Autocar product test: which tool kit is best?
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
2. Halfords motorist’s tool kit
Price: £30.00
Buy from: Halfords
How many pieces? 47
This is obviously a totally different prospect to the Draper, and emphasises what we’ve mentioned about this being a test of two halves – the full-size portable mechanic’s sets and the compact, occasional-use kits such as this. The Halfords is the best of the latter, hence its five star rating. It’s a fantastic, affordable and well considered emergency- or occasional mini toolset. It includes sockets from 8-17mm, and a small extension arm that meant it (just about) managed to access the bolts around the battery in our old Merc. Jubilee clips, torch, electrical tape, tyre pressure gauge and the ever-useful cable ties are great for temporary roadside fixes, making this a -useful little kit to store in your endearingly unreliable hobby car. Autocar says 5 stars
3. Hi-Spec Auto mechanic's Tool Kit – BEST BUDGET BUY
Price: £38.99
Buy from: Amazon
How many pieces? 67
This compact kit is a mini home mechanic’s set rather than a roadside kit like the Halfords and Black and Decker, and for the money it’s really great. The tools feel like they’ll last well, and the Hi-Spec lifetime guarantee also backs this up. More than that, for a conveniently dinky 30cm, 2.6kg set it’s actually got the tools that many home mechanics will need, including an electrical testing pen, socket extensions and joints that made light work of our battery bolts, 16- and 21mm spark plug sockets, a spread of screwdrivers and bits, and more. If you’re after an automotive-specific tool kit that’s not massive or pricey but does the job, this is pretty unbeatable. Autocar says 4 stars
4. Vonhaus Socket and Tool set
Price: £99.99
Buy from: Amazon
How many pieces? 256
This is a very well-stocked kit that covers your household DIY and most automotive needs, too. It includes sockets ranging from 4- to 30mm, a variety of extension arms that easily reached the bolts on our old car’s battery, an electrical tester, a host of screwdriver bits, a flashlight, tape measure and much more. Quality isn’t what it is on the Draper and Sealey sets, but the core tools still feel very durable – there is a two year guarantee, as well. The plastic locks on the case feel fairly cheap, though, and at nearly 10kg this is a heavy set to lug around. Autocar says 4 stars
5. Hi-Spec Home and Garage mechanic's Tool Kit
Price: £105.99
Buy from: Amazon
How many pieces? 122
The Hi-Spec is a really decent mechanic's tool kit, and is complete with a socket extension that allowed easy removal of our fiendishly awkward battery-securing bolts. It does sacrifice some of the tools that a home mechanic might find useful in favour of more domestic DIY tools such as a spirit level and hacksaw, but there are all of the sockets, extension and joints that you’re likely to want, and the voltage detecting pen can be a really useful addition to a home mechanic's kit that the others lack. The tools don’t feel as high quality as the Draper or Selaey, but they are on a par with the Vonhaus. Some of the bigger tools are prone to falling out of the case when you open it, but generally they stay secure and this is overall a very recommendable kit for home mechanic- and DIY purposes.
Autocar says 4 stars
6. Sealey Mechanic’s tool kit
Price: £189.90
Buy from: Amazon
How many pieces? 144
There’s a really comprehensive range of mechanic’s tools in the Sealey set and, provided you’re not after an all-round domestic and automotive tool kit, this is likely to have everything you want. It all feels like really high-quality stuff, too, which is backed up by a lifetime warranty from this UK company. Our big issue is that the kit arrived with most of the smaller sockets rattling around loose, and they don’t click back into place firmly enough to stay put when the case is moved around, which makes for a really frustrating and time-consuming tidy up all too often.
Autocar says 4 stars
7. DEKO Socket Wrench Auto Repair Set
Price: £75.99
Buy from: Amazon
How many pieces? 192
This is good value for a comprehensive domestic and occasional mechanic’s tool kit, but there are inevitable signs of cost saving. Some of the sockets don’t sit well in the case, and you barely need to look at this Deko set for the allen keys to fall out. For such a wide array of tools it’s certainly good value, but the quality of the case and the tools is a little questionable. More than that, there’s no slider extension arm nor jointed attachment for fiddly socket-work, and even the longest extension arm only just reached the deeply recessed bolts around our car battery. Don’t be fooled by the high tool count – when it comes to automotive tools, the Deko is actually quite limited compared to the other full-size sets here.
Autocar says 3 stars
8. Black and Decker Accessories Roll Bag
Price: £32.40
Buy from: Amazon
How many pieces? 77
The Black and Decker kit is along the same ‘emergency kit’ lines as the Halfords. It has 6- through to 17mm sockets, but no socket extension like the Halfords kit has (meaning that it failed at our battery bolt test), and while quality is adequate we favour the Halfords’ selection of useful emergency bits and bobs over the Black and Decker’s very screwdriver-heavy tool set. It’s a decent compact tool kit, but the Halfords is a better roadside kit, while the Hi-Spec Auto Mechanic’s set has a broader spread of tools and is the more comprehensive low-cost, one-hit automotive tool set.
Autocar says 3 stars
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