Recommendation for a socket set

[Burt Alcantara]

I've been using an ultra cheap HF socket set for the past 5 years. There's not one socket in that set that fits anything snuggly. On top of that, the sockets often fall out of the wrench. It's time for a better set.

I'm aware of Craftsman, Husky and Kobalt. The needs are fairly minimal. Routine maintenance of things. I don't work on cars. A good selection of both Imperial and Metric. For the very large nuts I have purpose bought sockets so my need is for an all-around set.

Any recommendations?

Thanks,
Burt

[Callan Campbell]

If the broach or square hole of the socket is worn enough to fall off a ratchet , then yeah, you have problems. I'm guessing the ratchet is OK, and not ALL sockets fall off easily? You want to get a set that has a lifetime warranty, so if any of your new sockets from the set start to fall off the also new ratchet, you can exchange them. I don't know if HF allows for this, but Sears/Craftsman and others do, so maybe check them out. I tend to look at the rachet design, its function, and how comfortable it fits in my hand much more than the socket performance of most sets. I find many rachets in a set are not to my liking, but the sockets are OK, so I have several high end rachets to run all my simple sockets. And I resell the unused ratchets off like on Craigslist etc.
12point sockets are the most common, and usually the cheapest. If you're not needing 6 point sockets for rusty nut and bolts like on a car[you mentioned you didn't need any auto maint tools], then you have the most to choose from for general usage.
I've had good luck with either Sears or Home Depot for general type sets, the warranty for "Husky" tools I haven't had to mess with yet, but Sears is always easy to deal with for worn hand tools.

[Matt Meiser]

I'd buy a set from Sears. There's frequently some kind of good deal on a multi-piece set. Craftsman may not be the best, but also far from the worst. Its available at a pretty fair price, much is still made in the US, and its super-easy to exchange any broken or warn parts.

I'd hazard a guess that a 1/4" drive set with sockets up to 9/16" will take care of 90+% of household stuff. That would be up to a 3/8" bolt, assuming standard sized heads.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Your local auto parts store will sell a good set, better than Harbor Freight and Craftsman, not as good as Snap-on, for a reasonable price. What is your budget? Blackhawk, Proto, Easco, KT, SK are some good mid level brands, Snap-on and Mac are top quality. All should have unconditional lifetime warranties. If you like the feel of good tools, spend a little more and enjoy the Snap-on set for the rest of your days.

[Aaron Berk]

In my past life I made a living as an aviation diesel/hydraulic mechanic. I still own an ungodly amount of tools.

I worked side by side with guys owning 100% HF tools, and guys owning 100% snap-on and others (MAC, Matco, Cornwell,....)

Me personally, all my BASIC hand tools were Craftsman. By basic I mean, open-end and box-end wrenches, ratchets and sockets as well as screwdrivers. I used the Craftsman Professional ratchets (much better than the standard ones) and Professional screwdrivers (the handle is the only better part)

All my specialty items came from the name brands (pneumatic tools, inspection stuff, multi joint pliers....)

So yeah, for basic needs Craftsman has a great product and EXCELLENT return policy.
I'm also a fan of Gear Wrench pass through socket sets.

[Burt Alcantara]

SnapOn and MAC are way overkill. I'm no spring chicken so a lifetime warranty doesn't mean a lot to me. Just want to pop a socket on the wrench and have it not fall off but fit snuggly. I've seen a nice Kobalt set at Lowes for $50 but I get dizzy with all the selection at Sears. I want enough but not too much.

[Michael Schneider]

I've been using an ultra cheap HF socket set for the past 5 years. There's not one socket in that set that fits anything snuggly. On top of that, the sockets often fall out of the wrench. It's time for a better set.

I'm aware of Craftsman, Husky and Kobalt. The needs are fairly minimal. Routine maintenance of things. I don't work on cars. A good selection of both Imperial and Metric. For the very large nuts I have purpose bought sockets so my need is for an all-around set.

Any recommendations?

Thanks,
Burt

I have a basic set from costco.

metric and english wrenches
1/2 3/8 and 1/4

metric and english
deep socket + regular
screwdriver + bits

case

All for about $100

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...e:BC&cat=78608

[John D Watson]

Burt, I found a great set at Cosco made by Cresent. It includes all standard and metric up to 1 1/4". And the ratchets wil not let the socket go without pushing a button on the back of the ratchet. Super for home use, and it seems like a very sturdy set made by a competent company. I'm pretty sure it was under a 100 bucks.

[Matt Winterowd]

I agree with the general sentiment that Craftsman sockets are probably good enough for any reasonable home shop use. However, after having lost a number of my old Craftsman sockets I decided I would upgrade on my next set. I started with a modest set of 1/4" & 3/8" Proto sockets and a pair of ratchet handles. Man, what a difference. Now my wrenches are in the "tools that I just like to pick up and use" category, and while they aren't cheap, I didn't have to mortgage the house to buy them. And you can always add to the kit as you need. For one thing, if you get a high quality ratchet handle (that is solid, but has a relatively fine ratchet mechanism) you don't need both 6 and 12 point sockets in every size, which is standard with the Craftman kits, and way overkill. 6 point is better for grip and wear anyway.

[Tony Perrone]

I have craftsman and Husky 1/2, 3/8 and 1/4 drive sockets for the ratchet but 1/2 SK and snapon for my impact drivers all have a nice return policy just a little harder to find the snap on guy because he doesn't stop at the house anymore since I moved.

[Matt Day]

I'd suggest Craftsman as well. You're sure to find a good set on sale with everything you need. I would however suggest you get a set that includes at least 1/4" & 3/8" drive at the minimum. I have about a 100 pc set of 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" (with ratchets) with 6pt and 12pt sockets and it has been great. I do some light automotive (and used to do motorcycle) work, bicycle maintenance, and household stuff/projects and it has done almost everything I need. A few other things I have are some adapters and extenders (HF usually suffice), and a couple in between sizes (like a 20mm socket, when I have a 19mm and 21mm in my original set).

The costs of supplementing a set with individual pieces after is ridiculous compared to the cost of the original set. With that in mind, I'd suggest you get as much as you can now - you won't regret it when something comes up and you need to find a certain size.

[Burt Alcantara]

The problem I have with kits like Costco's is the duplication of things I already own, like wrenches and bits.

What is a 6/12 pt socket? That term is unfamiliar.

[Aaron Berk]

The problem I have with kits like Costco's is the duplication of things I already own, like wrenches and bits.

What is a 6/12 pt socket? That term is unfamiliar.

6 and 12, those are the amount of contact points inside the socket or box end wrench.

6 points are stronger, 12 points allow you to get a tighter degree of rotation.

And there's 8 point sockets as well, I use them for "farmer bolts"

[Van Huskey]

I third, fourth or whatever Craftsman, Snap-on et al is way overkill here. They always have something on sale too.

6pt sockets have 6 faces, so they fit right on a 6 sided nut/bolt, 12 pt are more universal and work on 4 sided and 6 sided nuts/bolts as well. 90% of the time 12 pts are fine but they do wear faster. In high torque applications I much prefer a 6pt socket on a 6 face bolt/nut since there is far more metal to metal contact.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

As an ex-mechanic, I would say to go to Sears and get a Craftsman set also. The quality is a known standard. As mentioned, not the best, but far far from the worst. I would avoid the auto parts store. While they do sell Mac/Matco, they also sell some other unknown and quite cheap tools. I've never broken a Craftsman socket, unless using an impact wrench or cheater bar on a regular socket. And they still gave me a new one.