Why are SAE sockets formatted in fractions?

[billt460]

I'm going to order some.

 

[Paco Pena]

Remember the scene in Pulp Fiction? Why is the McDonalds 1/4 pounder known as the Royale with Cheese in France? It's the metric system. Lol.

Paco

 

[Fair enough]

It is easier to carry ten sockets, and easier to visually pick the right socket, than eighteen sockets. From 3/16”-3/4” by 1/16ths, and 4-19 mm including 4.5 and 5.5 mm. I preferred sae for car work.

 

[JohnnyG]

C'mon guys. Just buy a 32nd inch set and you have them all covered. both metric and SAE. You know, that way you get a 3/32" and 5/32" sockets all the way on up!
Before you laugh:

 

[DuckRyder]

izzat a KMC wrench? (Kmart Corporation) Bonus they are thin enough to fit the caliper bolts on VW...

 

[Number_35]

13mm and 19mm are common fractions in SAE LoL

13 mm will usually suffice in place of 1/2" (12.7 mm).

14 mm is very close to 9/16", and 19 mm is very close to 3/4".

 

[Trav]

21mm = 13/16 16mm = 5/8 and lots of other. I just use metric and forgot about SAE unless it is an antique or a OPE.

 

[Fair enough]

I meant working on old American cars, not past 1970 or something, it was less sizes with sae. They do make, many companies, sockets in 32nd sizes. The cars commonly had 1/16 sizes so ten sizes for 1/4”-3/4” I think I bought a 32nd socket for something once in the past few years. That’s what I remember and with metric now there are a lot more tools to have.

 

[Trav]

I have used both systems over the years and despise SAE with a passion. Using a micrometer or caliper in inch vs metric is no contest the metric is so simple a chimp could do it and be accurate.

 

[JohnnyG]

izzat a KMC wrench? (Kmart Corporation) Bonus they are thin enough to fit the caliper bolts on VW...

No idea where it came from, probably older than me. Anyway, it says Buffalo on the stamping, and on the back Taiwan.

 

[Fair enough]

I have used both systems over the years and despise SAE with a passion. Using a micrometer or caliper in inch vs metric is no contest the metric is so simple a chimp could do it and be accurate.

Most calipers measure inches in decimals. Not easier or harder to use. I think I bought a used inch caliper with decimals on bottom and 1/128ths on top just for fun. For loosening and tightening bolts and screws I don’t see any advantage or disadvantage to metric. Just more metric sizes, but common ones probably about the same as inch. Lathes etc usually dials are in .001” or metric .01 mm. Or .02 mm as it’s closer to .001” at .0008”.

 

[billt460]

Most calipers measure inches in decimals. Not easier or harder to use. I think I bought a used inch caliper with decimals on bottom and 1/128ths on top just for fun. For loosening and tightening bolts and screws I don’t see any advantage or disadvantage to metric. Just more metric sizes, but common ones probably about the same as inch. Lathes etc usually dials are in .001” or metric .01 mm. Or .02 mm as it’s closer to .001” at .0008”.

Anyone who has worked in the machining trades for any length of time knows the basic decimal conversions in their head, the same way grade schoolers were taught the multiplication tables.

 

[Trav]

Most calipers measure inches in decimals. Not easier or harder to use. I think I bought a used inch caliper with decimals on bottom and 1/128ths on top just for fun. For loosening and tightening bolts and screws I don’t see any advantage or disadvantage to metric. Just more metric sizes, but common ones probably about the same as inch. Lathes etc usually dials are in .001” or metric .01 mm. Or .02 mm as it’s closer to .001” at .0008”.

It is without any doubt easier to work in multiples of 10. I guess most of the world outside the USA is wrong. The USA is in good company. LOL

Only three countries in the world use the imperial system as their official system of measurement: the U.S., Liberia and Myanmar

 

[Exhaustgases]

Remember when Burger King introduced the 1/3-lb. burger to compete with McD's 1/4-Pounder?

It failed miserably because 1/3 lb. is smaller than 1/4-lb.

Lets see 1/3 is .333333 and 1/4 is .25 So please tell me how 1/3 is the smaller one???

And if you prefer metric. Yeah understand I'm using distance here. Its to show the fraction size difference.
.3333333 is 8.46 mm and .25 is 6.35 mm so again tell me how 1/3 is smaller than 1/4 ???

 

[Trav]

I don't think Paulo is saying that, he means that is what some people thought, you know your typical high school student in 2024 like the ones who need to take their socks off to count to 20.

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

SAE would be easier if they didn't simplify the fractions and left every with 16 as the denominator. Instead of 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 1/2... you'd have 2/16, 3/16, 4/16, 8/16, etc.

And then you could drop the /16 and just call them by an integer like 2, 3, 4, etc., much like clipper blades.

As @PKFan points out, if you think about it, there is really no reason they have to be labeled in fractions of an inch besides backwards compatibility with prior standards.

 

[Bkdc]

On cars, SAE is only for older/classic cars.
Due to a global supply chain, all modern cars use metric bolts and nuts. American brand cars are made in Canada and Mexico. And if it weren’t for the economics of change, the world would be better off if antiquated countries like the my sad USA would switch to S.I./metric for everything rather than handicapping our children who are trying to learn math and science. Home building parts are another issue with tons of SAE bolts. I wish the everyone in the world would switch to metric.

 

[rszappa1]

I still have and use my Metwrench set...works on both metric and SAE....best set that i ever bought...back in the late 90s....