Spec Me: A Decent Socket Set

I think the £40 set Bledd linked too is probubly all I need, but as NickXX and Moeks have suggested, there will always be that extra piece you dont have that you need. I will probubly go for the 150 piece set that is down to £99 at the moment. As long as I consider it an investment and keep the set tidy (the whole reason I need one is my dads is spread accross the house/shed/garage) I can justify £100 on shiny spanners :).

Im no mechanic, but it will just be nice to be able to go "I need a Xmm socket and a Xmm Torx, oh here they are", rather than having to huint around for bits.
 
I agree Skeeter - makes jobs so much easier when you have a proper tool set, things like extension sockets which you might use rarely can be the difference between getting a nut off in seconds or not getting it off at all. There's nothing worse than having to go out to the shops to get a new tool unexpectedly in the middle of a job.

Out of interest, does anyone know why they make 12 pointed sockets? Cheaper to make?
 
The set I most commonly use is a 3/8" Teng six sided socket set with spanners and it's been great!
 
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You can buy the sockets separately on rails but its much more cost effective to buy the whole kit, even if you dont plan on using it.

I have the Halfords 1/2" set amongst others, and while the Imperial sizes hardly see any use, they are good for if a bolt does round off, you can hammer one of those onto it in a final attempt to remove it (Lost keys for locking wheel nuts anyone!).

In 4 years I have manage to break a couple of the extensions with the pins (replaced) and a 3/8th ratchet which I used when I should have been using a breaker bar in fairness and put way too much force through it (also replaced). Some Halfords can be funny as the guarantee doesnt cover the rachet mechanisms, but I just tried another one and they were OK with replacing it.
 
sigma said:
The set I most commonly use is a 1/4" Teng six sided socket set with spanners and it's been great!
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Great until you come to undo anything with any torque going through it, 1/4" goes up to what, 14mm?

Have fun trying to get your wheel nuts or driveshaft nuts off with that!
 
I bought the 150 piece halfords set - was £89 instore and pleased i did - i am no mechanic but i went for the bigger set for reasons above, its good to have more than you need now as you may want them later !

Really pleased with set so far :)
 
Berger said:
Great until you come to undo anything with any torque going through it, 1/4" goes up to what, 14mm?

Have fun trying to get your wheel nuts or driveshaft nuts off with that!
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Mine goes up to 22mm. For bigger stuff I just use a breaker bar and impact sockets usually or a 1/2" depending on the situation.

I did say 'commonly' and for most jobs it's fine (for me anyway).

I was recommending the brand rather than the actual set I own.
 
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sigma said:
Mine goes up to 22mm. For bigger stuff I just use a breaker bar and impact sockets usually or a 1/2" depending on the situation.

I did say 'commonly' and for most jobs it's fine (for me anyway).

I was recommending the brand rather than the actual set I own.
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I doubt its a 1/4" set then as the Teng site doesnt list anything which goes that high. More likely to be a 3/8".

I have a pair of Teng Torque wrenches and have found them to be excellent, the other tools look to be good too, but the convinence of the Halfords sets won it over for me, and you get 20% off with a trade card.
 
My personal advice would be to avoid the 150 piece set and get the 1/4 + 3/8 drive tray set, and if you need it the 1/2 drive set that comes in the case. The reason being that the 150 piece is littered with stuff that you probably don't need, like screwdriver bits and allen keys. I much rather prefer the separate kits, far more sockets (including deep 1/4 drive and deep 3/8) and more extensions.

If possible try and blag a trade card. When I bought my two kits that retail at £180, I paid not much more than £100 with the trade card.

Oh, and if you think you'll be dealing with a lot of Trox, spline and Allen bolts I STRONGLY recommend the Sealy AK219 kit.
 
I've got most of Halfords socket sets,(1/4,3/8,1/2, inc 150 pc kit), while they are very good, there's nothing like relying on a good 6 point socket and knowing you knuckles are going to be fine. 12 points are easier to locate onto nuts/bolts than 6 point and can be good for rusted bolts/nuts by using a slightly smaller size, but 6 points are much better and safer to use.
 
Joshy said:
My personal advice would be to avoid the 150 piece set and get the 1/4 + 3/8 drive tray set, and if you need it the 1/2 drive set that comes in the case. The reason being that the 150 piece is littered with stuff that you probably don't need, like screwdriver bits and allen keys. I much rather prefer the separate kits, far more sockets (including deep 1/4 drive and deep 3/8) and more extensions.

If possible try and blag a trade card. When I bought my two kits that retail at £180, I paid not much more than £100 with the trade card.

Oh, and if you think you'll be dealing with a lot of Trox, spline and Allen bolts I STRONGLY recommend the Sealy AK219 kit.
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i bought one of those small ones too as i managed to break my old 1/4 drive. it lasted 20 years but lost out to a peugeot nut. :( those small halfords sets are 6 sided too.
 
We picked up the 150 bit set the other day (after reading recommendations on here in the past) as my sister and nephew both have cars that are going to need work done :/
For the price it looks to be a pretty reasonable set, especially with the warranty.

We've got hundreds of other sockets, including a load of six sided ones*, but we needed a new half inch ratchet, universal joint thingies, deep sockets, and a set that we can pick up and know it's got most/all of the sockets we're likely to need for a job.

The mildly annoying thing is, in our case we've almost certainly got many of the sockets at least two or three times over, but can never find the right size when needed (last time I sorted the sockets out we had hundreds including some I think my dad inherited, and from when he first started owning/repairing cars in the 60's).


*Some I suspect were used in the engine room of the Ark ;)
 
I managed to get a second hand snapon set for about £120 on ebay, bargain, most of my tools are second hand off ebay now that I think of it.

Halfords pro are raved about though, supposed to be good for the money.
 
Sorry for a slight thread hijack.

I'm looking to get some tools so I can safely remove my wheels and give them a proper clean - wrench's, axle stands etc...

I am looking at getting this wrench to remove the wheel nuts. Problem is I have seen people say 'get a rubber fitting so you dont damage the nuts'. Do they mean something like this? Am I right in thinking that 'plugs' into the end of the wrench?

I will then also get a torque wrench to safely re-tighten the nuts. If I use the rubber socket with the torque wrench will it impede its ability to sense the torque?
 
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