Britool (Made in England) thread

[rizla01]

Does anyone have any thoughts on the later Britool Sockets - I.e. the ones with the parallel text as opposed to the earlier ones with the center 'Balloon' text?

 

[Bob H]

One of the members on the FaceAche Britool Made in England site has posted this picture. He wants to know what it is, and what the spring is for.
it looks to me like a hex drive “Original” spark plug socket. I’ve had a look in a couple of catalogues, but can’t see a picture of it.
Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.

 

[Farmer J.]

One of the members on the FaceAche Britool Made in England site has posted this picture. He wants to know what it is, and what the spring is for.
it looks to me like a hex drive “Original” spark plug socket. I’ve had a look in a couple of catalogues, but can’t see a picture of it.
Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.

Sorry not to be much help, but I don't recognise it and it doesn't make any sense to me and I can't imagine what it would be used for!
Is part of it actually a hex drive spark plug socket? the part number is different to my hex drive s.p. socket.
What does it look like inside, does the end of that hex bar have any profile to it?

 

[Farmer J.]

Does anyone have any thoughts on the later Britool Sockets - I.e. the ones with the parallel text as opposed to the earlier ones with the center 'Balloon' text?

I think I prefer the look of the older text more with the enlarged letters in the centre more, that's all..

 

[outofbounds]

Made a visit to Edinburgh Scotland last weekend for a wedding and couldn’t resist stepping away to a small “boot sale” while there. I could’ve bought a lot of metric but lugging dead weight across the pond limited me to a few nice Whitworth tools at a pittance.

 

[Stubby1743]

Hi guys. I've just joined and this is my first post.

I have quite a bit of old Britool which I have accumulated over the last 50 years or so.

The 3 tools pictured are interesting I think.

Z4124 is a 3/4" to 1/2" drive adaptor.
Z1641 is a 12 point 9/16" I think (it's not marked with a size).
Z4409 the T handle is the most interesting I think. It's marked "BRITISH BRITOOL MADE" and "RALEIGH INDUSTRIES LTD" the bicycle manufacturer. The 6 point socket pivots on a pin and is not marked with a size but it appears to be 2BA..

 

[Bob H]

I now have, not one but two, 1/4” drive Britool ratchets. This is my full offering.
So, on with a question. In your opinion, is the “Expert” actually Britool, or not ?
I don’t want to like it, I don’t like plastic handles ……
but -
it has a lovely action, and if I’m using 3/8” drive, it’s the one I reach for first.
“Hypocrite” springs to mind ! (before anyone else says it).

 

[Farmer J.]

'Expert Plastic Handle' ?? Ye Gods! What are you thinking man!
All the proper Britool stuff was made before plastic was invented..

 

[Stubby1743]

"Expert" is a Facom second string brand like Blue Point and Snap On.

 

[Dave455]

I now have, not one but two, 1/4” drive Britool ratchets. This is my full offering.
So, on with a question. In your opinion, is the “Expert” actually Britool, or not ?
I don’t want to like it, I don’t like plastic handles ……
but -
it has a lovely action, and if I’m using 3/8” drive, it’s the one I reach for first.
“Hypocrite” springs to mind ! (before anyone else says it).

”Expert” is not Britool.

They are generic far eastern tools.

SBD, who bought Facom, had the rights to the Britool name so they plastered it on some generic ratchets in the hope of cashing in on the name one last time.

They were only branded Britool Expert for the U.K. market, and all the later tools only had “Britool” on the packing. Hey were sold as “Expert“ elsewhere.

 

[Stubby1743]

I've just got back from my local car boot sale and am very pleased with the only purchase that I made.

Britool 1/2" drive 5/8" 12pt with older logo, excellent condition.
Britool 1/2" drive 1/2"BS/7/16" 12pt with newer logo, UK military surplus dated 1972, excellent condition.
Acesa 3/8" drive 10mm 12 pt UK military surplus dated 1994, excellent condition.
Tipco 3/8" drive aluminium body ratchet handle, good condition.
Jacobs No.1A chuck on a Jacobs No.2 Morse Taper, in excellent unused condition.







All for the princely sum of £1 which made me feel a bit like **** Turpin!

 

[Stubby1743]

My two Tipco aluminium handled 3/8" drive ratchets.

The MkIII weighs 135gm and the other, 116gm.

 

[Stubby1743]

I've been to my local, very small, car boot sale this weekend. These British tools cost me next to nothing, about £4 for the lot.



From the top:
King **** Whitworth DOE
King **** stud extractor? I've not seen one before.
Britool Metric double offset ring spanner 14x15mm.
Britool Whitworth DOE
Britool Metric 12x13mm DOE
Athol (Birmingham) Whitworth DOE. UK military surplus dated 1951.
VWB AF DOE. Unusual in that the broad arrow property mark and 1954 date are part of the forging rather than stamped afterwards.
BSA 15-862 double box
Snail Brand AF DOE. Looks unused
Snail Brand Metric DOE. The 7mm end has been opened up but it is a duplicate

The socket is a very nice King **** 3/8 drive 1/8 Whitworth 12 point. This is my first KD tapered socket.

 

[humber2]

I've been to my local, very small, car boot sale this weekend. These British tools cost me next to nothing, about £4 for the lot.



From the top:
King **** Whitworth DOE
King **** stud extractor? I've not seen one before.
Britool Whitworth DOE
Britool Metric 12x13mm DOE
Athol (Birmingham) Whitworth DOE. UK military surplus dated 1951.
VWB AF DOE. Unusual in that the broad arrow property mark and 1954 date are part of the forging rather than stamped afterwards.
BSA 15-862 double box
Snail Brand AF DOE. Looks unused
Snail Brand Metric DOE. The 7mm end has been opened up but it is a duplicate

The socket is a very nice King **** 3/8 drive 1/8 Whitworth 12 point. This is my first KD tapered socket.

The King **** stud remover is one I have not seen before. Being slim it can be fitted when most others cannot.

The pretzel logo wrench is a Vaughan Bros Willenhall product.

 

[Bob H]

The last few bits of Britool I have bought. X2 ratchet, slightly different styles. And my first Britool adjustable, although it looks much more recent than my other stuff.

 

[Kenley]

That happened long before the Stanley takeover, under Facom management. The RJ combination spanner series was discontinued when production moved overseas in 2001 and "replaced" by the RJ...A series, but I think the tooling for the 2J open spanners must have been shipped abroad as they are identical in every respect other than the removal of the "England" stamping.

I've heard it suggested that in fact quite a bit of the "Britool England" (as opposed to "Made in England" was made overseas. It's quite possible as I've only seen it on tools made after the Facom takeover in 1991.

Anthony.

Hi all, this is my first post & I am hoping to resurrect this old post. I collect Britool tools when I come across clean or interesting items.
The other day I came across a Britool Hex drive bit that clearly states made in West Germany!!
I'm hoping someone maybe able to shed some light on this & know something about Britool using German tool makers.

 

[fanders]

Hi, I came across a couple of additional Britool catalogues on eBay recently, so have added the covers to the list I keep and have posted them below for info. The 1960 one is ring-bound, which I've not seen before, not sure of the catalogue number for that one (maybe 102, based on the date). The earliest Britool/Jenks Brothers catalogue I've seen is #93 from 1935, so perhaps there are a stash of earlier ones out there somewhere waiting to be found or sold on eBay. Anyway my favourite Britool period is 1950-early 1980s, and those catalogues are often available.

 

[Bob H]

Bit of an update, we are now over 1,300 members On the FaceAche (Facebook) group. Outstanding.

Further update - we are now over 2,700 members. A fair few international folk on there too.
When I started the group, I thought it would top out at about 500 members.

 

[kwigly]

Further update - we are now over 2,700 members. A fair few international folk on there too.
When I started the group, I thought it would top out at about 500 members.

Now, if you could get 400 pounds from each member, you'd have over a million pounds.
[ equal to about 500 tons ]

 

[Tostal]

I came across this Britool R1 tool which is described in a catalog as a 'Square valve stem socket, double ended 3/16" in. x 1/4" in. squares with a sliding bar handle of 70mm'. I've used it to turn small threading taps although I believe it's actually a refrigeration tool.



T~

 

[Pwardy]

Early 90s Britool metric sockets and ratchet, 1/2" drive. Breaker bar is older.

 

[Bob H]

Early 90s Britool metric sockets and ratchet, 1/2" drive. Breaker bar is older.

I suspect the breaker bar is correct period, though not an original part of the set. The ratchet is from a later period.
Blue handle drive tools went with hole through extensions as shown on the contents list, and as present in the box. Black handles went with the later “no hole through” extensions.

 

[Dave455]

I suspect the breaker bar is correct period, though not an original part of the set. The ratchet is from a later period.
Blue handle drive tools went with hole through extensions as shown on the contents list, and as present in the box. Black handles went with the later “no hole through” extensions.

I think you are correct.

Although, the “hole through” extensions were discontinued before the blue handles.

In the mid 80’s I was buying blue handle ratchet’s with the simpler (no hole) extensions. The quality of the extensions was still very high though. Better than the ratchets in fact.

When they switched to the black handle ratchets, the quality of the finish on both ratchets and extensions dropped.

I would say that was an early 80’s (maybe late 70’s) set with a later ratchet.

 

[Tostal]

Early 90s Britool metric sockets and ratchet, 1/2" drive. Breaker bar is older.

The contents label inside the box lid also doesn't mention the 'breaker bar'. Also, it lists only 16 sockets, so there's one extra present.

Afaik, Britool always called them Swivel Handles rather than Breaker bars - in the 1/2" sq. dr. size these were available in 2 lengths - E79 at 381mm (15") and E85 at 457mm (18"), the extensions were available in 4 different lengths E96 - 3" , E97 - 6", E98 - 12", E99 - 18".

T~

 

[Pwardy]

I think you are correct.

Although, the “hole through” extensions were discontinued before the blue handles.

In the mid 80’s I was buying blue handle ratchet’s with the simpler (no hole) extensions. The quality of the extensions was still very high though. Better than the ratchets in fact.

When they switched to the black handle ratchets, the quality of the finish on both ratchets and extensions dropped.

I would say that was an early 80’s (maybe late 70’s) set with a later ratchet.

Not quite. all of the sockets, two exceptions, and the ratchet were purchased from a Britool rep in 1990. The T bar, UJ, breaker bar and extensions are tools I acquired while buying King **** tools. Job lots; you get all sorts of things. The box came with King **** tools I wanted and I thought was correct for the ratchet and sockets. Also I thought the combination would make a fine gift fo my son.
Nice if the box is older than the sockets and ratchet, it is in exceptional condition. Either way a nice first tool set.

 

[Dave455]

Not quite. all of the sockets, two exceptions, and the ratchet were purchased from a Britool rep in 1990. The T bar, UJ, breaker bar and extensions are tools I acquired while buying King **** tools. Job lots; you of all sorts of things. The box came with King **** tools I wanted and I thought was correct for the ratchet and sockets. Also I thought the combination would make a fine gift fo my son.
Nice if the box is older than the sockets and ratchet, it is in exceptional condition. Either way a nice first tool set.

Ah well, if it’s all mis matched we’ve got no hope.

Of the two sockets I can see one is the later (90’s) and one older.

There was always “old stock” around with Britool.

I’ve found bits sometimes a decade or two old at dealers, but you got to a point where the only decent things you found were sockets in odd sizes.

The sockets (especially 1/2” drive) didn’t really change for many years so are worth looking for.

 

[Pwardy]

Ah well, if it’s all mis matched we’ve got no hope.

Of the two sockets I can see one is the later (90’s) and one older.

There was always “old stock” around with Britool.

I’ve found bits sometimes a decade or two old at dealers, but you got to a point where the only decent things you found were sockets in odd sizes.

The sockets (especially 1/2” drive) didn’t really change for many years so are worth looking for.

If this box of tools generates so much interest then I will look at it in detail. The sockets and ratchet were purchased in 1990; yes there is one extra socket. I bought the sizes I thought I needed. There is a further Britool branded socket outside the box with a bit driver.
Everything else I acquired purchasing King **** tools. The box I thought was period correct to 1990, large logo? It is interesting but doesn’t matter as they are a gift.
Edit: I’ll get a picture of the logo on the box, pI’d like to know if I matched the box to the tools something like?

 

[Pwardy]

This is the box, red textured paint with a simple large logo



What date would be the correct for the box please?

 

[Bob H]

This is the box, red textured paint with a simple large logo



What date would be the correct for the box please?

Based on the evidence, this style of box label and paint started some time between 1969 and 1974. I suspect it would have been into the 1970’s before they had time to design both the new logo, and new blue plastic handled tools that went with it. That would be start of production, and not supply, as they would need to clear old stock first. Then there is the issue of which sells quicker, so 1/2” and 1/4” drive new style may have been on the stockists shelves along old style 3/8” drive.
I bought my 1/2” drive old style from a tool factor who had 15 new style sets, but only my one. They had already sold many of the new ones.

 

[Bob H]

Here is a Very late catalogue cover, which includes elements of Britool.

 

[Bob H]

'Expert Plastic Handle' ?? Ye Gods! What are you thinking man!
All the proper Britool stuff was made before plastic was invented..

Hey Farmer J, what about the insert cards in the socket box lids ?

 

[Stubby1743]

Got this 22x23mm DOE this morning at my local car boot sale. UK Govt property mark and dated 1978 and looks unused. Very heavily made at 10oz/300g.

 

[outofbounds]

Found this 1/2 Drive E70 Sliding T Handle in an unlikely place on a commute through Northern Michigan.

 

[humber2]

When was the uniform height text of BRITOOL name introduced?

Clearly in the James Neill era but not immediately it seems.

 

[Farmer J.]

When was the uniform height text of BRITOOL name introduced?

Clearly in the James Neill era but not immediately it seems.

I have some .448 hex drive sockets with the uniform height BRITOOL, so it must have been whilst those were still being made.
Mid 1960's?

 

[Bob H]

Just thought I would add in a few early posters. I have more, if anyone would like to see them ?

 

[outofbounds]

Snagged this fairly minty Whitworth combination wrench set today at a garage sale. Probably not terribly vintage per se, but surprised to come across a complete (I presume) set in the new world.

 

[Farmer J.]

Snagged this fairly minty Whitworth combination wrench set today at a garage sale. Probably not terribly vintage per se, but surprised to come across a complete (I presume) set in the new world.

Those RJ series spanners are very good quality, I have the same ones I bought around 1980 I think. The part numbers correspond to the dimension across flats in thousandths of an inch.

 

[outofbounds]

Those RJ series spanners are very good quality, I have the same ones I bought around 1980 I think. The part numbers correspond to the dimension across flats in thousandths of an inch.

That is very cool information to know! Thanks for that

 

[Bob H]

More old posters, as some members requested. More to follow.