Who's actually broken Chrome sockets with an impact?

[Legion Prime]

I've split chrome sockets on impacts, on breaker bars and on ratchets, hell I've broken the ratchets themselves and twisted the square drive off a breaker bar before.

 

[510ebl]

Two, both Craftsman around 1989.

A 6 point deep 3/4 inch by 1/2 drive
A 6 point deep 9/16 inch by 1/2 drive

Shortly thereafter I bought my first impact socket set.

 

[richfinn]

not worth the risk, just buy cheap consumable impact sockets, I've damaged a few chrome sockets on 1/2" impact guns and caused the chrome to flake on a few 3/8" over the years

I save my good chrome stuff for hand tools, and treat impact sockets as disposable when they get too worn out

 

[jimmy12345678]

It’s pretty rare for me to use chrome sockets, I’d say 99 times out of 100 I use impact sockets except when there’s clearance issues and I need a thin walled socket.

The exception to that rule is my non marring lug nut sockets with the plastic cover on the outside (Titan brand) to prevent damage to wheels. I’ve broken the 19 and 21 mm several times, but the 17 and 22mm are still the “original” ones I bought roughly 4 years back.

I’ve only broken a few other chrome sockets, notably they were all 3/8 drive deep craftsman sockets (older, made in USA ones that came in my first mechanic tool set I bought). I’ve also snapped off a few snap on torx and Allen head sockets as well, but the are already weaker and easily warrenteed when the snap on guy stops by. Just hammer the broken bit out and hammer in a new one. Broke the T30 twice already and my T40 once, along with 6 and 8mm Allen.

Putting a chrome socket/extension on an impact gun, especially a new on or one with a new snap ring on it often results in your chrome tool getting stuck on your impact, so that’s a PITA.

 

[vanapplebomb]

Biggest problem I have with chrome sockets on impacts is the chrome chipping off while impacting, sending razor sharp splinters everywhere. DO NOT ever hold a chrome socket on an impact!!!...or all the little razor sharp chrome splinters will end up in your hands... trust me, it isn’t fun. To be fair, you shouldn’t ever hold any socket while impacting, but chrome sockets are down right nasty.

Granted, this problem has only happened to me with bright hard chrome finish. The dull flash chrome finish has held up fine.

I always prefer impact sockets for impacts, but sometimes you need the thin wall chrome sockets for tight jobs, and for that, I am willing to sacrifice one to get the job done.

 

[Zewnten]

Cracked a 12pt with harbor freight 120v 1/2 impact, 30mm I seem to remember

 

[madmanc]

used a 19mm and 21mm quite often on a makita and milwaukee 1/2" guns and never broke one but have rounded out the broching on cheepies

 

[Al Borland]

Various 3/8 sockets on a butterfly impact where i worked 35 years ago.

 

[four.cycle]

Who's actually broken Chrome sockets with an impact?

I've never used an impact gun myself, although I did buy one of the cheapie 120-volt units at a "Harbor Freight" store last summer so my buddy could fix the brakes on both our trucks faster.

The overwhelming majority of the 1/2" drive Indestro sockets which were returned by our stores as "warranty" had clearly been shattered due to their having been used on impact guns. The mushrooming and distortion of the drive ends of the sockets was fairly definitive evidence.
As I was the one who processed all the "warranty" returns from our nine stores and other accounts who bought from our warehouse, I would say I saw quite a few of them over the course of time we carried the line.

We didn't stock any impact sockets - all we had were the chrome units, shallow and deep, in both 6-point and 12-point.
I suppose it's fair to say that a good number of them were purchased (and subsequently broken) out of necessity when no other options were available. (We stayed open later than our competitors and were open 7 days a week.)

We sold the product line with an "unconditional warranty", so we simply replaced them with new units.

So if what you're really asking is "Do impact guns break chrome sockets?", the answer is a definite yes, they do.

 

[Bradc1989]

Broke an older craftsman 19mm deep with a Milwaukee m18 3/8 high torque. Split it all the way down 180* apart

 

[XxToolAholicxX]

Not yet been lucky I guess..

 

[Hal]

(American made) TruTest 3/4 chrome socket split completely in half. On a Montgomery Ward electric impact.

 

[MarvinBerry]

Saw a lot of busted chrome sockets when I worked Sears hardware in the 90s. At least once or twice a day someone would come in with a split chrome socket that had obviously, even admittedly been used with an impact gun.

Probably once a week there'd be a guy who showed up with a box full of sockets that were missing half the sidewall...

 

[reader2580]

I voted yes even though I have just chewed up the end of my chrome socket with an impact. The socket hasn't split, but the end has small cracks in it.

 

[Shehzada]

Don’t remember ever breaking one with an impact. Now wallowing out the drive end with an impact yes I have done that before on chrome sockets.


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

...Now wallowing out the drive end with an impact.


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

What exactly does that mean?

 

[Bluedodge]

Guilty several times when I was younger.

I did not know there was a difference between the two until I was in my late 20's.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

What exactly does that mean?

It means this. Basically where the corners of the drive end get mushroomed outward and isn’t a perfect square anymore.


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

What exactly does that mean?

This is what I mean. The drive end of the socket gets mushroomed out on the corners and isn’t a perfect square anymore.



Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[9eight7]

I used to use a Husky 3/8” 19mm chrome deep socket for my lug nuts then read some horror stories of them breaking. I use dedicated wheel sockets with sleeves now and have an impact set of deep sockets. I haven’t had any chrome sockets break yet but I have stripped impact rated torx sockets several times.

 

[Marvin Hagen]

Split some but never broke. I was in class with a guy when we got on this subject and he held his hand up and showed us the stiches and said he was holding the socket when it came apart.

 

[Mmaxed]

Yes, several. More than one Craftsman deep well 1/2 and 9/16" with air impacts.

 

[iagsxr]

5/8" Truecraft that had been my grandpa's. SBC headbolt, used the chrome socket because I didn't want to take the rockers off. Impact socket wouldn't clear them. Still a little pissed about it 20+ years later.

 

[Bessy]

Noticed the other day when servicing the mower deck that my 15/16" 1/2 drive 6pt deep socket has some marring in the drive end that has become sort of sharp to touch, obviously from impact use. can't remember the last time I broke a socket (ratchets are another story)

The better question is who used it last and left it in the toolbox covered in a thick coating of grease (inside and out) [emoji35]

Sent from my BE2026 using Tapatalk

 

[Ton ton]

I have broken a chrome socket with a ratchet. El cheapo Chinese chrome.

 

[chadster1]

I have seen hundreds if not thousands of chrome socket broken on an impact. It's easy to tell when a chrome socket has been on an impact, the peening around the square drive is obvious.

-Former Snap-on dealer

 

[autobon7]

I have not personally but several guys in my maint department have. Usually house brands like Jonesway, Paramount, etc but have seen a few Gearwrench and Craftsman fail as well. All with impact wrenches. Then again some could tear up an anvil if given a chance.

 

[ecotec]

A few... some split, some went flying.

 

[tyyost]

As a young adult my only deep sockets in 1/2 drive were SK 6 point chromes. I had an electric 1/2 impact. Many of those deep sockets have the drive corners completely destroyed but I never broke one. That said, the electric impact was barely adequate for truck lug nuts, results likely would have been different with a stronger impact.

Being young and dumb there are many things I’d do differently, but at the time affordable impacts and sockets were not really a thing except for the flea market no namers.

 

[ste6168]

I cast my vote, no, but I don’t even own any 1/2” sockets or true impact wrench. Ill chuck up a socket on an impact driver occasionally. I did break a .375” to .25” adapter once, though, seemingly doing nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

What do you answer if you've never used chrome on an impact to break one?

Don't worry, the rest of us break plenty for you.

 

[f121]

I need to change my answer to yes, last spring I broke a snap on 13mm on my m12 stubby. The various Taiwan and China chrome sockets have survived just fine, presumably due to thicker walls.

 

[Jtels85]

Wallowed out some of my buddy’s chrome 1/2” Pittsburgh sockets with his DeWalt impact, running down bolts while we were installing aftermarket seats on some E-Z-GO’s. The amount of chrome flakes flying off of those things was enough to make me bring my Craftsman impacts next time.

 

[nicks78camaro]

I've only ever cracked a chrome socket using a ratchet, it was a Craftsman 15mm 3/8" drive short socket. And I believe it was on a caliper bracket so I probably should've been using 1/2" drive.

 

[redwrench60]

Broke many Craftsman and hand me down cheapies when I was young starting out as a mechanic and my tool inventory was pretty basic. It didn’t take me long to figure out there was a reason impact sockets are made.

 

[WordMan]

Saw a guy have one go, once. It split, then pealed a thick slice of flesh off his hand (leaving it hinged on one side). He was off work for two months, and in PT for months after.

 

[PCustoms]

I've got several that the chrome has flaked off due to deforming from impact use, and at least 1 that has split.

Tossed them and moving forward all my sockets are black oxide impact rated, as they work fine on a ratchet.

 

[Firebrick43]

I have broken a number of 3/4 and 7/8 chrome sockets on impacts. Sometimes you just cant get a impact socket in where you need it.

 

[ecotec]

I have broken a number of 3/4 and 7/8 chrome sockets on impacts. Sometimes you just cant get a impact socket in where you need it.

Yes!

3/4” deep chrome socket inside Unistrut.

The vast majority of the sockets that I have broken have been 9/16” shallow.

 

[BigLeagueSmoes]

Pulled this one out of my scrap metal bucket as it fell victim to the impact a while back. Adios Craftsman USA 19mm

 

[JradM]

I've ruined the inside of a few chrome 12pt sockets from using them with an impact. Nothing has ever "broken" in the sense of catastrophic failure like a split down the side. Instead the corners become mushroomed or rounded to the point that the socket is junk.

Usually this happens because I've encountered a 12pt fastener and, until recently, I didn't own any 12pt impact sockets. Driveshafts for example.