The people who test tools to failure on YouTube mean nothing to me. Tools are designed to be stronger than the fastener being removed. Most, if not all fasteners, will fail before the tool fails. Even cheap Harbor Freight Pittsburgh tools will out perform a fastener. There’s a reason why tool companies sell breaker bars. There’s a reason why tool companies sell box end wrenches over ratcheting wrenches. Use the tool as its intended use. Don’t ***** and complain when you are hammering on a Harbor Freight, Husky, or any cheap ratcheting wrench, or ratchet, and it fails. They were never designed to be hammered on. It’s a simple concept, use the tool the way it’s supposed to be used. I still have most of my first tool set mom and dad bought me when I was 12, that was 48 years ago. Dad was always harping on me “ don’t be bustin nuts loose with a ratchet use a breaker bar”. That is good advice! I can count on one hand the number of tools I’ve broke in 48 years, even cheap Harbor Freight Pittsburgh and Husky tools. Common sense goes a long way.
Best value sockets?
- Thread starter kage860
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Ohio Andy
Well-known member
I hurt myself the first time I tried to use my first ratchet given to me when the ratchet let go.
Straight to the trash and I bought an "expensive" Craftsman set.
If I wanted something smallish in a case I might go for the SK set which is a no skip regular and deep sockets 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 all in one case.
Not the best but pretty well thought out
Straight to the trash and I bought an "expensive" Craftsman set.
If I wanted something smallish in a case I might go for the SK set which is a no skip regular and deep sockets 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 all in one case.
Not the best but pretty well thought out
My dad taught me how to set timing and adjust dwell, and that’s about as relevant as the advice concerning breaker bars.
When the norm was a junky Craftsman 36t, or a round head S-K if you were fancy, that advice was appropriate. Any decent ratchet mechanism will survive past the failure point of the drive itself. Why drag two tools around when one will do?
Heck, if you're talking about modern times, I drag around neither. I use one of these:
Sal Bandini
Well-known member
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My HF breaker bar and any of my CF chrome or HF impact sockets would break those bolts free. Guaranteed. Lived in the Chicagoland area my whole life and all of my fasteners are rusted.
Do you have a compressor? If so, get the $80 Earthquake XT air impact. 4" length and more than enough torque to remove those bolts.
Wasn’t going to even open that door…Heck, if you're talking about modern times, I drag around neither. I use one of these:
Dakotadadv8
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Going off topic
richfinn
Well-known member
I think I can sum it up for you.
It's really about the "enjoyment" of your work, and how "satisfying" that is for you as a human being. we all make a bunch of excuses for our vices and extravagant purchases, but really there is no need, we will all be dead soon, and we all do it to different extremes.
You can drive down the beautiful twisty coast road in a rusty Renault 5 or a pristine Porsche 911, they will both ultimately get the job done, but you will have more fun in the Porsche, and you only live once.
Does vanity and snobbery come into it? Yes of course it does, that is just part of the Human Condition, if you are lucky enough to live 80 years you might as well make the best of life in my opinion.
For some people that means having the best of everything, for others it means passing it all down to kids who won't understand or care about the sacrifices you have made.
If you would like to donate to my Porsche 911 fund, it would be much appreciated
I believe as a child my Dad had a set of sockets that had no ratchets, just an L-shaped handle to turn them and then got a Chinese made Berzomatic $7.99 Ratchet and Socket set. He repaired and sold used lawn mowers with these for years and I got one too at about 10ish years old. When I was 14 and had a profitable paper route I purchased 2 SK socket sets 1 for me and one for him he used em to continue to dabble w/lawnmowers and I started dabbling in Bicycles, I still have mine and I'm almost 67.
As a young man my only attraction to Craftsman was the variety of tools compared to SK and the fact that they were easier to buy, most are gone w/the exception of some one off thin walled sockets for Jap Bikes and one shiny 3/8 ratchet w/a flex head, round bent handle that was pretty useful with spark plugs. I had a Kawasaki V twin that took 4 plugs and a Honda V4 that also did, this ratchet and the thinwalled sockets was the only way to change those plugs.
@BlakeTheCarGuy whatta y'all got about 2000 of them Craftsman sockets?
2ndGearRubber
Well-known member
This will probably be buried in the multiple pages, however.....
Giant socket sets are generally not efficient. There's a cost with storing them, and an implied lack of current tooling if you're asking that question. That may be the cheapest way to buy a ton of sockets - is that what you're looking for? Why?
The general advice I give people who want to buy sockets has a few assumptions. A variety of work expected (not specialty use). The fact a specific use case was not offered implies this. A lack of previous tools/tooling. No information as to upgrades, prior experiences and likes/dislikes offered, needing large amounts of sockets in a single purchase.
In this situation, I highly recommend a basic 1/4 and 3/8 metric and SAE kit, in a blow molded case. They're a basic drive size capable of doing larger and smaller tasks, it's centralized and easily stored, and it's a foundation upon which other tooling choices can be made. The goal is not ALL THE SOCKETS, the goal is having what you need. IMO the fact someone asks about the cheapest way to buy the most sockets is telling us that their use case is unknown, including to them. That basic pair of blow molded cases will likely be sub $250, have large amounts of everyday homeowner things covered, include some drive tools and extensions, and be easily moved and stored.
Buying sockets by volume is not the typical goal, they're a tool, a means to an end. What do you want to do? That decides what the tooling requirement is. A homeowner who does not do any automotive work could likely handle a 1/4 drive blow molded case, a few screw drivers, and some pliers.
Giant socket sets are generally not efficient. There's a cost with storing them, and an implied lack of current tooling if you're asking that question. That may be the cheapest way to buy a ton of sockets - is that what you're looking for? Why?
The general advice I give people who want to buy sockets has a few assumptions. A variety of work expected (not specialty use). The fact a specific use case was not offered implies this. A lack of previous tools/tooling. No information as to upgrades, prior experiences and likes/dislikes offered, needing large amounts of sockets in a single purchase.
In this situation, I highly recommend a basic 1/4 and 3/8 metric and SAE kit, in a blow molded case. They're a basic drive size capable of doing larger and smaller tasks, it's centralized and easily stored, and it's a foundation upon which other tooling choices can be made. The goal is not ALL THE SOCKETS, the goal is having what you need. IMO the fact someone asks about the cheapest way to buy the most sockets is telling us that their use case is unknown, including to them. That basic pair of blow molded cases will likely be sub $250, have large amounts of everyday homeowner things covered, include some drive tools and extensions, and be easily moved and stored.
Buying sockets by volume is not the typical goal, they're a tool, a means to an end. What do you want to do? That decides what the tooling requirement is. A homeowner who does not do any automotive work could likely handle a 1/4 drive blow molded case, a few screw drivers, and some pliers.
BlakeTheCarGuy
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I’ve got quite a lot. I really like the USA Craftsman sockets. Most of my sockets are vintage extinct brands and Craftsman USA is many of them. If I had to guesstimate of my 2,000+ sockets I’d say 500 of them are probably USA Craftsman.I believe as a child my Dad had a set of sockets that had no ratchets, just an L-shaped handle to turn them and then got a Chinese made Berzomatic $7.99 Ratchet and Socket set. He repaired and sold used lawn mowers with these for years and I got one too at about 10ish years old. When I was 14 and had a profitable paper route I purchased 2 SK socket sets 1 for me and one for him he used em to continue to dabble w/lawnmowers and I started dabbling in Bicycles, I still have mine and I'm almost 67.
As a young man my only attraction to Craftsman was the variety of tools compared to SK and the fact that they were easier to buy, most are gone w/the exception of some one off thin walled sockets for Jap Bikes and one shiny 3/8 ratchet w/a flex head, round bent handle that was pretty useful with spark plugs. I had a Kawasaki V twin that took 4 plugs and a Honda V4 that also did, this ratchet and the thinwalled sockets was the only way to change those plugs.
@BlakeTheCarGuy whatta y'all got about 2000 of them Craftsman sockets?
Smart people use a tool as its intended use and “ drag two tools around”. It’s called wisdom!
Wisdom- the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise.
I’m afraid to count the number of craftsmen sockets I have. Still use them every day. Mine are all old USA craftsmen tools.
Again, a modern quality ratchet will shear the drive well before the mechanism objects….the same drive that will shear on a breaker bar.
Where’s the wisdom in that?
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
All my impacts are half inch. Is that 1/2 in or 3/8Heck, if you're talking about modern times, I drag around neither. I use one of these:
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
I thought it would be difficult for me to count all my sockets, every single one of them is cataloged by part number where appropriate.
You keep your tools cataloged? On a spreadsheet?
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
Some of it's in a spreadsheet like the bits that I have, but it's mostly in a standard document.
The reason I started it was if I keel over dead. My family won't know if they are looking at a $1,000 socket set from Wright Tool or whether they were looking at a $30 set
So depending on what I'm looking for sometimes I'll ask myself how many 36 mm sockets do I have.... And I can pretty quickly find out. I'll know who made it and the part number and I'll know where I have it stored.
Especially with larger sets. I also have a summary that allows me very quickly to just look at it and know which sets have which items in them. Only needed when I'm looking for something odd ball or larger than usual or smaller than usual.
So for example I was looking for my ratcheting flare nut wrenches and I'm like and where did I put those since I don't use them very often
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cherrybomb
Well-known member
And after you pass,your kids will use them for years and say "Ol Dad wasn't so dumb after all"
Well, since I don’t have them inventories and cataloged, they may never know….
Man, this place proves that it literally takes all kinds.
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
I'm not sure I can let them look through it until after I'm dead or my wife will say.....
That proto ratcheting wrench stuff that goes up to 36 mm was how much?
I guess I just don’t understand why it matters what they cost, whether you’re alive or dead.
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
For sure it will be sticker shock.
My largest concern is that they'll have a garage sale and sell things worth $1,000 for five.
No, they may end up just giving away my tools, but it might be useful for them to have a notion about the tool.
I generally have notes like I purchased it from here for this much money on this date. Here are comments on what I like and don't like about the tool. Here is an enumeration that came with the set or the tool.
Sometimes if I like a tool or set very much, I will buy one as a gift for somebody and they'll get a copy of the inventory and my thoughts on the tool... With the cost removed.
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
I often forget exactly what I have for some of these small things that I don't use very often. Or if I want to remember what I have in what car.
cody1325
Well-known member
Individually (for those sizes your kits skip, or a specific job--Proto. Main reason, mine supply's closer to Lowe's, and I've noticed that for some weird reason, the open stock China/Taiwan/India Kobalt and Craftsman wrenches tend to be equal to what an American Proto ASD is, and more than old-stock American-made SK (which I tend to get for half-price since they' re getting rid of them).
I needed some metric stuff, and I just bought Pittsburgh Pro as I have no other duplicates other than the Craftsman USA in my garage roll cab. Seems decent for occasional use, though I will see what specials come up around Father's Day for the full mechanic's tool sets.
I needed some metric stuff, and I just bought Pittsburgh Pro as I have no other duplicates other than the Craftsman USA in my garage roll cab. Seems decent for occasional use, though I will see what specials come up around Father's Day for the full mechanic's tool sets.
I know everything I have, it might take a few minutes to find certain things I don’t use often.
That would depend on his description of "lived in Chicago". It takes more to be a Yooper than tar paper house siding and 6 snowmobiles decorating the front yard year-round.
I know, I was born and raised a yooper. I went to Northern and moved away.That would depend on his description of "lived in Chicago". It takes more to be a Yooper than tar paper house siding and 6 snowmobiles decorating the front yard year-round.
richfinn
Well-known member
Knowledge of dwell angles and ignition timing (and the mechanical limitations involved with distributors) is still relevant in understanding how modern ignition systems have evolved into what we have today.
Don't sell yourself short
Trust me, I value the knowledge, and it’s not at all useless, but much like breaker bars, the practical application is pretty damned limited and obscure.Knowledge of dwell angles and ignition timing (and the mechanical limitations involved with distributors) is still relevant in understanding how modern ignition systems have evolved into what we have today.
Don't sell yourself short
I’m also the weird guy who likes really old **** with points and solid lifters….that still has damned near zero use for a breaker bar.
richfinn
Well-known member
richfinn
Well-known member
It’s cool. Pointless, but cool.
Snap-On 3/8" breaker bar for ya bud
I do.
You don't?
Seriously though, it's for insurance purposes, as well as inventory. When you start really getting into the weeds, like dealership special tools, and a service manual calls for "seal driver C-452" you probably need to keep a record. I have dozens of specialty seal drivers, is that one of them? Without the spreadsheet, I wouldn't know off the top of my head, especially if I haven't used it in years. Same goes for other oddball rarely used tools.
There was a time when I knew every tool I own and its location off the top of my head. Now they're on an 800 line spreadsheet. Even sets only get one line. I might have a problem.
Do you record each and every use of what each and every tool is used on and how many rotations of each socket to loosen and tighten something and don't forget how many clicks on the ratchet. My brother is pretty **** but his spreadsheet is in his head.
Sounds like you are making fun of @Ohio Andy. His approach seems quite sensible to me. He’s thinking about his family after his death. Why would you criticize that? Apologies if I misunderstood.
PowrKraftsman
Active member
- Joined
- May 12, 2024
- Messages
- 38
Do you think the ICON sockets are much better, and better enough to justify the higher price, than Quinn?