proto, williams, sk oh my!

[pizzabooty]

it's that time again, to discuss this topic which has been beaten to death and resurrected ad infinitum. that said, i can't quite find a discussion that compares my specific choices, and i wanted a little input from you tool addicts out there. i've been shopping for 6-point 1/2" drive deep impact sockets, specifically sizes 23-27.

i've been trying to decide between proto, williams USA, and SK. they're all fairly similarly priced. in order: SK, williams USA (by literally a few cents), and proto. this price includes shipping. i've seen all 3 brands recommended pretty equally to one another, but i've heard a few things about each brand and want yall's input.

sk: i've read that they're of questionable origin given their recent acquisition by a chinese company. i've also heard of QC issues.
williams: they seem to deform a little more easily than other brands of impact sockets. notably, they're practically identical to snap-on, although a rep told me that snap-on uses a different heat treating process as well as being VERY specific about the steel they use.
proto: actually not sure if i've heard anything bad about them at all. my main sticking point is the price, but even then it's still only about $10 more expensive than the williams and SK.


i'm not super concerned about warranty on any of the 3 because i don't find myself using those sizes very often, and i have access to both snap-on and matco trucks so worst comes to worst i can pick up a replacement socket from either of them. i guess what i'm looking for with this thread is for little things, like what everyone likes or dislikes about a particular socket. thickness, finish, broach depth, feel in the hand, chamfer, how they grip the fastener, markings, etc.


some disclaimers:
i'm aware that there are better options for the money out there but i like having nice tools and don't have very many usa-made tools.
i have considered wright but they don't make a 25 or 26 and i would like to have all of them made by one company. at the very least it will make my OCD happy.

 

[VolvoRyan]

What are you using 23, 25, and 26mm sockets on? Curious.

-Ryan

 

[pizzabooty]

What are you using 23, 25, and 26mm sockets on? Curious.

-Ryan

to be completely honest, i'm the type of person who buys things in advance just in case i need it later on. "better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it" and all that.
i'm currently filling out a socket tray of impact sockets and those are the handful that i don't have. that said, there is no spot for a 26mm so i figure it's probably extremely uncommon, and i've been debating even buying one. i was actually going to include that in my original post but didn't bother since i didn't think it was super relevant.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

to be completely honest, i'm the type of person who buys things in advance just in case i need it later on. "better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it" and all that.
i'm currently filling out a socket tray of impact sockets and those are the handful that i don't have. that said, there is no spot for a 26mm so i figure it's probably extremely uncommon, and i've been debating even buying one. i was actually going to include that in my original post but didn't bother since i didn't think it was super relevant.

Yup, hammer the 26 on a rotten 27.

I like SK impact sockets because they print the size every 120 degrees around the top of the socket. Before they wear in and you can tell them apart from 10ft, it's helpful. I've been beating on a 22mm for a while, it works.

If you're expecting to not use these a ton, and replace with tool truck if they break due to somehow becoming highly used, I wouldn't rule out tekton/sunex/etc brands. I totally get buying the premium options, just food for thought.

 

[dnschmidt]

Those are super weird sizes so why spring for the big bucks. TEKTON has a great warrantee but since these will so seldom be used you'll likely never need it.

 

[pizzabooty]

Yup, hammer the 26 on a rotten 27.

I like SK impact sockets because they print the size every 120 degrees around the top of the socket. Before they wear in and you can tell them apart from 10ft, it's helpful. I've been beating on a 22mm for a while, it works.

If you're expecting to not use these a ton, and replace with tool truck if they break due to somehow becoming highly used, I wouldn't rule out tekton/sunex/etc brands. I totally get buying the premium options, just food for thought.

thanks for the answer! i definitely did appreciate the SK markings.

i actually did have sunex and grey pneumatic on my list of options, as well as a couple german options, and if i had decided not to go for USA brands sunex would definitely be the choice. good prices, very well rated, and the warranty is excellent i've heard.

 

[pizzabooty]

Those are super weird sizes so why spring for the big bucks. TEKTON has a great warrantee but since these will so seldom be used you'll likely never need it.

i appreciate that you've taken the time to reply, but my mind is made up about my options. for what it's worth, the tekton and sunex individual sockets are only marginally more expensive per socket than the williams USA, and with shipping factored in that price difference becomes even less.

 

[Oldsmobile]

I needed a 28 a couple of months ago for a harmonic balancer on a GM 3.3 V6, and I didn't want to wait. A local hardware store had SK in stock, so I got it there. I decided to get a couple others just in case while I was there--23 & 25, I think. They ran about $20 each and although I only used the 28 for that one job, it was an easy task for it. If you like having no empty pegs on your socket rails, and US-made tools, you can't go wrong with SK.

 

[Professional Tool User]

If price isn't an issue, I would go look up some catalogs to double check the dimensions of the tools and other nitpicks. SK wrenches for example are known to be shorter than average, even if they have long pattern line available. Williams and Proto probably have better overall quality control given that they are Snap on and Stanley brands respectively. SK even before the Ideal days didn't have as good of a reputation for QC. There are plenty of threads on the forum that provide anecdotal evidence in regards to this. In addition, you may want to check out wright tools if it's a made in USA wrench and socket comparison.

 

[pizzabooty]

I needed a 28 a couple of months ago for a harmonic balancer on a GM 3.3 V6, and I didn't want to wait. A local hardware store had SK in stock, so I got it there. I decided to get a couple others just in case while I was there--23 & 25, I think. They ran about $20 each and although I only used the 28 for that one job, it was an easy task for it. If you like having no empty pegs on your socket rails, and US-made tools, you can't go wrong with SK.

thanks for your input!

If price isn't an issue, I would go look up some catalogs to double check the dimensions of the tools and other nitpicks. SK wrenches for example are known to be shorter than average, even if they have long pattern line available. Williams and Proto probably have better overall quality control given that they are Snap on and Stanley brands respectively. SK even before the Ideal days didn't have as good of a reputation for QC. There are plenty of threads on the forum that provide anecdotal evidence in regards to this. In addition, you may want to check out wright tools if it's a made in USA wrench and socket comparison.

it's specifically deep impact sockets that i'm looking at. i definitely considered wright but they don't make a 25 or 26mm socket. thanks for the response though. unsure why but something is kinda drawing me to williams. i'll keep researching.