3/8 Drive Ratchet and Socket Set

2510Paul

Well-known Member
I would like a recommendation on a good quality/value 3/8 Drive Ratchet and Socket Set. This will see heavy farm use. I don"t want 1/2 inch drive included or even combination wrenches. I buy those separately. Some 1/4 drive would be OK. Sears Craftsman is my reference but I don"t like the sets they have put together. The NorthernTool sets have good reviews, any comment? Other recommendation? I would like to stay under $100 if possible. Paul
 
You will have to find a used tool or pawn shop.My 3/8 set was bought in the 1950s.Wore out the ratchet.Western Auto brand Wizard.made by Indestro Co.I always buy tools with the Williams name on them.
 
I'm not a mechanic, but I would opt for the S-K. I have a Cobalt socket set that works for me, but I only do small projects occasionally. I have Dad's 1/2" Craftsman ratchet that I use to adjust planter units on a tool bar. I bought just the socket I need.

Larry
 
I have a set of Blackhawk used weekly, bought a set of Craftsman at Menards [on sale]a while back because the plastic case with the Blackhawk finally went to pieces, had it 20+ years.
 
I've been doing mechanic work all of my life. I started chasing wrenches for my Dad when I was four years old. I grew up working on the farm with SK and they served us well but that was the brand we could buy at the local parts house. We didn't have a choice without driving several miles to purchase another brand. In my opinion Wright tools are the best and they are made here in the USA. You can order a catalog online or look at thier selection online too. Craftsman did have good tools at one time and they still have a good warranty but I don't think they are the best out there.
 
2510Paul,

I graduated from high school in 1962. The man who would later (a very short time later) become my father in law, bought a set of Wright Company 3/8 drive sockets to give to me as a graduation present. I have used them for more than 50 years and still count them as my favorite tools.

Wright is located in Massillon, Ohio, and they still make their tools right there. I've lost a couple of sockets over the years and had to replace them with new Wright sockets, but I've never had one break yet.

Good luck with your choice. There are many good tools out there, but I always go back to my Wright tools.

Tom in TN
 
Here is a store that has lots of tools and surplus tools, MANY of which are American-made. Specials regularly come up and they have a few 3/8" socket sets that are of decent quality. It's a nice web site to leisurely look through.

http://store.harryepstein.com/

OTOH, you can still find your Craftsman sets (at Sears, or other places) that are decent quality (if you look hard), but soon they will all be Chinese, albeit with the lifetime warranty. Horror Freight will sell you a socket set (and I've had some from there, too), but I wouldn't recommend them for hard use. I use them where there is a chance that they might get stolen and it's no big loss to replace.
 
The old stand-by brands are Snap-On, S-K Wayne, and Wright. May be some others as well. Craftsman USED to be just as good. If you stumble across an older Craftsman set at an auction or yard sale, buy it.

If you're looking for a set to carry with you in the truck or tractor, go with the cheap sets from Harbor Freight or Northern. You won't cry quite as much when you lose them.
 
J H Williams. Owned by Snap On. Tools are for the most part the same as Snap On without the name and 1/2 the price. The ratchets are usually one version behind the Snap On. The ones I just bought are identical to the sealed heads that were just replaced by the SO Dual 80 design.
 
S-K . I also found today a set at a sale marked Klein but it is an S-K set. Klein is the electrical supply house brand. A lot of contractors I work for buy Wright --pretty sure its American but must be economical if a contractor is buying it. I paid five bucks for the Klein [S-K set but thats not how much I will be selling it for. Brand new . Haha gotta love estate sales. This guy had so many tools in the house it would be impossible to use them auto ,ac , electric,eletronic, power , mechanic,welding stuff . The sale was packed but the tools were piled high in every room. They said he was an engineer.Go to sales and you can find Craftsman still Made in USA 1/2 drive ratchets are about a dollar.Auto body trade magazine has S-K sales too.
 
Dad gave me an SK set for Christmas when I was 16- thats just shy of 50 years ago, and I still use them as my main set. Never a problem with them.
 
Napa UltraPro. Lifetime warranty, over the counter. Bust the guts on a ratchet... they repair it while you wait. I forget if the stuff is SK or one of Snap-On's cheap lines. It's not snap-on... but it's good enough... which is a lot better than most of the china crap.

Rod
 
I have a NAPA ratchet and 1/2 impact socket set and I have been really impressed with it. It goes down to 7/16" and up to 1-1/4". It also has the comparable metric sizes. It was missing one metric socket and I got it for around $50.

It seems really tough too.

The only complaint I have is the black oxide finish on the sockets gets dirty and blends in with my barn floor too well sometimes.
 
I have had the SK 3/8 ratchet and socket set for 16 years.I have had very good service.I also purchased the 1/4 metric/sae set.I am a small engine mechanic and use these tools everyday.If you want quality then i would recommend SK.Yes these sets are a bit expensive,but if you want a lifetime socket set this is for you.
 
(reply to post at 05:21:26 05/31/13)

Northern is going to be the best bang for the buck, Gearwrench tools hold up well. I have a lot of SK tools but never plan to buy anymore because of warranty issues I have ran into lately. Craftsman tools are useless to me other than a wrench they just will not hold up they are cheaply built and as you say the way they group sets makes no sense.

"Note" the only tools Northern will warranty is their brand :wink:

Advance auto is a good place to by Gerarwrench tools if they sold it and no longer carry it they will replace it with the brand they are presently selling.
 
You have had a lot of recommendations for SK. I have a set that I have had for over 50 years. I have bought a lot of SK recently from this Guy. He has a 3/8 drive set for $117.95, American made.

www.tooldesk.com
Untitled URL Link
 
Many Thanks to all of you for your responses. They were really helpful. I also learned the S-K, Wright, and Williams may be expensive some places but much more reasonable others. Thanks. Paul
 
Check out case-in tools at construction or ag stores. They'll take 10% off usually, decent price, think they are the lower snap on brand. Work well so far....
 
I've got Snap On, Mac,Craftsman and S&K. for my own use at home and can't complain about any of them except the price. At work, I needed a 1/4-3/8 socket set in metric and standard and my boss picked up a nice set at ACE hardware. It's the Ace brand and carries a lifetime warrenty and the price is really affordable. I've really put this set through some tough usage and I must say that I think they are just as good as any Snap On tool I've used.
 
If you can settle for used and mismatched brands,talk to the pawn shops. They have sets(generaly newer) and bins of misc & mixed used that they will cut a deal on if you have time to sort through them to make a set.
 
I would recommend a 3/8" impact and 3/8" drive impact socket set before I would recommend an air ratchet. The air ratchet can be a knuckle-buster when loosening or tightening fasteners. Ingersol-rand makes a nice 3/8" impact, and as far as the sockets go I would recommend a any set that has a life time warranty. I have seen many different brands of tool in the shops that I have worked at, even some from harbor freight (which I am not a fan of). I would just recommend something that you can warranty if the need arrises. I personally have a snap-on 3/8" impact and socket sets sitting in the top drawer of my tool box.

Jared
 
Check out eBay auction 380653252179 . S-K tools 12 piece set but marked for Klein tools 27.89 with shipping brand new in plastic.
 
hate to hijack the thread with a different question, but it is related.

Has anybody ever had a socket - new, used, cheap, expensive, no-name, high-end name, or otherwise actually FAIL?

In all my years I don't think I've ever had a socket NOT do its job.

Anybody?

IS there a reason to spend any more than bottom dollar on sockets?

Any socket I've ever owned has worked. I've never picked up a cheap one out my box and had to put it down to find a better one.

I'm as big a tool snob as anybody, but in my old age I think I'm getting wiser - and I'm thinking it really doesn't MATTER what kind of sockets you use.

Get cheap ones.

(and I'm not talking $5.00 for 100 sockets cheap - I mean REASONABLY cheap - harbor freight-ish)

A socket wrench is different - I know the difference between a good socket wrench and a bad one.

But for sockets, I've got millions - and often use my grandfather's old Chinese sockets that were made before the Chinese knew how to make anything, even poorly.

They work just as well as any sk or big brand name.

just throwing that out there to see what others think.

I'd forget my tool snob roots and tell you to try some harbor freight sockets. When they fail to meet your requirements, then decided to spend some real money. I think you'll find that moment never arrives.
 
I'd have to wonder how much wrenching you do if you've never split a socket... Seriously. I've split more of them than I care to remember and those were good ones. I break allen bits and round them off on a regular basis. I constantly break adapters. Tear the teeth off the cogs in ratchets... and the list goes on. The cheap stuff just breaks easier. Some of the real cheap stuff is very bad for damaging fastners because it fits so poorly or flexes enough to spin...

Rod
 
I bought a 3/4 drive cheap set, the sockets split very easy. I think every socket that we used split. I bought a new SK set and have not had a problem since. Buy a good set and you don't have to keep buying sockets and tools.
 
Interesting.

I've really never broken one.

Maybe I'm doing something wrong??? :)

I'm by no stretch a professional mechanic, but I also can't remember the last time ever needed a pro.

I've been doing my own work since I had a tricycle. Countless engine builds, the high school muscle car years, the trucks, tractors and equipment repairs -restorations, used to work with an oval track racer, etc, etc..

Not into it as a living, but I've certainly had my share of chances to break a socket or two.

Socket wrenches absolutely, been through them, but never a socket.

Interesting that several of you have - but that's why I asked. I'm not trying to declare I know all, and state that they never break.

I realize I could just be lucky.

But just saying - from my personal experience of what I've seen with eyes, I can't justify spending a lot of money on them.

I've got pretty much all I'll ever need, but if I had to buy more, or if they were all stolen from me - I honestly think I'd start replacing what I could from harbor freight. I've got several from them now, and never a problem.
 
I've hardly ever worked on anything that ISN'T all rusted and frozen. I live in the northeast with lots of road salt and mixed weather.

And I always tend to buy older vehicles - current truck is an 88, jeeps a 96. Any tractor/equipment I work on is pre 1960.

In fact, maybe that's exactly why I don't have the trouble.

I learned long ago not to be shy about using heat - if it even looks like it's going to be trouble, I might try an impact, but more often I just heat it, remove it, and move on, don't waste time fighting with it. I actually use the torch more often than an impact gun.

Even so, my breaker bar still gets plenty of use on blind bolts, etc. - but I guess just not enough to break anything.

I do find it surprising so many of you say this is a common occurrence (with the cheap stuff anyway).

I will look at it a little differently now - but still - if I had to pull my checkbook right out... I'm not convinced enough to say I wouldn't go cheap on sockets.

Apologies again to the guy that started this thread - kinda branching off here, not answering your question.
 
Years ago I lent a Craftsmen ratchet and socket (don't recall sizes) to a "friend".He used as a lug wrench and broke/cracked the socket. Sears replaced it.
 
I have an Allen set that sucks. My HF Pittsburgh is much better. The Allen set is mostly 12 points and they round half the crap off they touch if it is at all rusty or tight. I went with Rusty's theory...if it is going to be with you on the road get the cheapest stuff you can because you will cry less when you leave it somewhere.

I have seen sockets split.
 
The single most important thing you can do while purchasing any size socket, any size drive,is to only buy 6 point sockets. With fine tooth ratchets, there is no reason you need a 12 point for tight spaces. A 6 point is much less likely to slip on an old worn bolt head than a 12 point, and because the socket walls of a 6 point are thicker, less likely to crack. That said, don"t buy junk either.
 

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