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Brand new

Ok, sorry if this request is a bit OTT, but as I am very new to plumbing, I really need some general guidance on buying tools, namely whats the best quality/value for each tool type, brand etc. Here's my starting list of tools, I believe I will need, if there are any missing please feel free to point out. I would have searched through the forum, but I am extremely busy with my baby daughter at the moment, Thankyou all in advance for any help given...

Hand tools
Hacksaws, junior hacksaw etc
Pipe cutters
Chisels (Wood, Cold, Flooring, Plugging).
Hammers (Lump hammer, Ball Pein, Cross Pein, Club, Claw).
Pipe grips
Screwdrivers (Insulated screwdrivers)
Spanner (Basin Key, Radiator, Immersion).
Blow torch
Compact tube cutter
Files (Smooth, Coarse, Rasp).
Wrenches (Stilson, Footprint Type).
Waterpump pliers
Brick bolsters
Swaging tool (drift)
Pad saw

Power tools
Power drills (Roatary Hammer Drill etc)+(Drill bits, Masonry, Wood, High Speed, Hole Saw Set).
Cordless powered screwdrivers + (screwdriver bits)
Power Saws and Blades
Grinder
Combined Cordless Drills and Screwdrivers.

Safety tools
Safety glasses
Safety goggles
Welding goggles
Safety boots
Specialist gloves (i.e for working with chemicals)

Thankyou to everybody who replies.

 
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Brand new said:
Ok, sorry if this request is a bit OTT, but as I am very new to plumbing, I really need some general guidance on buying tools, namely whats the best quality/value for each tool type, brand etc. Here's my starting list of tools, I believe I will need, if there are any missing please feel free to point out. I would have searched through the forum, but I am extremely busy with my baby daughter at the moment, Thank you all in advance for any help given...


Way over the top in my opinion for a person starting out, I have amended your list a bit

Hacksaw, junior hacksaw
Pipe cutter
Chisels (Wood, [mortice type with a reinforced ferrule] Cold, Flooring, ).
Hammers (Ball Pein 1 lb, Cross Pein 12 oz, Club 21/2 lb no more than this, Claw 24 oz ).
Screwdrivers (Insulated screwdrivers) [plain, cross head and torx types]
Spanner (Basin Key, Radiator, Immersion).
Adjustable spanner, also open ended spanners, and closed end spanners
Blow torch
Compact tube cutter
Files (Smooth, Coarse,).
Wrenches (Stilsons, 14 inch & 18 inch, Footprints ).
Swaging tool (drift) get the one with handles so that when you close the handle it forms the socket
Pad saw, (use a hacksaw blade)

Power tools
Power drills (Roatary Hammer Drill etc)+(Drill bits, Masonry, Wood, High Speed, Hole Saw Set).
Cordless powered screwdrivers + (screwdriver bits) [use either powered or battery powered to start off with, build up later]
Power Saws and Blades [unless needed straight away use a hand saw]
Grinder [small one at first]
Combined Cordless Drills and Screwdrivers. [use screwdriver bit in a power drill]

Safety tools
Safety glasses
Safety goggles [one or the other]
Welding goggles [only if you intend to do welding]
Safety boots
Specialist gloves (i.e for working with chemicals) [household rubber gloves can do just as well] dockers gloves if the work needs it to protect your hands

What you have missed out is
Levels, 1 No 60 cms and 1 No 1 mtr or 1.2 mtr
Multimeter
Knife
Nail punch
Centre punch
Nail bar
Wander lead/s
Cage light
LED head light
Pipe bender or springs
Trowels plasters round nose, and a pointing trowel
Bucket
Broom
Dust pan and brush
Dust sheet/s
Hose
Sponge and rags for cleaning up split water
Slippers or a change of shoes when working in a clients house with fitted carpets
Mirror to see the back of soldered joints
Heat proof mat to stop burning paint work etc
Fire extinguisher small powder type
First aid kit

Nice but not needed at first
Laser level, with horizontal, vertical markings and if possible the slope for pipe falls, built in to it
Sabre saw
Twin blade routing saw if you are going to be doing a lot of wall/floor chasing
Jig saw
Ratchet spanners (box type) and screwdriver bits to fit
If you aim to do site work, a generator is very useful, together with a kettle and a hot plate or microwave for hot meals on site

And if you are going to go into oil and gas boilers, and gas fitting
Combustion test kit
Manometer
Water pressure test kit and flow rate gauge
Click to expand...
 
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a van preferbly 35cwt for carrying all your gear in.
dont forget your ext ladders, roof ladder, loft ladder and steps.
 
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If you are going to be using plastic tube for water and central heating, don't forget to get the tube cutter and the tool for inserting the inserts into the tube ends
 
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Whatever you do buy the best you can afford and go to one source for all of these tools, and negotiate, someone will love to supply you all these items. Type out the list and get several places to quote it for you, let them compete for your hard earned / borrowed money. Some merchants sell used tools, as long as they are good this can save a pretty bob or shilling , I mean penny.
 
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Brand new said:
Ok, sorry if this request is a bit OTT, but as I am very new to plumbing, I really need some general guidance on buying tools, namely whats the best quality/value for each tool type, brand etc. Here's my starting list of tools, I believe I will need, if there are any missing please feel free to point out. I would have searched through the forum, but I am extremely busy with my baby daughter at the moment, Thankyou all in advance for any help given...

Hand tools
Hacksaws, junior hacksaw etc
Pipe cutters
Chisels (Wood, Cold, Flooring, Plugging).
Hammers (Lump hammer, Ball Pein, Cross Pein, Club, Claw).
Pipe grips
Screwdrivers (Insulated screwdrivers)
Spanner (Basin Key, Radiator, Immersion).
Blow torch
Compact tube cutter
Files (Smooth, Coarse, Rasp).
Wrenches (Stilson, Footprint Type).
Waterpump pliers
Brick bolsters
Swaging tool (drift)
Pad saw

Power tools
Power drills (Roatary Hammer Drill etc)+(Drill bits, Masonry, Wood, High Speed, Hole Saw Set).
Cordless powered screwdrivers + (screwdriver bits)
Power Saws and Blades
Grinder
Combined Cordless Drills and Screwdrivers.

Safety tools
Safety glasses
Safety goggles
Welding goggles
Safety boots
Specialist gloves (i.e for working with chemicals)

Thankyou to everybody who replies.
Click to expand...
best is to buy as you need the more exotic stuff like swaging tools and welding goggles
it all depends what sort of work your going to be doing
basics are
2 hammers is plenty a claw and a club(lump)
bolster one 25 mm wood chisel and a cold chisel
three adjustable spanners couple of pairs of foot prints and a pair of water pump pliers will do most jobs stilsons only if your doing barrel work
imersion spanner get the cast monument one
one file medium one rasp
assorted screwdrivers buy a set plus two long ones phillips and straight
cutters 3 slices covers most
pliers
side cutters
battery 24v sds for serious drilling it must be sds ,chucks are a nightmare get bits as you need them
12v impact driver with at least 3 batteries
jigsaw buy a good one theres a big difference between the performance
 
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thats the one, nicknamed barbi in spain, 2nd best plastic pipe available to the proffesional, i liked thermofusion and rated that 1st.
do you have wirsbo same as barbi but outer olive is plastic, still used with an expanding machine and then plastic olive shrinks (3rd favorite)
it would be great to have some of that decent plastic over here !
 
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nope, take a look at plousannes link.
totally different concept, proper installers tube. wirsbo was as fast as speedfit, but still a new thing (7years ago) barbi was well established and slightly slower. thermofusion is what the gas men in the street use here, only different sizes (down to 12mm) best pipe ever and used domestically for internal installs !
ayyy the good old days.
 
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migoplumber said:
thats the one, nicknamed barbi in spain, 2nd best plastic pipe available to the proffesional, i liked thermofusion and rated that 1st.
do you have wirsbo same as barbi but outer olive is plastic, still used with an expanding machine and then plastic olive shrinks (3rd favorite)
it would be great to have some of that decent plastic over here !
Click to expand...

Shaun,

Only the sheds sell the push fit stuff and a brit sales man in the dordogne sells h2o specially for the brits, otherwise the pros use the stuff listed in the link, I am a bit out of touch being retired but still keep my eyes out for what's going on in the trade, most of the P E R or P E X tube used over here is pre-gained, I expect that you know what I mean by this, even if the Spanish use a different word for it, the tube come all ready with a light corrugated plastic sleeve over it

Thermofusion, I take this to be what I know as electrofusion welding of polyethylene pipe, biggest I have done was flat plate butt electrofusion on a 150 mm blue water main down to 25 mm saddle tappings, gas yellow was 75 mm sub mains flat plate electrofusion butt welded, with 25 mm saddle tappings these were done by hot iron shaped formers for both the main and saddle tapping, this was in the UK, the French do it slightly differently its all fittings with plug in heating element connections all computer controlled from the fusion box
 
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migoplumber said:
nope, take a look at plousannes link.
totally different concept, proper installers tube. wirsbo was as fast as speedfit, but still a new thing (7years ago) barbi was well established and slightly slower. thermofusion is what the gas men in the street use here, only different sizes (down to 12mm) best pipe ever and used domestically for internal installs !
ayyy the good old days.
Click to expand...

Out of my league, my bad! 😛
 
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