Tap n Die

Can anyone recommend a decent tap & die set...

Having recently struggled with a cheap and nasty one whilst drilling & rethreading a timing cover bolt I think I need to invest in something stronger & more precise!

It's for DIY use so price is an isue but not everything...

Thanks,
Steve

I have a draper set here in mi toolbox, not fantastic but it is comprehensive, some of the taps have broke, but I've replaced them with better ones.
I think it was about 40 quid a couple of years back and does from 3mm to 12mm and a few imperial sizes too, taps and dies and die stock / tap wrench.
In my toolbox I travel around with I have a baccy tin with a few taps m6,m8,m10 etc and a few die nuts, this might be a better idea for you as you can just get what you need, die nuts are better than dies as you dont need a die stock, you can run a die nut with a socket, so if you've a row of studs you dont have to remove them because the die stock wont fit, just wizz them on with a socket.

SKF and DORMER are the best goin, but expext to pay over £8 eah fer taps and £12+ fer dies , these are used in precision engineering and aircraft engine building,etc, a set from either axminster power tool or machine mart are a good start, i had a set of af and mm from machine mart they were good quality

the wife bought me a draper set 35 years ago still got em they were a present she got em out of her sisters catologue;didnt know what buy me but thought they might come in usefull .i usually buy dormer or some other branded make. the son brings em home from work but they are usually machine taps ,they work but not as easy to use as hand taps still beggars cant be choosers gents.

Thanks guys,

Thats really helpfull.

Steve

the best bet is to get in touch with your local garage and find out what tool vans come around and when, then make sure your there next week with some cash and just get a good set off them.
it dosnt have to be snap-on and if you do look at snap-on dont get the blue point stuff as i found out today that most of it is just laser stuff in diffrent boxes but there are other vans that go around selling good kit at good price

Machine taps are usually spiral formed and are very tough and hard to break, but as you say can be a bugger to start, I think they relay on an axis of the machine to hold them dead 90 degrees.
At one time aerospace would only use dormer, they are good at a top price though, presto are the next ones down, nearly as good and a lot cheaper.