Metric, SAE or Both?
- Thread starter #1SomeGuy
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Resurrecting an 18 MO thread?
Man, I swear this showed up on my front page! I haven't even been drinking! I better get started...
Sorry, fellas....
softailgarage
Well-known member
I've always had more SAE due to the fact I restore vintage machinery and it was all SAE back then, however, on the tool truck I sell way more metric, like 10-1metric.
Bruce57
Well-known member
Both. I work on US and import machinery at work. Need both to maintain my vehicles as well.
MagnumForce
Well-known member
Industrial, Heavy Machinery and Agricultural is still almost totally SAE. I have Metric at work but rarely use it but it is necessary.
I work in industrial maintenance. I have 3/8 sockets deep and standard up to 21 mm, combos up to 19 mm and metric Allen heads in socket and L key form. Compared to what I have in SAE that is nothing. Very rarely I will come across metric if machinery is coming from say Canada or Japan. Anything we build in our technical and tooling center is built as sae. Measurements are in thousands of inches when machining. Production parts are destructively tested in foot pounds. Welders feed wire in inches per minute. Smoke eaters **** air in cubic feet per minute. Presses are rated in regular old 2000 lb to the ton capacity.
Robotics are even mostly standard.
My dad's farm equipment is entirely standard and my buddy works maintenance at a Trucking Company and even the new stuff there is still mostly standard.
I work in industrial maintenance. I have 3/8 sockets deep and standard up to 21 mm, combos up to 19 mm and metric Allen heads in socket and L key form. Compared to what I have in SAE that is nothing. Very rarely I will come across metric if machinery is coming from say Canada or Japan. Anything we build in our technical and tooling center is built as sae. Measurements are in thousands of inches when machining. Production parts are destructively tested in foot pounds. Welders feed wire in inches per minute. Smoke eaters **** air in cubic feet per minute. Presses are rated in regular old 2000 lb to the ton capacity.
Robotics are even mostly standard.
My dad's farm equipment is entirely standard and my buddy works maintenance at a Trucking Company and even the new stuff there is still mostly standard.
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Same here.Can we see your tractors???
venturesomerite
Well-known member
I need both. My bikes are new Jap bikes, my cars are 50's and 70's American.
Parabellum
Banned
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Gotta have both
A) Standard and Metric wrenches, two sets of each
B) Standard and Metric sockets, short 6 point and 12 point metric and standard, deep 6 point and 12 point metric and standard.
A) Standard and Metric wrenches, two sets of each
B) Standard and Metric sockets, short 6 point and 12 point metric and standard, deep 6 point and 12 point metric and standard.
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Jim Diesel
Well-known member
Both!
I usually buy metric in more specialty tools like double box xl wrenches, 1/4 chrome swivels, mid lengths sockets etc. But i have deep and shallow sockets in both. Allen wrenches you need both. I Go with both if i can afford it.
drink
Well-known member
Ditto on both! Currently my master set only has 3/4" drive in SAE but I do not use that drive size as often as the others. Maybe someday I will.
Sometimes I work on outdoor power equipment with both SAE and metric fasteners. A lot of my other old garden tractor stuff is SAE. I think SAE will be around for a long time because there is so much of it. Metric is a lot more common than it used to be.
Sometimes I work on outdoor power equipment with both SAE and metric fasteners. A lot of my other old garden tractor stuff is SAE. I think SAE will be around for a long time because there is so much of it. Metric is a lot more common than it used to be.
Notorious BRT
Well-known member
Which is how it should be. Metric is a terrible system for anything outside the medical field.
I have both out of necessity, but my 3/4 stuff is all standard and I have more large standard wrenches than metric, since the large stuff I work on tends to be old and standard.
IUEC Medic
Well-known member
Quite the thread revival... I have to provide SAE hand tools for work, metric tools must be purchased by the company. I mostly use SAE, because elevators use SAE fasteners, but escalators tend to use metric fasteners.
I quoted above because I greatly disagree with that second sentence. Metric is a far more logical system of measurement than SAE, and coming from the medical field and into industrial construction, metric makes sense in the majority of applications...
928'er
Well-known member
I still have SAE tools from my days of driving used up, worn out English sports cars from the '50's, '60's & '70's, but I haven't used a SAE tool in about 25 years. Everything I've owned since about 1980 has been metric.
SAE is for working on antiques....
SAE is for working on antiques....
Roobaix
Well-known member
Both for me as well.
At work I mostly use SAE stuff, but there is the occasional metric that I come across.
At home it's the other way. The cars and motorcycle are all metric, but I do come across SAE here and there.
At work I mostly use SAE stuff, but there is the occasional metric that I come across.
At home it's the other way. The cars and motorcycle are all metric, but I do come across SAE here and there.
bcradio
Well-known member
Spoken for truth
I get almost all tools metric now as that is what is mainly used. A basic SAE set will get most people by.
ibedayank
Well-known member
LB-1911
ALLIANCE MEMBER
My thoughts exactly... it has seen a few bumps since 12/12
It sure doesn't rate...
"I love threads like this, very quaint!"
12-25-2014
Ironic that nearly 2 yr old thread is brought to life for BANNED member from Canada ??
The Banned OP was . . . . #1SomeGuy
03/22/16
12-24-2014
Resurrecting an 18 MO thread?
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Both in 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 drive. I have only SAE in 3/4 drive. It's a no-name made in Taiwan set my father bought for working on our tractors. I've used the sockets a few times for pressing bearings and for changing filters on my 6.0 Powerstroke.
WhiskeyRanger
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- Mar 28, 2015
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At work, the vast majority of my work is in standard. Closer to 100% than to 75%. I have a couple metric hex bits I use, and a set of nutdrivers just in case... Still haven't used them. At home, a slim majority is metric, almost all of that being automotive. I can't imagine how someone could get by with just one unless the extent of their tool use age is putting together IKEA furniture.
Wes J
Well-known member
Most things I work on are inch, but some machines are all metric so I need both. The inch stuff gets used a lot more.
In my travel tool set, I weeded out all duplicate sizes. 5/16=8mm, 7/16=11mm, 5/8=16mm, 3/4=19mm, 7/8=22mm, 15/16=24mm, 1-1/16=27mm, 1-1/4=32mm. I keep the inch sizes only. Saves me a lot of weight.
What bugs me about metric is that they can't settle on what size tools to use. I have a set of Matco metric wrenches with 9, 20, 23, and 25mm. I've never, ever seen those sizes used.
In my travel tool set, I weeded out all duplicate sizes. 5/16=8mm, 7/16=11mm, 5/8=16mm, 3/4=19mm, 7/8=22mm, 15/16=24mm, 1-1/16=27mm, 1-1/4=32mm. I keep the inch sizes only. Saves me a lot of weight.
What bugs me about metric is that they can't settle on what size tools to use. I have a set of Matco metric wrenches with 9, 20, 23, and 25mm. I've never, ever seen those sizes used.
Richard Cranium
Well-known member
Being this started in dec. 2012 and I have not posted in it yet.
Most of my stuff is still sae.
Most of my stuff is still sae.
Alchymist
Well-known member
Started buying tools in the mid '50s, so plenty of SAE. As I ran across metric fasteners I started buying metric, probably about the late 90's. Interesting in that I have 1/4" drive and 3/8" drive metric sockets up to 21 MM, then 22 to 30 mm is all 3/4" drive. Have a couple "specially purchased" metrics that are 1/2" drive, but that's it. One reason for the 3/4" drive set was Sears had the Craftsman 7 piece set on sale for $29.99 after bonus points.
Most everything I run across now days is SAE with occasional MM needs. Military electronics is all SAE though.
Most everything I run across now days is SAE with occasional MM needs. Military electronics is all SAE though.
fried_daddy
Member
Both. I don't buy one without buying the other.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Notorious BRT
Well-known member
Logical does not mean practical. Cut that board to 3,130.55 mm, or 313.055 cm, or 31.3055 decimeters. We could use it in foot/inch style: 31 decimeters, 3 centimeters, .55 mm. Or, you know, "ten foot three and a quarter" or 123 1/4 inches. Which one is easier?
Metric works alright for measuring small things and very large things and is unwieldy on everything in between. Inches and feet are damned handy units of measure, which is why they have stuck around for a very long time, and likely will continue to do so.
Metric works absolutely fine for fasteners, as they tend to be small. My beef with metric is that it's a solution in search of a problem, and it's forced practically all of us to buy two sets of tools for no other reason than someone somewhere thought it sounded "logical".
IUEC Medic
Well-known member
I understand your point, but an argument could be made that SAE is impractical for precision field measurements as well, when having to add/subtract/multiply/divide multiple measurements in your head when there are multiple dimensions with different denominators, and having to change improper fractions. What's easier, 4' 7 31/64" + 2' 9 3/16" + 1' 3/4" + 8' 11 13/32", vs 2155+7236+1760...
However, you're correct, we basically must have two sets of everything tool-wise to be able to handle whatever equipment we may work on in a given day, but I hardly think the metric system is a solution looking for a problem.
Empty Pockets
Well-known member
I have a bunch of SAE, about 60%, and the rest metric. I use the SAE on farm equipment, and around the house. The metric stuff for the cars
I reluctantly have both, SAE used to also be known as "standard".
I HATE the fact that US made vehicles now have so damn much metric **** on them.
I miss the days of only needing SAE. I especially hate when the same vehicle has BOTH on it.
I HATE the fact that US made vehicles now have so damn much metric **** on them.
I miss the days of only needing SAE. I especially hate when the same vehicle has BOTH on it.
bmwpowere36m3
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- 1,125
It really depends on what you work on… If it wasn't for my John Deere tractor I really wouldn't need any SAE stuff, except for small fasteners/hardware around the house. All of my cars and motorcycles use strictly metric and metric seems to only become more widespread. Personally I invest in more metric stuff and only keep a basic SAE 1/4" and 3/8" socket and wrench set.
I haven't personally worked on any vehicle that has both SAE and metric, but that would be annoying as hell. I know at one point John Deere tractors had metric hardware, but the engines were SAE (or the other way around). People generally don't like change… so if you went most of your life using SAE, then metric seems pointless and a wasteful to require two sets of tools.
That said, I prefer metric hardware… but maybe that's due to growing up with a Dad that only wrenched on european cars. Sizing is easy and you don't need to worry about fractions, not that it's a big deal once you get used to them. The math is easier with metric (no fractions) and the units are straightforward base 10.
Imperial has weird units: foot, yard, mile, fathom, etc… that make no sense, just like the english language. It's one of the hardest to learn and is FULL of contradictions, rules, exceptions and pronunciation that doesn't match the spelling.
I haven't personally worked on any vehicle that has both SAE and metric, but that would be annoying as hell. I know at one point John Deere tractors had metric hardware, but the engines were SAE (or the other way around). People generally don't like change… so if you went most of your life using SAE, then metric seems pointless and a wasteful to require two sets of tools.
That said, I prefer metric hardware… but maybe that's due to growing up with a Dad that only wrenched on european cars. Sizing is easy and you don't need to worry about fractions, not that it's a big deal once you get used to them. The math is easier with metric (no fractions) and the units are straightforward base 10.
Imperial has weird units: foot, yard, mile, fathom, etc… that make no sense, just like the english language. It's one of the hardest to learn and is FULL of contradictions, rules, exceptions and pronunciation that doesn't match the spelling.
d.mcfarland
Well-known member
The USA folks better have both if you want a "complete" tool set.
Our overseas members probably don't see much SAE unless it's on purpose.
Our overseas members probably don't see much SAE unless it's on purpose.
It must drive you over the wall that most cars have tires and most (all) car tires have metric and inches in their size. 235/45/17 for instance is 235mm, 45%, 17".
R-Savage
Well-known member
Gotta have both. Right now my set is about 85 percent SAE. I need to make it 50/50. Lots to buy.
Ole Slewfoot
Well-known member
I'd rate this up there with "which hand would you like to cut off"