Sockets & Socket Wrenches

A look inside the socket wrench drawers of a professional mechanic featuring 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" and 3/4" drive socket wrenches, sockets, adapters and specialty items. Reviews Craftsman 207 piece socket set. Shows wide variety of manufacturers like Craftsman, Mac, Mastercraft, Proto, Snap-On.and Williams.

Letter from a viewer. "Dude, can you do a 101 on sockets & socket wrenches?" That's a great suggestion -- just kidding. It's blank. Do people really send letters anymore -- I don't even know. Sockets come in black and silver. black is heat treated and called impact sockets, designed for Impact guns. silver very often come in 12 point as opposed to impacts virtually always come in 6 point. - the 6 points of a hexagon. Hexagonal - hex drive and this is a hex nut. ¼" drive section. Measures ¼" across. Deep socket, shallow. Duplicate set, random. everything on rails and little boxes. all kinds of wrenches in ¼" drive. Mastercraft, well made for the price. also Gear Wrench. very fine gears. not a lot of torque before you break them, but use it for light duty... extensions. screwdriver style. Thumb-ratchet by GearWrench, Reversible. this little gem is a breaker bar. Some people call this a J-bar or a knuckle-bar. really ornamental but I did use it once no other tool for the job. my 3/8" drawer. Measures 3/8" of an inch across. extension too long to fit. 12 point. specialty drives. Torx. Allen. Robertson. Line wrench crow's feet known as flare-nut wrench crow's feet. flarenut wrenches are line wrenches, and line wrenches are generally in reference to brake-lines. Mac 3/8" drive, love this wrench -- expensive but worth every penny. Speaking of expensive, Snap-On. Sears brand, Craftsman. Super-ratchet B52 from JH Williams. crazy Husky spark-plug wrench get into tight spots. handy swivel socket set. Craftsman, ¾" or 19 mm. same using a 19 socket and a universal swivel. the 2 side by side the swivel socket is more compact than on the right. That's my ½" kit. Measures ½" across. Spans 2 drawers and so heavy get them as low as possible. there are impact guns for 3/8" drive like these, never seen impact sockets in 3/8", designed to cope with the stresses ... impact guns. here's some 12 point drivers. Here's a ½" breaker bar from Craftsman, very similar to the little Mastercraft model in shape and design and certainly in function. specialty tools come in ½". adapters, this is ½" to ¾" and this is ¾" to ½". That's ½" drive Allen, plus that little sweetie. Short extension in chrome and impact. strap wrench, commonly used for removing oil filters. torque limiting ratchet with a short handle. There's 3 different lengths of handle. nice short torque limiter, standard length in the centre and a Williams Super-ratchet on the end. down here at the bottom is my ¾" set. Measures ¾" across. it's a hodgepodge mix of impact and standard. collected tools over a lifetime and so I have tools from many different manufacturers. another breaker bar that looks like those other 2. that's my big one, quite a brute. It's made by Gray which is a very good Canadian tool maker. quite a few sockets, short, medium and long extension. Craftsman 207 pc tool kit. It comes in blown plastic, fitted case. terrific for taking, jobsites or ... a very comprehensive starter set. got deep sockets, specialty drives. Extensions, universal, 12 point metric and SAE, large and small. Combo wrenches in metric and SAE. ¼"drive, 6 point ¼" drive. 6 point 3/8" drive and this is 12 point 3/8" drive over here and ½" drive up in here. ½", 3/8" and ¼"drive socket wrenches. square drives. adapters. twice as comprehensive a set as I started off with. Mastercraft 111pc socket set. started collecting tools I bought the set that this piece came from. enough tools I was able to get my hands dirty and really get into projects. I recommend choose your brand according to what you like. I've got Mastercraft. I've got Craftsman. I've got Snap-On. Gray. I've got Wright. Gear Wrench. I've got Williams. I've got Proto I've got. Stanley. I've got Northern. I got Husky. I got Challenger. Mac. Blue Point. Bonney. Action. I've got Blackhawk. Got Armstrong. And even some more besides those. seen Costco have great kits Crescent tool reasonable price. pick whatever you're comfortable having as your tools. make sure it comes lifetime warranty and hold on to the receipt. a receipt from 1989. quite a few brands because my tool kit's grown organically. I've always believed in investing in tools that's going to give you a lifetime of use. old cliché but it's something my Grandfather taught me. He said if you take care of your tools, your tools will take care of you. buy tools with lifetime warranty and hold onto receipt, keep it somewhere safe return them, show up with your old receipt and a smile on your face and they let you walk away with a brand new replacement at no charge. just a blank piece of paper and this is the envelope my garbage collection schedule came in.

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Education

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[Dosalt]

I have mastercraft sockets(silver). Now what if I use it with an impact wrench?

[repairs101ca]

@Dosalt - I'm pretty sure your warranty is void if you use them with impact wrenches/guns - so don't. That said, they should stand up to a 3/8ths impact OK, especially 6 point. Especially if you dial the wrench's power down a little. However, using them with 1/2 inch impact will almost certainly result in a failure (crack or shatter) of the socket and possible injury to the user or a bystander. Impact sockets are cheap. Investing in some will save you downtime from broken tools and injuries.

[enfield1212]

Hey complete noob here, can you tell the difference between 1/2 3/8 1/4 in terms of application ? I have an understanding that 1/2 is used for big bastards . Can i just buy a 1/2 and do most of the work on my car? What applications are there for 3/8 and 1/4 ?

[repairs101ca]

@enfield1212 - 1/2, 3/8 1/4 are the sizes of the square drives on ratchets but are also in reference to the sizes of hardware they are capable of handling. 1/2" bolts have a 1/2" shaft, as 3/8 bolts are 3/8" and 1/4"... there are sizes in between (5/16", 7/16 etc.) and you usually round up to the stronger tools. As for your car, you'll need 1/2" for wheels, engine mounts, mufflers, undercarriage, etc. 3/8" will be the most commonly used everywhere and 1/4 for interior, electrical, etc.

[scroungecat]

@Dosalt youll crack the socket ive done it bfore its not to funny wen they wont trade it in lol

[scroungecat]

you forgot to say the black or impact socket has a thicker wall

[9200j]

lol random sockets and yes i have random sockets

[brettkramer]

great video, much appreciated

[ronmann606]

Just buy quality tools and you won't have to take them back because they won't break. When I broke the gear inside my Craftsman 1/2" ratchet because I pulled on it too hard and smashed my hand that was the last cheap tool I ever bought. I use all Gray now for sockets and wrenches and recommend them.

[Sorman26]

A little of over 90% of the tools nowadays are made from either China or Taiwan. The good news is, the Lifetime Warranty is still there. It is true of what you grandpa said, "if you take care of your tools, your tools will take care of you". I also agree that you should purchase the tools that you are most comfortable with. I am a lot like you, all my tools are from various manufacturers. Thanks for you uploaded vid, I did enjoy it.

[WhiteRyderRacing]

Please contact me as I have invented a tool set that I would love to get your review on prior to introducing it to tools companies. I am currently making a video and will post it in a month or so. Thanks

Mike-