I have a 90's Jeep, so I use Torx. LOL
Sockets : 6 Tooth versus 12 Tooth ?
- Thread starter ChrisD46
- Start date
The odd time I run into a 12pt bolt head, so I guess I'm glad I have some 12pt sockets for that, but I am more often annoyed by 12 sockets than they are useful. If I am working on stuff like the car, that is often old, rusty/corroded, I try to use the 6pt impacts as much as possible.
Sometimes I wish I had 6pt box end wrenches too, where a socket can't fit.
Sometimes I wish I had 6pt box end wrenches too, where a socket can't fit.
It's something homeowners use to strip bolt heads around the house.
It’s a thing you need for bolts like these:
But I don’t share the fear of the 12 point socket. The ones I have have worked very well and I have yet to round a bolt with any of these 12 point combo wrenches, despite the use of cheater bars and loads of torque.
Further, a proper toolbox includes 6, 12, and eight point sockets anyway.
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2022
- Messages
- 308
I have a lot of 12 pt sockets and I use them for clean fasteners only. 6 pt are good for breaking loose rusty or chewed up fasteners.
I’ve found that modern, flank drive, sockets in either 12 or 6 point perform much better than the old 6 points with sharp corners. I got my first socket set in about 1975.
Back then, even 6 points would round off fasteners, because they loaded the corners, not the flats.
Now, even 12 point flank drive sockets (or combination wrenches) grip the flats of the fastener and prevent rounding off, even with really rusty or chewed up fasteners.
And they were probably chewed up by someone using old 6 point sockets…
The new stuff performs vastly different than the old stuff. I still have my original tools from back then, but they’re not in with the new tools in the chest I just showed.
Excuse the mess... The main 3/8" drawyer; notice the little Koken. He who dies with the most tools wins! Truth be told, I inherited almost all of these from my older brother, who owned and operated Comprehensive Mechanics in Santa Cruz. I lost him at 44 from cancer. "The only sober mechanic in Santa Cruz." He was the local goto guy for Bathtub and early 911-912 Porsches. So many beautiful cars!
And a few wrenches:
And a few wrenches:
For your Packard?
AKA double square or railroad sockets. commonly used on drain and fill plugs.
Work on enough German car brands and you will come to appreciate 12 point sockets. And male triple squares. And every conceivable size of Torx. And some I don't even know the names of. Ever since the dubs came along, I've increased my tool collection exponentially. I've GOT to be in the top ten of "man with the most tools" list 
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All the pictures reminded me of this
Get a newer "Chrysler" product and you'll need e-torx for everything where there should just be a basic hex head. Drives me nuts (no pun intended) because there's no reason to reinvent the wheel. In some cases the OD of an e-torx socket is smaller, but they use them in places with plenty of access, so that reasoning fails
Wonder how much BMW will charge for the tool to remove these 
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https://www.bmwblog.com/2025/12/30/bmw-roundel-screw-patent/
.https://www.bmwblog.com/2025/12/30/bmw-roundel-screw-patent/
Yes - and other antique machinery.
Makes me think of basically a Lovejoy couplerWonder how much BMW will charge for the tool to remove these
https://www.bmwblog.com/2025/12/30/bmw-roundel-screw-patent/
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2022
- Messages
- 308
You are right about new flank drive sockets and box wrenches. They are excellent tools. Quite a bit of my tools were bought around 1980 - 85 so they didn’t have that feature. They work well within their limitations but there’s definitely advantages to newer sockets. I don’t like 6 point box wrenches because there’s too much of a swing between bites.I’ve found that modern, flank drive, sockets in either 12 or 6 point perform much better than the old 6 points with sharp corners. I got my first socket set in about 1975.
Back then, even 6 points would round off fasteners, because they loaded the corners, not the flats.
Now, even 12 point flank drive sockets (or combination wrenches) grip the flats of the fastener and prevent rounding off, even with really rusty or chewed up fasteners.
And they were probably chewed up by someone using old 6 point sockets…
The new stuff performs vastly different than the old stuff. I still have my original tools from back then, but they’re not in with the new tools in the chest I just showed.
