£ Shop

[Dickie]

What's your favourite £shop for daft cheap tools that may last 5 minutes or a lifetime. These places are like a magnate to a tight sweaty like me. And yes I have found one or two bargains....

[steviejoiner74]

There are a couple of bargain shops in fife called "budgies"
They sell loads of brik a brak,curtain poles duvets etc and loads of tools as well.
I've got some chisels I use for hacking out,a pad saw and I've gotten some bottles of chalk for my chalk line. All the stuff I've bought is a quid each and it's well worth the money.
I've never taken the plunge and bought drill bits or screwdriver bits yet though!!

[jg]

I had a small crowbar from a £ shop which was ace, lost it a few years back, but it was a nice handy size for when the claw hammer couldn't cope.

I've also got one of those inspection mirrors on an extending handle in my toolbox - never used it yet, but it's only been about 10 years.

[ayjay]

I looked at a 6' bubble in a local cheap shop - it was £10 - the whole bubble vial was loose - you could move it about 4mm in any direction within the box section.

InExcess is my nearest thing to a cheap tool shop - tape measures are probably my main purchase from there along with the common consumables like jigger blades (about 50p each).

[Hitch]

I used to buy tools in the £1 shop when I was about 13/14 and wanted my own proper tool kit
Don't think I have any of them anymore.

[BRUNO]

does silverline from toolstation count? bought a pick ther a couple of months ago for about 12 quid and shes still going strong

[Dickie]

does silverline from toolstation count? bought a pick ther a couple of months ago for about 12 quid and shes still going strong

Of course it counts Bruno dear boy, somebody could be looking for a pick & read your thread & bingo, you've saved them a few quid!! I bought their mini round nose spade & it's great also.

[speed]

I used to buy tools in the £1 shop when I was about 13/14 and wanted my own proper tool kit
Don't think I have any of them anymore.

ha me too, spend all my pocket money on screwdrivers that was softer metal than the screws, rounding off the driver not the screw

and drill bits that twisted back to a metal rod if they touched wood

[big-all]

does silverline from toolstation count? bought a pick ther a couple of months ago for about 12 quid and shes still going strong

silverline once sent me there wholesale catalouge and the markups where 32-36% on powertools so a £30 router would cost the retailer 19-£22 dependant on volume

consumables are around 50% markup

[steviejoiner74]

Does anyone remember the cheapo brand "black-spur" ?? The worst hand tools ever!!
I remember buying a few screwdrivers and they all snapped within a few uses as the metal was so soft!

[ayjay]

and drill bits that twisted back to a metal rod if they touched wood

I had a set of those once, I was less organised in those days and could never find twist bits in amongst my stuff so I bought this neat little set in a box, first task was a pilot hole in an oak frame for a garage door hinge, whilst drilling, it didn't feel quite right and when I looked at the bit it was now just a straight bit of metal with some flutes along it, the *twist* had just straightened out.

In the skip they went!

[Bob225]

Does anyone remember the cheapo brand "black-spur" ?? The worst hand tools ever!!
I remember buying a few screwdrivers and they all snapped within a few uses as the metal was so soft!

have you ever seen the blackspur catalogue its about 5" thick, the mark up on some electricals ie. 4 way extension bars was 200% - little terminal drivers bought in at 19p sell for 99p-£1

yes I work at a wholesalers in the late 90's early 2000's and would have drop ships of 5-6 pallets twice a week, blackspur use to have a 10-15 acre site up in Felixstowe iirc

[Chappy]

I have a pair of 99p long-nose pliers which have lasted about 25 years with plenty of use!
As for Silverline, I bought one of their log splitting mauls which nearly killed my dog - as I took a swing at a log the sleeve on the handle came unstuck and the maul flew across the garden at 100mph, missing my dogs head by inches.
I wrote a 1 star review on Amazon about it.....utter shite!

[wine~o]

InExcess is my nearest thing to a cheap tool shop - tape measures are probably my main purchase from there along with the common consumables like jigger blades (about 50p each).

Agreed, InExcess have some good bits and pieces now and again, but you have to be careful to avoid the sh1t stuff...

Bought a 900mm box level from them a couple of years ago for £6 odd...it's spot on..

[lagi]

the range do some nice cheap tools too. Bought a socket set for about a fiver, ratchet broke already but do they some nice long drill masonry bits pretty cheap, used them a few times.