Best Socket Sets for Mechanics and DIY Tasks (Updated 2021)
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Buying a good-quality sockets set is not easy. There are hundreds of different sets marketed by dozens of distributors and dealers, so how do you know which one is best for you? The short answer is that there is no single best set, regardless of the design or brand.
All sockets sets have some drawbacks, and contrary to what you may have heard or read on the Internet, sockets with smooth, shiny finishes are NOT always an indicator of quality. In fact, from the point of view of most professional mechanics, shiny almost always equals to poor quality.
So, how do you decide which set to purchase? Again, there is no short, definitive answer, but the price alone should not be the determining factor. It greatly depends on what is your purpose of buying a socket set.
For instance, if you only do the occasional repair job in the house, almost anything on the market will do. But if you are planning on doing all of your own car repairs, you need the best quality tools set, as opposed to the best you can afford.
In this article we will guide you to choose best set for your need.
Here are some best socket set recommendation
So, how do you tell about the quality of a certain socket set? Read on, and we will tell you why some socket sets are better than the others!
Socket Terminology Explained
If you are not familiar with the terminologies for hand tools in general, it can be a tough task to explain your exact needs to the storekeeper. So, before you go shopping for the perfect socket set, take a minute to familiarize yourself with some technical terms, and their meanings.
Drive Size:
This refers to the dimensions of the square hole on the top of the socket into which the drive nub of the ratchet handles fits. And it is not in any way related to the opening in the bottom of the socket that fits onto the fastener. This dimension is measured from side to side, and not from corner to corner, like a TV screen.
Popular drive sizes for most DIY applications are ¼-inch, ⅜-inch, and ½-inch, regardless of the measurement standard of the sockets. Bigger drive sizes, such as ¾-, and 1-inch are also available, but they rarely, if ever, have an application on light vehicles.
Metric Measurement:
This measurement standard refers to the sizes of the heads of fasteners, and hence the socket, in millimeters when measured across flats.
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SAE Measurements:
The acronym stands for “Society of Automotive Engineers”, and refers to the sizes of the heads of fasteners in inches when measured across flats. Sizes of tools in the SAE standard increase in 1/16th inch increments.
Extension Bar:
Extension bars allow the user to reach fasteners that are in places where it is impossible to swing a wrench or ratchet handle to loosen or tighten the fastener. Extension bars come in standard lengths, regardless of the measurement standard of the sockets. A ½-inch drive extension that comes with a metric set will fit a ½-inch drive socket made to the SAE standard, since the drive sizes on both standards are identical.
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Swivel Joint:
The connection between a ratchet handle and a socket allows no deviation from the centre-line of the drive. But by inserting a swivel joint between the socket and the ratchet, it becomes possible to alter the drive angle to suit conditions. However, the more acute the drive angle becomes, the less torque can be applied to the fastener. And at angles greater than about 100, it becomes necessary to apply a counter torque to the pivot point to prevent the socket slipping off the fastener.
Drive Adapter:
These adapters make it possible to drive say, a ⅜-inch drive socket with a ½-inch drive ratchet handle. There is a number of reasons why a user may want to do this. But he must remember that by doing this, it becomes easier to break a bolt by a factor of about 4, because a greater torque can be applied with the longest ½-inch drive ratchet.
Breaker Bar:
This is simply a long handle to which a socket can be fitted. Breaker bars come in all drive sizes, but in several different lengths. Their purpose is to apply more torque to a fastener than is possible with a ratchet handle. However, a breaker bar must never be substituted for a properly calibrated torque wrench. Typical applications of a breaker bar would include loosening tight suspension nuts and bolts, loosening stubborn wheel nuts, or loosening highly torqued CV-joint retaining nuts.
Ratchet Handle:
The ratchet handle is the centerpiece of any socket set. Its ability to apply torque in one direction while allowing free rotation around the drive point in the opposite direction makes it the perfect tool to speed up the process of loosening or tightening of fasteners.
Deep Sockets:
Deep sockets have a longer body than normal sockets to allow them to reach deeply recessed parts and fasteners. Typical applications would be the removal of diesel fuel injectors and cylinder head bolts that are not accessible with normal sockets. Deep sockets are available in all drive sizes and measurement standards.
Impact Sockets:
As the name suggests, impact sockets are intended to be used with pneumatic or electrical impact wrenches. Two distinguishing characteristics of impact sockets are that they always have six sides (or points) and significantly thicker walls than normal sockets. Typical applications of impact sockets would be the removal of very stubborn wheel nuts on trucks or the removal of corroded fasteners where normal tolls cannot supply sufficient torque.
Impact tools also reduce the chances of breaking fasteners due to the action of hundreds of high-impact “hammer blows”, instead of a huge, steady torque that can snap the head of a fastener before the threads overcome the locking action.
Impact sockets are often anodized black and have a groove around the top to be distinguished from normal sockets, but this is not always the case. Having six points and a thick wall are more reliable indicators of a particular socket being an impact socket.
Impact sockets are available in all measurement standards, as well as in deep socket variations. Drive sizes start at ½-inch.
It may be possible to use normal sockets with impact tools, and while some brands of the socket will survive this abuse for years, the danger of a normal socket shattering should be enough to dissuade any user from the practice of using normal sockets with impact tools.
Cr-V, or CR-V:
Many manufacturers of sockets choose to engrave either of the two sets of letters on their products, which refer to the materials added to the base metal that provide additional strength and protection against corrosion. “Cr”, or “CR” refers to the presence of Chromium to protect against corrosion, and “V” refers to the presence of Vanadium to add strength.
How to Choose a Ratchet
Now that we know what the technical terms mean, we will learn what to look for in a high-quality socket set. So, let us begin with the heart of the set, the ratchet handle.
What to look for...
As the name suggests, a ratchet works by allowing the teeth on a ratchet wheel to engage with a toggle that locks the mechanism in one direction at a time. But the number of teeth on the ratchet wheel play a crucial role in how well a ratchet performs.
As a rule of thumb, the more expensive a ratchet handle is the more teeth the ratchet wheel has. It means that the angle required to move the handle decreases before the teeth on the toggle engage with new teeth on the ratchet wheel.
Cheaper brands have as few as 32 teeth on the ratchet wheel, which means that the angle required to engage new teeth can be as big as 150, and sometimes even more. This makes it very difficult to use such a ratchet in confined spaces because a large arc is required to swing the ratchet to move a fastener through more than a few degrees at a time.
In contrast, high-quality, expensive ratchets have as many as 72 teeth on their ratchet wheels, which translates into a movement of only 50, or sometimes less, before new teeth engage. This is a very big advantage for confined spaces, since a fastener can be moved through large angles with small movements of the ratchet handle.
Even though the teeth on expensive ratchet handles have a small pitch, they are extremely durable and will last a lifetime. But there are other equally important aspects to a ratchet handle.
So, let us look at the three other most important things to look for!
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Get a Grip:
It is very important that the ratchet does not slip from your hand when working in confined spaces. The large force involved when working with stubborn fasteners can break your fingers if the tool slips.
Some manufacturers of even high-quality tools offer ratchet handles that do not have ergonomically-designed grips. In fact, some ratchet handles have smoothly polished grips that may look good on an internet review. However, if your hands are dirty or greasy, they certainly injure you because it is difficult to maintain a positive grip on them, and especially so if you are wearing gloves while working.
Avoid Kinks in the Handle:
No high-quality ratchet handle will ever have an offset between the pivot point and the grip to appear “kinked” when viewed from the side. This is a favorite design feature of cheaper brands, but the truth is that this offset vastly increases the chances of a socket slipping off a fastener.
The offset causes the torque to be applied in a plane that is far above the plane in which the fastener head will rotate, which means that part of the rotational plane is converted into a lateral force that increases in direct proportion to the torque applied. Thus the higher the load, the bigger the chance that the socket will be pulled off the fastener and cause an accident.
What to Look for in Sockets:
One important sign to look for in high-quality sockets is a difference in the diameter of the body of the socket, and the upper part into which the drive nub fits. This feature has nothing to do with increasing the torque that can be applied, but it has everything to do with the overall strength of the socket.
Since high-quality sockets have relatively thin walls, the radius that connects the upper and lower parts reinforces on one hand, and acts as a mechanism to absorb the forces that act on a socket under heavy load on the other.
Avoid sockets that have a uniform diameter, since they rely on this feature to compensate for their lack of inherent strength, regardless of how prominently the letters “Cr-V” are engraved on them.
In fact, some high quality brands do not even have the letters “Cr-V” anywhere on them, since their manufacturers assume that the knowledgeable user knows how to identify a high quality socket.
In many cases, the letters “Cr-V” are found on cheap brands merely as a sales gimmick, and the proof of this can be seen in the difference between the wall thickness of cheap and expensive sockets. Cheap sockets will always have thicker walls than expensive sockets, so use wall thickness as an indicator of the quality.
NOTE: Many impact sockets have uniform diameters, as well as thicker walls than normal sockets, but not always. Very high-quality impact sockets will have the words “Impact”, or “For Use With Impact Tools” engraved on them, so look out for this feature when purchasing impact sockets.
Look for the Name:
It often happens that cheap sockets do not have a brand name on them, and rely on a highly polished surface, a laser-etched number, and a pretty carry case to attract unwary buyers. Sockets without brand names on them can never be trusted.
In contrast, high quality sockets will always have the brand name and size engraved prominently. Laser-etched sizes may serve as a positive point of reviewing sites, but in the real world, they are easily obscured by dirt and grime during repair work on cars and machinery.
Always look for the sockets that have their sizes engraved on them, as opposed to laser-etched, to keep them legible under the most demanding conditions.
Check Their Fit:
All sockets feature indentations on the inside of the square drive hole. However, the shape, depth, and angles of these indentations determine how well a socket fits (and stays) on a drive nub. In high-quality sockets, the indentations are made to correspond closely to the radius of the retaining ball on the drive nub. It means that when the release mechanism in the centre of the ratchet is depressed, the socket will fall off the drive nub under its own weight.
On cheaper tools, the indentations are sometimes not deep enough, which means the socket comes off the drive nub too easily, or too deep, which means that the socket sometimes has to be pried off the nub with a screwdriver.
The test of a good socket is the ease with which it can be fitted to, and removed from a drive- the easier, the better. Look for the sockets that have a slight bevel to the outside edge of the drive hole- this makes it easier for the retaining ball to enter the hole. Cheap sockets almost never have this bevel, so be careful not to be fooled by a shiny finish and laser-etched markings.
On high-quality tools, it should be difficult to remove a socket from a drive without depressing the release mechanism, but depressing the mechanism should cause the socket to fall off under its own weight. Moreover, there will be no sideways movement between the socket and the drive nub when any amount of force is applied in a high-quality tool. The drive and the socket should form a solid unit, with no rattling, or free play whatsoever.
Number of Points:
How many internal points or sides a socket must have largely depended on what you want to use the socket for. For instance, six-sided sockets offer the best grip, with almost no chance of rounding off the corners on a fastener. But then again, a high-quality socket with 12, or even 24 sides will also loosen almost any fastener without damaging it.
Six-sided sockets are sometimes difficult to use in confined spaces because it can be difficult to fit them over a fastener. 12-, or 24-sided sockets, on the other hand, can be fitted over that same fastener with no trouble at all, which makes their use a better option in some cases.
Keep in mind that six-sided sockets are cheaper to manufacture, which is why cheap socket sets almost invariably contain only six-sided sockets. If the manufacturer of your chosen six-sided socket set does not offer sockets with 12 or 24 sides, it is almost certain that the set will not survive in a professional environment for any length of time.
On the other hand, reputable manufacturers offer sockets in all possible configurations, which give you bigger choice, and the assurance that all their products conform to the highest possible standards of quality, durability, and ease of use.
Final Verdict
From a professional mechanic’s point of view, there is a direct correlation between the poor-quality of sockets and the prettiness of the plastic carry-case. The nicer the case, the worse the tools inside it, regardless of the opinions of any number of reviewers.
High-quality socket sets also have carry cases, but almost invariably made from steel or aluminum. Moreover, a high-quality set will have the brand name on the case, which is hardly ever the case with tools offered on sale over the internet. Tools are expensive, so if you do not need a 110-piece socket set, do not buy it merely because it looks nice and shiny.
Instead, buy a smaller and essential set of good quality, and add to it as required by buying pieces separately. You also do not have to stick to one brand either. You can collect the best products from different manufacturers, and get a lifetime warranty on each piece.
Always choose a ratchet handle that has a rubber grip that fits comfortably in your hand. Also, look for a guarantee from the manufacturer that the material of the grip is oil-resistant. Some cheap ratchet handles have very comfortable grips, but they almost always dissolve the first time they come into contact with oil or grease.
Change Direction:
Nowadays, almost all ratchet handles have a small toggle switch with which one can change the direction of the ratchet mechanism. However, this switch should have a positive action, meaning that when it is moved, it should stay in the selected position of a positive locking action.
On a high-quality ratchet, the toggle switch will move freely from side to side, but it will lock into place in both positions, so check for this.
On a cheap tool, the toggle switch can often move to the neutral position unexpectedly, and especially when the mechanism is under a heavy load. When this happens, the user gets injured that can vary from skinned knuckles, to broken fingers, to broken wrists, and in some cases, even serious facial injuries.
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