Kobalt Socket question (am I crazy)

jason07 · Nov 11, 2014

I got around to organizing my sockets this weekend and I realized that I am short on sockets. I went to the local lowes to try and complete most of my set.

As you can see from the pic I am missing a fair amount of deep sockets. I can't seem to find any 3/8 drive deep sockets in 6 point sae or 6 point metric. I can't seem to find any on lows.com.

Does anyone have these?

It's always a possibility that I am crazy too.

AndrewV · Nov 11, 2014

What about lowes.com? Just joking about the type though.

I would fill the blanks with gearwrench sockets. Price is descent, and good waranty aswell.

BK13 · Nov 11, 2014

I'm not necessarily ruling out the crazy part (like I would be a good judge of that!) but you might check if your local NAPA has Carlyle in stock... I'd bet that they're made in the same factory (just pulling that out of my ****, I have no facts, but they look similar).

kctyphoon · Nov 12, 2014

Is it just me or has lowes changed their sockets recently also? I picked one off the shelf a week ago and couldn't believe how lightweight and hollow it felt.. Is THAT why they are expensive or have they changed recently?

I also did this with my old craftsman set.. I was right at the point of having to spend close to the money on what it would cost to just buy craftsman complete socket set if I bought them all at Sears. Instead I bought as much as I could from ebay, went to homedepot for as much as they had after that cause they are much cheaper, and went to Sears last. 1/2" drive deep sockets get real expensive buying one at a time.

It sucked - but I didn't want drawers of duplicates. Don't know if that was the smartest choice but at least I have a full set again, with most of them being 20 years old..

Bought a HUGE craftsman set and tool boxes a long time ago.. They have held up really well.. Recently opened an old army ammo can that has had sockets soaking in turpentine for over 15 years.. They were very clean..

jason07 · Nov 12, 2014

^^^^Im with this guy. I only have $200 into this Kobalt set of tools. I already have some craftsman tools.

I'm so OCD and I will just buy a Craftsman set. I have already done the research online, they have all the sockets I need. Plus, they have a much bigger selection. I can't even find a lot of lowes.com

nanofrog · Nov 12, 2014

Maybe the Duralast stuff from Autozone might be a substitute as well (individuals that are made in Taiwan, not the sets made in China). Think this may be a bit less expensive than Carlyle from NAPA.

nicksnothereman · Nov 12, 2014

They might have them in their sets but at that point probably not worth buying because of cost. Lot's of good usa or import 3/8 deeps just won't match (if that's important to you). Taiwan is preferable to me so maybe harbor freight (pro) or the magic black nickel taiwanese sockets (multiple brand rebrand)...if you can't find kobalt. Not that kobalt is any better than any of the other taiwanese stuff, just more accessible warranty wise.

jason07 · Nov 12, 2014

I found one deep 6 point 3/8 socket (9/16) at lowes.com for $12. I'm not doing that. I'll just buy a Craftsman set. I want all my sockets to match. I can have different screw drivers etc, but the sockets have to match.

nicksnothereman · Nov 12, 2014

jason07 said:
I found one deep 6 point 3/8 socket (9/16) at lowes.com for $12. I'm not doing that. I'll just buy a Craftsman set. I want all my sockets to match. I can have different screw drivers etc, but the sockets have to match.

But aren't the taiwan kobalt sockets banded red or blue for metric or sae? Unless we're talking the older versions or the chinese versions. :dunno:

Yeah if you can get a craftsman usa deep set that would be good but the craftsman chinese sets aren't on par with the taiwanese stuff in my opinion (at least in 1/4 and 3/8). Just saying.

jason07 · Nov 12, 2014

nicksnothereman said:
But aren't the taiwan kobalt sockets banded red or blue for metric or sae? Unless we're talking the older versions or the chinese versions.

Yeah if you can get a craftsman usa deep set that would be good but the craftsman chinese sets aren't on par with the taiwanese stuff in my opinion (at least in 1/4 and 3/8). Just saying.

Yes, all the Kobalt sockets are color coded (red=sae) (blue=metric)

Bigblue&Goldie · Nov 12, 2014

Check out Harbor Freight, I think they have the same color coding on some of their sockets.

DennisH2014 · Nov 12, 2014

Williams sells a 3/8 set with 47-pieces that does look extremely similar, and is in the same price range; I think it's very likely that Williams is producing these newer sets.

wild cowboy · Nov 12, 2014

Lowes has not had Kobalt 6 point deep sockets in 1/4" drive in a long time!

you are going to need to go with another manufacturer on those, however there are many great choices in this department, depending on your budget.

keep in mind that in automotive, on cars built in the last 20 years, you really only ever see 5.5, 7, 8, and 10mm to any extent - though some folks are now starting to use 1/4" drive for larger fasteners in tight areas so 12, 13, 14 would have some use in that application. my 4, 5, 6, 9, and 11 look nearly unused, I think my 9mm is still NEW!

Farmall450 · Nov 12, 2014

lakebrooks10 said:
JH Williams makes Kobalt, Snap-on, and many more brands on the market.

* Made Kobalt
And Snap-on makes Snap-on.

sk farmer · Nov 12, 2014

lakebrooks10 said:
JH Williams makes Kobalt, Snap-on, and many more brands on the market.

more wrong than right in this statement.

the most obvious, snap-on owns williams, not the other way around.

monomach · Nov 12, 2014

jason07 said:
I got around to organizing my sockets this weekend and I realized that I am short on sockets. I went to the local lowes to try and complete most of my set.

As you can see from the pic I am missing a fair amount of deep sockets. I can't seem to find any 3/8 drive deep sockets in 6 point sae or 6 point metric. I can't seem to find any on lows.com.

Does anyone have these?

It's always a possibility that I am crazy too.

wild cowboy said:
Lowes has not had Kobalt 6 point deep sockets in 1/4" drive in a long time!

The 1/4" 6 point deeps are pretty easy to find. I saw plenty when looking at the 3/8.

erty67 · Nov 12, 2014

I have some kobalt sockets and some Pittsburgh Pro (harbor freight) sockets and the same very close in quality. Plus they're very inexpensive. If you're going with Taiwan sockets, I'd recommend checking them out. Otherwise, craftsman is the way to go. You can fill gaps easily by visiting flea markets.

fourtythree · Nov 12, 2014

I agree. Just buy a set of the HF pros. I've abused mine and they've held up. They seem to be as good as any other store brand and they're dirt cheap.

sac02 · Nov 12, 2014

For whatever reason, 6pt is not popular (among tool companies) in deep sockets. Not everyone makes them in all sizes, or at all in some cases.

ravenzfusion · Nov 12, 2014

I would snag a US version of this set off ebay:

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-49-p...p-00934271000P?prdNo=4&blockNo=4&blockType=G4

or this set

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-52-p...p-00935747000P?prdNo=7&blockNo=7&blockType=G7

erty67 · Nov 12, 2014

http://m.harborfreight.com/10-pc-38-in-drive-sae-high-visibility-deep-wall-socket-67866.html

Cheap and comparable to the Kobalts.

bobbycos · Nov 12, 2014

Most of my 3/8 drive sockets are all over the place as far as brand names are concerned.

I have from Harbor Freight up to Snap-on ,and some 99 cent store stuff mixed in.

Just look around and if you are not brand conscious you can finish out the set for a decent price.

dirtydogintex · Nov 12, 2014

you much of a fisherman?

try searching for "kobalt deep socket" on fleabay.... keeping in mind the more detailed your search terms the more the search function won't work properly (part is on fleabay, the other on sellers that don't tag their items correctly)

bcradio · Nov 12, 2014

did lakebrooks10 die? Where's his/her post?

All I have to add to this thread is I absolutely hate the current Kobalt sockets. They fit horribly compared to others I have. They do look nice though on the plus side.

Good luck

kctyphoon · Nov 12, 2014

Seriously, since I just went through this myself, your best bet is probably going to be buying craftsman "ultimate" socket set.. I think you can even buy just all the 6 points if you wanted too.. Anyway - with the holidays and Black Friday coming up, I think (if I remember) the price was like $300 for about 300 craftsman sockets.. That's about $1 a socket , and even better if its in some crazy sale..

IF and I say "IF" your intention is to buy every short 6 and 12 pts, and every deep 6 and 12 pts, in both metric and sae -- in every drive size - you will go broke buying them all separately..

I would seriously consider buying the "only sockets" craftsman set since the sale prices are sure to be coming around..

EDIT - the 299 piece ultimate socket set was $285 w/ free shipping in sept.. So it'll prob come back around for that price for christmas

jason07 · Nov 12, 2014

kctyphoon said:
Seriously, since I just went through this myself, your best bet is probably going to be buying craftsman "ultimate" socket set.. I think you can even buy just all the 6 points if you wanted too.. Anyway - with the holidays and Black Friday coming up, I think (if I remember) the price was like $300 for about 300 craftsman sockets.. That's about $1 a socket , and even better if its in some crazy sale..

IF and I say "IF" your intention is to buy every short 6 and 12 pts, and every deep 6 and 12 pts, in both metric and sae -- in every drive size - you will go broke buying them all separately..

I would seriously consider buying the "only sockets" craftsman set since the sale prices are sure to be coming around..

EDIT - the 299 piece ultimate socket set was $285 w/ free shipping in sept.. So it'll prob come back around for that price for christmas

WOW!!! Thanks for all the suggestions guys!

As I said before, I am pretty OCD. I want all my sockets to match. I will just stick with buying an entirely new craftsman set. I can find more of a selection this way anyway.

I only have $200 in the Kobalt tools. I can take them to the track with me when I go race, so it's not a total waste.

dwysywd · Nov 12, 2014

I have a ton of extra sockets. Let me see what I have. I will post them up. Basically pay the freight plus a few dollars and I will send u whatever I have extra.

Sent from my bag phone...

rixtrix1 · Nov 13, 2014

My reply used only be buy craftsmen if you're not using it professionally, but now, most of their stuff is Chinese and it's ****. They're just starting to bring back some American made wrenches. Haven't seen their sockets yet. Good luck

Kobalt Socket question (am I crazy)

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Banned

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Banned

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Banned

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member