What Sockets Do You Prefer?

Went to remove my brake caliper 17mm bolt and realized my old Stanley sockets are garbage. Need a new set of sockets. Main issue is I have a tendency to round off nuts and bolt heads. Any socket brand better than others for preventing this?

 

Whatever you get, don’t get suckered by a set with skipped sizes.

Ive got an old set of craftsman that has worked out, along with various other one offs.

Maybe you could take a set of calipers with you if you are looking at ones at a store to see if any look tighter than others.

 

I prefer my really old Craftsman tools, but no more Sears. So i would go Snap-on

 

Lowes carries the Craftsman but you have alot less selection to choose from.

 

Have a Craftsman set from the early 90s that got used as my home set until I retired from turning wrenches.

Have had good use with Snap On, Matco, Cornwell, Kobalt and Napa sockets for weird ones from time to time.

Comes down to how much you would prefer to invest and any personal preferences you have towards one brand.

Opinions vary on the name brands versus cost, But this is something to take into account.

Had to find my socket drawer picture, Have almost every make represented.

 

I'm a Craftsman guy too. My tool set started with my grandfather's tools.

Now that Sears is gone, the easiest places to find them are Lowes, Ace Hardware or Amazon.

 

Craftsman of the last several years is made in Taiwan/China. Not the same Craftsman of old that was made in the US and bought from Sears stores.

 

Using impacts could save you a little money and space, good point! I will second your point about thin-walled impact sockets in particular. For day to day use, the regular impact sockets tend to be on the chunky side and might not fit in tight spaces where a normal (non-impact) socket would.

I haven’t seen if thin wall sockets are as thin as regular sockets though. Or how expensive they are compared to the regular ones. It might be worth getting even if they are more expensive because it cuts down on what you might need, especially for a tool bag kept in the vehicle.

 

Same. I have a bunch of Craftsman stuff I bought when I was a kid in the '90s and early 2000s, still use them fairly regularly. I've also used husky without any problems, so if I was replacing tools now I would probably go that route.

My big thing is the warranty, I want to be able to take it to the store and leave with a brand new one. Even harbor freight is good for that, I destroyed a HF ratchet, left at laying at the bottom of my tool bag for a couple years, finally remembered it. I walked in and no questions asked they gave me a new one.

To the OP, definitely invest in a set of 6-point stuff. The 12 point is handy when you have limited room to get the tool on the bolt,, but if you want to put a lot of torque on something, definitely use a 6-pointer. I have six point shallow and deep sockets, as well as box end wrenches.

 

I have Snap-On for home. Dad used to drive the truck around a while back so got most of the old stuff. Nothing new.

For the boat the cheapest shit on Amazon because it always rusts.

 

Gearwrench

But if you want to save money go to harbor freight, lifetime warranty on most hand tools

 

To add to the good advise so far a couple years ago I needed impact sockets and purchased a set of Ingersall Rand impacts in 3/8 & 1/2 drive for about $250 on Amazon. They do double duty when I need a socket mainly because I like that they're 6 point.
As others I also have a set of Craftsman tools I've had for 50 years & they still serve me well!
I've also had good luck with SK tools.

 

Are impact sockets used with regular ratchet, more/less likely to strip a bolt over chrome or is there no difference?

 

With a good set of sockets I don't think one or the other is more prone to stripping a bolt or nut. Impact sockets are hardened where as a non impact sockets could shatter when used with the torque of an impact wrench.
I'm not suggesting impacts are better than other sockets for me they serve 2 purposes.

 

Snap-on

 

Don't get impact sockets if you are not using an impact tool. Impact sockets are 100% fine, but they Just don't work as well on a regular ratchet. They always come off the ratchet if not put on one way.

 

Impact sockets work just fine with a ratchet....as mentioned get some 6 point sockets for really tight and or rusty bolts/nuts to help avoid rounding them over, they have twice the surface contact area to the bolt/nut than 12 point sockets do and are much less likely to slip....but I would suggest having a good set of both 6 point and 12 point sockets.

 

I've been replacing all my old stuff with Icon from Harbor Freight. Nice tools, decent price and lifetime replacent. Unlike Sears, I don't think HF is going under any time soon.

 

Sears was around for ~137 years and sold mostly US made products. Harbor freight will be lucky to last 1/2 that long with the quality they sell. Though there Icon tools are at least made in Taiwan.

MO on HF lifetime warranties:

 

Take a look at Tekton, super warranty and you get 10% on account with every purchase. Shipping used to be free, but now it’s free if you buy over a certain amount (I don’t recall the exact number).

The downside is if you do need to return a tool, it has to be shipped to you. That’s inconvenient but the quality has been good enough for me.

 

I haven't been buying tools for 137 years so their illustrious heritage is lost on me.

Believe me, I'm not cucking for HF, I just like Icon.

 

I'm with you most of my stuff was dads and grandads crafstman and quite a bit of older proto. The new crafstman doesn't compare to the der stuff at all. Hmm

 

Haven't used any yet but the HF Icon i believe they're called look to be a pretty solid tool, the warranty is worth a lot they don't give you any hassle on their lifetime stuff. The store I shop anyway. Next time I need a tool I don't have I'll be trying them.

 

I use almost exclusively impact sockets, on a ratchet or powered. I have little use for the chrome one trick ponies. I’ve never broken an impact socket. I have broken 12 point chrome sockets.
A great selection for the average user is at Harbor Freight. You aren’t likely to wear them out. They are so affordable that you no excuse to not get SAE and metric, shallow and deep. I also like Milwaukee. It seems their sockets are relatively thin wall so less of the force of an impact gun is absorbed by the socket. I have several Wright sockets that amaze me with their durability. Just be sure the size is deeply engraved or stamped on the side of the socket. Spiffy laser etching or painted size coding wear off with use and cleaning.

 

Just curious about lowes, home depot, or harbor freight stuff that’s only sold in kits, how do they handle replacements if they don’t sell a piece individually? Any experiences?

 

My Stanley black chrome sockets are fine. If using a long ratchet or breaker bar, you must make sure the handle is square with the bolt. In my experience the caliper bolts can be stupid tight due to the exposed tip rusting. My Milwaukee M12 impact (250 ft-lb) couldn't get them off. I had to my M18 mid-torque (~500 ft-lb).



I use Stanley black chrome sockets with my impact wrenches all the time. Haven't had chipped chrome or shattered socket yet! They have a thinner wall than impact sockets so they can fit in tighter spaces. The case is pretty robust with four latches, and all the tools are individually held in place with tight molded-in ridges. I've carried mine on trail rides for the past 3 years with no issues. My only complaint is the 5/8" spark plug socket's rubber insert is too tight against the ceramic on most plugs; I had to open it up a little with a drill.

 

That looks just like the drawers in my box!!

 

No personal experience with returns aside from Craftsman years ago, but I see broken sets on Harbor Freight clearance shelves that I assume are the result of a replacement.

 

I hope we don't start on wrenches next, Could be going down another rabbit hole in regards to "tool" funds, if ya know what I mean.

 

Tekton and Gearwrench

https://www.tekton.com/6-point-socket-and-ratchet-212-piece-set-skt95304

https://www.gearwrench.com/all-tools/tool-sets