Do socket wrenches wear out?

[2CRUZ]

Hey Fellas School me. I was working on my old car the other day and I had a bolt in a real tight space and my 30 yr. old craftsmen socket wrench had so much play in it that I couldn't tighten the nut. I had to put an open end on one side and use some tape to hold it in place then take both hands using my fingers to hold the socket so I could get the socket wrench to tighten the nut. Do I need to buy a new socket wrench or is this normal? I'm guessing like any thing else socket wrenches wear out?

 

[matt_i]

Is it possible the nut was rounded over or you used a metric socket on a SAE nut (or vice-versa)? The 12 points have less contact area than a 6 point and can round (shear off part of the hex) more easily in a max torque situation.

 

[cowboy73]

If by socket wrench you mean a ratchet, yes they do. All tools wear out eventually. And Craftsman ratchets are notoriously inadequate. Time to buy a new one, preferably a non-Craftsman brand one. If you are talking about the socket itself, they wear out too.

 

[mrjaw14]

If you weren't square on the nut, or the wrong size was used, or the fastener was already damaged, you'll get the results you mentioned. Having said that yes tools wear out. I doubt ina diy situation you'd ever wear out a socket. Ratchets do break, especially craftsman lol

 

[B.S.A. (ret.)]

If you're lucky your local Sears may still have a rebuild kit for your ratchet or will swap you out for a new one. While the older USA Craftsman ratchets were fine for DIY use, what cowboy73 said about purchasing a new one might not be a bad idea. If the tool truck brands appeal to you, you can usually get a good deal at a pawn shop on a used Snap-On, MAC or MATCO. S-K and Proto are other top names, but you might be fine with a Pittsburgh from Harbor Freight. I have no personal experience with them, but there seems to be so love for them on this forum.

 

[ken w.]

I'm going to agree with everyone else and say the nut is wore and maybe a wrong socket. I don't think a homeowner would have a wore out socket unless it is 30 years old.

 

[sberry]

On occasion they get stretched if used against an impact a lot. I have had a few Sears that were simply made wrong with crappy fit.

 

[disston]

Ratchets do wear out but first take it apart and clean and oil it. If no improvement then get another one or a rebuild kit. For a Craftsman I wouldn't waste my time rebuilding it. I'd get something better.

If your Craftsman sockets are in good shape and you wanted to replace just the ratchet there are many choices. Gearwrench for a reasonable choice or treat yourself to a Snap On. If you really like bargains many here at the GJ have been saying good things about the current Harbor Freight plastic handle ratchets. I have one in 1/4 drive and like it but can't say it''s seen a lot of service yet.

 

[jonesg]

I never bought into the craftsman hype, they were only better than the very early chinese knockoffs. Now I see I was probably right.

 

[Plastikosmd]

^I'm still waiting replace my first one. Using to break solid rust free, cheaters or pipes on handles, standing or hanging off of them all takes its toll on the ratchet pawl/wheel. I'm a breaker bar or impact advocate to get the stuck unstuck (where appropriate.) I'm sure every manufacturer has its lemons, maybe I have been lucky over the past 20 yrs of wrenching. not to go too far off topic, I have found that snap on screw drivers to be a better long term investment over craftsman

 

[sberry]

Most of the cman works ok, there are a few pieces, really some of the sockets were no better than they are now. They were cheap then and are now. A few broken tools were not a deal breaker, we replaced them, if they were common have duplicated anyway, it was cheap to get in to Sears tools.

 

[sberry]

They used to have stuff on sale, every once in a while a 3/4 deep 3/8 dr 3/8 to 13/16, like 10$. When we were busy a couple 3 different cughed up a 10 spot to make new sets or fill a void, wasn't much money to insure a set on a truck or not leave the place stripped at times.

 

[vtcat]

"I had a bolt in a real tight space". It sounds like he needs a finer tooth Ratchet.
The standard Craftsman are not that,but they and others have higher grades of them.
But if you want to pay $100 for a Snap-on one be my guest.

 

[bob15]

Sounds like the nut was rounded out or you had the wrong size socket. I highly doubt the ratchet is worn out.......

 

[sberry]

I am all about utility. I have a handful of remnants from 5$ 40 pc socket sets in the tin case that survived. The ratchets were junk, early sets had soft sockets, got some extensions we still use on occasion.
As a going concern most hard work now is done impact and use impact sockets a good share of the time. When I didn't know enough to buy a tool the chrome and the ratchets all took abuse, today really only use a hand ratchet for a few tasks and never really stress one much anymore. I wore a couple out in my early career but today most any one that works will last longer than me.
I do some of every trade, some auto, some truck, some tractor and can really manage a 1/2 impact on most real work. I got air ratchets, in my own bays for real auto work. I am sort of flat rate but saving a minute or even a few on occasion either doesn't matter or isn't worth the additional effort and most of my stuff is good enough with new bolts that I can use a combo wrench and finger the rest of it. If not usually power drive it apart.

 

[ElCoche]

I find craftsman pretty good.
There's a bunch of them in my garage that have been doing well for over 10 years now.

 

[sberry]

If I was under hoods 40 hrs a week driving bolts would tailor my stuff even further with smaller drive and battery tools. Last real car engine work was a year ago and as for suspension I can get a 1/2 gun on it with decent assortment of sockets. About a dozen ones I collect over the years that are unique or special and really master the socket length and on occasion extension part of it.
Careful with uni and swivels with impacts and really only use that stuff in limited fashion as problem solvers.
Since this originally was about sockets today personally wouldn't get carried away with a huge investment in chrome, doesn't mean I wount buy something nice I used a lot as I could afford it but spread it around to some impact stuff that really does the lions share of the work today especially now considering cordless drive tools which are now totally affordable for the diy crowd.

 

[sberry]

I find craftsman pretty good.
There's a bunch of them in my garage that have been doing well for over 10 years now.

I bought everything they had Craftsman in 82, their super delux set. A Bud spent about a grand on his set which is all he ever bought. Mine was more, like 3500 or so but had it all in big sizes and I was tool challenged at the time. I looked on the truck and went with a list, ****, more than a new car at the time and not 1/2 way thru.
I bought a handful of flank wrenches, that was ok. But I got what I needed Sears fast but I had some old stuff, 60's maybe 70.s and it was good, the stuff in 82 was ****, poorly finished lobsters and numerous sockets that snapped.
One of my best friends had garage auto biz. He had what he needed but wasn't a collector, got some hf sockets and added a couple hear and there from singles delivered with auto parts as needed. He eventually moved up from a ragged Sears set to a few things SK, not more than a few hundred dollars and as a collection was perfect but wouldn't bring gobs at auction or sale.
Mine are the same way, pieces not worth much, as a collection very tailored.

 

[d.mcfarland]

Replace the craftsman!

 

[HanShotFirst]

Ratchets have moving parts, so yeah; they can wear out. Craftsman's teardrop ratchets are a bit notorious, especially in 3/8" in my experience. So you have a few options.

1 - Take it to Sears and warranty it. They should give you a rebuild kit. That should bring it back to new or near new condition.

2 - Buy a new one

3- And this is the best idea. Drop that Craftsman ratchet into the garbage and go buy a different make ratchet of better quality. I'm a Craftsman fan, but I'm here to say, their teardrop ratchet is just about the worst tool they have ever made.

If price is an issue, Harbor Freight's Pittsburgh Pro ratchets are very good, better than most that are twice the price.

Used SK's can be had for around $25.00, and those are about as close as you can get to indestructible.
Older SnapOn ratchets can be had on Ebay for around $35.00
A used SnapOn dual 80 can be had in the $50-$65 range on the used Ebay market.

But do yourself a favor, treat yourself to a truly decent ratchet; you won't regret it, I promise.

 

[Wakefield]

"I had a bolt in a real tight space". It sounds like he needs a finer tooth Ratchet.
The standard Craftsman are not that,but they and others have higher grades of them.
But if you want to pay $100 for a Snap-on one be my guest.

candidate for a nice fine tooth ratchet and some nice tight fitting sockets
how about the Wright dual pawl model? (It's roundhead,some people don't like those)

 

[toyodajeff]

If you buy a nice ratchet and I don't care what brand you buy, but it's a real pain in the **** to get a Craftsman socket off a snap on ratchet.

 

[wssix99]

Do I need to buy a new socket wrench or is this normal? I'm guessing like any thing else socket wrenches wear out?

... Back to the original question...

Yes, the parts inside can wear out. This is normal. Craftsman makes and sells rebuild kits for the mechanism inside. Sears should be able to get the kits for you or there are tons of collectors/sellers on eBay that sell them for reasonable prices and usually ship them for less than Sears will charge you.

There are many youtube videos and other sites that will show the process and also help you ID your ratchet so you can get the right rebuilt kit.

 

[bigredjeepone]

Go onto ebay and look at used Snap On, MAC, SK and Wright . . . you can pay 1/4 to 1/2 of what Snap On is new. Then call them up and they will send a repair kit for no cost.

 

[mrjaw14]

Some other perspective I'll add is that the old Craftsman sockets were NOT surface drive like the newer ones are. The set I bought in my teens was surface drive, and USA made, so I got fairly lucky and they haven't rounded anything. The older Craftsman stuff my grandfather has is not surface drive. I have not used my Granddad's sockets because of this. If you look at a non surface drive socket, the corners are sharp angles. A surface drive has an almost circular cut-outs in the corners or a arc'ing mid section that drives the flat spots on a fastener. See the pic below. If your old Craftsman sockets were the non-surface drive variety, this could contribute to the rounded fastener, or if the fastener was damaged, or rusted could have rounded it. If that's the case, time for some new sockets

 

[M_George]

I have a Craftsman set of ratchets that I have used for about 40 years. Never used a cheater bar on them and they still work like new. But I have noticed they can be useless in a tight space. Just add a new 70+ tooth ratchet to your collection and keep the craftsman.

 

[kctyphoon]

I think op needs to clarify if he was referring to the socket or the ratchet..

 

[espyking83]

30 years is a hell of a life for a ratchet, wouldnt be suprised if it was worn out-if used frequently

 

[d.mcfarland]

I'm going to say that swing arc is the issue the OP was referring to.

Strange how they have been a member for a while now with plenty of posts, but asking a really uninformed question.

 

[toolman9w]

I must have misunderstood. I thought he was referring to a saltus wrench.?

 

[d.mcfarland]

If you buy a nice ratchet and I don't care what brand you buy, but it's a real pain in the **** to get a Craftsman socket off a snap on ratchet.

I am going to give you a mulligan on this one.

They come off just fine. The socket retention is important in many situations, so don't hate it because it does what it is supposed to.

 

[aussiek2000]

Craftsman sockets ****. Not only in strength but in fitment/tolerance as well. I started out with craftsman and switched all my commonly used sockets over to snap on/williams. Broke my 1/4" drive 10mm craftsman probably 10 times in a year. This snap on one has lasted 5+ years and taken off thousands of fasteners, most on air or electric tools.

 

[PelicanPines]

If socket... put a caliper in it... Get multiple numbers... it will be obvious if you have what I call socket blowout.

If ratchet... yes... Get a new one or rebuild kit.

 

[wssix99]

30 years is a hell of a life for a ratchet, wouldnt be suprised if it was worn out-if used frequently

No kidding. If the OP rebuilds this ratchet and is still with us to tell a tale about the next time it needs to be rebuilt again - we'll call it a holy miracle.

 

[Bellaireroad]

Rebuild the ratchet ... you've had it for 30 years, and it will be good for another 30 with a rebuild kit... about 5 bucks... they pop up on eBay from time to time... its easy
I rebuilt my CM ratchets from 1975... my first set.... they are old friends

 

[Citation]

After 30 years it might just be dirty inside. The Cman ratchets aren't sealed so it might just be dirty. Try cleaning with some solvent then regrease.

 

[M_George]

For cleaning, I take my ratchets apart clean the parts and inside then oil any detents or the spring with the bearing. Add a little super lube and back together. Fixed up some very old ratchets I picked up for $1 at flea markets this way and now they work as good as new. For the swing arc, get one of the new models with 80+ teeth.

 

[skruft]

Either one can wear out, but I have personally not worn out sockets.

 

[Al Borland]

The old Craftsmans with plastic selectors will get wobbly with age/use. add the 36 tooth design and a back-drag issue, and try it in a tight space.
You're right where the O.P. is talking about.
A good cleaning and lube, and thee ratchet is as useful as ever. Get a 72 tooth or better ratchet. Harbor freight or Home Despot. You will be much happier.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

Craftsman sockets ****. Not only in strength but in fitment/tolerance as well. I started out with craftsman and switched all my commonly used sockets over to snap on/williams. Broke my 1/4" drive 10mm craftsman probably 10 times in a year. This snap on one has lasted 5+ years and taken off thousands of fasteners, most on air or electric tools.

I rather like the small Cman sockets. I would keep several spare 5.5,7 and 10 mm sockets as these are easy to loose. Never broke one only lost them. I would much rather loose a $2 Cman socket than a $15 SO.