Broke a Horror Freight Impact Socket

[stephen9666]

EDIT - I can no longer edit the post above.

A member on another forum said the Kobalt impacts looked the same as the newer HF Pittsburgh Pro impacts, but I just checked the Lowe's website and the sockets they show don't look like the HF impacts.

 

[Donald]

How about the older ones from HF that came in cheesy metal cases?

 

[FusilliJerry82]

Ya, that socket pictured isn't even hardened steel; it just looks like a standard cheapo socket painted black.

 

[Rand]

That doesnt even look like an impact socket to me either.

the set I have is black phosphated(sp?) and thick wall.


Thats thin and painted?

 

[yonyon]

That's the problem with thinwall impacts. They're thin, so they have to be harder than proper impact sockets to avoid deforming. Being thin makes them easier to crack. Less total mass makes them easier to crack. Harder, more brittle metal makes them easier to crack.

Add in that a cheap HF tool might be made from metal that is poorly controlled and inconsistent and what have you got? What you have is a socket that will never wear much so it should fit well for it's lifetime.

Edit:
Seven cracks is pretty good. One crack is usually enough to make a socket useless. I was impressed when a chrome used with impact gave me two cracks.

 

[cptbarkey]

call me inexperienced, but i do not use impact wrenches to re-assemble ANYTHING.

 

[Vikas]

Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
call me inexperienced, but i do not use impact wrenches to re-assemble ANYTHING.


Well, at least not the 700 ft-lb gun Where is the slap to the head icon when one needs it??

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I have the pittsburg pro sockets and haven't been able to break any of them. We had a 6 foot pipe on the end of a breaker bar and two of us were pushing on it to get a bolt lose on a Hyundai ... the breaker bar ended up giving out.

 

[The Critic]

Sorry for the delay guys, the sockets are way in the back of my closet so I have not had a chance to pull them out to answer the questions, esp the ones stephen posted. I'll get to this tonight.

Originally Posted By: Vikas

Well, at least not the 700 ft-lb gun Where is the slap to the head icon when one needs it??


It has a variable speed trigger. It can be used carefully to tighten things MOST of the way.

 

[Brons2]

Originally Posted By: getnpsi
If I'm at the gym and drop a 5 pound plate on my foot ill break a toe. If i drop a 45 pound plate ill break a toe but after a few hours of swelling the picture will be gruesome for all my internet buddies.


I dropped a 25 on my big toe from about a 5 foot height and caused a compound fracture, it wasn't pretty and required an operation to fix.

How this relates to the topic, I am not sure

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
Originally Posted By: The Critic


I believe my old ones were the Pittsburgh Professional cro-mo ones. They are discontinued according to the HF people.

They replaced the set with this one, which is now made in China:

http://www.harborfreight.com/13-piece-hi...-set-67904.html

These have a rougher, and more dull-looking finish compared to the faintly shiny finish of the old ones.


Are your sockets stamped either "Cr-V" or "Cro-Mo?" They sometimes mark that on the sockets. Also, it appears from the pic your socket is stamped "Pittsburgh." I think the pro ones are generally marked "Pittsburgh Pro" on the sockets.

Also, how long ago did you purchase them? Pittsburgh Pro branded tools were released not too long ago.

The fact that your broken one is pretty shiny makes me believe it wasn't one of the higher-end lines, but that's just a guess.


And, the 67904 set is made in Taiwan, not China.

Perhaps the exact set you purchased has been discontinued, but the Pittsburgh Pro impact sockets aren't discontinued, I don't believe. I was there recently and they still had them. They're made in Taiwan and appear very, very similar to the impacts now sold under the Kobalt brand.

http://www.harborfreight.com/10-piece-12-drive-metric-deep-wall-impact-socket-set-67915.html

I finally got around to the pictures:

So, it looks like they have gone Chinesium with the Pittsburgh Pro impact sockets as well.

As another comparison, here is a picture of the old ones...and yes, they were the ones that came in the flimsey metal case:

Originally Posted By: Rand
That doesnt even look like an impact socket to me either.

the set I have is black phosphated(sp?) and thick wall.


Thats thin and painted?


Yeah, the one that I broke came from the flimsy metal case....they are definitely impact sockets but have a dull, smooth finish.

 

[Tempest]

Those are not the "Pro" version. They say pro right on the package. I bought some Taiwan pro a while back but haven't had a chance to use them yet.

The Pro's are (or were) CR-Mo, CR-V.

 

[stephen9666]

Back on the original topic of this thread:

It's pretty clear to me that the OP's broken HF socket is from one of the cheap lines HF has offered over the years.

Evidence:
-It has a shiny finish. The better sockets from HF have a duller finish.
-It's only marked "Pittsburgh." The better sockets are currently marked "Pittsburgh Pro." Before that, they were marked "Earthquake."
-It came in a "flimsy metal case." I've never seen the better lines of sockets sold in a flimsy metal case.

The better sockets from HF are generally made of Cr-Mo, whiles the lower lines are made of Cr-V. I'm no metallurgist, but I believe sockets made with Cr-Mo are less likely to shatter or crack, which is what happened to the OP's socket.

Long story short, don't condemn all HF impact sockets because the OP has broken some of the lower-quality ones they have sold. The better impact sockets are one of the items that HF seems to do well, and there are quite a few satisfied customers who own them. I have had the Earthquake branded ones (made in Taiwan, Cro-Mo) for more than two years and they've worked well for me.

 

[zrxkawboy]

This is the set I got a couple years back. A great value. I haven't broken one yet.
http://www.amazon.com/Ingersoll-SK34C86-...pact+socket+set

 

[Rand]

CR-V=chrome vanadium steel

CR-MO = chromoly steel.

CR-MO is very strong but can be prone to cracking if not made correctly, and isnt easily weldable.

CR-V is basically regular tool steel.


both have a large range of grades.

 

[zzyzzx]

I never use impact tools to tighten stuff.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
I never use impact tools to tighten stuff.


Why is that?

I dont use impact to do a final tighten, but I may use the same socket on a torque wrench.

Is there a reason?

 

[cb_13]

I had some cheap Cummins Industrial impact sockets made in china. I broke just about every one I used. I replaced them with Stanley and Campbell Hausfeld impact sockets both from Wal-mart and made in Taiwan. I have yet to break any of these and I use them almost daily as they are in my tool box at work.

 

[OilFool]

Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
I never use impact tools to tighten stuff.


What about to take stuff off?



Huge 1-1/4" lugs on a Land Rover soaked in Kroil and still a 750 Ft Lb Ingersoll could not get them off even close to easy.
Had to use anti seize afterwards because even a huge 48" persuasion bar didn't work.

 

[3311]

Ok, am I the only one who doesn't see a problem here? The torque for a high grade 12.9 22mm hex/14mm bolt is 234 nm or 173 ft lbs. Critic said he was at about 250 lbs of torque an was using an impact that puts out 750 lbs. Is my math not correct? If it is, I think the socket was fine, just way over torqued. I'm thinking he was lucky he didn't break the part/bolt.