like a sport touring bike until you see the spec sheet and realize it was practically the most powerful 750cc bike in its day. Chromoly frame, 200kg of weight in the early 70's when the Japanese were closer to 300 (GS850 with the shaft drive comes to mind...), about 100hp/litre, drums as large as the wheels... Not to mention their older creations (Guzzi Otto) which are hardly surpassed by anyone (maybe the Honda RC166).