Fast wearing SO impact sockets or MAC impacts?

[md21722]

Have the mg725's changes any in the past few years?

The only visible change I've seen is the power selector on the front changed from round to tapered which makes it easier to adjust to a different power level. It is a pain to turn it in the old style, but hasn't been a problem since I typically run them on high power anyway. The Snap On case is all metal whereas the back half of the Harbor Freight is some type of plastic. The Snap on ones also come with a boot to go over it and a choice of colors.

 

[Skin]

Magnesium..the paint also flakes off like crazy. I'll be shocked if their next impact revision doesn't join the times of composite construction.

 

[VRStrickland]

Are SO impact sockets consumable? Speaking as a shop owner, a full time mechanic and former part owner in as SO franchise, the answer is NO. They are fully warrantied for life to the original purchaser. If you break one, or wear it out, your dealer should replace it. Do they wear out? YES They are supposed to. Why? Very simple, the socket is designed to wear so the anvil on your impact does not. This is where those GP or Sunex sockets, which are fine tools that do their job well, end up costing more than the much better SO sockets. How does that add up, you might ask? Simple, the socket is replaced for life, the anvil on your impact is not. Not trying to start any drama, just trying to point our the whole story behind the differences in these tools. SO wants to sell you an impact and a set of sockets. Both items cost a premium. However, if you only use those SO sockets on you SO impact the sockets will wear out over time and your dealer will replace them. 10 years later you will still have only that same amount of money invested in those tools. Napa (or any other vendor, not picking on anyone) would also like to sell you a set of sockets and an impact. Those GP sockets and an AirCat impact will cost you a lot less, and because those sockets cost so much less there is no replacement money built into the cost, so they have to be built not to break, but also not to WEAR. They do this buy making the socket hard, in most cases harder than the anvil on any impact you can buy. So your impact wears out and has to be repaired or replaced. Thus in that same 10 years, maybe you have never replaced a socket, but maybe you have gone through 3 impacts. Which route is the better value? Depends on you and your preferences and situation. Again, not trying to talk anyone into anything or change anyone's opinion, just putting the information out there. Let the flames roll.

 

[chris142]

My cornwell impact sockets were so soft that i took them home. Replaced them with snap on and they seem fine.

 

[Wesley B]

Are SO impact sockets consumable? Speaking as a shop owner, a full time mechanic and former part owner in as SO franchise, the answer is NO. They are fully warrantied for life to the original purchaser. If you break one, or wear it out, your dealer should replace it. Do they wear out? YES They are supposed to. Why? Very simple, the socket is designed to wear so the anvil on your impact does not. This is where those GP or Sunex sockets, which are fine tools that do their job well, end up costing more than the much better SO sockets. How does that add up, you might ask? Simple, the socket is replaced for life, the anvil on your impact is not. Not trying to start any drama, just trying to point our the whole story behind the differences in these tools. SO wants to sell you an impact and a set of sockets. Both items cost a premium. However, if you only use those SO sockets on you SO impact the sockets will wear out over time and your dealer will replace them. 10 years later you will still have only that same amount of money invested in those tools. Napa (or any other vendor, not picking on anyone) would also like to sell you a set of sockets and an impact. Those GP sockets and an AirCat impact will cost you a lot less, and because those sockets cost so much less there is no replacement money built into the cost, so they have to be built not to break, but also not to WEAR. They do this buy making the socket hard, in most cases harder than the anvil on any impact you can buy. So your impact wears out and has to be repaired or replaced. Thus in that same 10 years, maybe you have never replaced a socket, but maybe you have gone through 3 impacts. Which route is the better value? Depends on you and your preferences and situation. Again, not trying to talk anyone into anything or change anyone's opinion, just putting the information out there. Let the flames roll.

Definitely an interesting theory. In theory, it makes sense to me, to have the weak link the cheapest to replace, but my sunex sockets seemed to have worn in on the nut/bolt side and drive side, like you are saying, and my IR impact has stayed the same tightness as before. However, if this is Snap on's way of dealing with warranties, I would rather buy a new impact every year than to deal with stripped out nuts or bolts.

 

[egnorant]

I found my old (1984) SO deep impact socket to be too worn to use just last night. Just felt loose so I compared it to a new one I bought at an estate sale last year.

I had been living with the quirks of the old socket for a while. Nut would sometimes jam in the socket, but I was good at wiggling them out and sometimes the socket would just fall off the impact so I learned to not swing the impact around.

Much nicer when the socket stays on and the nuts just drop out in your hand.

Yes, they deform over time. Softer metal or less brittle, however you want to describe it, impacts do deform. Mine spent about 6 years in a tire shop and may have been the first or 10th replacement in that time. Once the tools came home I really did not have impact until about 4 years ago.

Bruce

 

[spencerdiesel]

I tried out my student discount with mac for the first time so far on Friday. The stuff hasn't come in yet but I got the USA made 3/8" drive 10-24mm deep impact sockets, 1/4" drive 5-15mm USA made deep/shallow chrome sockets, and a long handle 1/4" axis ratchet.

Any thoughts/input?

 

[Olafur]

From a safety standpoint - Impact sockets can't be very hard. If they are there is a chance they shatter or crack in such a way that pieces can fly off.

Seems to me current Taiwan (and perhaps China) impact stockets are quite hard, harder than sockets from the top Euro and Japan brands I am familiar with. That's nice since they wear out slowly and can last long. But when they fail they do so in very similar way as decent quality chrome sockets do. So the trade off is safety.

Thankfully using quite hard sockets on impact wrenches isn't very dangerous.

 

[md21722]

For basic sockets either are fine. Snap-On deform a bit more quickly at the drive end but they have better roll stamped sizes.

For swivels its really not wear but pin breakages that kill them. Snap-On impact swivels get a bit tall by comparison to other brands starting around 16mm but they also recently came out with super shallow ones that solve this in 3/8 drive (207RIPFM).

For what its worth Williams USA and Proto deep/shallow impacts are identical to Snap-On/MAC counterparts.

The industrial brands tend to flute down at the socket end whereas the automotive ones tend to have a narrower shank not far off the drive end. Perhaps from a wear standpoint they are the same, but their shape is not usually the same?

 

[md21722]

I tried out my student discount with mac for the first time so far on Friday. The stuff hasn't come in yet but I got the USA made 3/8" drive 10-24mm deep impact sockets, 1/4" drive 5-15mm USA made deep/shallow chrome sockets, and a long handle 1/4" axis ratchet.

Any thoughts/input?

What are you doing for 1/2" & 3/4" impacts? With a user name like spencerdiesel I figure you are working on big stuff.

Did you buy Mac because it was cheaper or just to try it out?

 

[SnapOnToolsGreen]

I agree the snap on impacts are soft I screwed up the drive end on my 1/2 17mm deep in under 30 seconds with my old matco cordless 19.2v impact that is weak maybe 250ft pnds of torque and dont even think it can do that as i was trying to remove a lug nut on a ford focus that had been garaged for 6 months without driving it and even had the wheel off about the time I parked it, came off pretty easy with a 4 way sure did a number on the square end of the socket I'd buy wright any day and should have they are king of tough tools I have a lot of wright sockets up to 3/4 and they are very heavy but thick not the best mechanic tools buy work if they fit.

 

[shockwave]

For what it's worth we have had the same USA mac impact set for 20+ years without an issue short 1/2 impact sockets

Snap on is great for impact sockets aswell just don't hold up like the mac tools though

And for the impact swivels look at matco pinless best around imo

Now on a side note snap on will be easiest to warranty with issues mac is coming back around still not in my area yet and matco is hit or miss with cornwell has to be broken/cracked for warranty

 

[ihateminimumwage]

I tried out my student discount with mac for the first time so far on Friday. The stuff hasn't come in yet but I got the USA made 3/8" drive 10-24mm deep impact sockets, 1/4" drive 5-15mm USA made deep/shallow chrome sockets, and a long handle 1/4" axis ratchet.

Any thoughts/input?

You should be happy with them.

I started to build a used set of 1/4" MAC sockets but with the high cost of them used, it just wasn't worth it versus just buying an SK set (these were for home use). I have to say the MACs were my favorite 1/4" sockets for the short time I had them. Love the stepped down ends in the larger sizes (same goes for the one 3/8" MAC impact socket I had).

Probably the route I would've gone if I'd had easy access to MAC when I had my student discount.

 

[spencerdiesel]

Thanks for the replies y'all. I went the Mac route for impacts because one of my co-workers has two sets he bought around 2001 and has only had to warranty 2 or so of those sockets from then till now. My other co-worker bought the snapon 1/2" sets a year or two ago and they are almost all in need of replacing for wear. I also like how most of the Mac impacts are thinner than the snapon equivalent.
And the steel tray seals the deal

I work at Kubota so the stuff I work with isn't huge, we don't usually need to break out 3/4" drive size stuff. Diesel is part of my name because I like all things compression ignition, VE pumped 6bt's specifically.

Most of the student discounted tools I'm getting are snapon, and everything else I'd like to be US made MAC.

 

[md21722]

Thanks for the response! I have owned Kubota's and 6BT's. Great machines & engines! I do like Snap On chrome more than MAC, but am not very enthusiastic about the Snap On impacts I do own...

 

[Mr.Nutcase]

get the snap ons

 

[spencerdiesel]

I've got 3/8" deep/shallow snapon chrome sockets and love using them. I did order the snapon 1/2'" metric swivel impact sockets a few days ago, mainly because they were in the latest student flyer and were an additional 10% off my normal discount. I was thinking about going Mac for every impact socket, but 62% off in this instance had me pointed towards SO

 

[Skin]

The industrial brands tend to flute down at the socket end whereas the automotive ones tend to have a narrower shank not far off the drive end. Perhaps from a wear standpoint they are the same, but their shape is not usually the same?

True for Proto vs MAC. MAC are also have their signature undercut on the larger sizes around the square drive end as well which I like having since it gives you something to grip for removal. Both are good. The Williams ones use the same forging dies as Snap-On though. They're identical in shape for all sizes, the only difference is the roll stamp die.

I tried out my student discount with mac for the first time so far on Friday. The stuff hasn't come in yet but I got the USA made 3/8" drive 10-24mm deep impact sockets, 1/4" drive 5-15mm USA made deep/shallow chrome sockets, and a long handle 1/4" axis ratchet.

Any thoughts/input?

I have a bunch of MAC in chrome. They have one of the better forging designs of any USA manufacturer due to the turned down area of the square drive I mentioned above. My only complaint with them is their size stampings are kind of awful. The metric ones don't even have normal stampings, the size is part of the socket part number. You'll see when you get them. Its a small issue that a Hansen socket tray can solve though.

 

[VinceG]

The Mac socket is also a true deep well a nut can drop all the way in the socket the SO it will not there is just a round hole. Matco has a BOGO deal on their new Enhanced sockets buy the 3/8 set and get the 1/4 free.