What's today's best bang for your buck(sockets)

[jo4gj]

Hello every one

I'm just a average joe trying to buy the best tools I can afford. I would like to get some opinions about good sockets. I have limited experience with most of the big name. My uncle was a professional mechanic and he had all snap on. At the time I had my first craftsman 230 piece tool set and the difference was night and day. I can still not afford snap on that is why my question is what is the best bang for your buck in regarding sockets. How would you all rank the following
Craftsman, Carlyle, dewalt-usually sold at Sears, kobalt-lowes brand, Mac expert, bluepoint, sk

I want to say sk is probably the best brand of the ones I mentioned and I believe they are the most expensive comparably.

 

[WickedMainer]

Don't go blue point silver eagle or expert. They are overpriced for what they are. Matco silver eagle service sets are over $400. Blue point even more

 

[Snakebyt]

http://www.gpsocket.com/

I used those daily at my last job for 2 years and never had a problem, really reasonable priced as well. I have since moved jobs and those were the shop sockets and i plan on buying these for my personal toolbox

 

[B_Bimmer]

Save and buy used snap on for 1/4". If you really enjoy using tools fairy regularly it is the best bang for the buck

 

[M6erfan]

Best bang for the buck IMO is Tekton

 

[WickedMainer]

As far as department store main line brands they are all so close you won't notice a difference. Stanley is in that mix too. Next step up is blackhawk sk and gearwrench. Next tier are industrial brands wright Armstrong proto and so forth. Two companies own most of those tool companies FYI

 

[jo4gj]

So what would you recommend to buy?

 

[md21722]

I agree that Craftsman is far less than Snap On. If you are still edging towards Snap On one day I would buy the cheapest Taiwanese sockets you can find because they seem to all be about the same, and any money you put into them is money you're not going to get out them when you upgrade to Snap On later. I would add Gearwrench, Duralast from Auto Zone, and King Tony to your list. I have never been impressed with anything S-K I've owned that was made in the last 30 years. Try Tekton and others as well.

 

[Snakebyt]

Don't go blue point silver eagle or expert. They are overpriced for what they are. Matco silver eagle service sets are over $400. Blue point even more

i was looking at the expert set that was on sale this month, but still too much for what they are IMO

 

[M6erfan]

Also, you may want to consider checking out Willams USA socket sets...

 

[jo4gj]

Man you guys replied so fast. Any way I usually used junk and I'm growing tired of looking for the right size at my place of employment. how camparable in quality is gear wrench, bluepoint and Carlyle all three made in Taiwan?

 

[md21722]

If you are going to consider impacts, buy Sunex. They are well known and have easy warranty... Though every mechanic I've ever talked to that's used them has broken them... Of course everything can brake, but they seem to break at a higher rate than tool truck brands...

 

[buckwheat_la]

Best bang for your buck...... Gearwrench. Tekton seems to have a great following too.

 

[md21722]

Man you guys replied so fast. Any way I usually used junk and I'm growing tired of looking for the right size at my place of employment. how camparable in quality is gear wrench, bluepoint and Carlyle all three made in Taiwan?

I see no reason to buy Blue Point unless the warranty is easier than calling in or mailing broken parts... i.e. A Snap On truck drives up to your place. All three are made in Taiwan. Gearwrench is usually behind the counter at Advance Auto plus any other place you can get it.

I have seen Snap On sockets break too, the sides come off just like any other brand, but that is after 30 years of daily use... so I am always leery of "well used" tools.

I have seen mechanics get tired of paying the Snap On man, talking about buying Craftsman or imports, but when I go back, all they have is more Snap On and whatever stuff they did have that wasn't Snap On is gone... these folks wouldn't do that if the tools didn't work better/tools were not easier to warranty.

 

[WickedMainer]

Best bang for the buck IMO is Tekton

just used a set for first time. Very nice

 

[WickedMainer]

Best bang for your buck...... Gearwrench. Tekton seems to have a great following too.

Gearwrench on eBay auctions is a reallyyy Big Bang for your buck

 

[jo4gj]

I see no reason to buy Blue Point unless the warranty is easier than calling in or mailing broken parts... i.e. A Snap On truck drives up to your place. All three are made in Taiwan. Gearwrench is usually behind the counter at Advance Auto plus any other place you can get it.

I have seen Snap On sockets break too, the sides come off just like any other brand, but that is after 30 years of daily use... so I am always leery of "well used" tools.

I have seen mechanics get tired of paying the Snap On man, talking about buying Craftsman or imports, but when I go back, all they have is more Snap On and whatever stuff they did have that wasn't Snap On is gone... these folks wouldn't do that if the tools didn't work better/tools were not easier to warranty.

So would you all agree that when it comes to sockets they all pretty much work the same other regulates to the brands mentioned at the lower to mid grade.

I can honestly say hands down the little snap on I own is light years ahead of the low and mid grade tools I use. But I don't turn wrenches for a living so I can't justify the snap on cost. Thus why I'm looking for the best quality to price ratio in the low/mid grade.

 

[WickedMainer]

So what would you recommend to buy?

Well, I won't give an opinion of one or the other as far as craftsman kobalt husky dewalt Stanley. In that category it's whatever is cheaper. All my standard tools are old USA made tools like proto Williams sk which are very affordable. All my metrics are snap on.... I bought those master sets with shallow semi deep deep, with ratchets and extensions for both 1/4 and 3/8. I bought them preowned but unused for 550 combined..... gearwrench would be my way to go for metrics elsewise. USA craftsman on eBay too! I bought 2000 craftsman sockets for 250. I spent days sorting and it was awful

 

[M6erfan]

Tekton, Gearwrench, hell even Harbor Freight sockets will all probably out last you. Try not to overthink it.

If you are going to forever compare whatever you buy to Snap On, just bite the bullet and buy Snap on. Or again, USA Williams...

 

[bczygan]

HF period.

 

[md21722]

So would you all agree that when it comes to sockets they all pretty much work the same other regulates to the brands mentioned at the lower to mid grade.

I can honestly say hands down the little snap on I own is light years ahead of the low and mid grade tools I use. But I don't turn wrenches for a living so I can't justify the snap on cost. Thus why I'm looking for the best quality to price ratio in the low/mid grade.

Just buy the cheapest Taiwanese you can find. I don't think they'll be significantly different. What isn't clear is if you plan on upgrading later or just being happy with what you buy today. Some brands have some re-sale value while others have basically none. For example, I would expect HF/Duralast to have the lowest resale value.

What's happened over time is the Taiwanese stuff has gotten pretty good. 15 years ago when I started buying Snap On even the Craftsman U.S.A. stuff was **** and most of the other stuff was even worse. Today the stuff out of Taiwan is really quite good.

JH Williams is a Snap On industrial brand. Snap On branded tools caters mostly to automotive repair. At some point, ergonomics come into play. Like how is the socket etched/marked with size and how quickly will it wear off. If you compare Snap On vs Williams, the Snap On impacts today have very large sizes that are not etched so they will be readable indefinitely... May not be an issue for an occasional mechanic but in daily use only have laser etched sizes becomes a problem once they wear off..

 

[General Geoff]

Tekton for the cheapest possible chrome sockets of reasonable quality.

Sunex or Grey Pneumatic would be my choice for impact sockets.

 

[buckwheat_la]

Gearwrench on eBay auctions is a reallyyy Big Bang for your buck

Tool discounter had the 1/4 and 3/8 120xp sets for $103 bucks. Best deal I have seen

 

[CatSplat]

Best bang for the buck IMO is Tekton

Agreed, their sockets and low-profile ratchets are extremely good for the price.

 

[WickedMainer]

So would you all agree that when it comes to sockets they all pretty much work the same other regulates to the brands mentioned at the lower to mid grade.

I can honestly say hands down the little snap on I own is light years ahead of the low and mid grade tools I use. But I don't turn wrenches for a living so I can't justify the snap on cost. Thus why I'm looking for the best quality to price ratio in the low/mid grade.

Same boat as me then. Buy the midgrade that people recommend most and keep your eyes out. If I have snap on tools I usually got a good price like $25 for a set of 3/8 deep metric. Problem is I never sell my extras as planned.... I probably have 5-10000 sockets at the moment spanning almost every brand that will be mentioned on this thread. I also have so many tool boxes that have accumulated it's not even funny. I buy big lots sell just enough to pay back what I spent and then...... everytime I go to organize to sell the rest I don't keep and I find one that I don't know much about and then waste the night on here and alloy artifacts.

 

[XxToolAholicxX]

S-K Tools Wright or Williams USA if you want American if not.. Craftsman Kobalt Tekton or Gearwrench will do you find..

 

[jo4gj]

Ok so I just went to snap on to see the prices and see if I would really ever bite the bullet and I **** a brick to big it registered on the Richter scale.

447.00 USD
Item: 124STTMM It's a 44 piece socket set like damn.

Now Williams
4 - 14MM Williams 1/4" Dr Deep Socket Set 6 Pt 12 Pcs - MSMD-12HRC

$68.29-sale price


And


4 - 14MM Williams 1/4" Dr Shallow Socket Set 6 Pt 12 Pcs - 30926

$30.10 sale price

Combined less then 100$ bit missing 15 deep and shallow if needed maybe 30$ to buy from snap on.

Anyways now I went to pro tool wearhouse and compared the Williams prices and I can say those are affordable. So my last question is jh Williams going to be the best bang for my buck in pro grade tools?

 

[lightning02]

problem with HF is all the missing sizes they don't carry so make sure you pick one that has no skip and good warranty.

i have a mix of- SO/SK/duralast/tekton/HF and usa CM.

still haven't broken any and my most used ones are the taiwan made brands and CM.

 

[four.cycle]

jo4gj -

here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/33-Piece-Sk...nHZYWcg~&item=112243541166&vxp=mtr&rmvSB=true

there's more in the "Ebay hot deal" thread.

 

[M6erfan]

Ok so I just went to snap on to see the prices and see if I would really ever bite the bullet and I **** a brick to big it registered on the Richter scale.

447.00 USD
Item: 124STTMM It's a 44 piece socket set like damn.

Now Williams
4 - 14MM Williams 1/4" Dr Deep Socket Set 6 Pt 12 Pcs - MSMD-12HRC

$68.29-sale price


And


4 - 14MM Williams 1/4" Dr Shallow Socket Set 6 Pt 12 Pcs - 30926

$30.10 sale price

Combined less then 100$ bit missing 15 deep and shallow if needed maybe 30$ to buy from snap on.

Anyways now I went to pro tool wearhouse and compared the Williams prices and I can say those are affordable. So my last question is jh Williams going to be the best bang for my buck in pro grade tools?

Note that the Williams deep set is USA made and the shallow set you link to is made in Taiwan.

Williams USA sockets are made in the same Snap-on plant on the same machinery. Is the steel the same? Not sure. Is the chrome as nice? Nope. Will you be able to tell the difference? Only you can answer that.

Williams USA made sockets are as close as you can get to Snap On without paying the Snap-On price. Is that the "best bang for the buck"?

 

[camd64]

Someone correct me if I am wrong but in the Williams line-up all number part #'s means Taiwan and number and letter part #'s is US made. Keep that in mind. I do like the Williams USA, SK, and Wright tools for being made here as well as the quality you get. On a strict budget I would look at Tekton, Dewalt, Toptul, or GW Taiwan. All will work just fine. As a price comparison a while back I looked into Tekton, SK, and Snap on to see the difference for a basic starter tool kit..... Tekton $201
SK $719
Snap On $2,466

 

[Danglerb]

A few special sockets, shallow mostly or thin wall I made sure to get in a premium brand, but for the most part a socket is a socket. Save your money for tools that make a difference like wrenches and screwdrivers.

Unless its complete in your locked possession I would not even think about taking Snapon into a job.

 

[gdocktor3]

This is best bang for your buck. Gearwrench 3/8" set with free 1/4" set for $103. http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=KDT80550P

 

[GTO]

Best bang for the buck IMO is Tekton

This

 

[epg0]

This is best bang for your buck. Gearwrench 3/8" set with free 1/4" set for $103. http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=KDT80550P

Best deal I found too. I bought these on Monday.

Free shipping

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[abaker1624]

Find your local Caterpillar dealer and price socket sets from them. Cat buys them from Snap-On and just puts there part number on them . Even at list price it's still a great deal. They don't have all the ratchet combinations or extensions but that's irrelevant.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[3TV]

If you need impact sockets the ADV brand from Matco is good quality, and less money than their main brand, or snap on for that matter. I just got a 1/2" drive 26 piece metric set for ~$200, and a 19 piece SAE set for ~$160

 

[Sco Deac]

I'd second the Williams USA suggestion and go a step further. Even the Williams Taiwan-made sets are very nice for the money.

As some quick examples, and better shopping will probably beat these results, but here are some of the options.

USA

Around $140

23 piece set 12 pt. 3/8-7/8 shallow and deep.
http://www.toolsdelivered.com/Willi...e-Tools-3-8-Inch-Drive-Chrome-SAE-Socket-Sets

Around $150

27 piece 12 pt. set. 1/4-1 shallow and 3/8-7/8 deep.

http://www.toolsdelivered.com/Willi...e-Tools-3-8-Inch-Drive-Chrome-SAE-Socket-Sets

Taiwan

around $200

78 piece set. Shallow, 6-point, SAE is 1/4 to 1; Shallow, 6-point, Metric is 6mm to 19; Dep 12-point, SAE is 1/4 to 1; Deep, 12-point, Metric is 6mm to 19.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DNOQIU/?tag=atomicindus08-20

around $100
47 Piece set. Shallow, 6-point, SAE is 1/4", 5/16", 3/8", 7/16", 1/2", 9/16", 5/8", 11/16", 3/4", 13/16", 7/8", 15/16", 1"; Shallow, 6-point, Metric is 6mm to 19; Deep, 12-point, SAE is 1/4", 5/16", 3/8", 7/16", 1/2", 9/16", 5/8", 11/16", 3/4", 13/16", 7/8", 15/16", 1"; Deep, 12-point, Metric is 6mm to 19

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005VMV8OE/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[BlackLS2]

This is best bang for your buck. Gearwrench 3/8" set with free 1/4" set for $103. http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=KDT80550P

Snap that deal up, especially with the 120 tooth ratchet!

I got a set of Tekton 47915 3/8 shallow metric impacts this summer off Amazon for under $20. The set does not skip sizes and I really beat on them during more than a few jobs this year, and they have been great. Surprisingly, the blow mold case still works perfectly as well. Great set to throw in a tool bag. I ended up trying the Tekton 3/8 ratchets for a truck tool bag, and they are sweet as well...their 3/8 stubby being especially good.

The HF Pro 1/2 Chrome MOLY impacts are astoundingly tough sockets. I would bet the drive head would shear off before one of those sockets would break....I am attempting to prove that theory.

 

[6MocoA]

Tekton for the cheapest possible chrome sockets of reasonable quality.

Sunex or Grey Pneumatic would be my choice for impact sockets.

Bingo! Sunex are BY FAR the best bang for the buck in my opinion. A person can get full sets of short and long metric sockets from 10-30+mm for less than a couple hundreds bucks.

If I turned wrenches for a living, I would invest heavily in Sunex. As it is, I am a heavy DIYer and have a lot of Sunex and have subjected them to tremendous abuse without a single failure as of yet.

I would completely rely on them if I did this to put food on the table.