MetalMessiaH
New member
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2014
- Messages
- 2
I'm considering buying some new tools,can some one give me a opinion about Britool ?
TY in advance !!!
TY in advance !!!
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Opinions about Britool
- Thread starter MetalMessiaH
- Start date
I'm considering buying some new tools,can some one give me a opinion about Britool ?
TY in advance !!!
There ok however the ones sold on the mac vans in the uk are jus draper/ stanley expert poo. But hey they serve a purpose and do a job , so at the right price there great.
Hello MetalMessiaH,
I used to work at an agricultural engineer's shop, and for about twenty years we sold Britool wrenches. Farmers can be quite hard - to say the least - on their tools, yet we had very few returns due to breakages. In those days, all the Britool wrenches - with the exception of the adjustables ( Bahco Sweden) - were Made in England. However, things have changed, and sadly I understand that production has ceased in this country, and now Britool wrenches are imported. I'm unsure if they are made in China, Taiwan, or India. It annoys me that the name - which means British Tool - is used in connection with foreign sourced goods. In fact I emailed Britool to query this usage, but never had a reply from them. So, if YOU are buying Britool, I can certainly vouch for the quality of the British made product, but have no experience of the far east made.
If quality of finish is important to you ( it is to me) the British made Britool tools seemed to vary somewhat over the years. Some wrenches had a very good finish, others not so fine. However, the Britool Hallmark Automotive range, which I think was introduced in the late 1980's to compete with Snap On, was EXCELLENT. These wrenches were made in England, and branded BRITOOL with ENGLAND in large letters on the back of the tool. They were sold mostly from a fleet of vans calling on workshops.The finish and quality is truly great, though the finish was perhaps SLIGHTLY less glitzy than Snap On. Unfortunately, this part of Britool's business folded about ten years ago, and the factory at Cannock is now gone. So, if you can get hold of some of these wrenches, I would recommend them. In England, there are still some stocks remaining, such as at TradeMarque Tools, http://www.trademarquetools.co.uk/b...=&Manufacturer=&brand_search=Britool Hallmark
But make sure you specify the British made Britool Hallmark wrenches, as I believe they now sell some foreign sourced ones under the Hallmark brand, just to confuse the issue.
I'd like to find out some more about Britool's demise in terms of manufacturing in England - does anybody know?
I can also recommend the current KING **** combination wrenches / spanners. Strong and very nice finish.
Hope this helps.
I used to work at an agricultural engineer's shop, and for about twenty years we sold Britool wrenches. Farmers can be quite hard - to say the least - on their tools, yet we had very few returns due to breakages. In those days, all the Britool wrenches - with the exception of the adjustables ( Bahco Sweden) - were Made in England. However, things have changed, and sadly I understand that production has ceased in this country, and now Britool wrenches are imported. I'm unsure if they are made in China, Taiwan, or India. It annoys me that the name - which means British Tool - is used in connection with foreign sourced goods. In fact I emailed Britool to query this usage, but never had a reply from them. So, if YOU are buying Britool, I can certainly vouch for the quality of the British made product, but have no experience of the far east made.
If quality of finish is important to you ( it is to me) the British made Britool tools seemed to vary somewhat over the years. Some wrenches had a very good finish, others not so fine. However, the Britool Hallmark Automotive range, which I think was introduced in the late 1980's to compete with Snap On, was EXCELLENT. These wrenches were made in England, and branded BRITOOL with ENGLAND in large letters on the back of the tool. They were sold mostly from a fleet of vans calling on workshops.The finish and quality is truly great, though the finish was perhaps SLIGHTLY less glitzy than Snap On. Unfortunately, this part of Britool's business folded about ten years ago, and the factory at Cannock is now gone. So, if you can get hold of some of these wrenches, I would recommend them. In England, there are still some stocks remaining, such as at TradeMarque Tools, http://www.trademarquetools.co.uk/b...=&Manufacturer=&brand_search=Britool Hallmark
But make sure you specify the British made Britool Hallmark wrenches, as I believe they now sell some foreign sourced ones under the Hallmark brand, just to confuse the issue.
I'd like to find out some more about Britool's demise in terms of manufacturing in England - does anybody know?
I can also recommend the current KING **** combination wrenches / spanners. Strong and very nice finish.
Hope this helps.
Hello MetalMessiaH,
I used to work at an agricultural engineer's shop, and for about twenty years we sold Britool wrenches. Farmers can be quite hard - to say the least - on their tools, yet we had very few returns due to breakages. In those days, all the Britool wrenches - with the exception of the adjustables ( Bahco Sweden) - were Made in England. However, things have changed, and sadly I understand that production has ceased in this country, and now Britool wrenches are imported. I'm unsure if they are made in China, Taiwan, or India. It annoys me that the name - which means British Tool - is used in connection with foreign sourced goods. In fact I emailed Britool to query this usage, but never had a reply from them. So, if YOU are buying Britool, I can certainly vouch for the quality of the British made product, but have no experience of the far east made.
If quality of finish is important to you ( it is to me) the British made Britool tools seemed to vary somewhat over the years. Some wrenches had a very good finish, others not so fine. However, the Britool Hallmark Automotive range, which I think was introduced in the late 1980's to compete with Snap On, was EXCELLENT. These wrenches were made in England, and branded BRITOOL with ENGLAND in large letters on the back of the tool. They were sold mostly from a fleet of vans calling on workshops.The finish and quality is truly great, though the finish was perhaps SLIGHTLY less glitzy than Snap On. Unfortunately, this part of Britool's business folded about ten years ago, and the factory at Cannock is now gone. So, if you can get hold of some of these wrenches, I would recommend them. In England, there are still some stocks remaining, such as at TradeMarque Tools, http://www.trademarquetools.co.uk/b...=&Manufacturer=&brand_search=Britool Hallmark
But make sure you specify the British made Britool Hallmark wrenches, as I believe they now sell some foreign sourced ones under the Hallmark brand, just to confuse the issue.
I'd like to find out some more about Britool's demise in terms of manufacturing in England - does anybody know?
I can also recommend the current KING **** combination wrenches / spanners. Strong and very nice finish.
Hope this helps.
Nice 1st post, let me welcome you to the forum biltonjim.
Colin
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
As above, I would recommend Britool.
Dirty Diesels
Well-known member
As has been said above in the other posts, the made in England (original Britool) tools are the best 1's to buy, I've not bought any of the new expert range since the Facom partnership, so cannot say what they are like, however the original made in England 1's are on par with Snap-On & will stand up to the test of time.
Dave455
Well-known member
MetalMessiaH - if you can get old, British Made, Britool then do so! It's superb stuff and in some respects even preferable to Snap On.
Sadly, however, it hasn't been made for some years. The modern stuff is average, perhaps even below average, imported stuff with the Britool name on it. They don't even mark the name on the tools, just the packaging, and just for the U.K. market too! Talk about 'badge engineering! Avoid it at all costs. If you want tools of this quality, they can be had much cheaper. If you want decent stuff, this isn't it!
Biltonjim - you're dead right! The really decent stuff was made up till the mid 70's! Look for the all steel handles, distinctive Britool styling, the "Britool" in an oval logo and the crinkle finish boxes! Later stuff, late 70's to 80's, is still good, but the finish wasn't quite as good, and the blue plastic handles crept in! The last of the British stuff was dog rough though, so don't buy it just because it's British!
Britool got bought out by Facom in the early 90's and they basically progressively switched to Facom tools with a poorer finish and the Britool name. Still usable, but not Britool as it was. Think they continued to make sockets for quite a while, but same applies!
Facom, in turn got bought out by Stanley. The Britool name got applied to the bottom of the range thereafter, and even the Facom stuff is being taken downmarket. My heart bleeds purple piss! Good on you biltonjim for taking them to task, but I doubt they give a flying f##k!
As far as I'm aware, Britool Hallmark came about because Britool had sold off the direct sales side of the business, who also had the rights to the name, and Facom didn't acquire it! The original tools sold from the vans were good quality British made tools, though I can't recall seeing them marked 'Hallmark' at that time. They may have been. Not many made it to my part of the world!
Britool Hallmark continued as a separate business, but none of the Britool Hallmark tools that I've seen were made in the U.K. and the ones offerred now certainly are not! The Screwdrivers that I've seen are French made, presumably by the same plant who made the Facom Britool, but the sockets and accessories are unmarked, and probably Taiwanese. I've seen them, they look average Taiwan to me, and the Torx bits twist and break like Taiwanese so they probably are!
There are several eBay sellers claiming that their Britool Hallmark tools are British made, or even implying that they have some secret supply of old British made Britool, but all these claims seem to be false and all the new stuff being supplied seems to be average Taiwanese. If anybody discovers otherwise let me know and I'll be beating a path to their door!
If you want 'old Britool' quality, you either have to buy good second hand or buy Snap On. King **** is a good compromise, and much more sensible than buying 'pseudo British/ Taiwaneseish/ vagueish shite.
Many of the old school users of Britool here in Sussex have switched to KoKen and love it!
Sadly, however, it hasn't been made for some years. The modern stuff is average, perhaps even below average, imported stuff with the Britool name on it. They don't even mark the name on the tools, just the packaging, and just for the U.K. market too! Talk about 'badge engineering! Avoid it at all costs. If you want tools of this quality, they can be had much cheaper. If you want decent stuff, this isn't it!
Biltonjim - you're dead right! The really decent stuff was made up till the mid 70's! Look for the all steel handles, distinctive Britool styling, the "Britool" in an oval logo and the crinkle finish boxes! Later stuff, late 70's to 80's, is still good, but the finish wasn't quite as good, and the blue plastic handles crept in! The last of the British stuff was dog rough though, so don't buy it just because it's British!
Britool got bought out by Facom in the early 90's and they basically progressively switched to Facom tools with a poorer finish and the Britool name. Still usable, but not Britool as it was. Think they continued to make sockets for quite a while, but same applies!
Facom, in turn got bought out by Stanley. The Britool name got applied to the bottom of the range thereafter, and even the Facom stuff is being taken downmarket. My heart bleeds purple piss! Good on you biltonjim for taking them to task, but I doubt they give a flying f##k!
As far as I'm aware, Britool Hallmark came about because Britool had sold off the direct sales side of the business, who also had the rights to the name, and Facom didn't acquire it! The original tools sold from the vans were good quality British made tools, though I can't recall seeing them marked 'Hallmark' at that time. They may have been. Not many made it to my part of the world!
Britool Hallmark continued as a separate business, but none of the Britool Hallmark tools that I've seen were made in the U.K. and the ones offerred now certainly are not! The Screwdrivers that I've seen are French made, presumably by the same plant who made the Facom Britool, but the sockets and accessories are unmarked, and probably Taiwanese. I've seen them, they look average Taiwan to me, and the Torx bits twist and break like Taiwanese so they probably are!
There are several eBay sellers claiming that their Britool Hallmark tools are British made, or even implying that they have some secret supply of old British made Britool, but all these claims seem to be false and all the new stuff being supplied seems to be average Taiwanese. If anybody discovers otherwise let me know and I'll be beating a path to their door!
If you want 'old Britool' quality, you either have to buy good second hand or buy Snap On. King **** is a good compromise, and much more sensible than buying 'pseudo British/ Taiwaneseish/ vagueish shite.
Many of the old school users of Britool here in Sussex have switched to KoKen and love it!
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ZRX61
Well-known member
The old stuff is great, the newer stuff is chrome plated turd.
D350RDV
Well-known member
Having bought quite a bit of Britool over the years, here's my two pennyworth:
It all went wrong around 2001 - that was the point that the factory in Cannock ceased production. Anything 1950's to 1990's vintage will be as good as anything anyone else ever made anywhere.
I agree with Dave455 that the finish cold be a bit variable over the years - but the late 80's and early 90's stuff seems to have been very well finished and has lasted me well so far. I've got all the handle styles on the ratchets - the black poly ones with the three grooves at the end seem to be the one's I always reach for, even though I was dead against them to start with as they are potentially more susceptible to damage than the chrome ones.
When Facom took them over initially it didn't seem to do any harm - there were even some decent new products introduced (the original A20/D20/E20 fine tooth ratchets for example) but then things went down hill quite rapidly IMHO. I have a 1998 catalogue - 208 pages - and a 2002/3 catalogue at only 56 pages by which point most of what's left of the range is clearly import stuff and the rest is old stock.
The new stuff (Britool Expert) is no better or no worse than any of the other "quality" far eastern stuff but it has about as much in common with proper Britool as a cheap roll cab with a second hand Snap On badge stick on the front.
Hallmark went its own way in 2001 when Facom stripped most of the assets out of Britool and sold what was left - essentially a van dealer franchise operation to a management buy out. They had the right to use the Britoo namel, though only for a certain number of years I believe.
I've picked up a few bits of the Hallmark range out of curiousity, including a 3/8" ratchet that is made in England, and identical to an original A46 ratchet. If I had to choose, I'd go for Hallmark over the post 2002 import stuff or the expert range but it doesn't seem to be very widely available - and I'd rather have the orginal Britool line, later referred to as the industrial range, over anything else any day!
hth,
Anthony
It all went wrong around 2001 - that was the point that the factory in Cannock ceased production. Anything 1950's to 1990's vintage will be as good as anything anyone else ever made anywhere.
I agree with Dave455 that the finish cold be a bit variable over the years - but the late 80's and early 90's stuff seems to have been very well finished and has lasted me well so far. I've got all the handle styles on the ratchets - the black poly ones with the three grooves at the end seem to be the one's I always reach for, even though I was dead against them to start with as they are potentially more susceptible to damage than the chrome ones.
When Facom took them over initially it didn't seem to do any harm - there were even some decent new products introduced (the original A20/D20/E20 fine tooth ratchets for example) but then things went down hill quite rapidly IMHO. I have a 1998 catalogue - 208 pages - and a 2002/3 catalogue at only 56 pages by which point most of what's left of the range is clearly import stuff and the rest is old stock.
The new stuff (Britool Expert) is no better or no worse than any of the other "quality" far eastern stuff but it has about as much in common with proper Britool as a cheap roll cab with a second hand Snap On badge stick on the front.
Hallmark went its own way in 2001 when Facom stripped most of the assets out of Britool and sold what was left - essentially a van dealer franchise operation to a management buy out. They had the right to use the Britoo namel, though only for a certain number of years I believe.
I've picked up a few bits of the Hallmark range out of curiousity, including a 3/8" ratchet that is made in England, and identical to an original A46 ratchet. If I had to choose, I'd go for Hallmark over the post 2002 import stuff or the expert range but it doesn't seem to be very widely available - and I'd rather have the orginal Britool line, later referred to as the industrial range, over anything else any day!
hth,
Anthony
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OP
MetalMessiaH
New member
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2014
- Messages
- 2
I ended up getting a great discount on the Facom and Wera,but will keep you're opinion in mind for my next purchase.
TY ALL !!!
TY ALL !!!
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