hex sockets

[defed]

i'm looking for a decent quality hex socket set. i need standard length and long, in both SAE and metric. i see genius has quite a few set variations, but i've never heard or used them before. appear to be taiwanese. any good? which brands have the best quality for the price (not wanting to spend SK or proto money) and which brands are just junk?

thanks.

 

[joedodge]

I've had gear wrench for a long time and use them professionally there affordable and great qaulity

 

[blackz26]

I was going to recommend duralast till I seen you needed full length. Then the next brand I though of was gear wrench.

While were on the subject, why would someone need full length vs standard length with an extension?

 

[defed]

i suppose i don't really NEED the long ones, 90% of the time an extension would work. there are things at work where the head is buried in a spot, where the long narrow hex will slip in, but the socket part won't.

i tried to follow a link from another thread about the duralast hex sockets, but the link didn't work and i got annoyed trying to find it manually and gave up! for some reason, searching the site wouldn't give me any results. have a link?

 

[blackz26]

http://m.autozone.com/autozone-mobi...Driver-Bit/_/N-25f3?searchText=hex sockey set

Thats off my mobile. I have both 7 piece sets. $35 for both.

If the link dont work search scew/torx/hex then driver bit on autozone.

 

[devoncoolman]

I would go to lowes and buy kobalts. pretty descent product for the money. they are overseas but your not gonna get us made on the cheap unless you buy used.

 

[davesnothere]

Vim.

 

[Outlawmws]

SK and Proto. (Sorry, but you get what you pay for on Hex sockets...)

 

[blackz26]

SK and Proto. (Sorry, but you get what you pay for on Hex sockets...)

Wrong. More money doesn't mean better quality. Been proven over and over.

 

[Hiball]

Wrong. More money doesn't mean better quality. Been proven over and over.

Sigh.. How about you give your opinion, and not try and **** on His? Does telling someone "there wrong" make you feel better? IMO higher quality hex bits are leaps and bounds ahead of some of the cheaper stuff, I only Use Snap on.. Because I've had the best luck and warranty service is 1st rate for me. That doesn't mean Snap on is the best choice for everyone.. It's just what I've personally found to hold up to abused (rusted) fasteners... If I was on a budget.. Vim would be my second choice.

 

[EdJack]

I got Craftsman Industrial dirt cheap from the Sears Outlet about 2 months ago, I think $6.99 per rail of 6 pieces.

But the first time I used them to remove some front-end components, the one I used shattered. The socket part seems high quality, but the inserted bit in the Craftsman seems rather cheap quality. When it shattered, if you look at the cross section of the hex it is full of small air bubble, sort of looked like a latte foam. So I'm thinking higher quality ones wouldn't be like that.

 

[blackz26]

Sigh.. How about you give your opinion, and not try and **** on His? Does telling someone "there wrong" make you feel better? IMO higher quality hex bits are leaps and bounds ahead of some of the cheaper stuff, I only Use Snap on.. Because I've had the best luck and warranty service is 1st rate for me. That doesn't mean Snap on is the best choice for everyone.. It's just what I've personally found to hold up to abused (rusted) fasteners... If I was on a budget.. Vim would be my second choice.

Yes it does. Because too many people cram high priced stuff that people can't afford or wanna buy. And try to justify it by saying you get what you pay for. Which is absurd. He clearly stated he didn't have the finds for sk or proto. So what does someone recommend? Exactly that. The tool that cost the most isn't the best. And you can get equal quality for 1/3 the price. Quite frankly Id be head over heels if all the truck brands sold out or moved production over seas. But that'll never happen..

 

[EdJack]

and which brands are just junk?

Well... Harbor Freight for starters...

 

[blackz26]

Well... Harbor Freight for starters...

Pics of failure?

 

[Hiball]

Yes it does. Because too many people cram high priced stuff that people can't afford or wanna buy. And try to justify it by saying you get what you pay for. Which is absurd. He clearly stated he didn't have the finds for sk or proto. So what does someone recommend? Exactly that. The tool that cost the most isn't the best. And you can get equal quality for 1/3 the price. Quite frankly Id be head over heels if all the truck brands sold out or moved production over seas. But that'll never happen..

In regards to hex/torx. I think you do get what you pay for, especially if your using them Hard.. I gave my "opinion" based off my real world experiences and gave a secondary option for the budget minded folks.. (Btw Vim OEM's for Cornwell and the import Mac's). With that said... Back to the initial question.. "Your" opinion doesn't trump someone else's and sure as hell doesn't make them wrong... End of Discussion... As far as the "equal quality for 1/3 price" that's fine that you feel your duralast have met your needs as a DIY'r but again.. It's just a opinion.

Not sure what truck tools moving production overseas has to do with the equation.. But whatever..

 

[Outlawmws]

Wrong. More money doesn't mean better quality. Been proven over and over.

Yes it does. Because too many people cram high priced stuff that people can't afford or wanna buy. And try to justify it by saying you get what you pay for. Which is absurd. He clearly stated he didn't have the finds for sk or proto. So what does someone recommend? Exactly that. The tool that cost the most isn't the best. And you can get equal quality for 1/3 the price. Quite frankly Id be head over heels if all the truck brands sold out or moved production over seas. But that'll never happen..

I wasn't blowing smoke, so shove off. I've broken either the socket or the hex inserts on every brand I've used EXCEPT those two. Sometimes it comes down to "you get what you pay for" and if you knew me, you'd have known that without spitting your comment out.

Are there other good brands out there,? Sure, but not many. I don't know what it is about hex sockets, but many (Most?) can't seen to get it right.

Proto and SK have worked better than any others I've used, and I use a LOT of hex drive fasteners. YMMV, but in any case, your comment was uncalled for.

EDIT: Lastly he didn't say "he didn't have the finds for sk or proto"

He said, "Which brands have the best quality for the price (not wanting to spend SK or proto money)."

There is a Damn big difference.

 

[Hiball]

I bought a set Genius SAE Hex and been using them on my hand impact.. No failures yet..

 

[CWP1616L]

TopTul

 

[blackz26]

I wasn't blowing smoke, so shove off. I've broken either the socket or the hex inserts on every brand I've used EXCEPT those two. Sometimes it comes down to "you get what you pay for" and if you knew me, you'd have known that without spitting your comment out.

Are there other good brands out there,? Sure, but not many. I don't know what it is about hex sockets, but many (Most?) can't seen to get it right.

Proto and SK have worked better than any others I've used, and I use a LOT of hex drive fasteners. YMMV, but in any case, your comment was uncalled for.

EDIT: Lastly he didn't say "he didn't have the finds for sk or proto"

He said, "Which brands have the best quality for the price (not wanting to spend SK or proto money)."

There is a Damn big difference.

Either way, someone suggested something he didn't want to pay for. First response was gear wrench. Used everyday. No problems.

Tool truck brands moving production over seas.would get a lot of people to stop buying them because of not being USA

Either way, my opinion vs your opinion. Either one doesn't matter I suppose. Its all right, and its all wrong.

 

[Hiball]

Tool truck brands moving production over seas.would get a lot of people to stop buying them because of not being USA

Brilliant!!!!


Where there is a will there is a way..

Wright
Sk
Proto
Armstrong

Your entitled to your Opinion.. But your not entitled to mine or anyone else's And you were "Wrong" for insinuating that... Whether you want to admit it or Not.

 

[ATC]

Blah blah blah...

I really like my GearWrench's. I also have a set of Kobalts (L shaped keys...not the bits) and they are also holding up great.

 

[blackz26]

Blah blah blah...

I really like my GearWrench's. I also have a set of Kobalts (L shaped keys...not the bits) and they are also holding up great.

Wow! And you didn't have to o her spend for them?

 

[EdJack]

Pics of failure?

Pics of failure of Craftsman Industrial hex socket trying to remove stabilizer link nut. The socket part is good quality, but the hex insert is much cheaper quality than the typical Craftsman socket. Sears exchanged it for a brand new one. The black hex key part is full of air bubbles when you look at it from the cross section.

 

[Outlawmws]

Wow! And you didn't have to o her spend for them?

Are you almost done trolling this thread? Or are you just drinking a lot tonight? (or maybe your spelling is always that bad... )

 

[rick carpenter]

Defed, I took some Eklind torx keys and cut them down and epoxied them in some sockets. You can do the same for hex keys, quality key sets don't cost that much. Sockets are about all the same quality anyhow if sticking with the major players, so pick your price for them.

 

[blackz26]

Are you almost done trolling this thread? Or are you just drinking a lot tonight? (or maybe your spelling is always that bad... )

My spelling is usually that bad due to me not checking over my phone.. sorry..

 

[ChevyEFI]

Because I've seen many more failures or roundings with them than 6 or 12pt regular bolts, I consider allen or torx to be consumable.

If you want a good set, cheap, get a set you like, and for the ones you use regularly and will wear out overtime, order bits by Apex or Bondhus if they make what you need; or another if they don't. I've had good luck with those brands.

 

[carcajou]

IMHO Hex keys & hex sockets, drill bits, easy outs, and tap & die sets.... Buy the best you can find. It usually makes the difference between a job completed or not.

 

[sberry]

I bought a set of metric in a hurry for a job thinking I would replace or upgrade them if needed, they worked and worked well enough that we scored the last set of torx from there too, same thing. There may be better ones and I am sure if one looked can find cheaper but I was impressed considering the price, easy to get. I think the metrics were under 15$ at the time.

I will have to agree the cmans are nothing to write home about, many of them take a replacement key though but its a place sears could have made some improvement.

 

[Stooge]

ive had pretty good success with Paramount hex sets i keep in my desk at work alongside my proto sets,(we mostly use hex cap bolts on our stuff). their fine for most sizes although i generally reach for a proto if im going below a 4mm or so as the small paramounts will round easier. ive yet to break any of them and have used them to torque bolts to about 140ft lbs without any issues. think they came from msc

 

[RCStocker]

Wrong. More money doesn't mean better quality. Been proven over and over.

The quality makes a huge diffence in a hex wrenche. I have hundreds of them.

Allen makes very good ones. The same company that makes the C man and GearWrench make the Allen. Allen was one of the first ones to make them thus they are called an Allen Wrench.

The cheap ones will twist on you. If you get the long ones you want a good brand. I buy and sell used everything and I have seen dozens of cheap ones twisted. The tips ware and they are a mess. The socket does not matter but the hex driver does make a difference.

When I get the ones with a set screw that have bad or missing hex rods I just cut off a piece of a good wrench and stick in the socket with the finished end out. I sell them all the time. I wish everyone made them with a set screw. That way you could replace them with ease. I have bens full of Allen Wrenches. I take out the cheap ones and scrap them. You don't need to buy a truck brand to get good ones. But the cheap ones are not worth the packaging they come in.

 

[defed]

thanks for all the input. let me clarify one thing...i can afford any brand i decide to get...the main reason for not WANTING to spend SK/proto money is because it will be in my work box, where it is more likely to get lost, borrowed or stolen. so while i want decent quality, i don't really want the most expensive just because of the likelihood of having it disappear.

i'd say i've got decent stuff in there, but nothing that i'll cry too much over losing...gearwrench, craftsman, vise/irwin, channellock and even some harbor freight and northern.

i don't even remember what brand hex wrenches i have, craftsman probably, but i don't recall a job yet that they haven't worked fine on. just a socket would make things easier and faster in many instances.

 

[EdJack]

My Craftsman work great. All except that time the one shattered and took out a chunk of my hand. Other than that, all good. Sears gave me a new one, tool at least, they said the chunk of my hand wasn't lifetime warranty.

 

[defed]

You don't need to buy a truck brand to get good ones. But the cheap ones are not worth the packaging they come in.

exactly what i want to know!

 

[Boost Creep]

i've had decent luck with the ones i got from hf. i've run in a bajillion lag screws in with a hf torx socket on a 20v dewalt impact driver and the socket still looks new. imo, as cheap as they are they're worth a shot and if they don't work for you then you aren't out much

 

[Haveblue]

Ive got some Stanley hex sockets that are a few years old that have held up well..as well as the torx.
ive cranked on em pretty hard, and they have always been solid. Im not sure if they offer any long ones..or if the quality is still as good. I have some even older Blackhawk metric hex sockets, and they do appear similar in quality.

 

[diesel research]

While were on the subject, why would someone need full length vs standard length with an extension?

Wrong. More money doesn't mean better quality. Been proven over and over.

this is the voice of experience.



on another note,
http://www.bondhus.com/features/protanium/body-4.htm

http://www.bondhus.com/catalog/bondhus_catalog.pdf

 

[OccupantRJ]

I have a set of Proto that I have used daily for 37 years in an industrial setting, so I would have to say that I have been very satisfied with them.

 

[chad99]

Well in my particular line of work I use hex bits daily...all the fasteners are grade 8 or better up to aircraft hardness and ive broken or rounded just about every brand out there over the last 20 odd years.And I can tell you that the gold industrial hex bits from snap on have lasted the best,a little spendy at $8 to $10 a piece but ya definately the best ive tried,and ive tried probably every brand of hex bit in exsistance.In my experience hex bits are not something you want to go cheap on.Ive proven this to myself time and time again.

 

[jteck75]

I've been a maintenance tech in industry for 15 years,where 90% of the fasteners are socket heads. I've had the best luck with snap on,followed by proto,armstrongs are also great,because you can loosen a set screw and replace the bit with a cut off l key if you break one,the only drawback is that the set screw gets loose when you don't want it to and it's a pita sometimes. If you want a set that you can fix yourself without chasing down a rep for a warranty call,go with armstrong,otherwise,I've had very little bit breakage with snap on and proto. For a hex impact socket,grey pneumatic is tough to beat! Good luck!!