Best "economy" impact socket set?

[dillon_b12]

I just picked up the Makita 1/2" brushless impact wrench and need to get some impact sockets since I currently only have chrome sockets.

My use will be mainly personal automotive use (tire rotation, brake jobs, etc...), so I was wondering about what some of the more experienced guys might recommend for a starter set. I've done some research and see a lot of threads suggesting GP or Sunex, but I'm not sure exactly what I'll need. SAE and Metric "master" sets? Or, is that overkill for a home user?

I'm not concerned with having every single piece I'll ever need so impact hex bits, swivels, etc... aren't that important to me at the moment.

I'm leaning toward this set since it seems to have a broad range of 3/8" and 1/2" drive with shallow and deep sockets.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JM93YS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Thoughts?

 

[Jure]

sunex.

 

[creativecars]

Harbor Freight or Stanley impact sets can be picked up for 20.00 +,- per SAE or Metric sets.
Great bang for the buck.

 

[Kenskip1]

I have two vehicles and do most repairs myself HF 1/2 drive have not failed me yet.I have both in standard and metric, Ken

http://www.harborfreight.com/13-pc-12-in-drive-sae-impact-deep-wall-socket-set-69280.html

 

[Chevy-SS]

HF all the way

-

 

[theoldwizard1]

HF used to carry 2 different impact socket set. Make sure you get the one that is made out of chrome-molybdenum.

 

[rcktsled]

Another vote for HF. I have the deep sets in both metric and inch, no problems so far.

 

[Kensgarage]

Buy Tekton. Support a company that gives a damn about its customer base.
Fair price. Excellent product. Excellent service. What more can one ask for ?

 

[davidw]

+1 for Stanley. Dirt cheap and came with a nice case that didn't fall apart.

 

[lightning02]

Buy Tekton. Support a company that gives a damn about its customer base.
Fair price. Excellent product. Excellent service. What more can one ask for ?

x2 on this. plus no skip sizes.

 

[Richard Cranium]

The set you posted looks nice, I know every one says harbor freight, at 20.00 per set, The set you picked out has both sae and metric plus deep of each. So you are going to spend 80.00 either way you go, You might as well get the case to keep them in while you are at it. Rich

 

[n8n]

If you buy HF, make sure you get the "Pro" ones (those are the Cr-Mo not Cr-V like the non-"pro" ones) and the ones that are made in Taiwan. When I bought my shallows, they had two versions that were nearly identical, one made in Taiwan and one made in China. On the same peg. The Chinese ones were visibly inferior and in fact the holes broached in them were off center to the point that I couldn't put them on HF's fake Hansen trays. The Taiwan ones were fine. (My deeps are SO as I got them used and reasonably priced.)

The one complaint I have about the HF impacts is that they are not stamped with the sizes so someday they will wear off, but then again, for the price, you can replace them 2-3x before you'd have worn out your SO, SK whatever.

 

[kctyphoon]

Basically ANY set on earth will work fine for you.. The hf ones are nice, but they dont come with a case unless u buy a specific set and then u wind up missing alot of sizes. The tektons are really nice for the money. They dont skip sizes and.come with storage cases, but u can go on amazon and ebay and find cheaper sets. Even walmart sells cheap C. H. Sets right in the store..

In 1/2" i have husky shallows and porter cable deeps in both sae and.metric.. In 3/8 i have tekton for both deep and shallow.. At work i have 1set of the non pro hf (comes with more sockets then the pro) that work just fine, and even have 1/4" sae deep central pneumatic.. Ive never had a problem with ANY of them.. I just bought sunex swivel sockets in metric cause they were the cheapest swivel sets with great reviews (hf not so much for those)... For regular impacts though its basically impossible to buy a bad set..

 

[wafrederick]

+1 for Stanley. Dirt cheap and came with a nice case that didn't fall apart.

No 18mm in the metric set,this is the huge drawback with the Stanley set

 

[creativecars]

Basically ANY set on earth will work fine for you.. The hf ones are nice, but they dont come with a case unless u buy a specific set and then u wind up missing alot of sizes. The tektons are really nice for the money. They dont skip sizes and.come with storage cases, but u can go on amazon and ebay and find cheaper sets. Even walmart sells cheap C. H. Sets right in the store..

In 1/2" i have husky shallows and porter cable deeps in both sae and.metric.. In 3/8 i have tekton for both deep and shallow.. At work i have 1set of the non pro hf (comes with more sockets then the pro) that work just fine, and even have 1/4" sae deep central pneumatic.. Ive never had a problem with ANY of them.. I just bought sunex swivel sockets in metric cause they were the cheapest swivel sets with great reviews (hf not so much for those)... For regular impacts though its basically impossible to buy a bad set..

Great advise^^^^.
I wanted a large and complete 1/2 deep metric set and ended up with both Stanley and HF sets
Stanley 11 pc set: 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, and 24. As you can see it is missing 15, 18, and anything over 24
HF 13 pc set: 10, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 24, 27, 30 and 32
I now have a very complete set (10 to 32) with some nice extras for a truck box and with discounts and coupons, cost less than $35.00

 

[Hpozzuoli]

Harbor Freight has very good impact sockets. My only complaint is they are a tad thicker walled than my SO's and sometimes won't fit in the recesses for some lug nuts.

 

[morrillm06]

+1 on Tekton, That's what all of mine are but I cant seem to find individuals in 20 and 25 mm to fill my Hansen socket trays anyone have any leads?

 

[dillon_b12]

Having a case is important to me since these will be occasional use, and I don't want to buy more Hansen type socket trays just for these.

I saw the Stanley's, but I was turned off by the skipped sizes.

If the set I posted has all the sizes the seasoned guys say I'll need, I'm leaning more and more that way.

 

[countryroad82]

The Tekton looks like a nice set. Personally I have ATD thinking I would buy a decent, yet cheap set and upgrade later......... That was almost 20 years ago........ And yes they are used very regularly and so far I've never had a failure out of them.

 

[Coach James]

A buddy bought Campbell Hausfeld from Mao Mart. He uses them a couple times a month with no problems.

I have sets from HF and Northern Tool brand and no problems.

Coach

 

[Derek1387]

Tekton. Dave is on the boards. Customer service and support is great. The product is great. The price is great

Can't think of a negative

 

[djdaredevil]

If you buy tekton dont get the set you posted it is missing some sizes you might need.
A good thing to do is find out the common sizes on your vehicles and then get a set that has those sizes in both deep and shallow. In my toolbox I have HF in pro shallow and non pro deep for 1/2in as they had the best sets with what I needed. I have Tekton 3/8ths sets in deep and shallow(because their local to me and have great service), And in a carry box with my 1/2 brushless dewalt I have some sets from advance auto I think(they are a few years old and well used) along with some kolbalt.

TLDR: Get the sets that have what you need they all work about the same.

 

[uscfan]

HF 1/2 impact are awesome. Doesnt skip sizes like some of their other sizes and sets.

 

[Conductor562]

Another vote for Tekton. I've used 1/2" and 3/8" for a good while and can't complain at all. For how you'll likely use them CR-V vs. CR-MO isn't going to matter.

 

[Fixed]

I don't you know where you're located, but I have a set of the Mastercraft impact sockets, and they've held up pretty well so far. Dirt cheap, if you get them on sale.

 

[Farmall450]

Craftsman Evolv can be found cheap, and they're good quality.
I've been using a set for 2 or 3 years, no issues. On a 2235TiMAX...

 

[hancock1701]

Another vote for Tekton. Big laser etched markings. Individual sockets available on Amazon. Great customer service (I needed a replacement wrench, and it only took one email to get the replacement).

Especially right now Tekton is having a $15 off $50 on Amazon. I bought the deep and shallow metric sets last year during the same promotion and have been happy since.

 

[rlitman]

If you buy HF, make sure you get the "Pro" ones (those are the Cr-Mo not Cr-V like the non-"pro" ones) and the ones that are made in Taiwan.

+1

Regarding the Craftsman and Evolv:
I have an older US made Craftsman set, and when I had one worn out socket replaced, the replacement US made socket (last generation of US made ones), was considerably thicker walled than the one it replaced. I have no doubt that it was still superior to the current Chinese ones.

Not mentioned above is Husky. I don't have a Husky set, but I have an old Husky 19mm (bought from open stock), and it is the thinnest walled deep impact socket I own. Thinner than my Snap On (which is also from a previous generation of sockets). Though I am doubtful that it is of the same design as what's on store shelves today.

 

[kctyphoon]

one thing to keep in mind. - the HF pro socket sets come with less sockets compared to the non-pro. if i remember the pro's are 10 piece, the non-pro are 13 pieces. the pro's have a nicer finish, the machining is a little bit nicer - but they wont "hold up" any better then the cheaper ones.. Lowes's Kobalts are the same as the HF Pro's - but they have a 15 piece kit, for over $40 i believe, and still no case..

just find the cheapest 1/2" set you can find that comes with the most pieces for the money. if this is mainly for lugs, you can just but a $20 lug socket set from Husky or Tekton.. the Husky comes with 3 double sided flip sockets (so 6 different lug sizes) small extension, storage case, for $19.. happy shopping.

 

[mdtaylorjr]

I use Stanley and snap on gotta be careful. Because if they are to strong they will shatter. Impact sockets are designed to flex with vibration of the impact. Contrary to popular belief that they are stronger.

 

[mjoekingz28]

Nice observation!

I have used pneumatics all of about five minutes in my lifetime, so I am not speaking from experience.....

But, I read that regular chrome sockets were so hardened that they were brittle and could not withstand the hammering of air impacts.

 

[mjoekingz28]

What are they made of? Is it typically chrome vanadium or chrmoly like regular sockets, or maybe different minerals or even a different tempering process?

 

[kblee27]

I'd probably go for a Sunex Cr-Mo.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MVB9Y8/?tag=atomicindus08-20
and maybe add a few 1/2" bigger sockets.

I also have quite a few Tektons, they are ok.

 

[bczygan]

HF!!!!!!

 

[BK13]

From experience: Sunex.
From what I've read and from fondling in the store: Tekton

 

[pindlepiper]

I bought all the metric sets of TEKTON from amazon and have hammered on tons of stuff from changing tires to super rusty suspension and they have been fantastic. I haven't been able to break one yet with my Milwaukee 1/2" impact.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[aaron1987]

I would suggest Tekton. They aren't to pricey and have complete sets. Or HF.

 

[chrisnazzy]

Sunex all the way. I finally invested in a couple bigger 3/8 and 1/2 sets when they ran their rebate a few months back. Lifetime warranty, laser etched and engraved, nice storage boxes and chrome molybdenum (not chrome vanadium like some lower cost impacts)

Here is a testament to Sunex quality....they only manufacture a few individual sockets that are not warrantied for life and these are the thinwall flip sockets. At work we purchase the 19mm/21mm thinwall flip sockets and issue one to each new tire tech. We gladly replace them with a new one when they break one. I would say each tech goes through 1 or 2 sockets a year. That is amazing for a shop that does millions in tires each year and works on over 100 cars daily.

 

[d.mcfarland]

I have HF and Tekton. I would pick the one with the most sizes which is Tekton. Price isn't always the best or most economic way to go about it.

 

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Tekton. A lot of their 1/2" impact sets are ON SALE on Home Depots site as well.