Markings: Sunex vs. Grey Pneumatic

[hancock1701]

Hi guys,

I'm about to buy a 1/2 in. metric impact socket set. I've been looking at Sunex, Grey Pneumatic, and Tekton. I'm kinda settled on the master sets from Sunex and GP, and both seem to have similar construction, price, and quality according my search.

So the question is, which one has better marking on the socket? Both GP and Sunex don't have detailed photos of their sockets, but it seems like Sunex has small gold sizing and branding, while GP has only the size, but white, and bigger. I really like the marking on Tekton, but they don't have a master set that doesn't skip anything.

http://www.tooltopia.com/sunex-tools-2646.aspx
http://www.tooltopia.com/grey-pneumatic-1326md.aspx

Thanks,

Edit: There are a few threads discussing the marking on these already, but none of them have any photos of these sockets

 

[Ruger_556]

Sunex is stamped and etched, I have the NAPA versions and the stamping is a lot easier to read to my eyes The etching is great when the sockets are clean which is almost never with an impact socket...

 

[Adam.C]

How about this solution? Rub a little white crayon into the stampings. You'd be surprised by how well it holds up. And when it comes out, it's easy to touch up. You can use other colors just as effectively, tho the light colors are easiest for me to see.

I would really struggle with the markings on these little SAE 1/4" drive sockets without my reading glasses. The crayon really helps.

 

[Heavymetalmechanic]

I have used white enamel before, but it was a pain, I like the crayon idea. I'll try that tommorrow.

 

[RunninOnEmpty]

How about this solution? Rub a little white crayon into the stampings. You'd be surprised by how well it holds up. And when it comes out, it's easy to touch up. You can use other colors just as effectively, tho the light colors are easiest for me to see.

Sounds like a great idea for some people but for people who work on their car in their driveway (not a garage) in the summer will find their sockets getting sticky as the wax melts in the sun. So probably not a good idea for people who repair cars in the driveway. (Not sure if OP does or not, just figured I'd mention that in case.)

Also if you keep them in the car in a place where the sun can get to them, they'll melt. I haven't had exactly that happen but I melted all the plastic in a toolset once. I had a Camaro at the time which had a hatchback where a lot of sun could get in and so the sun was able to shine on the plastic case of a set I had and melted the plastic case quite a lot. Fortunately it was a $10-20 set.

 

[Adam.C]

Sounds like a great idea for some people but for people who work on their car in their driveway (not a garage) in the summer will find their sockets getting sticky as the wax melts in the sun. So probably not a good idea for people who repair cars in the driveway. (Not sure if OP does or not, just figured I'd mention that in case..

Crayons melt between 125-140F. Heat is not the only problem. Solvents like gasoline will melt the wax out as well. But melting crayon wont hurt your hands or your sockets. An extra bit of wax on black oxide will only serve to protect it. I melt wax on sockets I reblue as extra protection.

I'd like to try enamel, but I was never committed to this. Crayon is a very quick, cheap, and reversible way to improve the legibility of stampings. I originally did this to my allen wrenches.

 

[zcbauer89]

That's an excellent idea for allen wrenches. I have a hard time seeing the sizes if those sometime.

 

[scarecrow505]

Both the sunex and gp are stamped and have a gold color looking laser etching on them. I own both brands of sockets and they are awesome for the price. The GP have a smoother texture to them and and the sunex are a little more grainy feeling. Both are easy too read, I'll grab some pictures for you tomorrow

 

[rayh91]

I have 3/8 GP Swivels and 1/2 Sunex Swivels.

I only have a few sizes of each but the GP is way easier to read when the letters have worn away on the Sunex completely. Just my experience, the Sunex still has the etching but I have to squint at it.

 

[jobo1004]

Here is a pic of what the markings look like on grey pneumatic impacts.