Hand tools that last: what to check before you buy

A good spanner lasts twenty years. A bad one rounds off the first stuck nut, and often the nut with it. Five checks before you pay.

1. The steel

Look for Cr-V (chrome vanadium) on spanners and sockets, and S2 on screwdriver bits. Very cheap tools are often soft steel with shiny plating.

2. A standard mark

Good tools are made to a standard and say so: DIN or ISO numbers on spanners and sockets. No mark at all is a warning sign.

3. 6-point, not 12-point

A 6-point socket grips the flat sides of a nut, so it rarely slips on a tight or rusty one. 12-point sockets are handy in tight places but slip more easily.

4. Insulated tools for electrical work

For live electrical work, use screwdrivers and pliers marked 1000 V with the double-triangle symbol (tested to IEC 60900). A plastic handle on its own is not insulation.

5. Original, and who gives the warranty

Fakes of well-known European brands are common in Iran. A price far below the market is the first sign. Ask who imports the tool and who gives the warranty here: some brands’ “lifetime warranty” only counts in their own country.

Tip: buy the few tools you use every day in good quality, and the rest as you need them. A huge cheap set is mostly tools you never use.