What socket set would you buy?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 12 May 2015, 18:03

Some pinhead broke into my Suburban last night and, along with a bunch of my carpentry tools, they stole my trusty Craftsman socket and wrench set. I've had that set for going on 30 years but it has been a love-hate relationship. It was a 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" drive kit with deep sockets for the 1/4" and 3/8" drive. Both metric and SAE. It also had a set of combination wrenches and it was all in one inconvenient case that had a habit of popping open and dumping the entire kit on the ground.

The ratchets are course (about 10 degrees between clicks) and they tend to have a fair amount of resistance on the backswing which made getting a semi loose nut or bolt off tough.

If you were to buy a new socket set what would you look at? I can't justify Snap On prices and, from what I can tell, they are more of a finance company that has guys driving around in trucks full of tools than a tool company. I get the impression that the Matco and MAC guys are Snap On lite but I don't know that for a fact.

I'm likely not going to sleep very well until I have a new set.

...Lee

Cross posted from the tools forum.

Carboncopy · Post by **Carboncopy** » 13 May 2015, 18:55

Sorry to hear that someone stole your set, those old craftsmans are great.

I don't think I would recommend much of anything from the truck brands unless you can get it used for cheap, its really not worth the extra cost for stuff like sockets in my opinion. Strangely enough, I have been impressed with Stanley stuff of late, the sockets that came with a toolbox I bought have held up well and the Stanley set at my workplace have also held up well to daily abuse. I can't speak to them lasting thirty years by any measure, but the Stanley sets also have the bonus of being on sale quite often (at least in Canada).

If you wanted something slightly more expensive, but definitely much higher quality, check out SK Tools. I have some SK sockets that still look great after god knows how many owners before me.

Best of luck on the hunt.

Post by **dosbricks** » 13 May 2015, 19:17

Lee, very sorry about the theft of your tools.

I always thought Harbor Freight sold Chinese junk until about a year ago. A friend convinced me differently. Their tools are made in Taiwan and have lifetime guarantee. I have a 1/2" drive x 24" long breaker-bar and 3/8" and 1/2" drive long-handle flex-head ratchets which are my go-to tools in the garage. Also several sets of metric sockets all highly polished and chromed. Also a set of ratcheting box-end combo wrenches. I would rate them better than Craftsman and about 40% less costly.

All that to say--before you buy--read some reviews at HF's online catalog and go to a store to check them out in person before making a decision. Could save you $$ and because their Pittsburgh Pro line is as good as most people could need in this life, there is no shame in having their brand in your toolbox. Clip a 20% off coupon from the paper and save even more if you agree when you look them over. Good hunting.

Post by **j-dawg** » 13 May 2015, 19:31

I've been using a Crescent brand set since I asked my mom for them twelve or thirteen years ago (as a wee lad!). Best gift I ever got. I haven't managed to even damage any of the sockets. The chrome is perfect, the ratchets ratchet tightly, and everything looks good after years of abuse - just a few weeks ago I was banging on one of the wrenches with a two-pound sledgehammer to loosen a tie rod jam nut. All the tools have a good heavy feel to them.

The bit driver bits are developing some surface rust, and I snapped a screwdriver using it as a pry bar on a junkyard car. That's all that's wrong with them. I'll probably lose them piece by piece before they hit three decades, but I have no reason to suspect they'd be busted by then.

Similar to this set, but without the 1/4-in ratchet, crescent wrench (in a Crescent set), or quite as many sockets.

Post by **Ludermilch** » 13 May 2015, 20:11

I too have been using Craftsman tools, but not quite as long. I have eyeballed the Stanley black-chrome 92-839 kits on Amazon. Maybe check those out and use the link on the top of MVS to visit the site so it will help the site.

Post by **erikv11** » 13 May 2015, 20:29

IMHO Craftsman is still really the best value out there for a non-professional, I am not impressed by a lot of the other brands.

If I had to start over and buy a replacement set I would shop Sears until I found a good deal on Craftsman general-purpose set, basically just for the sockets, then augment it with Harbor Freight items to round it out. Or buy separate, racked socket sets as they go on sale at Sears. I wouldn't bother with combination wrenches, I would pointedly avoid sets with combo wrenches and rather shop for a rack of sale-priced ratcheting box ends, again probably Craftsman. If you haven't used these you should try them, they are great and the Craftsman ones have pretty tight gearing. The socket sets typically come with lousy ratchets, I would look for a long-handled 3/8 with a flex head from Kobalt (because they can be had for pretty cheap and have a great warranty) or, you guessed it, Craftsman, and probably spring for a longer-handled 1/2. Transport it all in a small canvas tool bag.

Post by **cuhfs** » 13 May 2015, 20:56

My condolences on your loss. FYI you may be covered by your homeowners insurance for personal property stolen from your car. To weigh in on the question above, I have been told now Craftsman tools are made in Asia unless the tool specifically says USA. Armstrong and some other US companies had made them by contract. http://en.wikipedia . org/wiki/Armstrong_Tools. Finally, I recommend the best you can afford. HF for special one-time use (odd ball items) not everyday use. You're gonna spend a-lot of time with them - and you'll get your moneys worth. Get the best you can find and afford; and they'll live on for generations to come.

Post by **Rondo** » 13 May 2015, 21:11

I have to +1 on dosbricks' opinion on Harbor Freight tools. For what I do, which is work on my cars and some diy stuff around the house, the tools work great. I'm lucky to have a store right next to where I work and if anything breaks or malfunctions, they replace it no questions asked.

PeteB · Post by **PeteB** » 13 May 2015, 21:22

I've used Craftsman for over 30 years and they are decent.
I needed 6 point sockets for doing suspension/chassis work and noticed how good the Stanley sockets looked at, believe it or not Walmart, bought half inch drive, 3/8, deep, all in 6 point figuring I could return them if there was a problem. They are heavy, slim and very strong, I've used them for suspension work with a 4 ft pipe on the breaker bar without any problems. They are Chrome Vanadium steel, don't know what that is exactly but they just feel right. They don't feel cheap at all.

Post by **98v70dad** » 13 May 2015, 21:31

I have a big Kobalt set from Lowes and have been pretty happy with it. it has only 1/4 and 3/8 drive ratchets but I keep my bigger loose stuff, deep sockets and specialty stuff in a roll away tool box. The kobalt set was on sale for 79 I think. It came in a nice briefcase style heavy duty plastic case. The ratchets are about half as course as the 30 year old craftsman set I replaced.

I'm not a big fan of HF tools for everyday use. I buy them and use them but only if is for limited use. I bought a set of offset HF box end wrenches to replace my shocks. They were cheap and they worked but the were also poorly finished and had a good deal of slop in the castings. For my 14.95 they got the job done and lived to be used another day. i have also bought HF tools on the same aisle that broke on the first use.

There is joy (at least for me) every time you pick up and use a good quality tool. Since I dont make my living with my tools I could never justify snap-on or matco prices. Nice tools, but better than I need.