Every nut or bolt I ever started in my 65 year old life was done with my FINGERTIPS! What kind of weirdo goes out of his way to get his threads CROSS-THREADED?????? If you hadn't have pointed out that cheap sockets are usually deeper than better sockets I'd have learned NOTHING here. You should have spent some time explaining why the cheaper is deeper.
Pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel hanging out of his pants. Bar tender says you have a steering wheel hanging out of your pants. Pirate says, arrrr, and its drivin me nuts.
@@yfn_trix3447 never heard of koken, to be honest I don't actually have any snap on sockets, mine are all mac, 20 years ago when I started buying the tools if my trade they seemed of good quality, and came in a nice metal tray so I could stick them in a traveling box when I got let out for the day.
I used to work as a commercial steel heat treater, and our biggest client was Snap-On. All of their materials were either 4140 or very rarely, they were 52100 (very similar to O-1, very high carbon content). The impact sockets typically have a Rockwell-C value of around 45 (+/-) 2 and the non-impact sockets would have a Rockwell-C value of 60 (+/-) 2. They were VERY particular about having us make sure that the hardness was tested 5 times, per layer, per basket. Very time consuming stuff, but makes it worth it, I suppose.
@Lumumba B. you are right, its pretty high, but they only went into a 400 degree temper. Pretty low heat. That's also the big reason you should never use a non impact socket for impact drivers. You run a pretty high risk of shattering them due to being brittle. We usually tried to keep them closer to 58 rather than 60 though.
Alex Gresham I was an engineering intern at Proto Tool in Portland many years ago. We used to buy SnapOn tools right out of the truck and cut them up to see how everything was done. One thing I remember is how consistent the heat treat was on SnapOn tools. I think Proto makes great tools, but the edge goes to SnapOn, at least back then. I don’t know how things stand today. I have heard that SnapOn quality isn’t what it used to be, but I have no proof of that.
One thing I disagree with in CERTAIN circumstances is the socket depth. When you're in a tight spot with a long bolt, those deep sockets allow for the bolt to come out a whole lot further before it starts pushing whatever tool you're driving it with up against a bulkhead, often with a finger in the way.
@@arduinoversusevil2025 But then there's some little hole the bolt is down in as well and you need just that tiny bit of reach... I don't know how prevalent it is in the industry you're in, but I know being a mechanic I run in to it a shocking amount.
@@ladam836 That'll do some times, but leave it to the enginerds to come up with some convoluted madness that requires 3 different types of sockets and the same number of extensions in different sizes...
The amount of 10 mm snap on sockets we crack at work is unbelievable. They never go on an impact. My old craftsman sockets used to get used on an impact with no problems. On a side note I did get to see first hand how snap on sockets were made about 15 yes ago. The cold forging process is incredible
On more than one occasion I've found myself needing the deep sockets in a tight spot to give the fastener room to back out without wedging whatever I'm using to drive them in the aforementioned tight spot.
Same. Also, when installing fasteners, I rarely find situations where I need a deep socket but cannot start it by hand. I generally work automotive and commercial mowers; maybe other fields get more use out of the ?shallower? deep sockets?
I have deep sockets to drive nuts on to long threaded concrete bolts and HV terminals with long theaded bolts. In short I use long sockets to drive NUTS on. Not bolts.
Robert D I was an industrial generator tech for some time and often defaulted to deep sockets simply because it offers more room for the hand around the ratchet. It doesn’t take much to save a knuckle so if I can buy myself some space by using a deeper socket it’s a win
Snap-on tools are great but, I think they're overpriced. I've been repairing industrial machine tools for the last 45 years. Most of my tools are Craftsmen. Broke and bent a few early on and then learned how to use them. Been many years since I've had to return or replace one. I almost never use a socket to start a nut or screw and prefer deep broached sockets.
Nothing wrong with vintage 'Made in USA' Craftsman tools, they were the 'top of the line' tool lineup from Sears. Can probably count on one hand, the items that are 'Made in the USA' from Sears in 2022. Now, it's essentially Klein tools, Proto, SK, and Williams (Industrial brand, owned by Snap-On) that produce those affordable 'Made in USA' tools that Craftsman used to dominate the market with.
For those big deep sockets a piece of rubber hose jammed in will remedy the problem and still allow the pass through of the long thread when tightening and loosening of long bolts
Just what everyone wants to worry about, let me just jam a piece of rubber hose in every single one of my deep sockets. No. Buy quality tools and never look back.
@@clarkkent12880 I completely agree but we all have those shitty sockets and can't find the good one so we have to use the cheap, this is one way you'll be just a little less pissed off. We all have them might as well make them that much more usable.
@@baileysavage8697 I'm not saying it's ideal by any means. I know at one point in my life I couldn't afford to pay snap on prices. I still have my cheap tools and did all I could to improve them. Some have a little more time than money like I did. Taking 30 min of your day to to make your life a little better isn't the worst thing anybody's done!
That old Snappy is a 9/32 drive, which was quite common through the wartime period, after which it gave way to the quarter drive. Plomb Tool Co produced a lot of 9/32 materiel on military contract for the war effort. As the 9/32 drive predates the shift to metric in the US, they aren't much use in a modern setting, but are relevant and period-correct in that old steel toolbox in the trunk of the hot rod.
The 7mm wrench is actually used to open the oil drain plug on many french cars. Its also sa same size as the square drive on a door handle here in europe.
It is my understanding that the odd size Snap On tools are military issue. It was made "off size" to deter theft. An ordinary dealer cannot warranty those tools. If a civilian has them they are thought to be stolen. Love your channel.
Always keeping your focus you fawk. Love the content as always. Keep making fantastic, educational videos for us mechanics, engineers, tinkerers, and makers. Your a wonderful teacher and comedian.
Tap sockets exist!!!! Glad I watched this video. The deeper socket has come in handy for me at least once, I welded it to a steering shaft and machined a hex on another section to make a slip joint, worked great.
Dude! Two points: 1- The deep socket allows you to drive a nut on a longer thread than a shallow socket would. 2- The difference in socket thickness has to do with the alloy used among other factors, Chrome Molybdenum vs Chrome Vanadium, Cr-Mo is made "thicker" usually than Cr-V, and it is better as an impact socket
A deep socket should be deep....and short sockets take care of everything else. If ya need to go super deep I use my hollow sockets. I have every type of socket. Even the special stuff. Same for my wrenches too. All Craftsman USA stamped. They've been though everything for decades. Never broken or cracked any of them. Couldn't be happier. I use Snap On at work in the aerospace industry and I hate Snap On tools. The very few Proto tools we have are way better than the Snap On shit.
Eh, maybe. Maybe I don't get stuck with enough crappy bolts, but I generally start bolts by hand; it's just as easy to use a deep cut socket vs a shallow cut socket for me. Get a Rockwell tester and check the hardness. A manual one can be had new from eBay for $1000 US, or an electronic one for less. Let's quanatatively see the difference! I think sockets are far right on the curve of diminishing returns. Even the cheap shit is 95% as good as the best stuff imo. If you're going to spend the cash, might as well buy something where doubling or quadrupling the price actually buys you noticable improvement.
I had the same problem with an old 1/4” snap on ratchet, good thing is you can buy a rebuild kit for it to turn it back into an actual 1/4”. Use mine everyday. Cheers and love the videos.
Good use for the cheap Torx/Allen sockets is to drive the end out and turn them with a regular wrench or weld them to a piece of flat bar to make your own wrench for use in tight spots. Might use that trick a few times in a lifetime, but it's a good one to know.
The ones you missed that are also super useful are the through sockets. Special wrench goes around the outside of the socket, so you can screw nuts onto all-thread or similar long rods. VASTLY nicer than trying to just use a normal wrench.
I have the snap on set in the end. It’s special drive can be swapped out for a 1/4 inch rebuild kit. Mine is from 1944, and I use it at work all the time. It’s a neat tool to keep around!
@@keeganharrisom1389 I do it every day in industrial maintenence and I dont understand lol. I have mostly tekton and channellock, with some husky and HF thrown in. It does fine. I'd rather save money on tools that work just fine, and spend that saved money on stuff I can enjoy outside of work. The only thing I spent real money on was a snap on krl box, because I needed the casters and slides to hold up rolling the thing around all day as much as I do. Cheap tools are getting so good these days.
Sometimes I want a deep-broached socket, sometimes I want a shallow-broached socket. I've had some circumstances where one or the other didn't work out so well.
i wish 6 sided wrenches were more common in hardware stores. who hasnt had to get in a tight spot and rounded off a rusty nut because the 12 sided slipped?
I could not agree more. I hate, I mean hate 12 point tools. I admit they have there place, like on a 12 point nut or bolt, but why can't you find a set of 6 point box end wrench any more.
Some time ago I did find a six point ratchet wrench, then I found out they were "flare nut wrenches", interesting design and good idea kinda, but it would bind up all the time if you had to reef on it some. Also broke pretty quick. Anyway, six sided ratchet wrenches would be nice to have.
@@dadillen5902 it has to do with angle of swing you're rarely going to have 60 degrees of room to swing that wrench. What I would love is a quality set of ratcheting 6 point wrenches
My tinkering life was really started in my teens learning musical instrument repair. We were a small shop & often needed outside help with some of the oddball jobs or things we didn't have the tools/knowledge for. Most of the guys that we went to (I imagine) probably spent too much time by themselves tinkering around with whatever it was that they specialized in & all were interesting unique people. Watching this channel reminds me of visiting those shops. I can't say I am always very interested when I click but by the end I'm completely sucked in & often picked up something I didn't know.
I've found myself shopping for Wright sockets to have a deeper broach but still have a quality socket. Even 12 points sometimes. They all have their place. Like pulling a oil sensor with a deep broached socket instead of a special Snap-on socket.
Ive had problems with snap on deep sockets on low profile nuts that we use in helicopters all the time. The relief hole for the bolt to go through on the socket is too small so you need those deep cut sockets.
Yes and on cars you need them to remove sensors etc (like say a coolant sensor on many models)...where a snap on socket will not work but the craftsman does
I bought one of those "7mm drive" ratchets at a garage sale. One day I got tired of looking at it so I took the drive part out, clamped it in a vise, and carefully filed the 3 faces that didn't have the ball retainer until I got it to fit properly in my 1/4" drive sockets. Now I can use it.
I have actually had to grind a cheap husky 10mm socket down because the "lead-in" lip was too deep that it would slip off the half nuts I needed to take off. Ground it down flush with the straight walls worked like a charm.
If it's an fractional socket, go find a metric bolt whose tooling dimensions are slightly too big. If metric, find a fractional. You many want to drill and tap the hole on the nut bigger than it currently is though, so that it doesn't bind up on any threaded rods or bolts.
the old ratchet from snap on was for military use .Also IH used those in the factories in the 30s .it kept people from needing the tools at home .It was 5/16 drive .the local snap on guy had the parts in his truck to convert mine to 1/4 inch and gave me back the old gear .Mine was my grandfathers and my son just had it updated for me gave it to me on my recent birthday .a cool piece of history
Love your videos. I'm designing my own guitar overdrive/distortion pedal. I'm thinking of calling it the Skookum AF Drive. And the gain knob will definitely be labeled chooch.
I just checked, and I have at least four 10mm sockets: two deep 3/8" drive, a shallow 1/4" drive (all 6 point) and a shallow 3/8" 12 point. I must be doing something wrong. I couldn't find my impact sockets, but I *think* those are all SAE anyway. Or not. Idk. I've heard the bit about always losing the 10, but have no idea why.
Hehe, I saw a diagram titled “How do I spend my time at the garage”, it went like this: 13% Disassembling stuff 12% Assembling stuff 75% Looking for the tool that was in my hands a minute ago
I've seen measurable amounts of tolerance differences between super cheap like harbor freight vs middle road like craftsman as well. I even once got a 3/4 inch combination wrench from hazard fraught which measured about .050" short of a 3/4 on the open end.
As far as the socket depth, in most cases its quicker/easier to hand thread the nut on 2-3 turns. Then use whatever applicable socket to tighten. Or did I miss something...
A lot of times you can't get your hand in there AND the threads are a little chewy and you need torque to start it AND your holes aren't perfectly lined up so you need a little extra sideways to get it in straight.
@@arduinoversusevil2025 As soon as I submitted that comment, it dawned on me of those little times when you need to do such things. The annoying crap that ends up eating away minutes/hours of ones life.
I’ve got both for this exact reason. I’ve got a bunch of nuts that have to go deep on long studs on a particular part I see often. Good sockets didn’t have the reach, cheapies did. Still had to mill out the round center bore to make it all work. I hear what you’re saying buddy, but the best tool is the one that gets the job done.
Am I crazy in thinking the depth of the broaching in a socket is more of a personal preference and need of whatever particular job you're doing....In tight places, that shallow broached deep socket will screw you every time...as it wedges against the opposing tight spot material.
Yep, that was me this last weekend changing shocks on my truck... as the nut came up it wedged the ratchet tighter and tighter against the fender well.
Depth of socket drive end depth depends on specific need. There are times when a deep socket with a full length depth drive is absolutely needed and times when a deep socket with just enough depth to support the bolt-nut-screw at the drive end is needed. This is just one reason why no single tool brand or socket style-design is ideal for all needs.
I have some Snap On 9/32 stuff! I don have the case though. It even has some square drive sockets with it. It was my Father in laws. He was a machinist. I found it in his tools when he died. I've actually used them a few times and it all still works.
I found that a different difference ended up being of great importance to me and my work. I prefer the fully broached deep sockets b/c on many of the cheaper ones (read: all of them) the centre bore is too small to accommodate the stud that mounts the nut you're attacking. So even though the nut may drop all the way in, at least I can reach it past the stud hanging out there. A good example in case you're not reading my mail just yet...u-bolts on your truck. One other advantage of deeply broached sockets is that in a confined space the nut can just back itself into the socket rather than bottoming out and forcing the tool to back off, and getting jammed in a tight space. Aint nobody got time for that! The few times that I have not been able to start an ut by hand I have just stacked nuts in the socket to compensate for depth.
Some kind of very open cell foam jammed in from the drive side acts like a spring keeping fastener towards the front, but allows fastener to be pushed inside if needed
I can't recall a time I needed a deep wall to take care of a 1" long bolt. But I have been in some tight spaces, and having a full deep well recess was the only way to remove the nut all the way. Shallow ones would get about 10 turns then bind up on something
I've got one of these 9/32 sets I got from my grandfather. I do wish Snapon still made this style of spinning t-handle in the standard sizes. At some point my grandfater made a 1/4 inch adapter with key stock (I think) and brazed into a 1/4 socket. Not the greatest, I know. Here's some info if you're interested. www.collectingsnapon.com/index.php?page=socket_sets/C9-32inch/9-32%20intro
Hey mister Ave, just realized I have a video youmight beinterested in. My partner salvaged an old Bridgeport that was going to be scrapped. It was an early cnc version that crapped out. He ripped out all the guts, and rewired it to a serialinterface to and old macbook. In this video, we clamped a Hazard Frought plasma cutter to the table with some unistrut and ran a program to cut a bunch of flour de lees for some hot hippie chick’s burning man sculpture. 100% home brew cnc control on a 40 year old Bridgey. I think you might be one of the few to appreciate this in spiteof my shitty video skills..
Ah, another fan of HPC craziness, oh, and if you haven't noticed bigclivedotcom still makes references to your illeterations accentuation and particulara vocabularum abusives. Personally I Always enjoy a new AvE vii-j-o. Hope you are surviving up there in Hoth, watch out for those shiny hexagons in dark sockets, moisture can condensate and quick freeze them in place. A bit further south in PDX town, we are still having sunny days, which is delaying the seasonal onset depression, and causing bean-o-form stimulant futures, as well as phychological services infrastructure investments to drop.
@ave I had the same problem with an old snap on “1/4” drive, thought I was loosing my mind before realizing the difference. You can get a ratchet rebuild kit online that will make it a real 1/4 drive. Love the videos. Cheers
