SK, Proto & Armstrong socket comparison

AZ_Catskinner · Aug 18, 2012

Just adding my two cents here:

I find no issues with how my Proto and SK sockets look - I paid for tough, and I got tough. My stuff gets beat on in an extraordinarily hostile environment and does so without a problem. No rust, no breaking, no peeling chrome, even with regular exposure to acidic muck.

I can't call tools that never fail me "****", even if they don't win any beauty contests.

seanh303 · Aug 18, 2012

If all you care about is tough, you wasted a whole lot of your money buying new chrome tools. Case in point: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Craftsman-K-Circle-3-4-Drive-1-3-8-Socket-/400311032770?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item5d34659bc2

Yeah yeah, it's one socket. There are thousands of old tools like this that can be found used (or just old a lot of times) all over the place. This particular socket is even a Craftsman socket (perhaps made by SK) and it very well may have been kicking around since the '40s....70 or 80 years! I'd put that half-century old socket up against any recently-made socket at ANY price and I'd bet that cman would no less than tie. Same socket is $55 from Snap On. All you guys buying brand new tools with nice chrome finishes and claiming all you care about is "tough" are either fooling yourself or just like giving your money away...cause "tough" is readily available at a fraction of the price.

saigon66 · Aug 19, 2012

These are very good arethey new? The chrome on my stahlwille sockets are all flaking away and in real bad nick.

MrMark · Aug 20, 2012

seanh303 said:
I love reading these threads whenever they come up. There really is some practicality on either side of the debate, but as far as I'm concerned, I totally get where he's coming from.

snip

That is one fine post. I couldn't agree more. Where have you been . . . post more.

MrMark · Aug 20, 2012

Skin said:

That cracks me up. Where did you get that? Can you play what he is saying?

buckwheat_la · Mar 18, 2016

If the original poster of this thread is still around I just wanted to say thank you for a great read....

LB-1911 · Mar 18, 2016

buckwheat_la said:
If the original poster of this thread is still around I just wanted to say thank you for a great read....

cbracer is still around.

Last Activity: Today 01:21 AM

My Old Tools · Mar 18, 2016

What makes you think that sockets contracted by Craftsman and made by Armstrong are the exact same spec as sockets Armstrong makes for themselves. Pretty much all contracted items are spec'd and sent out for bids. Low bid that meets spec wins. Maybe Craftsman was light on the chrome spec? I just received two sets of Armstrong sockets last night, 1/2" and 3/8" sets with ratchets, extensions, breakers, and speed handles in metal box. They maybe NOS due to the metal box. I didn't detect any rust in any of the sockets. Again, just a limited sample.

gdocktor3 · Mar 18, 2016

Amazing. I attached this thread from 6 years ago to another thread this morning. Just remember it is from 2012. Times have changed. Some Armstrong sets are still available with metal boxes. http://www.armstrongtools.com/profe...chanics-tool-set-with-round-head-ratchet.html

bcradio · Mar 18, 2016

My Old Tools said:
What makes you think that sockets contracted by Craftsman and made by Armstrong are the exact same spec as sockets Armstrong makes for themselves.

Because it would be more work to change the manufacturing process after it is set up than to just keep it as is for the whole bunch.

cesski · Mar 18, 2016

What a great read, indeed. Cleared the whole "which company has better warranty" issue for me.

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

My Old Tools · Mar 18, 2016

I'll let you know how they turn bolt and nuts because that's what I'll use them for. The set of Armstrong long pattern combos look pretty slick too.

montanafordman · Mar 18, 2016

This thread is no longer accurate considering SK is under different ownership after going through bankruptcy during the time this thread was created and manufactured in a completely different location. I'm sure there have been changes at the other manufacturing locations also.

bmwpowere36m3 · Mar 23, 2016

I bought SK socket sets (1/4" and 3/8") in the past few months and a lot of those issues are present in those as well. I assume the manufacturers tool up to make runs of a specific items and later assemble "kits" from those. Some items that don't sell to often might be sitting aro9und the plant for a LONG time.

The 3/8" set was "flawless", but the 1/4" set had 9 out of 48 pieces with some defects... ranging from: off-center hex broaching, incompletely stamped detents, slivers left over from broaching and rust spots. We'll see how the warranty process goes.

drink · Mar 24, 2016

montanafordman said:
This thread is no longer accurate considering SK is under different ownership after going through bankruptcy during the time this thread was created and manufactured in a completely different location. I'm sure there have been changes at the other manufacturing locations also.

I wonder if the OP would be willing to compare a new set of SK sockets?

bmwpowere36m3 · Mar 24, 2016

drink said:
I wonder if the OP would be willing to compare a new set of SK sockets?

I just posted that very bit.... new 1/4" and 3/8" sets within that last 2-5 months, same issues.

fras_auto · Mar 24, 2016

cderalow said:
I will tell you this. I own a lot of armstrong sockets (full 1/4" in both SAE & metric, full 3/8" SAE, Full 1/2" SAE & Metric, shallow 3/8" metric)...

The quality of all is extremely consistent.

i agree armstongs finsh is very consitant and there ratchets i think are the cream of the crop on finish and strength

blarf · Sep 5, 2016

drink said:
I wonder if the OP would be willing to compare a new set of SK sockets?

Dunno about OP but I just placed a few orders for replacement odds and ends from Epstein (SK, Wright) and Amazon (Stahlwille).

The SK pieces (40953, 42925, 48219)... meh. The spinner is also setup to act as an extension and has a bit of rust inside. I'll live, but I'll just buy a Chinesium one next time around. The real annoyance is the detents. On the 1/4" pieces, the detents are two sizes. Two sides have small detents that won't hold a locking extension, and two will hold a locking extension. The half inch socket has three different sized detents. The whole reason I was looking at SK is that my cheapie Stanley bits don't have any detents (guess how I misplaced that T25 bit...).

The deep SK sockets I've got (pre-Ideal) seem to have shallow broaching compared to other brands. Someone may like that, I don't. This TORX bit also has a longer body than the Stanley ones. Again, someone may prefer that, but I don't especially on a 1/4" drive unit that I'm going to need to fit into tight spaces.

The Wright socket's got a bit of chrome missing from the top end which I'll worry about when it start flaking.

Meanwhile, the Stahlwille extensions are damn near perfect.

firworks · Sep 5, 2016

I just got a set of newly manufactured SK sockets from SK day and while there is still one in the set with paint inside, the chrome on everything is absolutely beautiful.
View media item 62187

PJNJ · Sep 5, 2016

A few months ago, I purchased SK's 3/8 set 94549. There were no missing or incorrect sockets. The finish on the chrome was beautiful. Every socket had anti-corrosion paint inside. There were no problems with broaching or leftover flash. All sockets were punched on-center. The sockets all had detents and they all grabbed firmly onto the ratchet. The ratchet, though only 40 tooth, was very smooth and the backdrag was lighter than on my old, pre-Ideal SK ratchets. Thumbwheel ratchet (60 tooth) the same. The only "problems" were there was some anti-corrosion paint on the outside of the sockets and there was a very small "gash" under the chrome on the 10mm shallow socket - too small to get anything but a blurry photo on the phone camera. I probably wouldn't have found it (or even looked) except for all the previous quality control posts about SK. In any case, the paint came off with some 0000 steel wool and the tiny "gash" doesn't bother me. I was happy with the set, so I ordered the 1/4 set, 91848, about a month later and the 17.6" long 1/2 flex ratchet last month. The 1/4 set was the same except no "gash" or other damage to any sockets. And the 1/2 ratchet has no defects in the chrome; is heavy duty; smooth with light backdrag; and comes with a hex screw for head tension.

Here are photos of the 3/8 set -

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/924/JRMqdg.jpg

At this point, I wouldn't hesitate to buy anything from SK and I am looking to buy the shallow 1/2 metric chrome sockets and the X frame wrenches in the future based on the quality I see.

:beer:

ChevyEFI · Sep 5, 2016

seanh303 said:
If all you care about is tough, you wasted a whole lot of your money buying new chrome tools. Case in point: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Craftsman-K-Circle-3-4-Drive-1-3-8-Socket-/400311032770?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item5d34659bc2

Yeah yeah, it's one socket. There are thousands of old tools like this that can be found used (or just old a lot of times) all over the place. This particular socket is even a Craftsman socket (perhaps made by SK) and it very well may have been kicking around since the '40s....70 or 80 years! I'd put that half-century old socket up against any recently-made socket at ANY price and I'd bet that cman would no less than tie. Same socket is $55 from Snap On. All you guys buying brand new tools with nice chrome finishes and claiming all you care about is "tough" are either fooling yourself or just like giving your money away...cause "tough" is readily available at a fraction of the price.

Now $64.00 :scared:

drink · Sep 6, 2016

I have some Armstrong 3/8" drive sets and a set of Craftsman ETR 3/8" drive also. So far I have not gone over them to find every blemish, ding, or defect but they look okay so far.

Armstrong is made out of high alloy steel and Craftsman is made of alloy steel.

Know Wosad · Sep 6, 2016

I got ripped off about 12 years back. 95% of my replacement chrome sockets are Gearwrench 6 point on rails.3 depths in 1/4 and 3/8, deep and shallow in 1/2.Swivel sockets in all sizes. Both metric and std.I think they're fantastic for the price. Some were "2fer" pairs.
I have zero complaints with them.Back in the day I had the stuff reviewed here plus some. Wright,Cman, SK Proto,Challenger,Blackhawk,Mac,Snappon,Thorsen,,,,A MishMash of old American. No complaints then either. Hey. They're sockets

I just ordered a set of Koken in 1/4. Maybe I'll stick them on my impact and see if they go B00M ! They're nice and short and I needed a kit for the water buffalo project bike.Japanase was the right choice for that.

Its an interesting review. Thanks to the effort, In the long run they're sockets and not Chinezium. Detenting could be a deal breaker for me. That 's why some QR ratchets stay in the drawer. Pain in d'***.
I recall my Thorsen sockets(chrome-deep SAE) being "my best" set.I ran them on an air impact all the time. Tough MOFOS.That was the late seventies

sberry · Sep 6, 2016

The heavy industrial sockets used in Ironwork and ships are not the same ones as an auto type uses. Doesn't matter what the brand.

hangfirew8 · Sep 6, 2016

wornoutoldman said:
Also worth noting the SK and the Proto will bottom on the head of a bolt or nut. The Armstorng/Craftsman do not have this feature. Making it extremely difficult to start a bolt or nut from the socket as it will fall into the socket. This is why I have always disliked Craftsman sockets.

Keep in mind, the Armstrong/Craftsman will swallow a nut or bolt head with their deep broaching and allow you to squeeze both the socket and the ratchet head into a tight space, while the SK and Proto are fine only for wide-open assembly work where nothing is in the way... and speed of running down nuts probably dictates using air tools and black impact sockets instead of chrome.

hangfirew8 · Sep 6, 2016

drink said:
Armstrong is made out of high alloy steel and Craftsman is made of alloy steel.

I'm sorry, but both of these terms "high alloy steel" and "alloy steel" are meaningless. If you add the term "strength" to make "high strength alloy steel"... it is still meaningless. Just marketing mumbo-jumbo.

SK, Proto & Armstrong socket comparison

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