Need advice on impact sockets

[paulsomlo]

Looking at my 1st purchase of impact sockets. Specifically, wondering about wall thickness with regards to being able to access fasteners. Looking at Craftsman, SK, and Grey, as shown below. Wondering if there are differences?

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-24-pc-easy-to-read-impact-socket/p-00915389000P?prdNo=5&blockNo=5&blockType=G5

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/p-23555-12-drive-22-piece-mm-6-point-stddeep-impact-socket-set.aspx

http://www.gpsocket.com/webfiles/fnitools/albums/products/huge/1412md_sockets_only.jpg

 

[mattygee]

I have several sets of Grey Pneumatic impacts and highly recommend them. I also have some SK's and while I dont have any Sears stuff, I imagine they fall within the same quality range. Tool clearance has never really been an issue any more than they would be with a regular chrome socket. Impact sockets are definitely a place you can go with a more inexpensive brand and save your money for where it counts.

 

[92integra]

i have grey's as well and really like them, and even cheeper alternative might be tekton there just going to get smacked on by an impact any way i don't see any point in spending big $$$ on impact sockets

 

[rcjoy]

PROTO makes both normal and thin-wall impact sockets if you are worried about clearance issues.

The thin-wall sockets do allow you to get into slightly tighter spaces, but are specifically not warranted ("NO WARRANTY" is stamped on those sockets).

The socket dimensions can be found in the Proto catalog at
http://www.protoindustrial.com/en/support/Documents/PROTO_CAT2012_IMPACT_SOCKETS.pdf

 

[Wamsutta]

The Craftsman impacts are too shiny for me. It seems like an impact socket should be flat black.

For impact sockets on a budget, Grey Pneumatics are very nice, but one thing worth mentioning is their square drive end, they're not chamfered, they're flat across the top. A chamfered female square drive end makes it quicker and easier to engage the male square drive of an extension, or the square drive of your impact wrench.

If money is no object, go Proto; they don't miss any details.

 

[SASORacing]

I have been using the SBP426V Matco impact 42pc set sockets latley, they are great, opti torque seems like it helps them grab. Painted and engraved info. and Comes with a case. 3/8ths is my primary drive size so its excellent for me.

link:
http://www.matcotools.com/catalog/p...AE-AND-METRIC-6-POINT-DEEP-IMPACT-SOCKET-SET/

 

[Skin]

Impacts by design aren't as thin as chrome. You can sort of have the best of both worlds with the Proto thin walls previously mentioned, or GP DUO sockets, but as far as standard impacts go, there is no substitute for chrome.

Impacts are thicker and built to absorb repeated blows. Chrome are thinner but significantly harder and as a result not only does the socket get damaged in combination with an impact but it actually wears the anvil.

Thin wall impacts are exactly as the name sounds, but if they're for general purpose use don't be surprised when they break.

 

[Zeroek]

Save money and get the GPs. I love the GPs. I've been hitting pawn shops for sockets lately. I bought a 15 pc shallow 1/2" mac set and 13 pc deeps for a little under $200.

 

[bob15]

I would take the SK set and never look back. Look on evil bay for that set and get the free shipping.

The one negative with it is that it doesn't have a 24mm. However, depending on what you work on, you might never need it. GP doesn't have it, yet they have larger, probably never to be used sizes.

If you wanted another option, Wright. Their impacts have treated me very good the past 15-18 years.

 

[n8n]

I'd drop Craftsman from consideration and insert Sunex instead. Best of all you listed is probably S-K but is the roll stamped size marking worth the price premium over GP or Sunex? only you can decide.

 

[crewchief888]

i have a couple CM impact sockets to replace lost matco impacts.

the CM are much thicker walled than the matco's
or mac or SO for that matter....

 

[Loscaldazar]

I'd get the SK from Tooltopia. They are certain to have new stock, which will be better quality. The SK are laser etched like the easy to read craftsman sockets too.

http://www.tooltopia.com/sk-hand-tool-4052.aspx

I'd also get the larger set, but that's just me.

http://www.tooltopia.com/sk-hand-tool-4053.aspx

 

[ClineWrench]

So being that I'm a fanatic for quality tools; which means USA or German 99% of the time! this is the one time I'm going to recommend a Taiwanese tool.

When I first started out, I bought two impact sets from harbor freight. The SAE and Metric 1/2 drive impacts. They come in a decent steel box and cover the entire range from 10mm to 20mm and the SAE from 7/16 to 1 1/4.

Believe it or not, I still have every single socket to this day. That's over 20 years use right there and I paid 10 buckles for each set. I think they are 20 bucks now, but if they are still made in Taiwan (not China) then they are likely a good set to try.

Past these, I'd say next stop should be Cornwell, Williams or Wright.

My 2 cents. Hope it helps.

 

[n8n]

So being that I'm a fanatic for quality tools; which means USA or German 99% of the time! this is the one time I'm going to recommend a Taiwanese tool.

When I first started out, I bought two impact sets from harbor freight. The SAE and Metric 1/2 drive impacts. They come in a decent steel box and cover the entire range from 10mm to 20mm and the SAE from 7/16 to 1 1/4.

Believe it or not, I still have every single socket to this day. That's over 20 years use right there and I paid 10 buckles for each set. I think they are 20 bucks now, but if they are still made in Taiwan (not China) then they are likely a good set to try.

Past these, I'd say next stop should be Cornwell, Williams or Wright.

My 2 cents. Hope it helps.

The "Pittsburgh Pro" impacts are well reviewed - IF they are Taiwan and not China. I posted before about inadvertantly picking up a china set and finding them unusable.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3826749&postcount=6179

Downside: Laser etching only, no roll stamping for the sizes. Also the metric set skips some sizes you may want, although the SAE set is OK in that respect.

 

[ClineWrench]

After reading n8n's post, I had to check my socket sets. He's right about the metrics. My set goes from 10mm to 20mm continuously, but then includes a 24, 27, 30' and 32.

I completely forgot about those. Probably because I rarely use them. My 20 year old set has the markings stamped and not lasered on like the new stuff.

I prefer stamping because it will never wear off, but you may prefer differently.

Thanks for the memory jog n8n!

 

[cgv69]

Having recently gone though the same search, I recommend you consider Sunex. Same quality level and price range as Grey Pneumatic (which seems to be a forum favorite) but I went with Sunex primary because unlike Grey and other brands in it's price range, Sunex uses both laser AND stamped markings.

That was a big deal to me. Laser engraving will eventually wear off and then you're stuck with guessing what size socket you have. Stamped markings is mandatory IMO.

I considered spending more and going with something made in the US such as Williams or SK but with impact sockets, you really aren't going to be gaining anything by spending more money. Many pro's are using Taiwanese made CR-MO alloy impacts (Grey, Sunex and Pittsburg Pro) with excellent results so I figured they should be more then good enough for me.

BTW - I do have an older set of US made Craftsman impacts and IMO, their wall thickness is too thick. The Sunex are fairly thin walled as far as impact sockets go.

 

[bob15]

Laser engraving will eventually wear off and then you're stuck with guessing what size socket you have. Stamped markings is mandatory IMO.

Buy an engraver and just engrave the size on it. No more guessing and you can make the number/size bigger than the stamped one......in case you're eyesight isn't what it used to be.

 

[RedneckWelder]

Grey Pnuematic and Sunex are extremely popular in my shop.

I have a set of the HF Pittsburgh Pro from Taiwan and they are great, too. Use them every day.

 

[zkling]

With a 99% chance of a craftsman set being non USA made, I'd toss that out the window at the price. If you are willing to spend the money on a SK, Proto or even truck brand set, great; but otherwise the HF offerings are going to be the most economical route. Followed by the sunnex/grey line.

 

[cgv69]

Buy an engraver and just engrave the size on it. No more guessing and you can make the number/size bigger than the stamped one......in case you're eyesight isn't what it used to be.

Or how about just buy sockets that are already stamped

If you have eyesight issues, just color fill the stamptings

 

[AndrewV]

Ones to consider in order of relative quality.
Cmans, hf pro, napa(carlyle), sunex/grey, matco, proto/blackhawk/mac, and snappy/williams/bahco. Thats as i see it atleast.

You can't go wrong with hf pro's, warranty down the street. Napa can be iffy unless at a shop.
Sunex and greys holding up great at work. Wait time on the big 3 no matter what.

But wall thickness, umm no real issues, have chromes and a ratchet for that.

 

[n8n]

After reading n8n's post, I had to check my socket sets. He's right about the metrics. My set goes from 10mm to 20mm continuously, but then includes a 24, 27, 30' and 32.

I completely forgot about those. Probably because I rarely use them. My 20 year old set has the markings stamped and not lasered on like the new stuff.

I prefer stamping because it will never wear off, but you may prefer differently.

Thanks for the memory jog n8n!

If you're cheap^H^H^H^H^Hfrugal like YT it's still probably a good deal to buy the HF set and then fill in the missing sizes with singles from Lowe's. I don't know how the Kobalt ones compare in quality though, my metrics are Snappy for the most part so I didn't go down that road (bought used.)

 

[OutsideMachinist]

Get the HF pro impact sockets. The made in Taiwan ones. Once you have a full set of all the ones you want see how they work out for you. Upgrade later if you'd like.

 

[Larch]

If I had to start over on a budget, I think I would go with the sunex, or GP. The sets seem to cover all the sizes, plus they are not bulky.

 

[paulsomlo]

the CM are much thicker walled than the matco's
or mac or SO for that matter....

Someone else in this thread also commented about the thickness of the Craftsman sockets. I've attached pictures of the SK, CM, and Grey. The SK deep starts at 10mm, the CM deep starts at 12, and the Grey deep start at 10. The CM have a "bullet" profile on the nose of the 12-14mm, while the Grey are tapered from 10-14mm, and the SK are tapered from 10-15mm.

The CM do show as "Made in USA" (as I'm mail ordering, I would confirm that via email), and are roll engraved, the Grey are laser engraved, and the SK are shown on SK's website as laser engraved, while the "Tool Warehouse" pictures shows them as roll engraved.

If your wondering, the CM are $86 for 12-19mm, 21, 22, 24, 27, standard and deep, the SK are $117 for 8-19mm standard, 10-19mm deep, the Grey would cost a total of $98 for two sets, one standard and one deep, 10-19mm, 21, 22, 26, 27. The price difference is not very significant. Looking at my regular sockets, above 19mm, I've got a 22, 24, 30, and 32mm, and one of these was for the axle nut on a friend's Saab that I've only worked on once, so, as was pointed out, the 26 and 27mm sockets may never get used.

 

[Quick01GT]

After reading n8n's post, I had to check my socket sets. He's right about the metrics. My set goes from 10mm to 20mm continuously, but then includes a 24, 27, 30' and 32.

I completely forgot about those. Probably because I rarely use them. My 20 year old set has the markings stamped and not lasered on like the new stuff.

I prefer stamping because it will never wear off, but you may prefer differently.

Thanks for the memory jog n8n!

I would get Matco, the laser engraving last a LONG time AND they also have the size engraved just like any other brand.

 

[methomas70]

And if it's 3/8 impact sockets you need, check out the NOS Williams-made Kobalts on eBay. Sold by Cripe, it's been posted on GJ a bahzillion times, but worth repeating. Can't beat the price.

SAE Deep:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kobalt-12pc...20139909?pt=US_Hand_Tools&hash=item5d4cc81685

Metric Shallow:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kobalt-11pc...20005552?pt=US_Hand_Tools&hash=item5d4cc609b0

 

[Josey Wales]

And if it's 3/8 impact sockets you need, check out the NOS Williams-made Kobalts on eBay. Sold by Cripe, it's been posted on GJ a bahzillion times, but worth repeating. Can't beat the price.

SAE Deep:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kobalt-12pc...20139909?pt=US_Hand_Tools&hash=item5d4cc81685

Metric Shallow:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kobalt-11pc...20005552?pt=US_Hand_Tools&hash=item5d4cc609b0

I have those sets. They are not the longest lasting for sure. They do what they were designed to do but are kinda disposable for the DIY with no truck support. IMO

 

[rick carpenter]

I have Taiwan cro-mo HF Pittsburg Pro SAE 1/2" deeps for the garage, $26 shipped. I don't have a gun but they're gun-worthy according to people here. For my road bag, definitely no gun ever just ratchet, I have Taiwan cr-v Craftsman Evolv SAE 1/2" deeps, $17 in store.

 

[nicksnothereman]

Looking at my 1st purchase of impact sockets. Specifically, wondering about wall thickness with regards to being able to access fasteners. Looking at Craftsman, SK, and Grey, as shown below. Wondering if there are differences?

If they're crmo it don't matter what they got stamped on them.

A lot of the crv are good impact sockets it's just that they'll be much thicker which isn't a bad thing for me because if clearance is that much of an issue you probably won't be getting an impact wrench in there anyway.

There are pain in the **** bolts that might have clearance issues but usually within the 1/2" torque tolerance anyway so you can just use an impact socket (or regular crv socket) on a ratchet or breaker bar.

 

[juicedapple463]

I purchased a set of genius 42pcs 3/8" impact set. They offer 2 different kits and one is co-moly and a tad more expensive. Its very complete, wall thickness in on the thick side, but for the money its hard to beat. Sunnex would also be a good choice for the money.