In aviation, often times the bolt itself is a 12 point, which requires a 12 point socket. I prefer having 12 point because they work on both 6 and 12 point bolt heads.
Pretty good explanation. You missed one main point. Use the shortest socket you can so your leverage is closer to the work. The further away from where you are contacting the head of the bolt (or the nut), the higher the likelihood of the pressure exerted actually pulling the leverage off center and causing the socket to slip off the head and strip it. 12 point sockets are best for tight areas where you have limited space to move the ratchet handle and need shorter throw. The main point about the 6 point that you missed is: if you look at the socket you will notice that the 6 point has drilled out corners. What makes them less likely to strip the head of a bolt is that it does not put pressure against the point, the pressure is actually put against shoulder of the point. That being said, if you can only afford one set of sockets, get the 6 point. If you are working in a tight area, you can always turn the socket partially and eventually get it to get the correct access. An added note, there are differences in the steps of ratchets also. Some higher end ratchets have more steps, but you can strip a ratchet just like you can a head. My Snap-On has more detents than my off named brand, but my off brand I can use a lot more force before it gets stripped. I have replaced the ratchet mechanism on my Snap-On ratchet two times.
You want to buy a shallow 6-point 27mm socket to torque that lug nut on and off. Once you've loosened the lug nut, you'll have to switch to a deep socket to remove the lug nut from the lug. So, I would buy both shallow and deep well 27mm socket but make sure they're 6-point, not 12-point. If you watched the video, he explains why 12-point sockets are able to strip nuts and bolts more easily than 6-point sockets.
living in a desert if you have long stud that the lug nut has to run down on you will need the deep well 6 point to be able to get all the way down. You do not need both shallow and deep you are not going to be putting enough torque on it to worry about the shallow which if you have the long stud it won't tighten all the way up anyways.
@@rjbrandon9643 Your comment makes no sense at all. If the shallow socket was able to reach the nut to break it loose or torque it, you wouldn't need a deep well. SMFH
@@lencranston8183 must've been tired that day... flip them around. And I was only thinking in the context of doing all the work by hand. No pneumatic tools. So deep well + break over bar then shallow + ratchet to speed up the removal process. But now I don't work on anything since my vehicle was totaled and I'm working PT again...
When working on motor-vehicles I rarely use my shallow sockets. I usually always go to the deep well. It always seems to be the perfect length for most obstructions. If I need to go shorter it usually means I need a gear wrench on it. I've only broken 1 deep-well, and it was required to get the exhaust nut off. I had it warrantied by metrinch.
Thanks. I just learned why it is better to use a 6 point rather than a 12 point socket for a stuck bolt or why what the difference is between the two when it comes to rounding off your bolts via your drawing. I'm not a professional mechanic so this video helped.
Love the video bro? Honestly, I was very ignorant to socket sets and how to use them but this video, very simple to understand, plainly explained the 101 on 6 and 12 point socket wrenches and how to use socket wrenches as a whole, thank you so much! I will refer others to look at this video.
Thank you. I just found out through trial and error recently! Had bought a ratchet set not knowing the differences, with 12pt. sockets and what I needed was 6 pt. Thanks again.
This was great. I was searching RU-vid as I was having difficulty removing a bolt and starting to round the edges on a 6 point bolt head using a 12 point socket. I had no idea that a better choice would be a 6 point socket. Went out and bought one and the bolt undid effortlessly. Thanks again.
Excellent video! The rubber insert in a spark plug socket holds the spark plug. This is especially necessary these days with plugs that are located deep inside shafts which house ignition coils. If you put a spark plug into a regular deep socket without the rubber insert, when you try to insert it into the engine... the plug will fall out. AND, if you remove a spark plug with a regular deep socket, once it's loose, you can't remove the spark plug. You'll just lift your wrench out of the ignition coil housing and... no spark plug! You'll have to reach inside with some needle nose pliers to grab the plug (ask me how I know...). With the rubber insert in the spark plug socket, you loosen the plug and, when you remove your wrench, the spark plug will be inside the socket, held by the insert. Then, you gap your new spark plug and carefully apply the anti-sieze, and you lower it gracefully into your engine, snugly held in the spark plug socket.
Use a piece of three-eighths fuel hose over the plug's insulator to start the spark plug by hand; this gives a much better "feel" and, therefore, reduces the [admittedly slight] chance of getting the plug cross-threaded.
Rubber inserts are the old. Get a spark plug socket with the magnet inside you don't have to worry about the rubber insert coming out or stretching over time and no longer grabbing the plug.
As a professional mechanic I have ran into occasions that the bolt will be a regular bolt but the 6 point not fit and you have to use a 12 point the bolt was a 7/8 so I tried 6 point it wouldn’t fit so I grabbed a 6 point 22 and it didn’t either then I grabbed the 12 point version of both and they both fit so I thought that was kind of weird I have only had it happen a couple times though.
You can beat the limited turning arc problem with a square-drive, six-point socket (assuming that a twelve-point will do the job) by removing the socket from the drive and rotating the socket ninety degrees, which is exactly one-and-one-half sixths of a circle.
Every small block chevy I've torn down used 12 point bolt for the crankshaft caps. I only had collected 6 point sockets at that point and had to borrow a 12 point lol
12 point bolts are used on all kind of engines , Car, Truck, Motorcycle, semi , farm Tractor, air plane, heavy Equipment. I use the 6 point more than a 12 , unless its for a bellhousing in a thin wall area . 8 point are on a lot of Frame aka Square nut Semi , farm Tractor some pickup trucks . Deep well are for a long bolt and the nut is over 1 inch down the threading , Head bolts lot of the time you have Power steering or alternator brackets and 3 nuts First nut holds the bracker the second nut is a spacer AKA Jam nut behind the bracket as a stop and the 3ed is for the head . you need a deep well to get nut 2 and 3 off .
The trick to making 6pt sockets fit in tight spots is to put the socket on before you attach the ratchet. I've never once been in a situation where I wished I had a 12pt socket instead of a 6pt. The only time I buy 12pt is when I just don't have an option because the size I need isn't available in 6pt where I am and I don't want to drive all over town looking for one. The only time a 12pt is needed is when you have a 12pt fastener to deal with. Outside that, 6pt is superior in every way.
My 6point socket had a hard time trying to remove a badly stuck 6point bolt. It kept slipping off and was slightly rounding off the bolt head each time it slipped off. which got me worried. The bolt in question had a thin bolt head thickness abt 2/3mm which made it hard to keep the socket on. So I think the 12 point and in particular a 12point wrench would have been perfect to break loose the stuck bolt.Most wrench sold are 12point. btw manual transmission drain bolt in Mitsubishi. So I think the 12point has its strength in breaking loose such difficult bolts.
How right you are, reach for a six-point first. There are also medium length sockets and long sockets which are only broached at the end, sorta a shallow well in a long length.
Thanks. Clear description. Good video. I have not yet found a use for my 12 pt. sockets. I cringe when I see people use a deep well on an impact when the should use a standard socket and an extension if necessary. Thanks for sharing.
What if there is a small distance around the bolt/nut for the sockets to fit in? Then we must use the 12 point head of a spanner over the open end of it? Unless there are stumpier sockets out there to use, but I can’t find any at the moment
Great video. Can you do a short addendum for 12 point BOLTS like you see on drive shaft u joints? Why do they use 12 point for that and similar applications? Thanks
Logically yes., 6 points sockets has more contact area, not to strip bolt heads. Ironically, I had more problems stripping heads off with 6 points than 12 points. I went down to Harbor freight exchange 6 points to 12 points.
@@hachi-rokuperformancegroup3987 I legit ran into that the other day... midway through on a project... lol, now I've added tools too the shopping list. You know of any good 12 point sockets?
6 point sockets are better at getting hard to loosen or stuck bolts as they are less likely to strip your bolt head out..The 12 points are bad to strip a bolt head out when its stuck..
You don't use chrome sockets on an impact,can wear out the anvil and do damage to the impact too.There are 12 point fastners out there,ARP has fasteners that are 12 point.Go look on the drivelines of a heavy duty truck,12 point fastners.Some headbolts are a 12 point head from the factory.Same with Ford driveshaft bolts,a 12 point 12mm head
The chrome sockets aren't hardened like the impact sockets so they have a certain amount of springiness to them, so when the impact hammer hits, the socket just twists to a certain amount and absorbs a portion of the impact energy. The damage comes when the user puts the pedal to the metal on the trigger to compensate for the lost torque.
The chrome sockets are hardened, and the impact sockets are not hardened. Thats why chrome sockets shatter, hard things like glass shatter. Softer materials such as impact sockets are more ductile, absorbing shock from the impact gun and not shattering.
I know alot of people use 12 on 6 points to get more clearance which is fine. Be real though, use a 6 point on a 6 point, and a 12 point on a 12 point bolt, just like you would use an inverted torx on an inverted torx bolt. For those of you who say 12 point are useless, what do you do when you are working on Toyotas, Hondas, or almost all flywheel bolts. Alot of Cummins use 12pt for various bolts too. Anyone who works in aviation knows how necessary 12pt sockets are.
Bret B there are 12 point fasteners so yes sadly there is still a place for them. It's just not a common thing for most people. I know there a lot of 12 points in aviation but the average person probably won't run into them very often.
I'm surprised at how common 12 point sockets are, when 12 point bolts are rather rare. Even the majority of combination wrenches have 12 point closed ends
@@themonolithian That's where they made sense the most: Closed-end aka box-end wrenches without any ratcheting mechanism, because You can utilize the smaller swing-back angle compared to a 6-point box-end (30° vs. 60°). They / tool companies realized that in pre-WW I times already. And then there was the time when tool companies had socket wrench sets with T-handles, breaker bars etc. - but no ratchet yet (pre-WW II time). Again it helped a lot to have just half the swing-back angle compared to a 6-point socket. Nowadays with high tooth count ratchets this is all nonsense and the only reason for a 12-point is a bolt/fastener with 12-points ("XZN"-profile, found inside many motors). ATB from Germany, Gereon
To eliminate the need for 12point on a 6 point head, get a Stanley Rotator Ratchet. They are super durable, and last forever. Everyone that uses it, loves it.
mds6387 they’re pretty good, but I think the Wera zyklops from Germany is better. It has 5 degree ratchet, also has the screwdriver function like the Stanley, a tilting head to get better access, and locking sockets like the Stanley. Better functionality and better quality than the Stanley
I find it better to use deep sockets with an impact because they weigh a lot more. Think of when you have to hit a wrench with a hammer, a bigger hammer gives you more power and you'll waste less time ugga dugging
6 and 12, tall and short = 4x. Now you need Impact tall and short.=2x Then you do that all in Metric and inch. That's at least 12x sets Then torx, Inside and Outside. That's 14 sets Then there is overlap in sizes between the 1/4 3/8 or 1/2 drives
Deep socket can it be used in the place were shallow socket are used .. some say deep socket do break .. which is stronger deep socket or shallow socket .. waiting for your reply
eric bokern exactly, buy a decent ratchet and you can sell half of your Sockets. If you have two or three 12 point sockets you got everything you need. Overkill and toolbox showoff
4 second explanation. Unless you have a 12 point fastener you do not need 12 point sockets. 12 point fasteners are pretty rare. I only use them on my axle nut on my car. 30mm 12 point impact socket is the only 12 point socket I own.
The 6 point don't fit square nuts or heads. 12 points do. If you work on old stuff, pre 1950s, old houses, furniture, implements, pumps, appliences, wagons etc. the 12 points are handy. Working on cars than 6 points are superior. Six point metric socket sets, and 12 point sae socket sets work best for my situation.
How about for an at home motorcycle and atv mechanic? I am looking to get some tools and work on my machines at home. Would you still recommend 6 point over 12 point?
Chris G 6 point over 12 point any time any day for any job as long as your not working on something with 12 point bolts. You will come to find there are 6 point 12 point 8 point bolts as well as E-Torx which is external torx. They all have their place and to keep from stripping out and possibly ruining the bolt you need to use the proper tool.
Aircraft mechanic use 12 point sets . Most nuts are 12 point so they need 12 . I guess they include them in mechanic sets just in case you need them for tight spots . Although I see many mechanics using 12 point instead of 6 because they like faster and easier .
Tommy Truth Not true at all. Working for Audi and Dodge I used my 1/4in stuff way more than I did my 3/8s Now that I work on everything under the sun I’d definitely say my 3/8s and 1/4in stuff get an even work out
