Is it just me, or are Halfords Pro socket sets a bit silly?

I don't think you have enough faith in the 12 pt sockets!

I've bought a rail of those maybe 15 years ago and they've been used in a bodyshop under professional conditions ever since. I've not had a single issue with any of them in all of that time and they've often had some grief on the end of an extended length Snap On ratchet and breaker bar.

Remember they are not corner drive sockets, but drive on the flanks of the fastener so are much less likely to round the corners than a cheapo set.
 
Clarkey said:
Working on new cars then? I've rounded plenty with those sockets. Can't see any possible benefit to a 12pt over a 6.
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When working in a tight space or with a non ratchet head it's easier to place the socket on the nut.

12 sided sockets have many uses, and I wouldn't tar all 12 sided sockets with the same brush.

I've used a combination of 6 and 12 sided sockets for the past 15 years, on just about every job under the sun, I've rounded one nut / bolt.

Long as you don't go attacking something rusted or high torque with a 12 sided I fail to see the issue.
 
Clarkey said:
Working on new cars then? I've rounded plenty with those sockets. Can't see any possible benefit to a 12pt over a 6.
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Nope, and they did a decent job stripping my 20+ year old Peugeot too. I've done 100's of mechanical jobs with them over the years too from stripping engines to suspension.

Apart from the slightly easier access in a tight spot I'd still favour a 6 pt over a 12 any day (hence all my Snap On sockets are 6 pt) but I can't complain about the Halfords ones given the abuse they've taken.
 
I bought most of my tools from Machinemart

Nice 6 sided sockets with 72 tooth ratchets. I never trust a 12 sided socket
 
phil675 said:
I was once told that they don't replace 'moving parts', when I needed a new ratchet (it jammed), but the old lady behind the counter said she'd do it anyway as the boss wasn't in :confused:

I don't really get why the moving parts in the ratchet aren't covered but everything else is.
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Because they are the most likely thing to break.
 
Tom_ed1987 said:
I over torqued it apparently. Which is true, and pretty much the only way you could break one aside from crushing it in a press, but there you go.
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It may be true, but they don't specify a maximum torque on their adapter!

The Halfords Pro 12 sided sockets may be better but I just don't have as much confidence in them, I'd rather risk breaking the 1/4" to 3/8" adapter than rounding off the bolt. Having said that, if I broke the adapter I'd probably then try the 12 sided sockets as a measure of last resort in frustration :p

Why oh why do they give the 6 sided sockets a 1/4" and the 12 sided a 3/8", they're the same size sockets, it makes NO sense!


I've had a look at Machine Mart and they don't seem to do a 1/2" to 3/4" adapter either :( They must be out there somewhere by a reputable brand!

Edit: Or is it a case of, can't go too far wrong with these?
 
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miniyazz said:
which is a shame since I've got a lot of breaker bars in 3/4".
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miniyazz said:
I've had a look at Machine Mart and they don't seem to do a 1/2" to 3/4" adapter either :( They must be out there somewhere by a reputable brand!
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3/4" :eek:

What do you normally work on? HGV's? :D

Over 20 years in the trade and I can't remember ever seeing a car mechanic with 3/4" stuff. One of my mates has plenty of it but he was brought up on a farm mending tractors, combine harvesters and the like.
 
Lol, I got excited and bought a 3/4" set when I needed a 36mm socket :p

Total overkill but it gives me some real man metal which I think will come in handy with my more useful sockets... ;)
 
tigerstyle said:
I've got an older version of the set than this, mine goes up to 32MM 1/2" drive, but what really gets me and caused me to abort a brake bleed the other day because I thought the car was at fault: The 'DEEP' 3/8" inch drive sockets although 50+mm long only have the socket cut into them for the first few MM? So a 'DEEP' socket with only as much bite as a shallow socket? Talk about cheaping out...
An older Halfords set I've used has the deep sockets with them being machined properly all the way up the inside as they should be.

The shallow cut on the socket wouldn't go over the brake nipple I needed to undo. I assumed it was the wrong size though and din't look down into the socket at the time.

Otherwise, not to bad a set!
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Why would you be using a socket to brake bleed. How are you going to let the fluid out with a socket stuffed on the end of the nipple. Spanner all the way :)
 
Django x2 said:
Why would you be using a socket to brake bleed. How are you going to let the fluid out with a socket stuffed on the end of the nipple. Spanner all the way :)
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How are you going to crack off the bleed nipple for the first time when it hasn't been touched in years? 6 point socket to do it safely for the win, then move onto a spanner after the tube has been attached.

The spanners are all 12 point.
 
Ahh good point. Mine never really seize so a spanner is all that's required. Noted my friend the other day having a right FML moment as he was using a ratchet box spanner on the bleed nipple....LOL
 
Alright, bought that eBay kit. For just over a fiver, with a couple of smaller adapters as spares, can't go too far wrong.
No plans to use an air impact driver either, which it is supposedly up to handling, so should be fine :)
 
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