Old School Britool - socket set with hex drive

JVY

JVY

Active Member
Recently, my old man was having a clear out. He has decided that his days of tinkering with old cars is over :( . Anyway, he presented me with something of a family airloom - a Britool socket set that belonged to his dad. My dad reckons his father probably bought it sometime in the 1960s(?) to do work on his motorbike. The set still seems to be mostly complete. Although the case and sockets are well worn, the sockets, ratchet, brace, extensions are all still in good working order.


One immediate difference between this and modern sockets with 3/4, 1/2, 3/8 & 1/4" square drives is that the sockets all have hex drive. A very quick Google seems to indicate that some toolmakers used this hexagon shape years ago before the square drive became defacto. Must admit it's something I hadn't noticed before.


I have already used the set and shall endeavour to keep using it. I just need to make sure I don't loose any sockets before I can pass it on to one of my kids :wink: .
 
Britool (particularly of that era) is good gear. IIRC you used to be able to buy a changeover from 1/2" sq.dr to that hex drive so you can use all your normal 1/2" ratchets and extensions with those sockets.
 
I will keep a lookout for something like that Harvey. It would be handy. Maybe also an adapter that would allow me to attach the hex ratchet/brace to 1/2" sockets would be good too.

Although the plating is starting to flake a bit on most of the items and it has been well used, nothing seems to be worn or damaged. Don't make 'em like that any more! The other day I noticed my little Snap-on 3/8 ratchet seems to be about to give up the ghost as the ratchet is starting to slip and I'm guessing it's newer and had less use (just maybe more abuse :) ) than the old Britool set which is still going strong.
 
Hi Steve,

That looks very similar to the old AF/WW Britool set I rescued from a Freecycle garage clearout some years ago and not only is it great quality, it just feels right in your hand.

My main metric ( :shock: ) 1/2" socket set is "proper" Elora that I got from ebay Germany and is similar - if not better - quality, but ISTR seeing the Elora brand is now owned by Draper - with predictable results.

I've seen some modern Britool kit that doesn't look quite up to the mark - although I haven't used any so that's merely an observation.
 
Draper sell a small range of the Elora range,they don't even sell all of it much less own the Elora brand.
 
I have the same set although mine are single hex rather than bihex as in the photo, it belonged to my father. I think mine dates from around WW2 as it is a dull finish. Also have the hex equivalent of a 3/4 drive as well. I have adapters from hex to square and vice versa, I bought them in the 70s from Britool.
 
The other day I noticed my little Snap-on 3/8 ratchet seems to be about to give up the ghost as the ratchet is starting to slip
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Don't Snap-on renew ratchets for free nowadays - they always used to?
It was one of the main points for buying their pricy tools, getting replacements for anything that turned its toes up.
 
smokin1942 said:
The other day I noticed my little Snap-on 3/8 ratchet seems to be about to give up the ghost as the ratchet is starting to slip
Click to expand...

Don't Snap-on renew ratchets for free nowadays - they always used to?
It was one of the main points for buying their pricy tools, getting replacements for anything that turned its toes up.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Wasn't sure about that. Though not sure how to go about it - other than waving down the next Snap-on van I see :) . Seriously, I suppose I could check on their website.
 
Snap-On will replace the inner workings for you, normally. It comes in a repair kit.
If there is obvious evidence of overtorquing then you will need to stump up for
the bits, though as that will be deemed abuse of the tool.
 
Appreciating that this reply is to an oldish post,the adaptors from hex to square drive for sockets etc are available. Various companies sell them to enable ratchet spanners to be used to turn standard square drive sockets. All you'll have to do is fine the size of the hex in the existing ratchet and work out the nearest metric equivalent.
Very,very few companies make the ratchet spanners in Imperial,Draper made them up to a few years ago but have now stopped which is why these adaptors aren't available in Imperial AF sizes. We still sell the spanners in AF (proper ones made in England) but not the adaptors
 
Snap-On/Blue Point do ratchet spanners as do Facom, but
I believe the Facom inch stuff cannot be sold in France....go figure...
 
unstable load said:
but I believe the Facom inch stuff cannot be sold in France....go figure...
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Shame we don't apply the same principle to Metric stuff being sold over here...
 
harveyp6 said:
unstable load said:
but I believe the Facom inch stuff cannot be sold in France....go figure...
Click to expand...

Shame we don't apply the same principle to Metric stuff being sold over here...
Click to expand...

:LOL: You sound just like my Dad there Harvey!

When I served my apprenticeship as a welder/fabricater (87-94) we always worked in Imperial sizes up until the day I left. Although I have now changed from metalworking to woodworking I have no choice but to work in Metric as it seems to have become the norm. I still prefer using the old system though.
 
As a child, I was raised in inches, feet and pounds and then at school was
reprogrammed to Metric and when I started off in my working career it was
first on marine engines that ran the gamut from Volvo, Mercedes, Perkins
to American and Japanese outboards, so it was a pretty solid grounding in
both systems. That was followed by a stint at a Mercedes dealership, and
now, I am an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer working on American helicopters
with French engines and it's become second nature to swap and change as
required.
 
harveyp6 said:
willmills71 said:
:LOL: You sound just like my Dad there Harvey!
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I'll take that as a compliment......
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Please do. My Dad's been an Engineer all his working life. Most of that time was spent with Royal Ordnance, later British Aerospace. He's now retired but I've always valued his opinion on all things automotive and mechanical. :)
 
I remember when metric started to become more common my old foreman went round cutting two inches off the end of imperial rulers.He couldn't quite grasp the principles.
I used imperial all my apprenticeship and for some years after and I still translate back most of the time.
I know a 6 foot 4 bloke weighing 18 stone is a big-un but give me the same details in cm and kg and I'd have to translate.
Imperial was good enough for Stephenson,Brunel and Whitworth but we have sweet fanny adams in engineering now and simply import a load of old tat from China. Metrics plenty good enough for that.
I sent a load of BSW stuff to Australia the other day for a firm using old British biplanes as crop sprayers,they insisted on British made spanners,probably wanted to keep it 'in the family'.
 
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