sidchrome vs kincrome

[sscustom]

hi guys so being from australia we have sidchrome ,kincrome ,bahco, stanley,supatool,and a few more i was curious for all the aussies and gj crew
what do you guys think is best, im looking for a socket set

any suggestions .plus id love to see you kincrome or sidchrome socket sets
so please post pics

http://www.sydneytools.com.au/shopexd.asp?id=14828&bc=no

 

[Coolabah]

hi guys so being from australia we have sidchrome ,kincrome ,bahco, stanley,supatool,and a few more i was curious for all the aussies and gj crew
what do you guys think is best, im looking for a socket set

any suggestions .plus id love to see you kincrome or sidchrome socket sets
so please post pics

http://www.sydneytools.com.au/shopexd.asp?id=14828&bc=no

I have a Sidchrome spanner (wrench for you USA guys) & socket set from late 1970's - awesome stuff this is Snap On quality IMHO. You canna handa manna granda spanner (complete with Scotts accent- am I the only Aussie here old enough to remember the ads ??)
I also have more recent Kincrome stuff- all I can say is, it is Chinese and the same as current day Sidchrome. And, it is Chinese. Did I mention it is from way Northern Kowloon ? Quality is as expected ...
I also own older Facom, Hazet, Stahlwille.... and a recent aussie ebay purchase: Holex spanners ( sorry I know you were asking about sockets but thes spanners are great value for money forget spending on Super-c-rap...err...whatever excuse my spelling...)

My suggestion is go for second hand tools, failing that Bahco still seem to produce the most decent socket set if you want to go for that price range (and based on your shortlist above) - my 2 cents !

 

[sscustom]

yeah some of the old sidchrome stuff ,vintage spanners go for cheap altho rusty will clean up with a lil elbow grease

 

[marruss]

Why bother?

Sidchrome now is just low end Stanley and Kinchrome are about same but at least they honour their warranty.

With the strength of our $ at the moment you can buy top quality tools from the States for the same price including freight. Heaps of bargains on US ebay if you take the time to look and learn about there brands.

For a start you won't go wrong with Matco, Mac, Proto, Armstrong, Cornwell, Snap On etc. Just do your homework

I have a heap of tools from the States. I really like the Armstrong product but have bought Snap On, Cornwell and Proto sets in the last year.

I have just bought a Rahsol (Gedore) 3/4" Torque wrench. New old stock. for $70.US plus $80.US for postage. New price here is over $1400.

 

[Coolabah]

yeah some of the old sidchrome stuff ,vintage spanners go for cheap altho rusty will clean up with a lil elbow grease

You're kidding, right ? The quality stuff is not rusty, sells for twice the Bunnings new price but is 40 times better. Where the heck have you been looking ????

I think in Aus the European stuff is stilll the best bang-for-buck but marruss is not at all wrong in what he is saying

 

[catfish]

**** vs ****
both way too expensive

 

[Coolabah]

**** vs ****
both way too expensive

Way to go Catfish. Finally get an intelligent Aussie question on a US based forum...and your answer :
"both way too expensive"

Glad we got THAT sorted. Bull : please close the thread right now as we don't need to tie up the resources of this fine site any further...

Just messing with you I am sure you will follow up with something at least mildly constructive when you get a chance...

 

[sscustom]

Way to go Catfish. Finally get an intelligent Aussie question on a US based forum...and your answer :
"both way too expensive"

Glad we got THAT sorted. Bull : please close the thread right now as we don't need to tie up the resources of this fine site any further...

Just messing with you I am sure you will follow up with something at least mildly constructive when you get a chance...

mate what are you goin on about i said that sidchrome you can get the old style made in australia spnners on ebay and i said there rusty but they clean up well

 

[spv]

Kincrome is absolute rubbish with the exception of their Finkal line. Careful what you say about Sidchrome. Their red rubber gripped pliers are Facom and made in France. Their multi-grips are made in Germany (Monte please tell me who!! I think Gedore). Their older pliers (red transparent plastic handles) were made in Japan. Their sockets are unfortunately cheap Taiwanese I believe but better than cheap Chinese. Exactly the same as Stanley sockets. I can photograph them side by side. A friend has both sets. They are good for use as drifts! Anti-vibe hammers are also identical. Kincrome is all bottom of the line stuff.

 

[sscustom]

Kincrome is absolute rubbish with the exception of their Finkal line. Careful what you say about Sidchrome. Their red rubber gripped pliers are Facom and made in France. Their multi-grips are made in Germany (Monte please tell me who!! I think Gedore). Their older pliers (red transparent plastic handles) were made in Japan. Their sockets are unfortunately cheap Taiwanese I believe but better than cheap Chinese. Exactly the same as Stanley sockets. I can photograph them side by side. A friend has both sets. They are good for use as drifts! Anti-vibe hammers are also identical. Kincrome is all bottom of the line stuff.

well can somone tell me what is up there then ,besides snap on to pricey for me

 

[Sancho]

In my time down there got the chance to turn some sidchrome gear, spanners, shifters, and rats. I will say they are nice tools, not sure what vintage they were but the rats especially have a that cool frankenstein toggle, they were brutally coarse ratchets and the hard handles seemed to suffer from the same issues we face in NA. Namely, over time they disentegrate. I would compare them to proto, sk, etc as well.

With all that said the chroming on the old sidchrome spanners I bought second hand to ship home had some of the nicest chroming Ive seen in some time. I suppose my colleague still has them waiting to make the flight to the US next time he comes up.

 

[housey]

I've bought pretty much all my tools from overseas in germany, south africa and america because the local offerings are pretty pathetic.

If you want good tools at a decent price you should look into gedore tools from RSA, which are supposedly made in the exact same method as the german gedore tools. I paid 2500 rand (about 7.5 rand to $1AU, so $333AU) for a toolbox that included: a full 1/2" socket set, metric combination spanners from 6mm to 24mm (i think), multigrips, pliers, sidecutter, needlenose pliers, locking pliers, screwdriver set. Shipping is expensive though, luckily I got mine through free as one of my dads friends had a shipping container coming over from there.

 

[Monte]

Their multi-grips are made in Germany (Monte please tell me who!! I think Gedore).

multi-grips = water pump pliers ? = Facom
multi-grips = Locking pliers ? = www.bollmanngrip.de

 

[Monte]

btw. where is this thing made ?

 

[jabberwoki]

You canna handa manna granda spanner (complete with Scotts accent- am I the only Aussie here old enough to remember the ads ??)

Na mate i still say that all the time and the yanks have no clue what i`m talking about.

 

[Dale B]

If you said it slow I could have figured it out , just like spanish.

 

[spv]

multi-grips = water pump pliers ? = Facom
multi-grips = Locking pliers ? = www.bollmanngrip.de

Thanks Monte. Locking pliers.. Do Bollmann make pliers for Stanley?

PS: I have one of those ratchets but it has no COA on it.

 

[Monte]

Do Bollmann make pliers for Stanley?

only for sidchrome. Stanley locking pliers are imported from China or Taiwan. However in france Stanley offers a french made locking plier too:
http://www.stanleyoutillage.fr/prod...ande+Capacité/SkuDetail.ctlg?ObjectID=84-199#

PS: I have one of those ratchets but it has no COA on it.

just found a website which says that all sidchrome/Stanley manufacturing in australia ceased in 2001...i thought the ratchet is from Australia...because it looks so....australian

 

[jabberwoki]

****** dale!!

 

[Justanoldguy]

Most of my newer tools are Bahco and I have absolutely no complaints.
My older tools are mainly Sidchrome and still work fine.

 

[spv]

only for sidchrome. Stanley locking pliers are imported from China or Taiwan. However in france Stanley offers a french made locking plier too:

Interesting...

just found a website which says that all sidchrome/Stanley manufacturing in australia ceased in 2001...i thought the ratchet is from Australia...because it looks so....australian

Yes. They stopped manufacturing a while back. It not only looks Australian, it feels Australian. They are ****** heavy and "coarse tooth" design

As far as Bacho, sockets are Taiwanese afik, but pliers are (*can't remember, somewhere in Europe*). I use quite a bit of Bacho gear and have no complaints at all. I purchase them over Sidchrome which IMO is worlds better than Kincrome.

PS: I own Nepros, Stahlwille, Hazet, Gedore, Koken, Bahco, Sidchrome and Kincrome to name a few.

 

[sscustom]

Interesting...



Yes. They stopped manufacturing a while back. It not only looks Australian, it feels Australian. They are ****** heavy and "coarse tooth" design

As far as Bacho, sockets are Taiwanese afik, but pliers are (*can't remember, somewhere in Europe*). I use quite a bit of Bacho gear and have no complaints at all. I purchase them over Sidchrome which IMO is worlds better than Kincrome.

PS: I own Nepros, Stahlwille, Hazet, Gedore, Koken, Bahco, Sidchrome and Kincrome to name a few.

so bahco is is the way to go i wanna buy a kit which includes spanners [wrenches ] and sockets and are they made in germany

 

[catfish]

Kincrome is absolute rubbish with the exception of their Finkal line. Careful what you say about Sidchrome. Their red rubber gripped pliers are Facom and made in France.

Never seen 'em.Although the high end 'pro' line Cooper does is still made in Australia so i would buy those over the German ones.The only thing that bothers me is Cooper only shows Australian COO on the packaging and not on the tool.Man up Cooper.

so bahco is is the way to go i wanna buy a kit which includes spanners [wrenches ] and sockets and are they made in germany

They are made in Taiwan.

 

[marruss]

Biggest difference between Sidchrome and Kinchrome is that when you break them Kinchrome will replace it, Sidchrome will give you a hard time and will do their best to get out of replacing it

If you are not comfortable buying tools out the US. (still the best value, especially while our $ is so high) then have a look at the KC professional range. Cheaper and just as good

Otherwise buy second hand Sidchrome marked "made in Australia"

 

[spv]

Biggest difference between Sidchrome and Kinchrome is that when you break them Kinchrome will replace it, Sidchrome will give you a hard time and will do their best to get out of replacing it

That is not my experience. I contacted Kincrome HQ direct and they did not want to know about serious defects with their products. They gave me the brush off and sent me to the local retailer who were also not interested as the tools came from interstate. Kincrome has also been found guilty by the ACCC of seriously misrepresenting the COA of their tools with their "true blue" adverts. Sidchrome however has a number of quality lines that are the same as Facom and other quality manufacturers. Give me some examples of like quality tools from Kincrome? Quality wise Sidchrome sockets are Taiwanese which is miles ahead of Chinese quality.

 

[mik641]

You guys have JBS tools there?

 

[gf0012-aust]

I've got Bahco shifters and they're made in sweden. all the bahco tools that we used for making submarines were also made in sweden. excellent gear, solid, nice feel, smooth action.

not a fan of kinchrome, but wherever I see old sidchrome I'll make the effort to buy them. dam shame that they're nearly all AF though - getting hold of metric is almost impossible (as in old production)

 

[sscustom]

I've got Bahco shifters and they're made in sweden. all the bahco tools that we used for making submarines were also made in sweden. excellent gear, solid, nice feel, smooth action.

not a fan of kinchrome, but wherever I see old sidchrome I'll make the effort to buy them. dam shame that they're nearly all AF though - getting hold of metric is almost impossible (as in old production)

cheers for the advice i do have some old vintage sid stuff ,but i am thinking bout buying this set by bahco any advice on it ?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Bahco-46..._Hand_Tools&hash=item4aa856f1af#ht_3453wt_896

 

[GTVi]

@sscustom, the link is 1/4, which is comprehensive, but limited in application. If you need to use it for automotive or heavier work, then also go with a 1/2 inch set. Then you broaden your usage/application. Shop around for price and don't rush. As already said before, for a first time shopper, try looking for second hand. Your better off buying more second hand, than few brand new. There's nothing worse than not having the right tool when you need it most. Hope that helps. You got a whole life of buying/collecting to do. lol

EDIT: Here's a suggestion http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260594098939&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

[bigdavesproule]

hey, im gna throw a different light on this thread, im from northern ireland, moved to perth 6 months ago, work as a disel fitter/welder.

i would reccomend teng tools had quite a bit of these and had no problems, life time warranty.

Kamasa have some decent quality tools as long as you dont buy the economy versions, ive a really good lifetime warranty metric/imperial combination spanner set, lovely to use, nicely packaged in a roll that isnt plastic and doesnt fall apart after 2 weeks.

snap-on are far too expensive in my opinion, they are the best of the best but why pay for them when i can get lifetime warranty on tools half the price?

bahco are great, used alot of them and loved them.

bergen tools are quite cheap, and nice quality.

there is a dirt cheap tool company in th uk called rolson, usually make rubbish but i have had 2 spanner sets from them which are identical to siegen tools and i cannot break them, very cheap but suprisingly good,

draper expert socket sets are very good, but not fond of much other draper tools.

sealey tools are quite costly, and some of the hand tools are good quality.

had a silverline socket set i got for £30 because the box was scraped, strong ratchet and sockets. but again an economy tool maker.

been struggling to find decent quality aussie tools,
didnt like SP tools, cheap and weak.
sidchrome have some beautiful tool box deals at the minute and i can see me buying one in th future,
kincrome dont appeal to me at all.
Typhoon seem ok as well but havent used them.

 

[svranjic]

I'm originally from Perth but living in London for 11 years now and is disappointing to see Sidchrome being made in Asia now.

I have a Sidchrome set with me here in the UK I use when servicing my car but its not the Aussie made version. I now buy Gedore, Beta, Wera, Wiha Stahlwille, Hazet and many European made brands depending on COO.

My father brought me up to buy quality where you can afford it and he has alot of the original Sidchrome Australia gear and you can feel the difference.

I've started to send him tool parcels as European quality is very expensive in the land down under.

 

[NFT5]

Sidchrome are still good, not as good as they used to be, but a bit overpriced, IMHO.

Kincrome are not bad for the price. Spanners and sockets are ok, some other things like pliers are a bit ordinary. They are a good step below Sidchrome though. That said, haven't heard of too many failures. I have a set of Kincrome ratcheting rings and they've never given a hint of trouble.

I like SP Motorsport for spanners - identical to SO and much cheaper. I've never had a problem with their sockets either. Well made, good quality and very accurately sized. As good as Sidchrome? Close. Certainly better than Kincrome. Their air tools are also very good. There is a big difference between SP Motorsport and their standard range, though.

For real value Repco are the go. Used to be Sidchrome but now Taiwanese made, still reasonablly good quality and they're available everywhere. No questions asked warranty, too. Break it, take it in to any Repco store and get an on the spot replacement. Have set up a couple of apprentices with these andthey've stood up to the beating that apprentices hand out.

Bahco also have some excellent tools.

Knipex for sidecutters and circlip pliers.

If you use pin punches, SnapOn is the only choice. Haven't found another brand that doesn't break. Otherwise SO is nice but overpriced and over-rated, again IMO.

 

[Monte]

.

nice nut case

 

[aussieracer]

Reviving oldish thread.

Recently got a Kincrome 182 piece tool set. I like Kincrome boxes as I've used one for quite a number of years and it has been tossed around a bit and still operates like new. I particularly like the retracting drawers. Therefore I had no issues buying again. Needed to get some tools too, and buying empty an empty chest and trolley versus a decently equipped chest and trolley was only $700 extra so I took the plunge.

While I don't regret doing so, I was bitterly disappointed with the standard of the spanners (wrenches). I've had a few Kincrome spanners in the past, but having mainly used Sidchrome spanners which I've been VERY happy with. The few Kincromes I had were mainly AF sizes I rarely use (mainly for plumbing fittings) and I purchased them over Sidchromes purely because I wanted shorter spanners given I don't use them for high torque items.

Anyway I guess I kind of forgot that and when I unpacked the tools I was immediately upset with the spanners. The finishes seemed unfinished with rough edges, and the spanners were so short. I barely gave them a single use before buying Sidchrome spanners again - the Facom inspired 440 series. I guess I was also happy to get a pair of metrics spanners, to avoid using sockets when only needed to hold the opposite bolt/nut.

What a difference in quality. The length is heaps better and they are a joy to hold. Not a huge fan with how the box ends makes it a little hard to use on the flatter side, but that's my only quibble.

Thought I'd share some pictures showing the differences.
Length:

Box end:

Open end, with Sidchrome's trademark anti-slip grooves which aren't in the Facom originals:

 

[12vcumminsnut]

Reviving oldish thread.

Recently got a Kincrome 182 piece tool set. I like Kincrome boxes as I've used one for quite a number of years and it has been tossed around a bit and still operates like new. I particularly like the retracting drawers. Therefore I had no issues buying again. Needed to get some tools too, and buying empty an empty chest and trolley versus a decently equipped chest and trolley was only $700 extra so I took the plunge.

While I don't regret doing so, I was bitterly disappointed with the standard of the spanners (wrenches). I've had a few Kincrome spanners in the past, but having mainly used Sidchrome spanners which I've been VERY happy with. The few Kincromes I had were mainly AF sizes I rarely use (mainly for plumbing fittings) and I purchased them over Sidchromes purely because I wanted shorter spanners given I don't use them for high torque items.

Anyway I guess I kind of forgot that and when I unpacked the tools I was immediately upset with the spanners. The finishes seemed unfinished with rough edges, and the spanners were so short. I barely gave them a single use before buying Sidchrome spanners again - the Facom inspired 440 series. I guess I was also happy to get a pair of metrics spanners, to avoid using sockets when only needed to hold the opposite bolt/nut.

What a difference in quality. The length is heaps better and they are a joy to hold. Not a huge fan with how the box ends makes it a little hard to use on the flatter side, but that's my only quibble.

Thought I'd share some pictures showing the differences.
Length:

Box end:

Open end, with Sidchrome's trademark anti-slip grooves which aren't in the Facom originals:

Those are actually Mac's precision torque rebranded not sidchrome I have all the sets

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[Loscaldazar]

Those are actually Mac's precision torque rebranded not sidchrome I have all the sets

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Mac/Stanley owns Sidchrome, so most of Sidchrome's lineup is a rebadge of something made for another one of Stanley's brands.

Sidchrome does still have a few Australian made tools (punches) that are unique to Sidchrome. I picked up a few when I was living in New Zealand two years ago. Great so far