Small tool find this weekend!

[haloghalog]

Well I finally located the industrial part of town which is where all the auto repair and tool stores are, and I've got to say it’s a really interesting experience. However, the trend is for cheap and fake tools and it was a struggle to try and locate the few nice items I have below. Sunflag mini screwdriver set ($5), Sunflag screwdrivers (approx $3 ea), and King Tony (Taiwan) ½” ratchet for $18. I also found several wrenches and ratchets labeled Germany but it was clearly a Chinese made piece from unheard of brands. In fact one store was selling Rubicon screwdrivers, however when I noticed the poor lettering and chipping chrome it was clear that this was not the original.

 

[fourfeathers]

I have never heard of any of those, but I would definitely buy that ratchet! Thanks for sharing. I was not looking for tools when I was in the UAE. (USS Constellation)

 

[mrholeshot]

Never heard of any of those

 

[SMKS]

I found some King Tony items on eBay. I've read some pretty good reviews of the brand. It looks like pretty good stuff, but because of that it isn't super cheap.

 

[haloghalog]

I just realized that the King Tony ratchet is actually very similar to my Gedore ratchet. Oops I just said the word Gedore, now that rep for Gedore is going to read this, and it will come up in his Google search. Anyway, the only issue with the ratchet is the deep groove in the handle which will end up collecting tons of dirt under real working conditions. The other brand I found here is called Licota, which is again another Tawain company but with an impressive finish and very very good pricing, so I'll go back in week to pick up some socket sizes that I'm missing but don't use very often i.e. 33mm socket etc...

 

[arkangel06]

Too bad you didnt find any good tools

 

[superautobacs]

The handle and beam on that KT ratchet reminds me of Facom's palm ratchet.

KT was supposedly founded by the founder of the modern ratcheting wrench, Bobby Hu.

 

[Monte]

nice, i like the screwdrivers

 

[beelsr]

bobby hu is hi-five tools, maybe KT is another brand for them?

http://www.newtools.com/about.htm

reversegear should know as he works for hi-five...

 

[jjarrell4]

Abu dhabi
damn that's far away

 

[SCscoutguy]

They sell those king tony ratchets at my local agri supply store for $15 I believe.
http://www.agrisupply.com/product.asp?pn=39073&sid=&eid=

 

[SMKS]

The King Tony website lists this as their official US distributor. Many of the tools are marketed under the name KT Pro.

http://www.ktprotools.com/

 

[Lump]

WOW. This is an eye-opener.

I never-before realized how difficult it must be in some places to find really top quality mechanic's tools...if you're not in North America, Europe, or Japan. I go to flea markets, auctions, estate sales, etc, every week...several times per week, and I buy TOP quality tools for a couple bucks per piece in great condition. I guess there are some places where that is not so easy!

 

[Sick Puppy]

WOW. This is an eye-opener.

I never-before realized how difficult it must be in some places to find really top quality mechanic's tools...if you're not in North America, Europe, or Japan. I go to flea markets, auctions, estate sales, etc, every week...several times per week, and I buy TOP quality tools for a couple bucks per piece in great condition. I guess there are some places where that is not so easy!

Grrr, I'm jealous! Whenever I see tools at markets here, I see only cheap chaiwanese rubbish, rarely if ever see anything decent. Having said that, I've just moved to the South Island, so things may be different here... [crosses fingers].

King Tony are one of the leading middle end tool brands here, with Teng, although Toptul are making inroads lately. Apparently they have their own foundry, and make all their own tools. They also colour code their sockets, blue for metric and red for imperial, and the ratchets feel much better than Powerbuilt ones... not as good as Koken ones, but still night and day against Powerbuilt.

 

[sansara]

My first post here, although I've been lurking for several months.

I'm also in Abu Dhabi. The selection of quality hand tools in the UAE appears to be really limited, and what there is can be very overpriced (which is odd given the very low import tax and proximity to Europe). Not so bad on the power tools side of things. For the time being, I'm relying on ebay and other online sources but the shipping costs can be a killer for bulky or heavy items.

Haloghalog -- I take it you ventured into the badlands of the Musaffah industrial area for the haul pictured above? It's an interesting place!