The Facom Tools Thread.
- Thread starter Dave455
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neophyte
Well-known member
I fon’t have a pair of Facom Microtech pliers, I do have a pair of the cutters though.Nice city.
I used to fly freight in and out of there a while back!
Some more Facom - these are “Micro Tech” screwdrivers. Even leaving aside the watchmakers screwdrivers, there are a fair selection of these available from different makers.
I always thought the Micro Tech were a serious notch above the others in quality. Better than the Wiha in all respects, and I think better than the Wera too.
The handles are a decent quality hard plastic, the sizes of the handles are just right, and the free spinning tops are nice. They are all colour coded too. Black blades are Pozidriv.
Facom also made (and still make, I believe) some pliers in the Micro Tech range. I never bought any as I could get nice Swedish made Lindstrom, or Swiss made Erem. As both of those companies have now been bought out, and the quality has nose dived, I’d be interested to see the current Facom.
The quality is excellent.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo at hand.
Nice tools!My only Facom tool is an old 8mm hex T screwdriver/wrench.
I like it a lot, it has a nice design. I plan on getting some more Facom tools in the future, really nice designs, quality, and innovative solutions.
If you are considering more of these, I might be tempted to get them sooner, rather than later. Under SBD ownership, an awful lot of Facom products, especially the unique ones, have been discontinued.
The No. 74 Nut Runners, with the orange Isoryl handles, have been replaced by a newer (cheaper?) version with the black plastic “protwist” handle.
The protwist seem to be decent tools, but I prefer the Isoryl.
Here are the old -
And the new -
I think the 74T’s are still available.
I would have to check the catalogue, but I think at one time Facom offered more distinct patterns of wrench than any other maker. Snap On probably won it on a technicality with many short / long / extra long versions of essentially the same tool, but Facom made most of the patterns Snap On did, plus a whole load of unique ones as well!
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I don’t own any either, although a friend does and the quality seems excellent. French made too.
The prices have crept up a little, but I’d rather they did that than drop the quality.
For the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with these, here is an example. There are many patterns, but as with the other micro-tech tools, they seem to be biased towards small engineering jobs, rather than specifically electronics.
I think that these, along with Schmitz, represent the best of the small European made pliers right now. Although this is a Facom thread, I have to admit that most of my small precision pliers are Schmitz.
CGarage
Well-known member
I don’t own any either, although a friend does and the quality seems excellent. French made too.
The prices have crept up a little, but I’d rather they did that than drop the quality.
For the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with these, here is an example. There are many patterns, but as with the other micro-tech tools, they seem to be biased towards small engineering jobs, rather than specifically electronics.
I think that these, along with Schmitz, represent the best of the small European made pliers right now. Although this is a Facom thread, I have to admit that most of my small precision pliers are Schmitz.
There are some good offerings from Switzerland also in this area (Erem).
I think these are my only Facom tools: 440 wrench set. IMO these are fantastic wrench’s, they are a nice length, lightweight and the unusual shape works well, the box end gives more options for access than a traditional ring spanner. The plastic holder is handy too, they normally live under the back seat of my truck.
I think I’d go as far to say these are my favourite wrench’s, I have no idea what their COO is or what the warranty is and don’t care - the shape and weight just make them better than my other wrench’s.
At about £65, it’s likely I’ll buy another set to put next to the flank drives in my box.
I think I’d go as far to say these are my favourite wrench’s, I have no idea what their COO is or what the warranty is and don’t care - the shape and weight just make them better than my other wrench’s.
At about £65, it’s likely I’ll buy another set to put next to the flank drives in my box.
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MWEric
Well-known member
The pliers came with the screwdrivers as a promo. Purchased at Leroy Merlin.
For certain, the orange acetate handle is so much cooler even if it looks old.Nice tools!
If you are considering more of these, I might be tempted to get them sooner, rather than later. Under SBD ownership, an awful lot of Facom products, especially the unique ones, have been discontinued.
The No. 74 Nut Runners, with the orange Isoryl handles, have been replaced by a newer (cheaper?) version with the black plastic “protwist” handle.
The protwist seem to be decent tools, but I prefer the Isoryl.
Here are the old -
And the new -
I think the 74T’s are still available.
I would have to check the catalogue, but I think at one time Facom offered more distinct patterns of wrench than any other maker. Snap On probably won it on a technicality with many short / long / extra long versions of essentially the same tool, but Facom made most of the patterns Snap On did, plus a whole load of unique ones as well!
Sadly I feel like I have too many new tools for my hobby needs. I will definitely buy used olf Facom tools on flea markets, but I will try not to buy new stuff. Maybe just their cool vise grips at some point. Still a bit mad for ordering Eagle Grips on Amazon and receiving Milwaukee pliers though.
At least with the used tools, I can be sure most'll be made in France.
Yes, agreed! I needed to add a couple of sizes to my older 40 series wrenches (16/18) and ended up buying a set of these.I think these are my only Facom tools: 440 wrench set. IMO these are fantastic wrench’s, they are a nice length, lightweight and the unusual shape works well, the box end gives more options for access than a traditional ring spanner. The plastic holder is handy too, they normally live under the back seat of my truck.
I think I’d go as far to say these are my favourite wrench’s, I have no idea what their COO is or what the warranty is and don’t care - the shape and weight just make them better than my other wrench’s.
At about £65, it’s likely I’ll buy another set to put next to the flank drives in my box.
Country of origin is generally Taiwan. The reason it bothers people, is that it’s the best indication of the things you can’t see about a wrench, such as steel quality, or durability of plating.
I once would have considered Taiwan unacceptable, but the better tools from Taiwan (that includes these) are now quite decent.
The holders are typically Facom - very practical.
demarpaint
Well-known member
Yes.I have never noticed it before, but there appears to be a circular spring inside these.
Is that to stop the wrench slipping down a bolt head?
I’m not sure the acetate handle even looks old?
Some of the handle materials that Facom have used (I’m thinking of the old “ergotwist” I think) were not durable and have not lasted well. Even my oldest ”Isoryl” still look good!
Yes, here in the U.K. used tool dealers tend to charge a premium for some makes (Snap On, Britool) even if the actual tools are quite tired. Facom wrenches are less well known, so can be incredibly good value used.
Looking at used wrenches also gives you a good idea of quality and long term durability. The finishing on the older Facom wrenches seems to be incredibly durable!
esben57
Well-known member
As an Englishman, I refrain from buying anything from France.
Not so much as a apple.
Not so much as a apple.
That's really interesting, does the nut/bolt head still go through if you push a bit harder? Looks like a great way to hold a nut while driving in a screw in some hard to reach place, think I needed something similar a few times!I have never noticed it before, but there appears to be a circular spring inside these.
Is that to stop the wrench slipping down a bolt head?
demarpaint
Well-known member
I never tried that. I have the Koken nut grip sockets which I use for that. That ring offers a lot more control when you're working something like a nut on a long threaded rod, or a long bolt, it keeps the wrench in place. That is a big help and time saver IMO.
I understand your feelings to a degree. Many British firms from Avon inflatables to Massey Ferguson, have been taken over by French companies and had their factories closed.
However, this forum, and particularly this thread, are not the places to share them. This forum is very international. It’s a place where tool enthusiasts from all countries can discuss things they enjoy, free of such concerns.
I welcome (particularly on a Facom thread) input and contributions from French members, so I can’t agree with a comment that I consider unwelcoming.
I love Facom tools for their quality, for their price (always more affordable than say Snap On), for their style, but primarily for their practicality.
French products, generally, just work, and this is particularly the case with tools. If you choose not to buy and use them, you are missing an experience I greatly enjoy.
In any case, where tools are concerned, I am very unbiased - I love all quality tools, and am prejudiced only against the crappy ones!
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A 27-inch spanner! What on earth do you use that for? Bicycle brakes?46mm combination wrench, the only facom tool I have.
I lived in France for years and acquired quite a few Facom tools. I’ll try to post some in this thread later.
3/8” Drive set with “palm control” ratchet, from my “road box”.
I love the tapered shape of the sockets.
As a matter of interest, I don’t think I have ever used any of these 3/8 drive sockets bigger than 17mm. I like having them with me, especially if I only have 3/8 drive, but for anybody wondering where the boundary between 3/8 and 1/2 drive is, for me it’s 17mm!
I love the tapered shape of the sockets.
As a matter of interest, I don’t think I have ever used any of these 3/8 drive sockets bigger than 17mm. I like having them with me, especially if I only have 3/8 drive, but for anybody wondering where the boundary between 3/8 and 1/2 drive is, for me it’s 17mm!
KnurledNut
Well-known member
There is a 2” (51mm) 40LA on eBay currently. $45. Just sayin’... 
That’s a very good price if you can use it. New price is easily three times that.There is a 2” (51mm) 40LA on eBay currently. $45. Just sayin’...
I generally buy smaller wrenches new - the popular sizes are often worn.
But bigger wrenches don’t wear much, and are less in demand, so are far better buys used!
I got these fairly recently and haven't used them much. Not something I use a lot. The alignment/fit is excellent and they seem robust enough to do something other than hold an object.
The screwdrivers are obviously Proto but I've always suspected they were Facom. I looked close today and "Germany" is slightly embossed on each handle so now I'm not so sure.
The screwdrivers are obviously Proto but I've always suspected they were Facom. I looked close today and "Germany" is slightly embossed on each handle so now I'm not so sure.
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As I think I mentioned, I lived in Paris for many years. Easily the world’s best city (I’ve lived in them all, you understand). But not for the reasons you might discover as a tourist.
Leboncoin is a great place to buy used tools in France and particularly the Paris region. Throw “Facom” into the search bar at the top of that site to see what you’re missing.
By the way, I have found Leboncoin sellers who are willing to take PayPal and ship internationally, but of course you have to trust them to ship the thing, and a lot of them won’t understand English.
(I was going to show a couple of my Facom sockets sets, but the forum software throws up error messages every time I try to embed more than one image in a post. I can add each image individually in an edit, but I’ve used up all of my edit permissions for a 24-hour period for my Snap-on images in another thread (who comes up with these nonsense limitations?). So I will have to post several consecutive posts to add images. Stay tuned if interested.)
Leboncoin is a great place to buy used tools in France and particularly the Paris region. Throw “Facom” into the search bar at the top of that site to see what you’re missing.
By the way, I have found Leboncoin sellers who are willing to take PayPal and ship internationally, but of course you have to trust them to ship the thing, and a lot of them won’t understand English.
(I was going to show a couple of my Facom sockets sets, but the forum software throws up error messages every time I try to embed more than one image in a post. I can add each image individually in an edit, but I’ve used up all of my edit permissions for a 24-hour period for my Snap-on images in another thread (who comes up with these nonsense limitations?). So I will have to post several consecutive posts to add images. Stay tuned if interested.)
I recall paying a mere €45 for this 3/8″-drive socket set, from a retired car mechanic in a godforsaken northern suburb, maybe Saint-Denis.
The owner had slathered everything in absurd amounts of motor oil, which kept the tools in perfect shape over the years. He handed me the little QC slip of paper separately.
The owner had slathered everything in absurd amounts of motor oil, which kept the tools in perfect shape over the years. He handed me the little QC slip of paper separately.
I hunted down these particular sets because they combine two features I wanted: French manufacture and OGV. OGV is Facom’s equivalent of Flank Drive.
As you can see, they also come in pretty and functional metal cases. Facom’s cases have been a selling point of theirs for decades, and the current “Detection” boxes are also very interesting and arguably even more useful (they are optimally compact, they use a drive extension as a carrying handle, and they allow you to see if any tools are missing with the box closed). But it’s hard to beat a nice metal case.
The metal cases are very similar for Unior tools. Only a few ways to make them, I guess, but I mean regarding the hinge design. The new Unior boxes also have those plastic hinges. I rarely saw a failed one but I did see it once. They made metal hinges in the past and it is unfortunate that they no longer do that.
The Facom pliers are nice. I was going to post some of mine.I got these fairly recently and haven't used them much. Not something I use a lot. The alignment/fit is excellent and they seem robust enough to do something other than hold an object.
The screwdrivers are obviously Proto but I've always suspected they were Facom. I looked close today and "Germany" is slightly embossed on each handle so now I'm not so sure.
The Proto screwdrivers may predate SBD’s purchase of Facom, but then again screwdrivers are one area where the different brands they own seem to retain their identities a bit more.
Some of the Proto drivers are made in SBD’s remaining Sheffield factory. Facom drivers still seem to be made in one of the Facom factories.
Superb!
Those are the Facom sets I originally loved, with the red steel cases.
I wish I had bought these new, but for some reason back then, I was only buying tools I thought I needed, rather than those I liked!
Edit - my Grandfather, a former truck mechanic, tended to cover everything in motor oil too. Even now, decades after his passing, I sometimes come to use a tap and need to clean off all the goo! They’ve never rusted though!
When he retired, he covered the fence round his new bungalow in a mixture of used engine oil and paraffin (kerosene). That never rotted either, though you could smell it from 3 houses away in the summer…!
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I have seen more broken lock mechanisms than hinges on those metal-and-plastic cases, and, yes, would prefer all-metal.
I guess all-metal costs a fraction more (or does it really?). And the market at one point thought plastic was more modern. I guess it is more modern. But as a thinking person, I have considerable misgivings about modernity.
Low-tech Magazine has a great tagline: Doubts on progress and technology. You bet!
Here’s a little 1/4″-drive Facom socket set with metal hinges and lock that passed through my hands (gone now). Again made in France and OGV:
That narrow window after OGV but before production was moved off-shore is for me the Facom sweet spot. Not really because French Facom is any better than Taiwanese Facom – although, actually, my French stuff tended to fit better; but with off-centre engagement (OGV) that clearance doesn’t do much harm. But French manufacture befits an iconic French brand like Facom.
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