What socket set would you buy?

Post by **wheelsup** » 14 May 2015, 21:16

If you want US made SK is the way to go. Craftsman, even the boxed sets, are imported for the most part now unless you find some old stock. Doing it again I'd get chrome 1/4" & 3/8", and impacts in 1/2".

I got really lucky, 4-5 years ago I was just starting to get into the tool scene and was able to purchase quite a few Craftsman, Craftsman Professional and Craftsman Industrial tools at bottom basement prices. If those got stolen I would be sad as you can't buy them anymore, part of the reason I've cherished using them.

Moving on, the reality is any halfway decent set from any retailer besides Dollar Tree will give decades of trouble-free wrench turning.

As for wrenches, I might splurge and go SnapOn. You can often find sets on eBay for 50% off. Wrenches are absolutely critical to be tight fitting and made well. That is the only thing I'd consider buying at those prices.

Post by **MrAl** » 15 May 2015, 03:01

Hi,

Last socket set i got was at WalMart, 10 times cheaper than Craftsman and that was maybe 20 years ago and i still have it.
Last wrench set from Harbor Freight.
Also a Husky wrench set from Home Depot.
No complaints with either of these, but i can see Harbor Freight wrenches are cheaper looking, lucky they do work though.

Post by **erikv11** » 15 May 2015, 03:09

wheelsup wrote:... Craftsman, even the boxed sets, are imported for the most part

yep

wheelsup wrote: ... Moving on, the reality is any halfway decent set from any retailer ...

yep - well, not ANY make ...

That's why I would piece together the Craftsman pieces you actually want, and move on!

Craftsman ratcheting wrenches are long, these ones, they are great: http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-8-pi ... ockType=G3.
I suppose you will want a fixed box end too, I do use them both ...

Post by **precopster** » 15 May 2015, 08:01

Is the GearWrench brand something from USA shores??

Picked up a GearWrench ratcheting spanner from our local large hardware chain afew months ago and a set of spanners and sockets made by Grip-Tite designed for sheered heads. Haven't used them yet.

Post by **shaker_chi** » 15 May 2015, 09:27

Just my 2 cents here. I have a Craftsman set that was my dad's that is over 40 years old and still going strong. I have used a Crescent set as well. That said, I have purchased some Pittsburgh sockets from Harbor Freight that have worked out well for me and if you have a Lowe's nearby they always have their mechanic tools marked down significantly and I have used Kobalts with success as well. Good luck Lee. I know the feeling. My garage was broken into a few years ago and they cleaned me out of all my power tools. Fortunately, they were stupid and left my German chisels and hand tools.

Eddie G

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 15 May 2015, 19:01

The quest begins in earnest tomorrow. I am even mapping it out so that I minimize backtracking. The Sears store is the one that that is off the beaten path but there is a Home Depot across the street so that I can group those two at least. There is a Sears outlet store between Harbor Freight and the main Sears store so I may stop there to see if they have any deals. One that dawned on me last night was Proto, I have used some of their wrenches, but they are apparently now Stanley and I don't know if they are any different than Stanley other than the markings.

I guess I'm not as concerned about combination wrenches since I bought a set of Pittsburgh Pro ratcheting wrenches a couple of months ago and they were in the garage rather than the vehicle and I still have them. I caught them on sale for $20.00 and they are actually really nice. I think they are on sale again so I will likely pick up a set of the SAE versions while I'm on the hunt for a socket set.

...Lee

Post by **Matty Moo** » 15 May 2015, 19:30

I will tell you this.... I use my tools a lot and I'm hard on them. Everything I have that is Pittsburgh pro has been bulletproof. I no longer buy anything craftsman.

Carboncopy · Post by **Carboncopy** » 16 May 2015, 05:15

Lee, Proto makes very good tools that are mostly made in the US from what I remember, but in my opinion they are not worth the price you would normally find them for. I have a set of Proto screwdrivers that I love to death but I would never have paid the price they normally want for them, I found mine at Princess Auto on clearance as overstock for very cheap.

Post by **E Showell** » 16 May 2015, 15:46

I've been pleased with Kobalt stuff from Lowes. If you can wait 'til around Christmas they usually have gigantic 250 +/- piece sets on sale at some pretty deep discounts. They come with a lifetime warranty, but I've never needed to use it.

volvo-user · Post by **volvo-user** » 16 May 2015, 20:59

I currently only buy the black sockets which are rated for impact use.
I have the silver looking sockets and they are lighter to work with.
If I anticipate any resistance, then I use the black impact sockets so I dont
have to worry about them cracking. I dont want to waste my time
returning the socket nor dealing with my injured bodily parts when a tool
fails.
Sears used to have fine socket sets, but they are now made in china.
Harbor freight has good sockets made in Taiwan, and they hold up well.
Home Depo has a good set which is also made in China now.
I have no complaints for any of the above. They all have held up well.
They are all pretty heavy duty and all have lifetime warranties

What socket set would you buy?

Re: What socket set would you buy?