How often do you reach for 1/4" deep sockets

[shockwave]

I have seen people use the term "Universal" several times in this thread.

I thought I knew a lot about tools but I am not sure what people are meaning in the context of a deep or shallow socket. Do they mean a pass through socket?

A deep would be long socket
A shallow would be a short standard socket
A semi deep will be mid length socket
A universal would be a joint is built into socket sometimes swivel
A deep universal would be a longer socket with joint built in (only mac has offered in 1/4 drive that I have seen)
And there are magnetic sockets aswell offered in short and deep in impact (black sockets)

 

[JUNK-MAN]

Mostly grab for the deeps of shallows in 1/4".

 

[lbhsbz]

I reach for deep sockets unless they won't fit where I'm working, without exception. It's like having a small extension without an additional piece in the mix, easier to find in the cart, easier to install / remove from the ratchet, and a bit of extra knuckle clearance built in.

 

[PJNJ]

I don't need to use a deep 1/4 socket very often and generally I find that I use shallow sockets in 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 the majority of the time.

But I have shallow and deep in all three drive sizes in both metric and SAE. I bought a set of 1/4 and 3/8 Gearwrench metric mid-depth sockets a couple of years ago. They can be used in place of both much of the time. It's easier to grab one rail of sockets. And one time last summer I couldn't get a shallow on a nut and a deep was bumping into an obstruction - a mid-depth fit in place and I was able to loosen the nut. I'll probably pick up the Gearwrencch SAE versions but I do like the SK 1/4 SAE and metric socket set that comes in a case. Decisions, decisions.

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

How often do you reach for 1/4" deep sockets

I usually grab the deeps first, shallow only if the deep won't work.

I have 3 sets of 1/4 that have both deep and shallow Metric and SAE. One of the 51 piece Gearwrench sets at work, which is the most complete. Craftsman in the junkyard/breakdown box, and a SK/Craftsman set in the garage at home. Plus a set of deep and shallow SAE craftsman in the house for appliance repairs.

Plus I use my hollow shaft nut drivers quite often as well, have a couple sets of those plus some spares of the most used sizes stashed around the house and garage.

 

[Thax]

Everyday. 1/4 metric deep sockets are my best friend with my 1/4 MAC air ratchet. There will be days where those sockets are used for an honest 4-6 hours constantly. If your a tech on an import Japanese/Korean car line , 1/4 deep metrics are well worth the investment.

 

[jask]

Everyday. 1/4 metric deep sockets are my best friend with my 1/4 MAC air ratchet. There will be days where those sockets are used for an honest 4-6 hours constantly. If your a tech on an import Japanese/Korean car line , 1/4 deep metrics are well worth the investment.

Good to know!! do they use that on all the important stuff, or just wheel bolts?

 

[cvairwerks]

I guess it is always good to put some probability of error in every job you do.

I know it just small nuts so why does it matter with the quality of tools you use. But as a commercial that runs on CBS newsradio 88 mentions the quality of the job starts with the quality of tools you use.

Quality has a lot to do with function. Cheap garbage tools often are poorly made and vary wildly in their fit on fasteners. A poor fit on a fastener can lead to damage that may or may not be easily repaired or even scrapping of a part or assembly. I've had an airplane held up for two days waiting on a replacement for a single bolt that someone honked up using a badly fitting tool on and damaging the fastener.

If you make your living with your tools, time is money and the more time you have to burn in rework or chasing down new hardware or parts, can weigh heavily on your paycheck as well as your reputation.

A good reputation is hard to develop, but a bad one is easy to come by. I've got guys that I work with, that if you gave them a leather strop and a 450 pound anvil, I guarantee they will have the anvil wrecked before they could get the strop out of the package.

 

[Thax]

Good to know!! do they use that on all the important stuff, or just wheel bolts?

I use mine almost always on interior and engine bay work. Most Asian fasteners under the hood are 10,12,14 mm. I always keep a combination of these socket sizes on hand to be productive. This means ive always got 2 air ratchets loaded up ready to go. I use a 10mm deep on a MAC AR249 , shallow 12mm on a SP air
SP-1765. I find this is a productive combination for me as a Flat rate KIA tech.

 

[byoungblood]

I reach for my 1/4 and 3/8 deeps before the shallows almost every time. Gives you extra knuckle clearance without having to get out an extension.

 

[M6erfan]

My most used sockets. I grab deep 1/4" metrics all the time for extra knuckle clearance, much preferred over shallow with extension...

 

[Citation]

1/4 drive deeps are basically my default. When I first started wrenching my CM starter kit had only limited 3/8" deep sockets (15mm and up). Most fasteners couldn't be had with shallow (1/4 or 3/8) so 1/4 deep was the default choice. Lacking a 3/8 deep 14mm resulted in a few trips to Sears to replace stripped 1/4 drive guts... until I bought a 14mm deep socket in 3/8. If I had a 1" extension I probably would have used 3/8 shallow far more. The 3/8+3" extension was typically too tall. I've since added 3/8 deeps in smaller sizes but still go for the 1/4 much of the time since I typically don't need the extra torque but I do like the lighter weight when spinning things off.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I use mine a lot. I have standard and metric, also have shallow 1/4 drive, but rarely use them

 

[Greg85mcss]

I usually reach for shallow 3/8 or deep 1/4. Never thought about it before. Guess it gives me more clearance so I'm not hitting my knuckles


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[oh1ws6]

60 percent of the time, I use them every time.

 

[jdlong]

I was in Home Depot today and noted some Husky deep sockets. Like Gearwrench, the broaching is only nut deep preventing nuts form falling into the socket. An issue I have with my current deep sockets. At 12 bucks for the 1/4" metric set, I though WTF and got a set. Sorry for the blurry pic.

 

[BK13]

Semi-deep->deep->standard


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[K-Dog]

auto body almost exclusively.

 

[Project_shadow]

Never touch shallow sockets lol
Only the deep ones unless room is tight
But I also use them mainly on my m12 1/4 chick driver



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[disston]

Deeps almost always. I think it's mostly the knuckle clearance and habit.

 

[T45]

The mid-deep are go to in 3/8, and 1/4. Most people seem to like or use deep for reasons not related to their design (use over threaded rod). Modern ratchet wrenches also compete in solving problems in other ways. Usefu tho as nut drivers on a driver handle, and for saving assembly time when extension would otherwise be required.

 

[mbshop]

I used 1/4 deep so much I would wear the mac and snap on ones out. So I doubt a hf set would have lasted long at all. But for home I see no reason to not buy hf.

 

[sberry]

A lo0t of times the cheap wrench seems to be looser as it gets older in a size or 2 and it usually isn't the tool but that the tool has been damaged. Anyone worth a pimple on a mechanics *** should be able to determine if a socket or box end doesn't fit right and in a career with 1000's of sockets its really only happened a handful of times, a few pieces from Sears and a couple were way off blems.
A few where someone has damaged them with impacts and long bars and 1 set about 20 years ago from HF was deep metric and others I know got the same one, it really hurt them for a while but they changed.
I think I found the last of a handful of 9/16, had a couple different ones and we really brutalize them but they hqad got used on a job with clamps where we did hundreds and ran off rusty bolts with a 1/2 air gun. They were good enough to twist the bolts right off. I have used Olympia, HF, MIT where it was all or nothing, broke handles right in half with cheaters and even beat some with a nail hammer and they still fit and work and even have collected a few with the old 70's style thin boxes that work really well.
The Chinese tool worked its way in to our biz slowly. Some of the ultra cheap sale store stuff of the 70's was bade, even then the **** were invading with a few things, I got WT Grant wrench set that was brutal but the 40 pc 5$ sockets were never reliable although on occasion spot a survivor that works and actually went to the well in a bucket for a 13 shallow and to my surprise it look like **** but worked well enough it got tossed in with the rest.
Eventually we bought a few things for duplication mostly and I figure the fact I beat a half a dozen 1$ wrenchs with impacts over the years rather minor and actually could have warranted them. They got mixed from occasional use to just being wrenches and my mind cant help the difference to some respect that I am not racist and need a reason to choose one over the other if there isn't some mechanical reason to do so. I actually get a sense of relief when I spot one when I need it and know its been proven and tested or it wouldn't still be there. Only bent wrench I own is a Snap someone spread the jaw on, they could have ruined one cost a dollar instead and I have really taken them out of circulation anymore anyway and added to the tubing wrench drawer.
I am willing to sacrifice a bit of loss risk for availability and common combo and some sockets really don't even have a home, they float around between trucks, tool boxes and golf carts. We have about 100-150 combo wrenches on racks with pegs in 3 spots and then a few things basically those in the pic as needed in everything that moves.

 

[sberry]

That razor knife has been tossed and replaced by a Stanley and I actually had a roundup a while back, stripped all the Ace and off brands, bought a handful of new ones. I could use a couple more hammers and Channelocks.

 

[sberry]

Because of the repetition we use some nut drivers where a lot may use a deep 1/4 drive but its a must have tool to any real set, the fact it can be had for 10$ makes it kind of foolish not to have.

 

[MikeF2316]

Deep every time, unless clearance and obstruction dictate otherwise.

Put me in this category with the others. Those of us of a certain age remember putting 6x9 speakers in the rear deck of lots of cars. They came with long studs to fit through thick padding. Thinner padding required threading the nuts on a looooong way!

 

[MN_Runner]

I do use 10mm (for Toyota and Honda battery nuts and Honda I4 ignition coil bolts) and 11mm (for Toyota and Honda TPMS nuts) 1/4" deep sockets with Snap On 1/4" drive torque wrench. But the usage is very rare.

 

[GRX]

Almost never. In fact, most of the time I use a 3/8 ratchet with 1/4 adapter. Unless the job requires many small size fasteners. Then I will use the 1/4" ratchet and socket set.

 

[M6erfan]

Almost never. In fact, most of the time I use a 3/8 ratchet with 1/4 adapter.

Why?

 

[Koolmoose]

In my home garage I work mostly on small engines. 1/4 inch drive is used the most. I usually use shallow sockets but this thread has me thinking about using long sockets more often. I have a nice set of Snap On 6 pt SAE that I inherited from my dad, and Craftsman USA metrics that I bought myself. 3/8 is used for stuff bigger than 9/16 or to break bolts. When things are really bad I can resort to "The Persuader" , my 24" Snap On breaker bar or the impact wrench. Though I seldom use 1/2 inch drive any longer.

 

[WWheeler]

Almost never. In fact, most of the time I use a 3/8 ratchet with 1/4 adapter. Unless the job requires many small size fasteners. Then I will use the 1/4" ratchet and socket set.

Oh I HATE using an adapter, plus I can't stand using the wrong size ratchet for the fastener or job at hand. Too large or too small of a handle completely throws the trusty ol' German 'guttenteit' torque standard all to hell. I'd probably be breaking fasteners if I regularly used a standard 3/8 ratchet on 1/4" dr-sized nuts & bolts.

Besides, when it comes to 1/4" dr, the Snap-On swivel head (or I assume the Gearwrench 'roto' knockoff would be similar) is so awesome. It's definitely my 'go-to' when working with anything up to about 1/2" / 12mm. The swivel head lets me get it almost anywhere and it can save a lot of time as it lets me go from using it like a nut driver to spin down a fastener and then swivel out to finish torquing it down, or break it loose and then as a nut driver to spin it off all in one go.

It's always a pleasure to use. I cringe at the thought of doing the same jobs with a 3/8 ratchet w/ a 1/4" adapter.

- - - -

I use 1/4 dr deeps whenever I need to, & standards when I can.

 

[GRX]

Why?

Because that is how I roll

 

[gdocktor3]

I like using 1/4" sockets and ratchets. Any time I have a lot of simple fasteners to remove, I'll grab my 1/4" Roto ratchet, the corresponding length socket and go to work. Whether deep or shallow gets used more, I don't even keep track, but I definitely do use deep 1/4" sockets.

 

[wolf_from_wv]

I usually use deep 1/4" drive or a pass thru on all-thread when making chassis mounts.

I was mounting a potentiometer on a panel, and had to use 3/8" deep because the 1/4" deep wasn't long enough.

I've used 1/4" deep on ignition modules, but might have been able to use standard depth.

Seems like I had to use the deep socket on S10 dashes, but I don't remember right off.

Then... I chucked them in a lathe and cut the chamfer off the end because the potentiometer and volume control nuts were thin and the socket would slip off. Then I thinned them down so they would fit better in places.

 

[T45]

Then... I chucked them in a lathe and cut the chamfer off the end because the potentiometer and volume control nuts were thin and the socket would slip off. Then I thinned them down so they would fit better in places.

I've had to use deep 1/4 for obstacle clearance, I think it was a 6mm on a moto fuel petcock. The other option was using a mini 6pt combo--but that was slow going.

(There was access from the side, but not enough for a ratchet wrench. There was access from the top, but not enough for the non-broached end of a socket. A 22mm normal depth socket was a no go because the relief was not long enough to clear the obstacle. A 50mm had maybe 40mm of relief and worked perfectly.)

This only may be relevant below 8mm or so, but its one reason to think about the various design/price tradeoffs when spec'ing a set.

 

[Jango]

I rarely use 1/4" deep sockets. I have a set of 3/8'' and 1/2 deep and that does the trick for me.