Snapon question

[sberry]

I have only a few and havnt used that many but how many have broken a socket?
I have a lot of Sears and broke a lot of them right out of the box. Once they were stress tested never another issue. I don't know or really care how they are made but was just wondering if they are tested prior to shipping?

 

[n8n]

Curious... no I haven't, but all mine are old USA made "G" or older. When did you buy yours and what's the stamping on them?

I really didn't start getting all tool snobby until C'man started offshoring wrenches and sockets, save for screwdrivers and flare wrenches which were always kind of not the best. The other Cman stuff was good enough for most of what I did, although I replaced my combos with SK years ago just because I had the opportunity to do so (even up trade with a friend who "never used that metric stuff")

 

[T45]

What sizes and vintages are you looking at?

 

[joebachor]

none of mine at work or at home have broken. im not an abuser but i have used them alot.

 

[csargents1546]

In the last 5 years I have not broken any snap on sockets. Only broke one wrench to date. I was probably to blame. It was a 10 mm and I frequently use a pry bar to get bolts off of turbocharger that are stuck.

 

[Cope]

Cary, I have been using Snap on since 1965, and have never broken a tool other than 3/8" ratchet kits.

 

[sberry]

I had someone spread a jaw on one but I never broke any but havnt worked where they were the norm and didn't ask any buds who do. I cant recall a broke socket story here. The Cman that broke were not worked, most pretty much o the first use. I can see that as being a simple way to insure quality and the step could be added prior to plating.

 

[sberry]

Mine were from the 80's I was trying to calculate how many I have and it seems at one time I said 5% maybe more. It seems there was one to every set or so. It was disappointing when I bought the first ones and found some 9/16 deep in a couple sale sets must have been mix and match that were sized wrong.

 

[rusty65]

I've broken two sockets in my life so far a deep snap on 3/8dr. 9/16 and a deep vintage 1/2 3/8 drive craftsman socket from the 40s. And that's without using cheater pipes.


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[whitetrash1]

I've seen a few break. Not enough to warrant a quality issue in my opinion. Even with the best quality control possible anything produced in mass quanities is gonna have a few that fail after in house testing.

 

[Dust Devil]

Chrome sockets usually break because someone used them as an impact.

 

[Zrexxer]

I've never broken a Snap On socket, but I've visited the production line of a plant making Snap On sockets in a prior work-life, and I can tell you that they're definitely not tested prior to shipping.

I have broken Mac sockets a couple of times though, no excessive force or impact use, just a regular ratchet and maybe 30 ft lbs of torque and *CRACK*

 

[Hpozzuoli]

I have a 1/2 inch I broke last night at my laundromat. Split right down the side. I left it there because mr snappy goes there now since my house is sold and I am leaving the 23rd. I will be there later and take a pic. It's probably a 3yr old socket. It's seen moderate use, but not abused on an impact.

 

[rsanter]

In over 20 years I think I have broken 3 or less sockets.
All were about 5/8 or smaller
In all cases I was pushing it over the reasonable limit....
Never broken a bigger one

Craftsman, I would venture to say I have broken at least 50 sockets
I have even broken the box end of a 1" combo wrench

Bob

 

[sberry]

Craftsman, I would venture to say I have broken at least 50 sockets

didn't use mine on impact either, they broke when they were new. I really am not sure all the math could be done anyway as I have a drawer full of stuff we never used every socket. I bet a guy could find several have never been used, probably a few pcs in the 3/4 set and a lot of metrics we got duplication of and don't use, should part it out.
On top of this, there was a time I was behind the curve and did a lot of it by hand that wouldn't fly today.
In todays world would spend way less on chrome up front and get good impact drive system/tools and HF black sockets.
I still use air ratchets and mainly cause I got them and our duty cycle is low and its not worth adding another layer. I am still with 1/2 impact and its not all bad, one size drive to worry about.

 

[dpaton]

I've broken just about every brand of chrome socket at least once. Usually with a matched ratchet, sometimes with the matched breaker bar. It's always a split up the side, and usually with a stuck bolt and a sore hand from pulling so hard. It doesn't surprise me, or worry me though. They're wear items, subject to incredible loads, and will eventually fail. That's why we pay for parts with replacement warranties right?

 

[Cope]

The only socket I have broken in my tools was a 1/2" drive Action, either 11/16" or 13/16" tightening head bolts on a flat head Ford V8 using a 1/2" drive Action ratchet. Broke my cousin's chrome Indestro using an electric impact tightening lug nuts on my 68 Plymouth.

 

[sberry]

If my application went up would go to 3/8. I am going to get a 12v drill driver. I have 4 28's and they are heavy but they do it all. I need to get a lightweight or 2 for toting around.

 

[sberry]

Something that happens on occasion is everyone has to learn you cant pound a small chrome socket on. A while back on a wheel brg job broke 2 13's back to back. I may have scored another spare from Alan,, Cope here or a Taiwan from a bucket that I kept in now but I suspect they were victims of a hammer.
After the initial failures with the Sears the rest seemed to work, beat the snot out of it from 9/16 thru 1 1/8 but don't recall breaking anymore since.

 

[sberry]

We were tooling something up and he easiest thing to do was hit the Sears with about 300$ as I recall. It was out of town and we were going to travel with it. I unpacked and we concocted a test scheme in a couple hrs and I think we broke 3 or 4, maybe more.
The store was local and we went and replaced from single stock under warranty.

 

[sberry]

I agree there will always be some failure and some work added failure, some abuse but those old sockets outright snapped a lot of them with less than a common head bolt. I wouldn't have wanted to put them in pit crews without some test.
I bought a big ole monster set once and the first time I use a 15 with a hand ratchet under a car it snaps, then it was 3/4 drive, 15/16, 1 1/8 and 1 1/2 I think.
At the time I had a big debate about the tool trucks and decided to go the Cman road, ha. In the end it has been fine and served well. The ratchet still ***** but I really don't use them much, any real work is power drive.

 

[sberry]

BTW, I do believe I might have a broken Indestro also. In its defense it probably gave its all tough.
I broke a no name deep 19 impact last week and ruined a lug nut. It probably should have been tossed a long time ago, got it in an auction box from some tire shop and I used it off and on for 15 yrs and maybe even a building job.
I have extra but think I will add a single from Lowes. About every car we work seems to have that wheel nut.

 

[454ragtop]

I've broken Snap On sockets before, impacts using an impact wrench, and chromes using a ratchet. Even broke a Snap On 1/2 X 9/16 DBE wrench stretching the conn rod bolts when I built my 454. Couldn't use a socket as I was measuring the stretch with an indicator. Had to finish the job with a lowly Craftsman. That said, I've probably broke just about every brand of tool at one time or another, have a couple cracked SK chrome mid length sockets right now, broke using a ratchet, not even really stressed that bad IMO.
Jim

 

[T45]

Its probably worth noting that by design, these tools are not prone to failure. The upper limit of m10 torque is about 80NM on the fastener, and the failure of an open end 13mm is unlikely before 125NM and not to be expected until around 160NM, for a safety factor of around 2x. The ring end on most good 13 wrenches has a 240nm threshold for failure, or a safety factor of 3x specified torque. That published german engineering test is the source of these numbers, but they seem to be basically about right. So if folks are breaking snap-on (or similar quality) stuff its usually either (1) damaged or worn out to begin with; or (2) being abused in the sense noted above. Obviously corrosion and heat cycling can get you to removal torque that may be 1.5-2.0x applied toruqe when it was put on, but if you are facing problems of this type, its important to make sure you're using the right tools for the job. So if you are hammering on a 12 point thinwall onto a rusted 13mm nut that needs 200nm to pry off... breakage should not be a complete surprise....as any damage to the socket walls is going to lose the safety margin inherent in the engineering design...

But in the normal course, if you are playing around with 2-3x the fastener's torque range you are at risk of damaging the threads and fastener as much as the tool.

Worth putting in perspective, IMHO.

 

[abvw]

Cracked a 17mm semi-deep impact socket on the M18 Fuel big boy and a 15mm semi-deep chrome socket (on an Escalade bearing using FLL80).

Even with the crack along the side it still gripped pretty well. Was using the two broken sockets for a week before my Snappy-man can replace it.

 

[livinloud11]

I broke a friends 14mm craftsman max access socket at the junk yard, split down the side. probably the first time it was ever used. sears warrantied no problem though.

 

[sberry]

Its probably worth noting that by design, these tools are not prone to failure. The upper limit of m10 torque is about 80NM on the fastener, and the failure of an open end 13mm is unlikely before 125NM and not to be expected until around 160NM, for a safety factor of around 2x. The ring end on most good 13 wrenches has a 240nm threshold for failure, or a safety factor of 3x specified torque. That published german engineering test is the source of these numbers, but they seem to be basically about right. So if folks are breaking snap-on (or similar quality) stuff its usually either (1) damaged or worn out to begin with; or (2) being abused in the sense noted above. Obviously corrosion and heat cycling can get you to removal torque that may be 1.5-2.0x applied toruqe when it was put on, but if you are facing problems of this type, its important to make sure you're using the right tools for the job. So if you are hammering on a 12 point thinwall onto a rusted 13mm nut that needs 200nm to pry off... breakage should not be a complete surprise....as any damage to the socket walls is going to lose the safety margin inherent in the engineering design...

But in the normal course, if you are playing around with 2-3x the fastener's torque range you are at risk of damaging the threads and fastener as much as the tool.

Worth putting in perspective, IMHO.

As a side note I recall only a couple thinwalls and that's understandable. I think my gripe was in the shallows, one here and there in 3/8 but a quite a few in 1/2.
I think Sears rounds up stock and over runs and puts it in small sale sets. Back in the day you could get a 10 pc 3/8 deep set on super sale for 10$, I believe I bought 2 at different times and one was 6 pt. Made for cheap redundancy.

 

[Cope]

I may have scored another spare from Alan,, Cope here....

IIRC, there was almost any size and brand you could want. I knew I would never use them all and you were the first person I thought of who would.

 

[sberry]

I broke a friends 14mm craftsman max access socket at the junk yard, split down the side. probably the first time it was ever used. sears warrantied no problem though.

I was wondering how many were first used and how many failures after having beat it. It seems the ones I broke cman were at levels what we normally would subject the tool to, I wasn't trying to impress the chicks.

 

[sberry]

It was good stuff. Not losers we wouldn't use but they were assimilated in the game. In my scheme there comes a time where its also handy to piece together a set we want to work elsewhere without taking shop tools. I got 2 most everything and 6 of others.
I have 4 trucks and all tooled a little different. I got a handy old van I toss stuff n to as per the job on occasion. Its super slick n the sense we aint got to round up and rob typical tools daily.
Stuff that looks like junk I been letting slide a little at the other farm. If its too neat someone might think its valuable and steal but no one takes anything worthless.

 

[unslow1]

I've broken 2 chrome sockets and someone else broke my duckbill pliers. No one owned up to that so I don't know how it happened. All warrantied with little problem.