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6 point vs 12 point

M

martell06

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
Messages
183
Location
NE Ohio/Central Michigan
does anyone have 6 and 12 point sockets sets? is it beneficial to have both? i have a bunch of misc. 12 points laying around and i'm trying to decide whether it's worth the time to buy another socket rack for 12 points. what's your opinion/experience?
 
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V

Vicegrip

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Joined
Mar 9, 2007
Messages
1,187
Location
NoVA.
12 points are good for day to day stuff and is easer to drop on a bolt and go but when you have a really tight bolt or nut a 6 point is called for to help prevent rounding of the nut or bolt head flats. If I had to only have one or the other I guess 6 point would be the way to go. Being a tool nut I say get both.
 
T

TNToy

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Joined
Oct 11, 2006
Messages
1,385
Location
West Tennessee
Has it been two weeks yet? There's an unwritten law that a 6 vs. 12 thread comes up every 14 days here. ;)

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8125

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7259

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6337

General concensus, and what I do at work all day?
Buy 6-point stuff and use it as much as possible. It doesn't round-off fasteners as easily, and on a socket the additional positions you can index onto fastener is a non-issue.

12-point belongs on box wrenches, and sockets for use on 12-point fasteners. The driveshaft-to-pinion-flange bolts on a 90's ford ranger, for example, require a 12mmm twelve-point shallow socket. I just did a clutch job in mine, and I'm glad I had that socket.
 
M

MarkH

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Joined
Dec 19, 2005
Messages
1,353
Location
Kansas
Nope it is the Snap on vs Craftsman popcorn muncher comes up every two weeks.

About every 3 weeks it is how good is some I never heard of it usually Chinese wonder tool set.

This one about every two months so it is time for it again.

Heck we have 6 pt impacts and 12 pt chromes and get by. On a socket the 6pt is not a major liability.

On wrenches that is another story have done some cussin' over 6 pts there in lots of places we could not get enough room to swing a 6 pt.
 
T

thefairlaneman

Banned
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
1,011
Location
charlotte nc
If you are working on cars I would say have a complete set of 6 point metric impact sockets,,,,all the way from 5 mil to 30mil for a basic start,,then add good quality 12 points in all of the 3/8 and 1/4 drives.
 
J

jwh

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 10, 2005
Messages
774
Location
Rochester NY
If you're in the rust belt, 6 point sockets are the only way to go - along with lots of PB Blaster, an Impact wrench, and a torch!

Oh, and never-sieze everything!

John in Rochester NY, where summer is currently making it's yearly about week long visit.....
 
S

SuperKid

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Joined
Jan 9, 2006
Messages
382
Location
Indiana
If I had to pick one set, it would be a twelve point set. Why? Because for most jobs, a twelve point will suffice. Also, you can use a twelve point socket on a six point nut, but you can't use a six point socket on a twelve point nut.
 
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Abe

Active member
Joined
Sep 3, 2006
Messages
30
6 point unless for some unholy reason I can't make it work. Then I'll grab a 12 point.
 
U

Uncle Buck

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Joined
Mar 7, 2005
Messages
9,120
Location
Kansas
So just get full sets of 6 & 12 point stuff in all drives, then you never have any worries. Besides, you guys don't have enough tools, and you are addicted to buying more right?
 
K

kartracer55

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 21, 2005
Messages
5,317
Buy a set of 12pt 3/8 shallow impacts if your going to be doing more serious auto repair work, then Buy 12pt wrenches and 6pt sockets and be done with it...
 
B

ba614

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 13, 2006
Messages
264
Location
Jackson, Tennessee
after you get full sets of 6 and 12 point then you can get sets of spline sockets to ... I did and I'm not sorry ... they all have a place and a use ... if I was starting over buying tools I'd start off with 6 point and then get spline and probably not ever buy 12 point ... the spline does the same thing as a 12 point only better
 
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