As any mechanic will tell you – enthusiastic amateur or professional alike - the only proper quality test for tools is their durability over many years of use. We didn’t have years for our testing process, but we did try out a selection of the tools from each kit on various home situations, including whether they could access the fiendishly awkward bolts that hold in the battery of an old R129 Mercedes SL that we had hanging around.
You might be looking at a tool kit for an occasional, straightforward task such as changing a car’s battery, or you might be looking for a far more advanced set, so we’ve considered a spread of tool kits ranging from compact roadside emergency kits through to much more comprehensive suites, but all are cased and portable. We’ve factored in value, the range of tools, perceived quality and also how fit for purpose the set is for its intended purpose.
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The best tool kits 1. Draper 32027 mechanic's tool kit
Price: £114.99
Buy from: Amazon
How many pieces? 127 pieces A few of the larger tools in this set repeatedly fell out of the case when we opened it, which is annoying, but the tools themselves feel like the most hefty and well-engineered here. While the case could clearly keep some of the tools more securely fixed, it also feels very durable and the metal clips can be locked, too. Don’t let the comparably low tool count fool you, either.
This set has all of the tools that you’re likely to want for home spannering; the fewer tools comes mostly from the lack of any household DIY bits such as tape measure, hammer and the obligatory box of picture hooks and random miscellanea that often comes in kits trying to offer automotive and domestic solutions. When it comes to mechanic’s tools including sockets with extensions arms and joints, wrenches, pliers, stubby- and long-necked screwdrivers and more, the Draper’s is a finely picked and broadly very capable mechanic’s toolset that feels like it won’t require a claim on the lifetime warranty. Needless to say, it made very light work of the deeply set bolts around our car’s battery, and at 45cm wide and 8.76kg, it’s also one of the more portable sets. Autocar says 5 stars
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