Why no 15mm short impact sockets?

[Airmedic1]

I bought a Tool Force metric short 1/2" drive impact socket set. I was in a bind and needed something quick. I noticed it's missing a 15 and 20mm socket. I went to Amazon and noticed many of their sets don't include those sizes either. I needed the 15mm yesterday while working on my F-150. My deep Craftsman metric impact sockets (old) have those sizes.

 

[Astro_Pneumatic_Tools]

20mm is missing because there is no fastener thread standard that uses 20mm as a hex size to my memory.
15mm is missing because they are bone heads for leaving it out.

Our 1/2" drive nano sockets are all just 1.1" tall dont leave out either size: https://amzn.to/473COrU

 

[mike93lx]

20mm is missing because there is no fastener thread standard that uses 20mm as a hex size to my memory.
15mm is missing because they are bone heads for leaving it out.

Our 1/2" drive nano sockets are all just 1.1" tall dont leave out either size: https://amzn.to/473COrU

I love it! There is no application, but we include it anyway

 

[AJHD]

I bought a Tool Force metric short 1/2" drive impact socket set. I was in a bind and needed something quick. I noticed it's missing a 15 and 20mm socket. I went to Amazon and noticed many of their sets don't include those sizes either. I needed the 15mm yesterday while working on my F-150. My deep Craftsman metric impact sockets (old) have those sizes.

Who or what the hell is "Tool Force"?

Sounds like they're a knock off Chinese tool brand that knows nothing about tools. 15mm is one of the most common sizes used on "domestic" automotive brands, along with 10mm and 13mm.

 

[Mr_B]

on low end or low cost offerings and from asian manufacturers non standard & uncommon/non JIS sizes commonly get left out .
A decent taiwan made shallow impact 18pc set that is no skips 10 to 24mm and goes up to 32mm can be found as Japan Style or Laser Branded, I got couple of these sets from a local tool supplier (could also be found on amazon) & they fantastic for cost/socket design and doing well in daily auto repair usage .

 

[Astro_Pneumatic_Tools]

I love it! There is no application, but we include it anyway

Pretty much, there's a couple odds and ends from way back that might use it. Like a fuel filter or other hex's put onto things that are not bolts.
I think they mainly get used if at all as bushing and seal drivers and hydraulic press adapters, when you find the perfect outside diameter thing. Ya just use it

 

[dscheidt]

Pretty much, there's a couple odds and ends from way back that might use it. Like a fuel filter or other hex's put onto things that are not bolts.
I think they mainly get used if at all as bushing and seal drivers and hydraulic press adapters, when you find the perfect outside diameter thing. Ya just use it

those of use in the rust belt often bang on smaller than originally intended socket on rusted nuts and bolt heads. When I do that, I don't care what the claimed size is, just that it fits.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I got 15mm in both 1/2" drive and 3/8" drive standard and deep chrome and impact.

The one that surprised me was no 3/8" drive 1/4" standard impact.

 

[Wrench97]

20mm is good for rusted 21mm bolts heads.......................
Other then that there is something I used a 20mm combo wrench the other day.......

 

[LXCam]

20mm is good for rusted 21mm bolts heads.......................
Other then that there is something I used a 20mm combo wrench the other day.......

Chrysler Pacifica rear camber arm. It’s the only time I ever used mine. But by George, I had it

 

[KnurledNut]

I installed some air fittings that were 20mm.

 

[mreisner]

Pretty much, there's a couple odds and ends from way back that might use it. Like a fuel filter or other hex's put onto things that are not bolts.
I think they mainly get used if at all as bushing and seal drivers and hydraulic press adapters, when you find the perfect outside diameter thing. Ya just use it

It does show up fairly often in John Deere farm equipment.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

Shallow 20mm is excellent for torn up bolt heads on skid steer belly pans. Too low to hammer your 3/4" socket on.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I use 20mm for Ford swollen lug nuts lol. Also 20mm fits the inline nut on some GM fuel filters too. We installed some parts on my buddies 86 Bronco II that included 20mm bolts and nuts with the parts. 15mm is commonly skipped I’ve noticed. Must have for Ford though and so is 16 and 18 which I also see skipped a lot. You can use 5/8 for 16 and you can use 19/32 for 15 but you definitely won’t find a set that includes that size anymore lol. In a pinch I’d have just went to the parts store for a quality set with no skips.

 

[Semi-hole mechanic]

Who or what the hell is "Tool Force"?

Sounds like they're a knock off Chinese tool brand that knows nothing about tools. 15mm is one of the most common sizes used on "domestic" automotive brands, along with 10mm and 13mm.

I’m finding that GM likes 18mm, but not really “domestic” as it’s actually a Holden not a Chevy. Bellhousing bolts are half 18mm and the other half is 15mm. All three of the flexplate to torque converter are 18mm. My 3/8” Craftsman set skips from 17 to 19. So I ended up using a 1/2” deepwell for them. My cheap ratcheting wrenches have neither 15mm or 18mm so some of the bell housing bolts were removed and replaced with a combo wrench where I couldn’t get a 1/2” ratchet.

 

[joel63]

I’m finding that GM likes 18mm, but not really “domestic” as it’s actually a Holden not a Chevy. Bellhousing bolts are half 18mm and the other half is 15mm. All three of the flexplate to torque converter are 18mm. My 3/8” Craftsman set skips from 17 to 19. So I ended up using a 1/2” deepwell for them. My cheap ratcheting wrenches have neither 15mm or 18mm so some of the bell housing bolts were removed and replaced with a combo wrench where I couldn’t get a 1/2” ratchet.

There's just no substitute for a complete set of sockets in any drive.
I've tried it without success.
My .02 cents.

 

[Wrench97]

I use 20mm for Ford swollen lug nuts lol. Also 20mm fits the inline nut on some GM fuel filters too. We installed some parts on my buddies 86 Bronco II that included 20mm bolts and nuts with the parts. 15mm is commonly skipped I’ve noticed. Must have for Ford though and so is 16 and 18 which I also see skipped a lot. You can use 5/8 for 16 and you can use 19/32 for 15 but you definitely won’t find a set that includes that size anymore lol. In a pinch I’d have just went to the parts store for a quality set with no skips.

15mm was the first metric wrench I used on GM products, back in the day it was the only metric bolt holding the alternator on......

 

[Wrench97]

Chrysler Pacifica rear camber arm. It’s the only time I ever used mine. But by George, I had it

I think it might have been on the rear suspension on a ProMaster City I used it on.

 

[cherrybomb]

I don't agree with the manufacturers doing the skips.If you work on a variety of equipment, sooner or later you will need the one your missing. Its not always easy,convenient or cheap to buy a socket if your **** about matching brands.

 

[AJHD]

I’m finding that GM likes 18mm, but not really “domestic” as it’s actually a Holden not a Chevy.

I use the term "domestic" very loosely these days... with the corporate conglomerates, rebranding, and the continued manufacturing and parts sourcing outside the US.

Anyway, carry on.

 

[Dakotadadv8]

Crazy I just had to use 20mm for RV maintenance and 15mm for sway bar links.

 

[Semi-hole mechanic]

And another weird one on the 1.4L T in the Cruze … you need a 24mm wrench for hold the intake cam when placing the holding pin in the timing tensioner. I used a 15/16” which is about the same size, so I didn’t have to stop what I was doing and find a 24mm that I may never use again.

15mm was the first metric wrench I used on GM products, back in the day it was the only metric bolt holding the alternator on......

no, my first car was a ‘78 Grand Prix with a 301 Pontiac, the bolts holding the alternator were SAE, but the nuts in the electrical terminals were metric.

 

[cherrybomb]

And another weird one on the 1.4L T in the Cruze … you need a 24mm wrench for hold the intake cam when placing the holding pin in the timing tensioner. I used a 15/16” which is about the same size, so I didn’t have to stop what I was doing and find a 24mm that I may never use again.

no, my first car was a ‘78 Grand Prix with a 301 Pontiac, the bolts holding the alternator were SAE, but the nuts in the electrical terminals were metric.

Back in the day,when cars were slowly switching over to metric, that example really irked you as S.A.E was the normal for U.S.A. cars and if you bought an import you knew to have metric to do the work.Gerald Ford was the President and the U.S.A thought they could convince the world to give up metric for sae.And how did that work out?

 

[dscheidt]

Back in the day,when cars were slowly switching over to metric, that example really irked you as S.A.E was the normal for U.S.A. cars and if you bought an import you knew to have metric to do the work.Gerald Ford was the President and the U.S.A thought they could convince the world to give up metric for sae.And how did that work out?

The Chevette (1972) was GM's first metric project. Everything on it was metric. From that point on at GM, new designs used metric, with old ones continuing as they were. That led to things like @Semi-hole mechanic 's alternator -- the voltage regulator got redesigned, which meant metric screw terminals, but the mechanical side didn't change. Ford and Chrysler made the same switch sometime in the mid 70s. That gave us the wonderful hell that was 80s detroit stuff, where any given car was a weird mix of sizes. This was made worse by the aftermarket, which mostly continued to be SAE.

 

[Wrench97]

The Chevette (1972) was GM's first metric project. Everything on it was metric. From that point on at GM, new designs used metric, with old ones continuing as they were. That led to things like @Semi-hole mechanic 's alternator -- the voltage regulator got redesigned, which meant metric screw terminals, but the mechanical side didn't change. Ford and Chrysler made the same switch sometime in the mid 70s. That gave us the wonderful hell that was 80s detroit stuff, where any given car was a weird mix of sizes. This was made worse by the aftermarket, which mostly continued to be SAE.

Chevette came out in 1976, the Vega in 1970 with a lot of metric on it.

 

[Semi-hole mechanic]

Back in the day,when cars were slowly switching over to metric, that example really irked you as S.A.E was the normal for U.S.A. cars and if you bought an import you knew to have metric to do the work.Gerald Ford was the President and the U.S.A thought they could convince the world to give up metric for sae.And how did that work out?

Huh? Ford signed the Metric Act in 1976 to switch the U.S. to metric. And the Cruze is actually Australian, it was developed by Holden. My post was about weird sized wrenches, and 24mm is a weird size. I have several metric wrench sets but none of them have a 24mm in them. 15/16” is really close to 24mm.
Oh, and ask an aircraft mechanic the same question.

 

[wafrederick]

20mm is missing because there is no fastener thread standard that uses 20mm as a hex size to my memory.
15mm is missing because they are bone heads for leaving it out.

Our 1/2" drive nano sockets are all just 1.1" tall dont leave out either size: https://amzn.to/473COrU

Chrysler lug nuts when the chrome cap comes off which are actually a 21mm

 

[charbar]

Funny what one person considers an oddball size and the next person uses that size every day. Just depends what you're doing. "Normal" for me is 7, 8, 10, 13, 15, 18, 21, 22 and 24mm. If I grab a 12, 14 or 17 I'm wondering what the heck I'm getting myself into

I can't specifically tell you anything that I use a 20mm for but I own plenty of 20mm tools and they are all well used!

But going back to the OP......cheap tools skip sizes....don't buy cheap tools.

 

[Jon h]

What about cheap tools that included never before seen (or since) sizes such as this 6.5mm. Which I have used before. I’ve had this socket for 35 years…….It came in a set my ex girlfriend gave when I was in my teens…..Made in Sri Lanka…..


Jon h.

 

[mike93lx]

What about cheap tools that included never before seen (or since) sizes such as this 6.5mm. Which I have used before. I’ve had this socket for 35 years…….It came in a set my ex girlfriend gave when I was in my teens…..Made in Sri Lanka…..


Jon h.

They had a 1/4" broach and needed to add a piece to a metric set

 

[Jon h]

They had a 1/4" broach and needed to add a piece to a metric set

That’s exactly what I thought too…..

 

[mikey03]

I know I’m just a driveway hack but I do skip sizes outside of the basic tools I got. I think the basics are 6 point deep and shallow sockets and regular style combination wrenches.

I got all those in every size no skips even if I never used most of them yet.

But then you got mid length sockets and nano chrome sockets and nano impact sockets and 12 point sockets in every length and universal chrome and universal impact and extra long double box wrenches and ratcheting wrenches of multiple styles and zero degree wrenches and four way angle wrenches

Do you really need 97 types of tools for fasteners that arent even supposed to exist? If your truck got a 20mm bolt and you know that you need a certain type of wrench or socket beyond the basics to hit it then yeah go get that. But to have it just in case something comes up seems nuts. You’d have to have thousands of dollars in tools you never use to have all these sizes ready to go that youd never touch.

to me it makes sense to get the basics in no skips and then for special stuff beyond that just get the core stuff of what your working on.

 

[Wrench97]

I know I’m just a driveway hack but I do skip sizes outside of the basic tools I got. I think the basics are 6 point deep and shallow sockets and regular style combination wrenches.

I got all those in every size no skips even if I never used most of them yet.

But then you got mid length sockets and nano chrome sockets and nano impact sockets and 12 point sockets in every length and universal chrome and universal impact and extra long double box wrenches and ratcheting wrenches of multiple styles and zero degree wrenches and four way angle wrenches

Do you really need 97 types of tools for fasteners that arent even supposed to exist? If your truck got a 20mm bolt and you know that you need a certain type of wrench or socket beyond the basics to hit it then yeah go get that. But to have it just in case something comes up seems nuts. You’d have to have thousands of dollars in tools you never use to have all these sizes ready to go that youd never touch.

to me it makes sense to get the basics in no skips and then for special stuff beyond that just get the core stuff of what your working on.

I have thousands of dollars in tools that I haven't used in 20 years, Detroit 92 series ring compressor, Detroit 8.2L timing tools, Detroit S60 timing pins, ring compressors, Detroit injector cup removal/Install kit, Ford 7.8L/6.6L tools, Cat 3126, 3208, 3406 tools, Cummins N,NH, N14, L10 timing tools, Volvo D12/D13 injector cup removal/swedge install tools(still around but I'll never use them again). A couple 1" impacts I may use once in a blue moon same with the 3/4 torque wrenchs and a ton of 3/4" & 1" sockets.......

 

[dscheidt]

Do you really need 97 types of tools for fasteners that arent even supposed to exist? If your truck got a 20mm bolt and you know that you need a certain type of wrench or socket beyond the basics to hit it then yeah go get that. But to have it just in case something comes up seems nuts. You’d have to have thousands of dollars in tools you never use to have all these sizes ready to go that youd never touch.

to me it makes sense to get the basics in no skips and then for special stuff beyond that just get the core stuff of what your working on.

It all depends on what you do, and where you do it. Working on your own car at home? You can get by with lots less, and get tools as you need them -- and check the manual or the internet to see if special tools are required, and get them in advance (or do what we did in my youth, and buy them in the middle of the job....), and for stuff you're never going to use again, you can probably rent or borrow it from the parts house. if you're a flat rate tech, having the specialty tools saves you time, and they pay for themselves pretty quickly. You can probably get along without them, but it's easy to justify buying the whole set even if you only use a couple for the jobs you do regularly, because the first time you use the 13mm nano impact the time you save goes right into your pocket.


If you're a mobile mechanic working on stuff in the middle of nowhere, having the right tool can mean the difference between doing the job, and having to spend a day going to get the tool to do the job. there's a reason those guys charge what they do: a lot of it pays for having to cart tools and equipment around, much of which isn't used every day or even month.

I just have them all because they're pretty.

 

[Jgaz]

no, my first car was a ‘78 Grand Prix with a 301 Pontiac, the bolts holding the alternator were SAE, but the nuts in the electrical terminals were metric.

That was in the era when GM really started their metric change over.
1977 B and C bodies were the first. (Chevy Impala, olds 88 and 98 and others)
The 1978 A body might have been the next model to get the change over.

What you ran into was that the accessories, (alternator, power steering pump, etc) changed over to metric first. The fasteners that went into the engine block or other castings stayed with SAE threads for years until the engine design changed or the production tooling wore out.

Trust me I felt the pain. I was a GM dealer mechanic from 1976 to 1985.
We used to change the water pump on a small block Chevy with a handful of tools.
After the metric change over started it was two handfuls, one SAE and one metric.

 

[chris142]

20mm is missing because there is no fastener thread standard that uses 20mm as a hex size to my memory.
15mm is missing because they are bone heads for leaving it out.

Our 1/2" drive nano sockets are all just 1.1" tall dont leave out either size: https://amzn.to/473COrU

90's chevrolet engine oil cooler lines are 20 mm

 

[Semi-hole mechanic]

That was in the era when GM really started their metric change over.
1977 B and C bodies were the first. (Chevy Impala, olds 88 and 98 and others)
The 1978 A body might have been the next model to get the change over.

What you ran into was that the accessories, (alternator, power steering pump, etc) changed over to metric first. The fasteners that went into the engine block or other castings stayed with SAE threads for years until the engine design changed or the production tooling wore out.

Trust me I felt the pain. I was a GM dealer mechanic from 1976 to 1985.
We used to change the water pump on a small block Chevy with a handful of tools.
After the metric change over started it was two handfuls, one SAE and one metric.

Funny what one person considers an oddball size and the next person uses that size every day. Just depends what you're doing. "Normal" for me is 7, 8, 10, 13, 15, 18, 21, 22 and 24mm. If I grab a 12, 14 or 17 I'm wondering what the heck I'm getting myself into

I can't specifically tell you anything that I use a 20mm for but I own plenty of 20mm tools and they are all well used!

But going back to the OP......cheap tools skip sizes....don't buy cheap tools.

It’s getting to be that way again. The wife’s Cruze that I’m working on is mostly E-Torx. You can get 12 pt sockets on a lot of it but it’s easier to use the actual E-Torx. So you have twice as many sockets and a few extra wrenches that the 12pt box end fits the Torx.