10 BEST TOOLKITS - The Independent, 17 January 2005

As chosen by DIY expert Mark Harris

Sealey 14-piece wrench set £43
Brighten up your workshop with this set of multi-coloured, metric combination wrenches. The drop-forged chrome vanadium steel tools have been polished to a mirror finish and come with a lifetime guarantee. They vary in size from 6mm to 19mm for flexibility although be warned, you might find that they look too good to get all greasy.
Sealey (01284 757 500; www.sealey.co.uk)

Leatherman Supertool 200 £80
When you can’t carry a whole toolbox with you, a tough multi-tool is a great alternative. This is the largest, strongest multi-tool from Leatherman, containing tempered steel blades, saw, wire stripper, a range of screwdrivers and fully functional pliers. All the tools feature a reliable locking mechanism to prevent them from folding during use.
Whitby & Co (01539 721032; www.whitbyandco.co.uk)

Halfords 235-piece metal tool chest £50 --- BEST BUY
Working out at just 20p per tool, this four-drawer kit offers superb value for money. Although it doesn’t contain absolutely every tool you’ll need, it does have ¼-inch, 3/8-inch and ½-inch chrome vanadium socket sets, combination spanners, screwdrivers, pliers and hex keys. You can lock the metal chest to keep out eager young hands.
Halfords (0870 870 8810 ; www.halfords.com)

JCB 85-piece automotive kit £30
Keeping a tool kit permanently in the car should mean that you don’t end up stranded in the rain for lack of an adjustable spanner. Among the 85 goodies in this fold-out case are an extending wheel nut spanner, tyre pressure gauge, screwdrivers, hex keys, ratchet and spark plug sockets and that all-important PVC tape for slapping on anything making a funny noise.
JCB Shop (0500 144444; www.jcbshop.com)

JCB 60-piece screwdriver kit £9.99
Assembling flatpack furniture can enrage even the most even-tempered DIY enthusiast, so safeguard your sanity with this great value kit. You get four slotted, three Phillips and four precision screwdrivers, all with soft grip handles, plus a magnetic bit holder with 25 screwdriver bits. There’s even a flexible shaft for working in awkward areas when you realise you’ve been reading the instructions upside down.
JCB Shop (0500 144444; www.jcbshop.com)

Draper bicycle tool kit £14.08
This portable canvas case contains everything you’ll need to keep your two-wheeled friend rolling. A 17-function folding multi-tool has six hex keys, three sockets, wrench, blade and two screwdrivers. The basic puncture repair kit (including a handy mini-pump) will do at a pinch, but don’t forget to throw in a couple of inner tubes before setting out on a long ride.
Draper (023 8026 6355 ; www.drapertools.com)

Maplin 18-piece computer tool kit £7.99
Bashing around inside your PC with a grubby monkey wrench is likely to cause more bugs than it fixes. This kit contains tweezers and extractors that have been specially designed for sensitive computer chips, as well as suitably petite screwdrivers, wire cutters and pliers. An additional anti-static wrist strap (£4.99) will ensure that you don’t fry circuits with your own static electricity.
Maplin (0870 4296000 ; www.maplin.co.uk)


Panasonic EYC150 drill and saw kit £350
Rechargeable tools can often be underpowered compared to their corded counterparts, but not these 18V monsters. The drill/driver has a two-speed gearbox and a heavy duty keyless chuck, while the reciprocating saw will glide through wood and PVC at up to 2700 strokes per minute. This professional kit is rounded off with a brace of high capacity batteries, charger and carry case.
Panasonic (0870 535 7357; www.panasonic.co.uk)

Sealey Pro Combo kit £530 --- BEST LUXURY BUY
This comprehensive tool chest should be large and tough enough to satisfy even the Scrapheap Challengers among you. It comprises a lockable 8-drawer topchest and a 5-drawer rollcab with ball bearing runners, together towering nearly one and half metres tall. Buy it before the New Year and you’ll get nearly £500 of Premier Line hand tools and, bizarrely, an angle grinder thrown in for free.
Sealey (01284 757 500; www.sealey.co.uk)

Black & Decker hammer drill and 29-piece kit £19.97 --- BEST BUDGET BUY
If you’re DIYing on a budget, this handy starter tool kit costs less than the price of a call-out fee. It’s based around a variable speed 500W hammer drill with screwdriver, HSS and masonry bits. Also in the plastic case are a hammer, pliers, spanners, utility knife, spirit level and steel ruler. Novices should also consider a first aid kit for the inevitable bruised thumbs.
Amazon (no phone; www.amazon.co.uk)

  Return to The Independent 10 best page