Impact sockets

[ABRM]

Hey guys, I am going to be ordering some tools this next week with my student discount. A question I have is on Impact sockets. Even with my Snap On discount, prices for all my impacts are still crazy high. Would I be alright if I started with some sets of the Harbor Freight Pittsburgh Pros? It would save me a TON of money that I could use for other stuff. I know that Craftsman, Gearwrench, and a few others are cheap also but not like the HF's obviously.

I just don't want to be breaking sockets constantly, but I have heard the HF impacts really aren't that bad. Any opinions from professionals? I will be in collision by the way. Thanks

 

[volvo92906]

With what you will be doing, the HF ones will be fine. I have a few sets of them I bought when I worked at a car dealership, and also used them on semis. Theyre worth the price and hold up well.

Anything heavy with constant use would be recommended for a better brand..

 

[str8axle55]

As much as I like Snap on, I agree, you should be fine doing collision work.

 

[ABRM]

Cool, one thing I did notice with the Harbor Freight Impacts is that the Metrics are not complete. Not sure about the SAE set. Any other brands that will be good and around the same prices that would be complete? I plan on upgrading eventually but the initial price of the sanp ons make it a hard sell for me.

 

[amolaver]

sunex, genius, sk are all excellent. more $ than HF, but a LOT less than the truck.

ahm

 

[volvo92906]

What do you mean by complete? Some companies sell sets that skip sizes because if you have both the metric and SAE sets they will cover all sizes.. for example, the metric will skip 16 but the standard set will have the 5/8.

I dont remember what sets I have and what they contain. They came in nice little metal hinge boxes though. I liked that.

 

[dirtydogintex]

Looked at Northern Tool?
ebay? They usually have a wide selection listed....

 

[Bullitt427]

The SAE HF set is very good. I blew out several of the metric HF sockets.

I have both SK and HF impact socket sets, yet I usually grab the SAE HF units.

Josh

 

[sberry]

Agree, one of the only bad socket sets I have ever had was an HF back in the day, they were really junk but so cheap I didnt bother returning them, replaced the blow outs with singles from the parts store.

 

[redwrench60]

Sounds like a job for Grey Pnumatic.

http://www.gpsocket.com/

 

[Fireball027]

I started out with some cheap impacts and used them for many years with no issues. I found they skipped to many sizes so I ended up upgrading and now they are in my home box.

I looked for a while and ended up purchasing these 2 sets.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MW9UW8/?tag=atomicindus08-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MW2CGO/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[crewchief888]

i wouldnt hesitate to get the HF impacts

if you break or wear one out, buy a better quality one to replace it.

 

[firebox40dash5]

I can't tell you the last time I've even seen an impact socket broken. Not that it can't be done, of course.

I bought the Craftsman 95pc. set, they seemed like a good compromise between SO or Matco, and HF. By compromise, I mean they're US-made, and the whole set costs about as much as you'd probably spend on one set of shallow & deep 1/2"s, even with the discount.

 

[chris142]

Ck out the Kobalt ones at Lowes. Good stuff and inexpensive.

 

[RECox286]

I've been using HF impacts for over 20 years with no problems. I did

have to purchase some singles that didn't come with the sets. Still

I think they were a good deal for the price. They now offer the

double ended lug nut sockets too. The Extensions are also in my box.

Uncle Bob

 

[dsmnickk90]

Armstrong. If you want swivels see if you can get the student discount from macto and get some pinless

 

[ABRM]

I think I am going to look around, but the harbor freights look appealing due to the price. Maybe just see about adding some singles to fill in the missing sockets. Should I get shallow and deep for each drive?

 

[bustdknuckle]

I agree with crewchief888 get the cheap HF or Grey Pneumatic sockets and when they break or wear out, buy the tool truck brands. By then you will have made the price of the sockets and then some. Thats what I did 5 years ago and have only replace 2 sockets because of losing them not that they broke. The only sockets that I would buy off the truck would be the swivel impacts, the HF swivels are junk and not worth buying.

 

[redwrench60]

I've been using HF impacts for over 20 years with no problems. I did

have to purchase some singles that didn't come with the sets. Still

I think they were a good deal for the price. They now offer the

double ended lug nut sockets too. The Extensions are also in my box.

Uncle Bob

I didn't know Harbor Freight existed 20 years ago.......

 

[DetroitDIESEL444]

I have a impact sets from craftsman, cornwell, proto and snap on. The cornwell seem to hold up the best, and the snap on seem to wear at the drive ends faster. The proto set was cheap and is great and so is the USA Craftsman

 

[Sloasszx3]

I have both the sae and metric half inch impacts and they work well. But I would probably buy a cheaper set if I had to get them again. Plenty of guys I work with have the Pitts and they hold up fine.

 

[redwrench60]

From what I see the HF impact sockets won't even survive the lube rack. Those guys seem like they're always blowing up the 19mm or the 22mm...........

 

[dsmnickk90]

I have a impact sets from craftsman, cornwell, proto and snap on. The cornwell seem to hold up the best, and the snap on seem to wear at the drive ends faster. The proto set was cheap and is great and so is the USA Craftsman

Craftsman are now made in China. Armstrong and USA made Craftsman are the same though and not too far apart in price. All my impacts are Craftsman with Armstrong filling the missed sizes.
I have the pinless swivels from both and wouldn't buy anything other than the Craftsman/Armstrong/Matco pinless style.

 

[Philly20]

With the exception of a few loose Apex, the HF Pittsburg pros are all I have. I've never had any issues with them after countless tire rotations and lots of light/medium work on my pickup.

 

[marlinspike]

Granted my experience with the Pittsburgh impact sockets is limited to one set, so maybe it's just a bad batch, but to me the tolerances were unacceptable. The 35mm was a 35.6mm and the 36mm is a 35.5mm (actually, the dimensions on both vary depending on which flats you measure between, about a 0.1mm variance from the tighetest to the widest). That's a pretty sloppy fit.

 

[Pumpman1968]

About 10 years ago......when I got divorced and a judge decided it would be best to give all my money away.....I pieced together an S-K set. Though not always used daily, they have paid for themselves many times over.

 

[firebox40dash5]

Craftsman are now made in China.

Evidence of non-Evolv Craftsman impact sockets made in China?

Because every real Craftsman impact socket I've seen has been marked USA. Including the ones at my local ACE, which sadly seems to be the first to get in Chinese made Craftsman.

 

[Chadwilliam1]

Ingersoll rand sells good impact sockets. Downside is they are just laser etched no engraving so eventually the size will wear off.

 

[JWILL]

If your in collision you will be more than fine with the HF sets. I started off my second time wuth just about every HF they had and filled in the blanks with Northern Tool ones eventually I moved them all to my home garage and bought Proto but they're all still in good working order after years if working on ag equipment and trucks. I bought the Proto when I went into mining equipment.

 

[supra90turbo]

I vote Sunex socket set.

Another option is to but whatever is cheap, such as HF, and replace trouble sockets with Snap-on or whatever is convenient for you

 

[Polski-Chevy]

Evidence of non-Evolv Craftsman impact sockets made in China?

Because every real Craftsman impact socket I've seen has been marked USA. Including the ones at my local ACE, which sadly seems to be the first to get in Chinese made Craftsman.

There's this set in the hot deals, non-evolv Cman that is china made.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=187250

 

[Hammell]

I got a set of Wright, 13 to 30mm 1/2 drive impacts. They work great. Good as any imo

 

[BDT/NWMN]

USA Craftsman for 1/2" drive impacts++ good price for a good product.

 

[FiveFinger]

Evidence of non-Evolv Craftsman impact sockets made in China?

Because every real Craftsman impact socket I've seen has been marked USA. Including the ones at my local ACE, which sadly seems to be the first to get in Chinese made Craftsman.

I can vouch for some of them being made in the people's republic now. If you check eBay you will see photographic evidence of this if he pictures are detailed enough. The US made have the older plastic holder for the sets with the predominately black label. The chinese have a newer blow molded type case and a predominately white label. The latter is marked made in china if the pictures show it.

 

[FiveFinger]

It should be mentioned that you can find the USA craftsman on eBay for a reasonable price still.

 

[dirtydogintex]

Evidence of non-Evolv Craftsman impact sockets made in China?

Because every real Craftsman impact socket I've seen has been marked USA. Including the ones at my local ACE, which sadly seems to be the first to get in Chinese made Craftsman.

Picked these up around Xmas @ Sears Hardware for $28 close out, reg $69 (hahaha)
Craftsman No 915885
12-Pc. Impact Socket Set
1/2-in drive, 6-pt std (shallow) depth
12-19, 21, 22, 24, 27mm

Sockets are stamped 'CRAFTSMAN' w/'S-AB' rather than 'USA'
like my 4-5yo 1/2" deep Metric and SAE sets.

I bought 'em thinking they were 'real' from a warranty PoV....
the case's sticker said 'Lifetime Warranty'.

Between both sets of USA deeps and a set of SO USA SAE stds I doubt seriously I'll wear these out.... or that my kiddos will either!!

 

[dsmnickk90]

There's this set in the hot deals, non-evolv Cman that is china made.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=187250

Alot of dears hardware have USA old stock on the selves. They dont move alot of stock. My sears department store is all Chinese sets but still has open stock in USA

I have 2 sets of USA Craftsman deep and refuse to get rid of tne extra

 

[RECox286]

I didn't know Harbor Freight existed 20 years ago.......

The retail outlets are a recent, and enjoyable way to shop, in that you

can actually see and feel the items. However, I started buying stuff

when you had to look in their catalog, which came every week or so,

and then call your order in to a warehouse in California, then wait three

weeks for delivery. That was in the late 70's, IRRC. So, yeah, they

have been around quite a while.

Uncle Bob (Dating myself, aren't I ?)

 

[dirtydogintex]

Here's the $64 whatever question:

Has anyone actually put any use/abuse on the new CM chicom impact sockets yet?

 

[ABRM]

Just got back from taking a look at my local harbor freight to check out the impacts. I think that is what I'm going to buy and just fill in missing sizes. Still debating if I should get the shallow and deep or just concentrate on the deep sets for now.