Husky, Kobalt, or Craftsman Socket

[Lurch67]

I'm trying to determine which sockets are the best values, in quality, price, and warranty, (Not difficult to return for warranty). Since Home Depot, Lowes, and Sears are locally available for most DIYers, this would be the best for myself, and hopefully other DIYers, without too much excessive flaming. Note this is for DIYers, not professional mechanics.

 

[rusty65]

To be honest I would pick craftsman because you can buy sets with so many varieties of sockets compared to some of the other brands although craftsman is not the highest quality choice as far as chrome and fit and finish.

 

[Lurch67]

To be honest I would pick craftsman because you can buy sets with so many varieties of sockets compared to some of the other brands although craftsman is not the highest quality choice as far as chrome and fit and finish.

I tend to agree, but so many trends complain about the quality it leaves me wondering which is best. Thats why I using the poll.

 

[TwoInch]

i wouldnt mess with husky.

kobalt sockets are fine, the finish is great, seem to be durable, but only use etched markings, no stamps. which is a no no for me. the selection is not complete, and 6pts are not stocked in all drive sizes and styles. the "Kobalt" and the model number are both stamped, but the size is not. smooth move lowes...

the USA craftsman sockets are proven in my eyes, i have used them for many many years, with nearly zero failures. fit is great and ive never had a bad one, finish is fair/good, and they are stamped, and they are dirt cheap in sets. can be had in all configurations of 12pt or 6pt, with exception with the 1/4 drive metrics.

of the three, i would get a large craftsman USA set, even with the chinese sockets showing up lately. i warranty sockets so little that i would prefer the craftsman over the others.

 

[jimjj211]

I would think Craftsman has the best overall quality but Kobalt got my vote for best deal. The quality is pretty close if you ask me and the small difference in quality isn't enough to make up for the price difference, but then again I'm no expert.

 

[TwoInch]

are the kobalt considerably cheaper? from memory, i didnt think so.

edit - prices seem to be spot on with each other. both can be had on killer sales/deals. but normal full prices are pretty much the same.

 

[Lurch67]

I'm trying to avoid the question of COO, because it adds to many variances. Just quality, warranty, price. Craftsman does have a larger selection but I'm looking for overall value for the majority of DIYers tool kit for sockets.

 

[bobcatdan]

I'd do a little looking around and find a SK dealer in your area. Of the three I would load up on USA craftsman right away.

 

[jimjj211]

I have personally found a lot more deals on Kobalt socket sets as opposed to craftsman. I have never actually looked at them and directly compared the two prices, just in my experiences I could go to Lowes and buy a decent set of sockets a lot cheaper than Craftsman. I tend to only buy used Craftsman sockets and wrenches because of the prices.

 

[c4cruiser]

I would go with Craftsman sockets. If you check their printed ads that get included in newspapers or on the Sears website, you can find some good deals on socket sets. I hardly ever see Kobalt sales at Lowe's that compare to Sears sales.

And with Craftsman, there is a much greater variety of sizes. Socket depths, points, SAE/Metric, and drive size beat Kobalt by a bunch.

 

[bcradio]

I would have to say avoid Kobalt sockets if you can. Every single one of them I have tried fits significantly looser than my Craftsman sockets. I bought a set of Kobalt to use as my main sockets in my tool cart, but quickly retired them to a backup/junkyard set because of how poorly they fit the bolts/nuts.

 

[DTB]

Craftsman or GearWrench. Do you have advanced auto parts stores around?They carry the GearWrench line.

 

[neonnblack]

US craftsman, kobalt, then overseas craftsman.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

i wouldnt mess with husky.

kobalt sockets are fine, the finish is great, seem to be durable, but only use etched markings, no stamps. which is a no no for me. the selection is not complete, and 6pts are not stocked in all drive sizes and styles. the "Kobalt" and the model number are both stamped, but the size is not. smooth move lowes...

the USA craftsman sockets are proven in my eyes, i have used them for many many years, with nearly zero failures. fit is great and ive never had a bad one, finish is fair/good, and they are stamped, and they are dirt cheap in sets. can be had in all configurations of 12pt or 6pt, with exception with the 1/4 drive metrics.

of the three, i would get a large craftsman USA set, even with the chinese sockets showing up lately. i warranty sockets so little that i would prefer the craftsman over the others.

Ummmm...CMan sockets went with that etched **** too...98% of my cmans are older and all stamped versions....later ones are damn etched...so its a moot point either way. I JUST Switched over to Kobalt myself, thus far with my single socket I'm very happy, IMO 50x better then the CMan. I was just in there today and almost came home with a 72 tooth ratchet..seemed like a really nice piece for the price. I like having beater ratchets to do things with I shouldnt do with a ratchet...so my SnapOn's stay nice.

Husky...seem fine, big problem is virtually zero single sockets in my HD...so if you need just a 17mm...no dice.

CMan, I never used to have an issue with warranty, they closed my local sears, so I've been driving around with a 17mm socket for 2 months now in my cup holder with the dream of swinging by a sears to warranty it. Friday i had the opportunity, small hometown sears, of couse sold out of the 17mm I needed.

CMan had 2 claims to fame....COO and Warranty...(I almost said price, but gone are the days of great Craftsman Club Discounts & Specials) Personally I dont care about COO, and they just killed the warranty thing for me personally by virtue of Geography. Word on the street is they are/will be opening a hometown sears in my area, but I aint holding my breath...that horse has left the barn. If I could do it with no cost to me, I'd trade all my USA CMan stuff like for like with Taiwanese Kobalt tomorrow...

 

[CWP1616L]

Kobalt sockets are state of the art modern technology.

 

[Chadwilliam1]

My 1/2 drive Kobalt 23 MM is not as tall as the Craftsman's around it in my Hansen organizer.

 

[b7labelle]

Kobalt makes a damn fine bottle opener. Just used it.

Anyways i votes Cman, but the Kobalt tools i regularly oogle over seem comparable.i have some kobalt wrenches in my CM boxes, they turn bolts just fine. I bought the 255-piece mechanics CM set as my first real tool investment...so glad i got that set, it fills most of my needs. I think i would pick CM, kobalt (depending on sales) then Huskey.

At the end of the day a lifetime warranty is a lifetime warranty. That means they should hold as least SOME quality.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

At the end of the day a lifetime warranty is a lifetime warranty. That means they should hold as least SOME quality.

CMan isnt actully lifetime...its "Guaranteed FOREVER" which is even better assuming theres a sears around.
I'd go with whatever brand is local to you.

 

[b7labelle]

CMan isnt actully lifetime...its "Guaranteed FOREVER" which is even better assuming theres a sears around.
I'd go with whatever brand is local to you.

Haha true!

 

[expatriated]

I would definitely not go with Husky.

Cman and Kobalt I think are a toss up. Quality is better with Kobalt in my opinion but you've got more options with Cman as others have stated.

I think Gearwrench beats both of them, although you didn't include that.

 

[RedFordTruck]

I would go with the US craftsman. Based on selection. Kobalt doesnt have 6pt 1/2'' drive IIRC and the kobalt sockets I have dont fit on the ratchet as well as craftsman. I can put a Craftsman socket on a Kobalt Ratchet and fits snugly and wont wiggle, but the kobalt socket on a Kobalt ratchet wiggles around like crazy.


Only Husky tools I like are their WF screwdrivers.

 

[mrjaw14]

definitely stay away from husky. Home Depot's stock of sockets etc is almost down to nothing. Not sure why they're doing that.

For me, Lowes is everywhere, so I have a lot of Kobalt stuff for the sake of Warranty if it breaks.

Most of my stuff is US made Craftsman 6pt in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2. When I'm working on something that's what I grab first. I find that the older I get the more I want to dispense with the **** and get the best quality I can. I'd rather go up in quality than down, so if my US made Craftsman stuff needs replacing I'm going to go with SK.

 

[carterbeauford]

Craftsman out of principle, I don't buy hand tools at Lowes/Home Depot.

 

[cheechi]

Well I would go with Kobalt. Their warranty is clunky, but you know what you're getting. With sears, you bring in a USA socket, you get something else. nah.

I got metric & sae 1/4 set, metric & sae 3/8 deep set, & 1/2 metric set for I think a combined $50 on plain old regular sales. My wrenches I think metric & sae plus a few smaller sizes not included in the set for maybe a combined $30. Again just regular sale prices, no real effort or luck involved. Father's day sales are better than holiday season for sockets & wrenches in my experiences.

I could see if you wanted to include ratchets, current Kobalt ratchets aren't bad but I'm sure the pros will tell you they wouldn't touch them. Cman, yeah I could live with one good cman ratchet in each drive size.

FIL got me a husky set this holiday, maybe spent $16 on it. It's ok, I got him a HF oscillator that's $16 on the coupon (I got him an extra sander and some blades too though) and so now I have a spare set for her car. Haven't used them but they look decent, they're 6pt, but nothing special.

 

[Skin]

I would go with the US craftsman. Based on selection. Kobalt doesnt have 6pt 1/2'' drive IIRC and the kobalt sockets I have dont fit on the ratchet as well as craftsman. I can put a Craftsman socket on a Kobalt Ratchet and fits snugly and wont wiggle, but the kobalt socket on a Kobalt ratchet wiggles around like crazy.


Only Husky tools I like are their WF screwdrivers.

They do have 6pt 1/2 drive impact which is really all someone will need. Cant remember the last time I grabbed a 1/2" chrome socket other than to get at a wheel fastener. Plus they do have 12 point and if you're in 1/2" drive then you're probably dealing with a fastener large enough to not worry about corrosion rounding it off.

Kobalt just has plain nicer tools for the money than the other two. Plus with Craftsman outsourcing left and right, why bother? Let your dollar talk. At least Lowes cant let you down.

 

[Jrican]

Of these craftsman. If you join there club, and time it right you can get a set for really cheap. Also they tend to have a large selection of individual sockets on the shelf, so you can buy the oddballs when the need arises.

Husky ***** for quality and individual sockets, so if you break one you have to bring in the whole set.

IDK about Kobalt

You should consider Duralast, you can get a 3/8 set for ~$50 and they have all the odd sockets on the shelf individually. Also Autozone is everywhere and they are open later than the other places (in my experience). They saved my **** wile I was still building my set, and didn't have the sizes I needed at 9:30 at night. The other auto stores may have something similar, but the ones close to me close earlier.

 

[air]

Blue Point sockets are reasonably priced. Otherwise Craftsman.

 

[acdc73]

kobalt, I hate setting foot in a sears store!

 

[allinon72]

Craftsman is still the best value and the easiest to acquire. Husky doesn't even belong in the conversation because you can't buy individual sockets.

 

[Shipfittin]

I voted for CM and Kobalt, I use both and have not had a problem with either.

Husky, just like everyone else said, I stay away from. They don't carry individual sockets and they're selection is extremely limited to a couple of sets.

 

[pipsters]

Only real problem I've had with Craftsman sockets/tools is some of them rust within a year of being in my garage. Most are OK, it's the 10-15% that aren't finished correctly that drive me nuts.

Great value once you wade thru that, I've replaced most of the sockets in my sets that started to rust, so I should be OK. But aggravating.

Honestly though I doubt any of the tools will give you problems, but I like the sets that Sears has. Makes it easy to get started.

 

[southernstyle88]

i caught my kolbalt sockets on sale.. paid a little of nothing for them.. literally about 12 bucks per set..

i've got their long handled 1/2'' drive ratchet as well.. we've had a four foot pipe on top of that trying to break a 15/16'' bolt loose.. bolt gave, tools didn't.. enough to impress both me and the boss..

 

[nanofrog]

Craftsman first, Kobalt second. Not impressed with Husky at all from what I've seen recently in my local HD.

As per the etched versions on Craftsman, the modules they sell don't use those type of sockets (can only purchase via the online store AFAIK). The modules use the older style that have stamped markings only.

FWIW, I just got a 1/4"DR module I ordered just after Christmas. The stamping from the 10mm shallow was unreadable, but the rest of the set is great. Just went to the local Sears and exchanged it (the exchange is etched, but also stamped). Good deal IMHO, and all US made. Very pleased with the set.

I also found that they can take the bad one and have a new one mailed to your home as well, so for the person who's driving around with the socket in a cup, this might be worth considering.

 

[Conductor562]

I hate Husky

 

[humpdawg]

Kobalt or Husky. I cant stand how craftsman's are optimized for button release ratchets, most of the time I slide the socket onto the square halfway then realize I have to turn the socket 45 degrees to actually secure it.

 

[BrokewrenchLS1]

Kobalt. I got some for a buddy for Christmas and was surprised at how nice they were.

 

[RivennHewn]

I bought a set of husky a few years ago. They have held up well enough, but I'v lost some of them and there is no selection of singles to replace them.

***** when you go to do something, and have everything but what you need.

 

[bimmerZ5]

there's no mention of Gearwrench here... i feel like they are the most "affordable" and provide great value for the money and their quality is top notch!

 

[hstuehmeyer2000]

I say check out Gearwrench also. Especially with the discount codes from AAP.

 

[lars]

Decided to drag up an old thread here...

Was in Home Depot yesterday getting paint and wanted to look at the Apex made Husky tools.

What impressed me the most was that many of their sets (particularily the cheap 1/4 and 3/8 drive set) didn't skip sizes and went to 3/8 drive 19mm and 7/8. I hate it when they give you someting you don't need and leave out 19mm. Ratchets have a nice profile and were 72 tooth. Ratchet COO was mixed - China and Tiawan.

Prices on sockets seemed cheaper than Kobalt but you are getting China vs Tiawn COO. Selection of sets include deep, torx and hex bits. Only thing they didn't have were swivel sockets. Wrenches are about half the price of Kobalt and are probably close in quality. Prices are cheaper than Craftsman and you don't have to pay coupon code games or wait for sales to get a realistic price. I also think their Husky Pro Screwdrivers (even the new Tiawan ones) are the best box store offering out there.

So for an average homeowner I wouldn't have any problem sending them to HD.