Chrome or Impact?

[firebox40dash5]

Chrome. Go with chrome...

Man, they got these neat thinwall impact sockets for wheels, <$40 buys you 4 of them that fit everything from 17mm to 22mm/7/8", plus a short impact extension to turn them.

I'll admit to having used chrome sockets on an impact for just that, until I got my Blue Point (made in USA, no less) thin flips. My 21mm deep impact is scraped to hell from Nissan alloys. OK, aside from alloy lugs, I've never had a problem with the thickness of impact sockets.

 

[6-Speed]

All of my Impact sockets have the hole and dimples on the 3 other sides. I'm gonna look closer tomorrow.

Then they're probably not true impact sockets.

I bought a Milwaukee 3/8" drive to 1/4" Hex adapter that was supposed to be impact duty. After installing on my M12 impact a few times, it tore the hog ring apart. After closer examination I discovered the 3/8" drive female end had the detents on the sides.

 

[KinzeMech]

I use impact sockets on my gun, and chromes on my hand ratchets, but I don't think it's the end of the world if you have to switch that around in a pinch.

There are half inch impacts capable of achieving over 900ft-lbs of torque. There is a difference between using a chrome socket, on an impact, tightening or loosening something like that, and using it for removing a lugnut that was tightened to somewhere in the 100-150 ft-lb range.

If I have a wheel lug that an impact won't fit, I'm not going to loose sleep over using a chrome socket on an impact once in a while, for a low torque usage like that.

 

[Wakefield]

I just found out that a 29 mm Matco impact socket makes a perfect hand wrench for the plastic nut under my toilet tank that held the water inlet valve in place! (Handgrip power only for that plastic thing) A chrome socket would probably be too slippery. The new plastic nut that came with the new inlet valve has little wings on it for fingerholds.