For the budding home mechanics

[TimR]

If your looking at building up a toolkit you cant go wrong with Halfords current deals

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchCmdMobile?srch=modular+tray&action=search&storeId=10001&catalogId=10151&langId=-1&mode=search

£175 for a good selection of professional quality tools ( barring tool box )

[Tango]

My Halfords socket sets are probably best part of 15 years old now and still got plenty of life left in them......

[Arwen]

I bought the spanner set from halfords advanced range a few weeks ago. I've also got various sockets and other bits and bobs from them. Can't fault them!

[Stu]

Lifetime warranty is good too!

I shattered a bit a few weeks ago!

walked in showed them the bit and they just got another and off I went! no problems at all

[TimR]

Plus if you know anyone with a trade card you can get this tool chest for £50 instead of the £100

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductMobileDisplay?catalogId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=255214&productId=208831&storeId=10001

I have too many kits knocking about now.

But still doesn't stop me looking and thinking ooh that is a good price/ organised ...

I have whats in my workshop setup ...

then

the 200 piece socket kit and a tool bag full if spanners and hammers pliers etc in boot of the Ka

I.have my old breakdown/recovery kit i had for my old job ( basically same as in the Ka) as a spare

Then the wife has some of my old tools for her toolbox

And then i have the toolbox full of all my old tools that i dont want to throw away as they are too good for that but also cant be arsed to do anything with .

[Arwen]

Thanks to the ford owners club I've got a 15% off card. However the cashier needs to work out 15% of the total price, and evidently that's frequently a difficult number for them to work out.

So I've had many bargains, can of WD40 meant to be £4, bought for 80p.

I now feel guilty when ever I go in...

[Phooey]

Thanks to the ford owners club I've got a 15% off card. However the cashier needs to work out 15% of the total price, and evidently that's frequently a difficult number for them to work out.

So I've had many bargains, can of WD40 meant to be £4, bought for 80p.

I now feel guilty when ever I go in...

 

I always feel guilty and frustrated that the assistants can't work it out. When I see them reaching for their calculators I usually tell them how much it is. The surprise on the faces is worth the cost.

It is sad though that so many people cant work out 15% of something.

[Arwen]

I agree, I am awful at maths, but given some time I can normally work it out without a calculator. "Evil me" likes to see them squirm though. My other half finds it very funny if I go up to the till when a young guy is there, and let a big queue form behind me as they are trying to work it out. Then they practically just throw the stuff at me as they blindly type in a number to charge me!

Some days "nice me" will win though, and I'll just tell them the total I've to pay.

[Phooey]

I agree, I am awful at maths, but given some time I can normally work it out without a calculator. "Evil me" likes to see them squirm though. My other half finds it very funny if I go up to the till when a young guy is there, and let a big queue form behind me as they are trying to work it out. Then they practically just throw the stuff at me as they blindly type in a number to charge me!

Some days "nice me" will win though, and I'll just tell them the total I've to pay.

 

Really! In my experience - I teach maths in our local college - the females are usually ok at maths it's the guys who are crap!

Tell your other half that he must stop finding it funny, it's sad! ...

[Arwen]

I sort of blame my maths teacher at secondary school to be honest. Had the same one for 4 years in a row, she always spoke in a monotone voice, never showed any interest in her subject and always got my name wrong. So I got bored and fed up in her class and would regularly fall asleep...

In my 5th year, I finally got a different teacher. And what a difference that made! I suddenly found maths interesting and started to really understand more than just algebra (which I always found "fun"). Too bad I only stayed at secondary school for 5 years!

[Westbeef]

Simple trick to increase/decrease by a percentage. If you need to increase by 15% then times the value by 1.15, or decrease multiply by 0.85 . Only works for simple deductions/increases but it's how I do it.

[Westbeef]

I've just applied for a trade card, cause the savings seem very good. Now I either need to hope a certificate in engineering is enough, or I'm going to get a business card made saying I'm a mobile mechanic .

[Stu]

I've just applied for a trade card, cause the savings seem very good. Now I either need to hope a certificate in engineering is enough, or I'm going to get a business card made saying I'm a mobile mechanic .

 

If I had some spare I could have sorted you one out but they are all gone

Mr Fro managed to get us some to dish out to members a while back

[Phooey]

Simple trick to increase/decrease by a percentage. If you need to increase by 15% then times the value by 1.15, or decrease multiply by 0.85 . Only works for simple deductions/increases but it's how I do it.

 

Will work for any value beefy.

23% inc will be 1.23 and decrease will be 0.77

x% inc will be 1.x and decrease will be 1 - x

More complicated values like 16.85% will be treated exactly the same.

inc is 1.1685 and decrease is 0.8315 (1 -0.1685)

[Westbeef]

Simple trick to increase/decrease by a percentage. If you need to increase by 15% then times the value by 1.15, or decrease multiply by 0.85 . Only works for simple deductions/increases but it's how I do it.

 

Will work for any value beefy.

23% inc will be 1.23 and decrease will be 0.77

x% inc will be 1.x and decrease will be 1 - x

More complicated values like 16.85% will be treated exactly the same.

inc is 1.1685 and decrease is 0.8315 (1 -0.1685)

 

When I say simple, I mean things that aren't like interest and other things usually found bankers stuff

[Arwen]

To find 15% I find 10% then half the 10% value and add it to the 10% value.

So say my purchase comes to £13.49

10% = £1.35

5% = 67.5p

15% = £2.03 (rounded up)

To pay = £11.46

So I can do %'s in multiples of 10 and 5, ask me a weird percentage of something (like 13%) and I resort to googling " X% of "

[Stu]

just get a calculator and put 13.49 - 15% = 11.4665

[Westbeef]

To find 15% I find 10% then half the 10% value and add it to the 10% value.

So say my purchase comes to £13.49

10% = £1.35

5% = 67.5p

15% = £2.03 (rounded up)

To pay = £11.46

So I can do %'s in multiples of 10 and 5, ask me a weird percentage of something (like 13%) and I resort to googling " X% of "

 

Or simply 13.49*0.85 =11.46

Nice and quick

[Mr Fro]

If I had some spare I could have sorted you one out but they are all gone

Mr Fro managed to get us some to dish out to members a while back

I don't think the bloke is speaking to me any more. He insisted on dropping them off to me at work (whilst wearing lary Ripspeed gear) and was a bit peeved that I couldn't do him a lab tour.

Your certificate should be fine Beefs. Let me know if it isn't and I might be able to sort something.

[Joeman]

Halfords trade bargains..

[Baldrick]

I just get my phone out and use the calculator on that.

Bought a Halfords professional socket set a couple of years ago when they were on offer with 50% off, been well impressed with it, quality tools the professional range.