Anyone a mechanic or has a relative who is?

[Littletreefrog]

My son is turning 18 soon. He is an apprentice at a large car plant. He has access to all the tools he needs there but can't bring them home. He likes working on his own car and has some tools (I haven't a clue what they are) so I was thinking of getting him a good tool chest on wheels for the garage for his birthday.

I have no idea what to get apart from I know he likes Snap On but that seems impossible to buy even second hand for less than £1000. I was wanting to spend more like £400 tops

Any ideas?

If you go to Halfords Pro- they’re guaranteed for life now and they’re a hell of a lot cheaper (husband a mechanic)

edited to add, he says he will need: 3/8 drive, ratchet, sockets between 8 and 19 mm, set of deep and set of shallow sockets, set of torques, accommodation spanner set x 2 (8 to 24 mm), screwdrivers - set of flat bladed and Phillips and torque screw drivers, set of pliers, set of vice grips, long nose pliers.

If you think.he would be happy with second hand tools I would search on ebay for 'Tool chest with tools' .

I think a lot of new tools sold today use poor quality metal and are rubbish, (although they do look nice and shiny).

Just added;
Or follow the advice of @Mummysgogetter

ebay this one is not bad.

That does look good value compared to what I have seen but I can't collect it unfortunately

Thank you, He likes looking for his own tools (second hand) and I'm happy to let him as I don't know what's what.

That's excellent help thank.you. no idea what he already has but I will give him that list of useful things to get.

That’s a solid list of essentials, and the lifetime guarantee from Halfords Pro makes it an even better deal! It’s great to hear firsthand that they hold up well in a mechanic’s toolbox. Definitely a cost-effective option compared to some of the high-end brands. Does your husband have any particular favorites from the set, or any must-have additions he’d recommend?

Was talking to Dh today. Snap on are guaranteed for life and his rachet broke, it's now called a vintage rachet, ha ha. They all have part numbers, so he rang up and the guy said he'd look for one for replacement for Dh, for free as it's a lifetime guarantee.

Dh says 40 years ago he bought the toolbox, and also one tool a week, or rather he gave the bloke £5 a week from his wages on a Friday , for 3 years, from the snap on guy who came round to garages weekly. That's how it was done. Box and tools 🛠️ ⚒️ 🧰 probably would cost a young lad today £10k+. How could anyone afford it now? Didn't tell op this to haunt her, just commiserating that it's a shame that they don't still do it the old way.

Honestly I would talk to him about what you're planning before buying a cheaper tool chest. He might well prefer a contribution from you towards him buying a snap on one. People can be funny/fussy about their tools and how they're stored, I'm no mechanic but a real sucker for power tools and know EXACTLY what I want to get next!

My son is a mechanic. A lot of his colleagues use snap on, but they are much older mechanics, who may well have acquired them in the manner suggested above. My son really likes ryobi. For some of the power tools, they have different powers of battery and the batteries are all interchangeable. He also has a lot of the halfords pro due to the very good warranty.

Maybe a makita drill aswell op? I love using Dh's.