Grey Pneumatic Duo-Sockets question.

[marcusicp]

Are the Grey Pneumatic Duo-Sockets the same physical dimensions as typical chrome sockets? I am worried that because of their intended dual purpose impact/hand usage they would be a little bit bigger than a typical chrome sockets.

On a side note, I tried to email customer support with this same question and got a phone call from someone at Gray Pneumatic who informed me that they don't list the dimensions of the individual sockets for the Duo-Socket line and that I could order a few individuals to compare for myself. Why couldn't he just pick a few sockets up and look?

 

[bmxr4life87]

Grey pneumatic has excellent customer service I don't think my gp impact sockets are much bigger than chromes I wouldn't imagine the duos being anny bigger than chromes

 

[I_AM]

I have held the Dou's in my hand at the store. I think they are comparable to your average chrome socket

 

[marcusicp]

Anyone else have anything to add?

 

[I_AM]

Like i said in the previous post they are comparable to chrome. When i saw them my first thought was that they wouldn't stand up to frequent usage on impacts (because they were so thin). On the other hand i have, i think 4 or 5 sets of grey impacts. They has stood up fantastically. To bad no one on here seems to own a set of the duos

 

[nexum1919]

I have the full 1/4 and 3/8 sets (metric and sae)
I don't have them at home right now but when i first got them, i compared the overall dimensions. They are same or slightly thinner than the same size craftsman chromes. Only thing is regular length ones are slightly taller than craftsman chromes and deep ones are slightly shorter. Deep being short doesn't really matter to me, but couple of times i felt the need for the shorter 1/4 craftsman chromes. I don't really impact them, all i have is a regular taiwanese 100 ft. lbs. 3/8 impact for u-joints, exhausts, under covers etc, they held up just fine.
They are black, size is laser marked nice and large, also stamped just like a regulat socket. Fit and finish are perfect, not even a single glitch. They come soaked in grease, they like to be greasy otherwise they tend to get rust spots on them. Fill the hansen trays nicely. And did i mention they blend nicely under a dirty engine compartment, so don't drop them!! They have both the typical impact socket hole and regular detent grooves in them, work nicely with my craftsman and gearwrench chrome extensions and ratchets
The ratchets are 72 tooth, heavy, slightly thicker head than the gearwrench but strong. The best thing about the ratchets are the machining tolerances (they have zero drive end play) are so close that they have no o-rings or seals and they resist dirt and grit better than the regular o-ring equipped craftsman or gearwrench ratchets. They are my 'dirty' ratchets...

Extensions have wobble heads, can be a lifesaver, they fit nicely to the sockets but break easily since the thickness of the material is reduced. I broke the 1/4 6" extension, originally bought it at tooltopia, so i mailed tooltopia and got a replacement less than a week, shipped directly from grey pneumatic warehouse. Extensions can also be locked for straight use, in that case, they are just as strong as anything.

Also they come in a nice box with little space wasted, top lid can be removed. So if you keep your sockets in a drawer, perfect solution.

 

[marcusicp]

I have the full 1/4 and 3/8 sets (metric and sae)
I don't have them at home right now but when i first got them, i compared the overall dimensions. They are same or slightly thinner than the same size craftsman chromes. Only thing is regular length ones are slightly taller than craftsman chromes and deep ones are slightly shorter. Deep being short doesn't really matter to me, but couple of times i felt the need for the shorter 1/4 craftsman chromes. I don't really impact them, all i have is a regular taiwanese 100 ft. lbs. 3/8 impact for u-joints, exhausts, under covers etc, they held up just fine.
They are black, size is laser marked nice and large, also stamped just like a regulat socket. Fit and finish are perfect, not even a single glitch. They come soaked in grease, they like to be greasy otherwise they tend to get rust spots on them. Fill the hansen trays nicely. And did i mention they blend nicely under a dirty engine compartment, so don't drop them!! They have both the typical impact socket hole and regular detent grooves in them, work nicely with my craftsman and gearwrench chrome extensions and ratchets
The ratchets are 72 tooth, heavy, slightly thicker head than the gearwrench but strong. The best thing about the ratchets are the machining tolerances (they have zero drive end play) are so close that they have no o-rings or seals and they resist dirt and grit better than the regular o-ring equipped craftsman or gearwrench ratchets. They are my 'dirty' ratchets...

Extensions have wobble heads, can be a lifesaver, they fit nicely to the sockets but break easily since the thickness of the material is reduced. I broke the 1/4 6" extension, originally bought it at tooltopia, so i mailed tooltopia and got a replacement less than a week, shipped directly from grey pneumatic warehouse. Extensions can also be locked for straight use, in that case, they are just as strong as anything.

Also they come in a nice box with little space wasted, top lid can be removed. So if you keep your sockets in a drawer, perfect solution.

Thanks for taking the time to type all that out! You may have just convinced my to give them a try!

 

[joeswamp]

Um, if the Duo sockets have thinwall dimensions, doesn't that mean they're going to split? Seems like you're getting something for nothing here...

 

[marcusicp]

I already have full sets of impact sockets but once in a while I will need to use a chrome socket on an impact because of space limitations and plan on replacing my cheap chrome sockets with these just for that reason. That's why I was concerned with the size of the Duo-Sockets compared to standard chrome sockets. I will use them with hand tools like chrome sockets and if I need to use them on the impact I wont have to worry about destroying them I hope.

 

[gregrobbins]

Um, if the Duo sockets have thinwall dimensions, doesn't that mean they're going to split? Seems like you're getting something for nothing here...

I have sold a number of sets off my truck in the last three months. I have had to warranty a couple 1/4" extensions, but no sockets. They seem to be holding up well to use.

 

[marcusicp]

I have sold a number of sets off my truck in the last three months. I have had to warranty a couple 1/4" extensions, but no sockets. They seem to be holding up well to use.

Glad to hear! Do you happen to sell any of the Gray Pneumatic universal sockets? Do they seem to hold up OK?

 

[nexum1919]

I did not really bought the duo-sockets for their impact capability. They were nicely priced complete set with very impressive fit and finish, laser engraved size markings are also important for me.
The 1/4 set goes from 4mm (including 4.5 and 5.5) to 15mm and 3/8 set from 7mm to 22mm

I also have the regular 1/2 impact sockets from grey also, again the fit and finish is perfect. My only complaint about those would be that the laser markings rub off pretty easily, not a deal breaker for me, if it gets worse i can always engrave the sizes, just takes couple of minutes. But the laser marking on duo-sockets seem to be holding up well, even if they rub off, they still have the regular stampings with contrasting background, so it's much easier to read than regular chrome stamped markings.

Although i cannot really prove this but the harborfreight laser marked made in taiwan stuff seems to be coming from the same manufacturer as grey pneumatic. I have the harborfreight 1/2 drive torx and hex impact sets, they look amazingly similar to the grey pneumatic catalog photos...

 

[maxspeed96ct]

Im in the market for some new socket sets, any one have a opinion on these ?

 

[Chuck122]

I just want to point out that it is grEy not grAy. Gray is a Canadian hand tools company and has nothing to do with grey. Just making sure no one is confused

 

[archirelic]

I've got the duo sockets in a 3/8 set, two actually. They've held up remarkably well and I can only reiterate what has already been said about them with regards to their durability, fit, finish, tolerances, etc. I haven't had any trouble with mine.

As far as my regular impact sockets, I have the Sunex sets for metric and sae. With the exception of not having the laser engraving as do the Grey Pneumatic impacts, they are damn near virtually identical.

 

[greasemonkey44]

ive had the duos for a few years now
dimensionally they are close to a snap on chrome socket, maybe leaning more towards a northern or cman chrome
they have lasted me some very heavy and daily use
think 18" breaker bars and impacts 90% of the time

 

[CGarage]

Any updates on the GP Duo Sockets?
Has anyone compared them to the Sunex impact sockets?

Thank you in advance.

 

[GeoBruin]

Wow, major thread awakening.

Not sure what you're looking for by way of an update. They're thin walled impact sockets. I have the complete 3/8 set. I keep them in my truck as my do-all truck set and when I need an impact socket that's smaller than my half inch drive set gets, or when I need to fit in a tight spot, I go grab what I need from the truck.

I can't fault them.

 

[CGarage]

Not sure why all of the stigma against thread awakenings.

It keeps all data in a central location and can act as a living journal for updates and new info.

Thanks for the insight. I think they are thinner walled than the Sunex impact sockets.

 

[darkzero]

Not sure why all of the stigma against thread awakenings.

Cause they're almost always done by new members who try to add info that won't help the OP due to age or is completely useless. Gets bumped to the top & usually the thread dies off again cause there was no reason for it to get bumped in the first place.

But not all ancient thread revivals are useless, cases like this one is justifiable in my book.

 

[GeoBruin]

Cause they're almost always done by new members who try to add info that won't help the OP due to age or is completely useless. Gets bumped to the top & usually the thread dies off again cause there was no reason for it to get bumped in the first place.

But not all ancient thread revivals are useless, cases like this one is justifiable in my book.

Oh I agree. If you search for something on the site and the only (or most recent) thread on a topic is 10 years old, it's just as good (or better) to wake up the old thread than to post a new one.

That said, Darkzero described an all-too-common scenario above. I think in many cases people Google something and it leads them to a post on the forum that likely isn't the most recent/relevant, and that's the thread they bump.

I have a hard time believing the last time GP Duo sockets were discussed here was 2013 but I suppose it's possible.

 

[Sugarfryz]

Are the Grey Pneumatic Duo-Sockets the same physical dimensions as typical chrome sockets? I am worried that because of their intended dual purpose impact/hand usage they would be a little bit bigger than a typical chrome sockets.

On a side note, I tried to email customer support with this same question and got a phone call from someone at Gray Pneumatic who informed me that they don't list the dimensions of the individual sockets for the Duo-Socket line and that I could order a few individuals to compare for myself. Why couldn't he just pick a few sockets up and look?

I’m going to be honest with you, the times that a impact socket will be “too thick” are going to be so minimal. I’ve been wrenching 8 years and I can only think of one time that it happened. Get a quality impact set, and a decent chrome set. Or just get the duo, I’m sure it will be fine.