What is a good brand for socket wrenches?

SK is another good brand for socket wrenches/ratchets. And they are made in USA.

I would stay away from Craftsman because they are manufacturing all of their new tools in China now, and even their USA made ratchets suck, but the sockets are not bad.

I think the Kobalt ratchets are also not bad.
 
atony said:
I am for certain that my tires were impacted on. I had the correct size sockets for the lug. I broke the extention off right above where it fits in the socket, the detent ball actually fell out. The extention twisted and deformed badly before it broke, almost like it was rubber. I did notice on one of the sockets that broke that the wall on one side was thinner? I was using a Kobalt 14-16" breaker bar to get the lugs off.
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For removing lug nuts, I always recommend the lug wrench included with the car, or four-sided lug wrench(the ones in the shape of an 'X'). The four-side wrenches work really well for tight lug nuts, because you can put the correct socket on the nut and have two grips at 90 degrees. I put my foot on the one side and grasp the other side 180 degrees from center. They are fairly cheap as well.

Woodcamo Nut said:
SK is another good brand for socket wrenches/ratchets. And they are made in USA.

I would stay away from Craftsman because they are manufacturing all of their new tools in China now, and even their USA made ratchets suck, but the sockets are not bad.

I think the Kobalt ratchets are also not bad.
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There was only one local auto parts store in my area that carries SK tools. I stopped by there to purchase a new Phillips head screw driver, but the store did not have any. The guy behind the counter said that the SK man has not come around for a long time. The SK tools I have were always very reliable.

I have not bought any new sockets in a long time, but would still go with Craftsman if a new set was needed. A lot of the old guard tool companies do not make there stuff in the U.S. any more. A few years ago, the local Home Depot had all of their Crescent brand adjustable wrenches in the yellow tag(clearance) pile. I picked up a few of them, because I thought they were not carrying the brand any longer, but they still have them in the store 2 years later. The difference between the ones that I bought at clearance and the ones in the store now, are that mine say Made in the U.S.A. on them.
 
Off-shoring is a fact of life in the USA. With strict EPA regulations, various bureaucratic issues, high taxes in some cases, high costs of domestic labor, things go off-shore for better or worse because a "buy cheaper at any cost" mentality permeates our domestic economy.

After one trip to Europe, it is hard to ignore the truth. Yes things cost a lot in general but, Europe isn't a disposable society (at least not like the USA). People in Europe routinely have clothing older than I am, not to mention housing, furnishings, etc. Sure, cars cost a lot but they don't implode or self destruct 20 miles or 20 minutes outside of their warranty period either.

Do I want the package of 4 coffee cups from Wal-Mart/China or, would I rather pay $32x4 for locally made ones? How many coffee cups does one person really need in one lifetime anyway?
 
Rubicon_Joey said:
I can't confirm but I'm inclined to think they are made in the same factory. I have a craftsman extension, adapter and swivel set that came with a kobalt 1/4 to 3/8 adapter. Looked identical to the craftsman one in a second set my cousin has other then the kobalt branding.
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Kobalt and craftsman Used to be from the manufacturer (Apex). About 1-2 years ago, kobalt changed their supplier to a taiwan company so they are currently different. Craftsman is also currently changing some of their suppliers to a Chinese source - think you're going to find a mix of made in USA and made in china products from craftsman.
 
Mora2013 said:
Kobalt and craftsman Used to be from the manufacturer (Apex). About 1-2 years ago, kobalt changed their supplier to a taiwan company so they are currently different. Craftsman is also currently changing some of their suppliers to a Chinese source - think you're going to find a mix of made in USA and made in china products from craftsman.
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That would have been about the time I got the set. Sucks to see a company go overseas.
 
Thank you for all the great information!

How are the warrantee policies on Kobalt and SK? Does Craftsman still have their replacement policy?

On a side note, years ago I was fortunate enough to acquire a set of Proto 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 inch sockets and ratchets for my personal tool set. Never had a problem with them.

Ric
 
Proto is made by Stanley. If you liked them look into Stanley. Sk is a very good brand, a professional brand. I'm not crazy about their ratchets but I love everything else.
 
Phydeaux said:
Thank you for all the great information!

How are the warrantee policies on Kobalt and SK? Does Craftsman still have their replacement policy?

On a side note, years ago I was fortunate enough to acquire a set of Proto 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 inch sockets and ratchets for my personal tool set. Never had a problem with them.

Ric
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The old PROTO tools were very good. I had a small set I received over 30 years ago.
 
Phydeaux said:
Thank you for all the great information!

How are the warrantee policies on Kobalt and SK? Does Craftsman still have their replacement policy?

On a side note, years ago I was fortunate enough to acquire a set of Proto 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 inch sockets and ratchets for my personal tool set. Never had a problem with them.

Ric
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Kobalt has a good warranty, if it breaks just take it back to Lowes and exchange it for a new one.
 
gearwrench makes a lot of good stuff i'd look into them, also sk would be a great choice. I don't care for sears anymore they don't sell as many tools as they used to.
 
Sid Post said:
Off-shoring is a fact of life in the USA. With strict EPA regulations, various bureaucratic issues, high taxes in some cases, high costs of domestic labor, things go off-shore for better or worse because a "buy cheaper at any cost" mentality permeates our domestic economy.

After one trip to Europe, it is hard to ignore the truth. Yes things cost a lot in general but, Europe isn't a disposable society (at least not like the USA). People in Europe routinely have clothing older than I am, not to mention housing, furnishings, etc. Sure, cars cost a lot but they don't implode or self destruct 20 miles or 20 minutes outside of their warranty period either.

Do I want the package of 4 coffee cups from Wal-Mart/China or, would I rather pay $32x4 for locally made ones? How many coffee cups does one person really need in one lifetime anyway?
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Great post Sid. Thanks.

I would look into SK personally. Yes, they are expensive, but that is the price for US made, plus they will last you a good long time, if you have issues lifetime warranty is good. I'm lucky in that i bought a 225 piece Craftsman mechanics wrench/socket set 12 years ago (US made). Ratchets and sockets are still going strong. The only problem is some of my metric wrenches and sockets disappeared, I really hate thieves.
 
Buying tools is a lot like buying oats. Nice fresh clean oats are much more expensive if purchased before they go through the horse as opposed to purchasing them after they go through the horse. The same applies to tools - you get what you pay for. Take a good look at warranties. I had a 40 year old Craftsman 6" extension shear in half on me. It never twisted, it sheared in half! I took it to Sears and only after I had received the replacement did the salesman ask what happened. He only asked because of his curiosity. A good warranty means a lot.
 
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