Socket Brand Preferences

[alreadygone]

Do break one ocasionally, but their pretty cheap and warranted. Speaking of "Specialty Products Company" (the folks who build afermarket suspension products to compensate for design flaws built into most OE suspension systems). These are sockets built with extremely thin sidewalls for lug nut service on aftermarket wheels and lug nuts. Any of you who've had to deal with these wheel/nut setups know exactly what I'm refering to,,,much smaller than OE holes for lug nuts. As packaged, these sockets have a tough plastic exterior cover to keep them from scratching wheel lug hole surfaces(especially the black anondized holes). Work well enough this way, where they really perform is when hole/nut are so close in size a regular, even non-impact, socket won't fit, then you pull the plastic cover off and these babies will slide right in there!

Kinda think they're actually manufactured by SnapOn because of their in-bed-together relationship with Specialty Products Company. Ironic that they can't be Bought from SnapOn dealer, but can be ordered by Matco trucks. Best source though, is a parts store (O'Reilly in this area) that sell the Specialty alignment parts.

Excellent sockets for designed use!

Bob

 

[Trav]

I have some SnapOn but for me over priced.Now mostly Hazet and Stahlwille.The Stahlwille easily rivals SnapOn and the Hazet screwdrivers are the best I've ever owned.

 

[tom slick]

Armstrong makes excellent tools but to the average person they are hard to find. They market to industrial users.

 

[onion]

Yes, I have some of those. IMO, they're about on par with Craftsman or Proto. Not quite equal to Snap-on or Mac, but they're plenty adequate to get the job done... for about 1/4 the cost of stuff off a tool truck.

 

[rclint]

Originally Posted By: tom slick
Armstrong makes excellent tools but to the average person they are hard to find. They market to industrial users.


I agree, however now they make several grades. Armstrong used to be about the same as Proto (which I prefer over snapon or anything, however now Armstrong along with Proto have several grades. Proto merged with BlackHawk (uhggg) and I have seen side by side comparisons of the lower grades Proto, Armstrong, and BlackHawk exactly the same, chinese junk. Upper grades seem to still be made in USA, and good stuff.

I'm putting together a set of tools along with a new tool box at work now, I took a leave and someone broke the bottom drawer off my box and ravaged all my nice tools, hard to change after you work with the same tools for 15 years... company provides all my tools, and even gave me my old box Junker Craftsman with a set of $300 caster as I roll it a lot). I ordered a new Proto 12 drawer box (much much nicer than my old one) at $900, I had some tools I work with on the road I brought wrenches (polished Wright)and the also bought my a nice set of Proto 7mm-13mm Gear drive lever operated closed end/regular open end ( I guess these are called gear wrenches ?) that are plated with some kind of black coating which have been very handy so far.

I'm not a snob when it comes to brands, however a couple bucks saved or even $100 on a set of tools is nothing if your using them regular and busting knuckles. I have chucked entire sets in metal dumpster and the company paid top dollar for them, however the product had changed and been replaced with cheap import junk. I'm not about to start a brand war, however from what I have seen, and used Craftsman ratchets are notorious for slipping, the little lever will end up in the middle or the gears will just slip, not operator caused in my case of several.

 

[SargeBB]

I've got you beat, Kestas! My first tools, 3/8" socket set and screwdrivers, are now 47 years old. Yes, I've got K-D, Snap-on, and even a few old Monkey-Ward tools. Good supply, overall in 1/4, 1/2, 3/8 & 3/4" drives...but my favorites are still that old original 3/8" socket set! Just sentimental, I guess.

 

[kingrob]

Originally Posted By: kaboom10
Sears is carrying KD tools now. I've just recently bought tools from them and they had the special spark plug wrench for the modular motors like mine. You don't want to lose a short spark plug socket down in the head. I bought some Kobalt cause I have a Lowe's card. They have some stuff I used but mostly for the air compressor.


Craftsman makes an equivalent to the KD now, very handy on these engines.

The majority of my sockets and wrenches are Craftsman, I have a 300 piece set I've used for years now. Only had one Craftsman ratchet break on me, in its defense it was about 30 years old and being used on something it probably shouldn't have been.

As for specialty sizes and wrenches etc. I tend to look at Snap-On first. If its something I'm going to use maybe once or twice I'm happy with any name brand American made tool. Stanley is about as low as I go on hand tools.

Every now and again I pick something up at Harbor Freight if the price is right and I can't break it by looking at it too hard.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: TooManyWheels
My understanding is that K-D is part of Stanley/Proto.


Danaher Tool Group.

 

[NYEngineer]

When I was repairing diesel gensets, Snap on was the only way to fly. I was always torquing stuff to 250 lb ft with my 1/2" drive and 350+ with my 3/4 drive.

The real test came when we would service precombustion chambers on Cats. They went in at 225 or 250, but after they'd been in a while and got all carboned up, it took serious torque to get em out. One day, we had four eight cylinder engines to do. Two guys working for me broke an SK socket and a Craftsman socket. I went to my truck, got my Snap on set and did all 32 of them, out and in. I still have that socket.

Now that my day to day work doesn't include heavy work, I've bought some Cornwell, Craftsman and GearWrench. The GearWrench sockets are NICE.

 

[Steve S]

From my experience for professional use Snap on , home use Craftsman etc.

 

[94supraonchrome]

Along with several cheap sets, I have an Allen brand set which I have had good luck with so far for several years...

 

[Scott P]

I'm a home/shadetree mechanic and have found Craftsman to be the best in terms of value and durability. I've broken my 1/4" and 3/8" ratchets and a couple sockets and that's about it. I like being able to walk into a store and get a quick replacement.