Proto tool socket set issues.

[shouse]

I recently bought a 3/4 Proto professional socket set (used) and have concerns with the ratchet and a bunch of the extenders. I'm looking for clarification if in fact I am missing a piece. I'm used to seeing a chrome nub that allows the socket to slide on and off the ratchet/extension. All of my pieces (except 1) seem to be missing these. I even took two of the extensions ( I thought those were the only ones w/ the issue) down to Granger for warranty. The rep claimed Proto no longer warrantied their professional line due to all the oil field workers abusing the tools and warranting them, but Granger would pick this one up for me this time.

Needless to say when i got a phone call 3 weeks later, I was not happy with what was returned to me. It looked like they took the same extensions i returned and just did a satin coat (and a crappy one at that) over the whole thing and returned it back to me. Same socket nub issue and now they look like cheap ****. Am i right in saying that they are missing the chrome nub (sorry for the poor terminology) that holds the socket? How should i proceed from here?
Thanks



Comparison of the warranty replacement extension (top) vs original

 

[Lx460]

Try calling proto directly? Wondering what grainger has to do with it?

 

[Ruger_556]

It's pin retention and satin finish in 3/4 drive, I don't see why you are trying to warranty them? Unless the pin is stuck If you are thinking they are going to give you extensions with ball retention you're going to be warrantying those for a long time to come

 

[ADSR]

That finish is horrible! I wouldn't accept that.

 

[Kaane]

There is nothing wrong with them they are designed like that.

 

[lilcraigford]

I'm not terribly familiar, but those appear to have a pin style socket retention instead of a ball plunger.

(Edit: Too slow on hitting submit)

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

Normal pin retention. Just like is on all my non-impact 3/4" stuff. Even some of my 1/2" stuff has it.

There is no warranty issue there that I can see. Push down on the pin with your thumbnail or something when you slide the socket on. Stick a small screwdriver, nail, pliers tip, whatever is handy in the hole to push down the pin and take the socket off. The whole idea is that big chunk of metal is not going to fall off and hit somebody or something.

 

[Hiball]

That finish is horrible! I wouldn't accept that.

I suspect you should stay away froma Satin finishes then.

 

[ADSR]

I suspect you should stay away froma Satin finishes then.

I believe he ordered chrome

The head of the rat looks polished, but the rest is satin.

 

[Hiball]

I believe he ordered chrome

The head of the rat looks polished, but the rest is satin.

No... He bought a Used 3/4 set, and it's very common in satin finished tools, Especially with PROTO to have chrome finish around the ratchet head, Open/box end of wrenches along with the female end of extensions and the rest of the tool to be finished in Satin.

 

[LXCam]

I recently bought a 3/4 Proto professional socket set (used) and have concerns with the ratchet and a bunch of the extenders.

Must be just me but this bothers me to no end. So you purchased a USED set and what did you expect again?.

 

[Ruger_556]

That finish is horrible! I wouldn't accept that.

Tool polisher! Sorry I had to

In all seriousness, looks normal for their satin finish to me.

I believe he ordered chrome

The head of the rat looks polished, but the rest is satin.

It's all satin in 3/4 drive with the exception of sockets (even those the stepped portion is satin) and torque wrenches. Doesn't really matter once you get them out of the box, there's always a pipe, sledgehammer, or other device of "leverage multiplication" involved anyway

 

[lilcraigford]

The only difference I can see, regarding the finish, is that the longer extension has a heavier texture over the shorter one in the comparison photo.

 

[ADSR]

No... He bought a Used 3/4 set, and it's very common in satin finished tools, Especially with PROTO to have chrome finish around the ratchet head, Open/box end of wrenches along with the female end of extensions and the rest of the tool to be finished in Satin.

Yup, i'm staying away from that finish.

The satin finish on the Wright tools looks much better

 

[ADSR]

BTW, is the U-joint not the same finish?

 

[Hiball]

The only difference I can see, regarding the finish, is that the longer extension has a heavier texture over the shorter one in the comparison photo.

I believe it's just a difference in production era, it's quite possible that the New Proto Satin tools are covered from head to toe, versus the older ones that did carry a mixture of satin/chrome.

 

[Hiball]

Yup, i'm staying away from that finish.

The satin finish on the Wright tools looks much better

The Satin Wrenches will carry (or at least mine do)a combination of satin beams and chrome business ends.

 

[JAKE-THE-TOOL-MAN]

You bought the set used... technically speaking they did you a favor by warrantying the pieces for you. The satin finish doesn't look bad to me, its a newer extension and probably a different process then how they used to do it.

 

[XxToolAholicxX]

F..k Grainger. Do not ever go to them with warranty issues deal with Proto direct. They don't know what the f..k they are talking about half them time. 1-800-800-Tool
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am a ToolAholic,Sometimes I regret it,Especially when the Toolman wont give me no credit

 

[Yung Ho]

The rep claimed Proto no longer warrantied their professional line due to all the oil field workers abusing the tools and warranting them

say WHAT???

if they aren't warranted, who the hell would ever buy them? - that sounds like BS to me!

Proto has had a lifetime warranty since they were Plomb!

 

[twertsy]

All Proto tools are lifetime warrantied. Grainger doesn't know what they're talking about. Your set looks exactly like it's supposed to.

Not meaning to hijack the OP's thread but......I found a full set of older 3/4 Proto, 2 ratchets, a bunch of extensions/t-bars, etc. It's actually more than a full set. About half the sockets are Proto LA era. Guy wants what seems to be a bit much ($500) but I suspect he'll come down a bit. I'm looking to phase out my HF 3/4 set, even though I really only use it on my body cart/rotisserie ....... thoughts on price??

 

[Yung Ho]

I found a full set of older 3/4 Proto, 2 ratchets, a bunch of extensions/t-bars, etc. It's actually more than a full set. About half the sockets are Proto LA era. Guy wants what seems to be a bit much ($500) but I suspect he'll come down a bit. I'm looking to phase out my HF 3/4 set, even though I really only use it on my body car/rotisserie ....... thoughts on price??

the big 3/4" Proto set you are describing comes up on ebay often for an average of $300 to the door, after the bidding stops.

I guess if you are a Proto collector, then the LA sockets might increase that, but if you just want to use them, then his price sounds pretty rich compared to what they are bringin.

 

[twertsy]

the big 3/4" Proto set you are describing comes up on ebay often for an average of $300 to the door, after the bidding stops.

I guess if you are a Proto collector, then the LA sockets might increase that, but if you just want to use them, then his price sounds pretty rich compared to what they are bringin.

Agreed. I'm betting he'll take $300, or darn close to it, and I've reviewed those auction results as well.

 

[ZRH`]

Grainger's response bothers me. They are an official distributor (who are the people you are supposed to get tools warrantied through for Proto).

That is how their 3/4 extensions normally look though.

Catalog pic:

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Try calling proto directly? Wondering what grainger has to do with it?

Yes,, calling ProTo directly should yield better results. I have been told by two dealers that they were not authorized to OK a warranty claim. A ProTo Representative had to ok it. Whether or not Grainger is authorized to OK any warranty claim is something I would be asking ProTo at protoindustrial.com

 

[Vantastic]

I think grainger was saying anything they could to get this guy out of their store.

 

[Farmall450]

I believe it's just a difference in production era, it's quite possible that the New Proto Satin tools are covered from head to toe, versus the older ones that did carry a mixture of satin/chrome.

A agree. I don't think they actually replated the OP's

On a side note is be pissed if I bought a tool with a warranty and they wouldn't warranty it. Unless it was damaged from obvious abuse.

 

[Cope]

Yes,, calling ProTo directly should yield better results. I have been told by two dealers that they were not authorized to OK a warranty claim. A ProTo Representative had to ok it. Whether or not Grainger is authorized to OK any warranty claim is something I would be asking ProTo at protoindustrial.com

Back in the day that was the way Williams warranty worked. A rep came by the store and either approved or denied warranty.

 

[bcradio]

3/4" Drive universal... for those hard to get to 2" fasteners.

 

[Nortonscustom]

Grainger was just blowing smoke to get Joe Homeowner out the door. There's nothing wrong with any of the tools in those pictures. I unboxed and inventoried 5 new Proto 3/4" drive sets last week. Proto's 3/4" drive sets are pin lock and satin finish, that's just the way it is.

 

[1950mercury]

The satin finish is normal it may not be as pretty as smooth chrome, but it's nice when your hands are greasy you get a better grip on the satin tools

 

[ganymede]

3/4" Drive universal... for those hard to get to 2" fasteners.

Funny but he could be working on this...

 

[shouse]

Must be just me but this bothers me to no end. So you purchased a USED set and what did you expect again?.

You're starting to bother me to no end. I didn't come into your threads and get offensive, please don't be that guy.

Sorry that I don't make three figures. I'm young(ish) and trying to get a tool collection together for working on my personal vehicles. There's great deals to be had on eBay and a good tool from a good manufacturer should last more than one lifetime. I'm not expecting perfection.

Back to the point, I was not aware of the pin style method. That's why I actually created the post. Now that I know this, it's funny that the grainger rep never said anything to me. Given this knowledge, I should not have warrantied them. However I did and I'm very unimpressed with the two extensions I got back. I'm not a all-chrome aesthetic tool freak or anything, they really do look and feel like total ****. They are rough like 100grit sandpaper. Sounds like the best move is to call them.
The smaller extension pin is sticking pretty bad. Can oil clean that up or is there probably a greater issue? Gotta say I'm not a huge fan of having to use a second tool to release the sockets, but I guess I understand the reasoning. Thank you to all that were nice enough to clarify things.

 

[Hiball]

You're starting to bother me to no end. I didn't come into your threads and get offensive, please don't be that guy.

Sorry that I don't make three figures. I'm young(ish) and trying to get a tool collection together for working on my personal vehicles. There's great deals to be had on eBay and a good tool from a good manufacturer should last more than one lifetime. I'm not expecting perfection.

Back to the point, I was not aware of the pin style method. That's why I actually created the post. Now that I know this, it's funny that the grainger rep never said anything to me. Given this knowledge, I should not have warrantied them. However I did and I'm very unimpressed with the two extensions I got back. I'm not a all-chrome aesthetic tool freak or anything, they really do look and feel like total ****. They are rough like 100grit sandpaper. Sounds like the best move is to call them.
The smaller extension pin is sticking pretty bad. Can oil clean that up or is there probably a greater issue? Gotta say I'm not a huge fan of having to use a second tool to release the sockets, but I guess I understand the reasoning. Thank you to all that were nice enough to clarify things.

Just for your information, Satin finishes are supposed to have some bite to them, it makes them easier to handle with greasy mits. If you desire smooth, glossy, easy to clean finishes you should buy Chrome finished tools.

 

[ZRH`]

I'm not a all-chrome aesthetic tool freak or anything, they really do look and feel like total ****. They are rough like 100grit sandpaper.

It's nice when everything is covered in oil, chrome feels like trying to hold onto a bar of soap tightly in the shower.

 

[tweedlestan]

No issue here, carry on.

That's the way they're made. Not a warranty issue.

 

[Strouty]

Everyone seems to think that proto's warranty is good. I have a bunch of 1" drive sockets that have chrome coming off them. They would not look at my pictures, but they wanted me to mail all of them to them so they could inspect them. I really did not want to shell out the money to ship them and have the warranty denied.

When I say the chrome was coming off, it was peeling and actual would cut you if you did not wear gloves when handling them. I ended up taking a wire brush to them for safety reasons, but now there is no rust protection. I may give them a call again, it would be nice to not have to worry about cutting myself.

 

[Hiball]

Everyone seems to think that proto's warranty is good. I have a bunch of 1" drive sockets that have chrome coming off them. They would not look at my pictures, but they wanted me to mail all of them to them so they could inspect them. I really did not want to shell out the money to ship them and have the warranty denied.

When I say the chrome was coming off, it was peeling and actual would cut you if you did not wear gloves when handling them. I ended up taking a wire brush to them for safety reasons, but now there is no rust protection. I may give them a call again, it would be nice to not have to worry about cutting myself.

With the replacement cost of 1" drive sockets + USPS flat rate boxes that's a No Brainer.

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

You're starting to bother me to no end. I didn't come into your threads and get offensive, please don't be that guy.

Sorry that I don't make three figures. I'm young(ish) and trying to get a tool collection together for working on my personal vehicles. There's great deals to be had on eBay and a good tool from a good manufacturer should last more than one lifetime. I'm not expecting perfection.

Back to the point, I was not aware of the pin style method. That's why I actually created the post. Now that I know this, it's funny that the grainger rep never said anything to me. Given this knowledge, I should not have warrantied them. However I did and I'm very unimpressed with the two extensions I got back. I'm not a all-chrome aesthetic tool freak or anything, they really do look and feel like total ****. They are rough like 100grit sandpaper. Sounds like the best move is to call them.
The smaller extension pin is sticking pretty bad. Can oil clean that up or is there probably a greater issue? Gotta say I'm not a huge fan of having to use a second tool to release the sockets, but I guess I understand the reasoning. Thank you to all that were nice enough to clarify things.

You are new. We should have been nicer. I am sorry.

I can't answer for Grainger, but the rep very well might have been trying to get rid of you. I do not mean this insulting at all, so please do not take offense: Usually, by the time you need 3/4" drive you are pretty familiar with tools. Everybody has to start somewhere though, so now you know.

Generally, 3/4" drive and up isn't built to be pretty. A lot of my 3/4" stuff is black oxide. I keep it pretty much dripping in oil. My 3/4" chrome stuff (Proto, Wright, and Williams) is satin and is very rough. Nobody buys 3/4" for the looks - it's to get the job done. I think it does have a beauty of its own.

 

[1950mercury]

With the replacement cost of 1" drive sockets + USPS flat rate boxes that's a No Brainer.

I'd say....