Need advice – Preventative Sockets

[James O’Hara]

So lately I have been rounding more bolts and dealing with rust eaten bolts. This has to do with the fact that im now working on a lot of trucks older then 10 yrs, plow trucks, and I live and work in the rust belt. Where I work we see trucks from NJ, De, PA mainly all of which are good for salting roads really well.

I am to the point now where I feel I need to throw down some serious money and get preventative sockets ie flank drive, 6s, precision torque, extreme grip, sure grip etc. Some of these are very gimmicky and others are actually worth their salt. The 6s style sockets by Grey Pneumatic are amazing but, only come in 1/4″ Drive. So i will be mainly looking at 3/8″ and 1/2″ drive and I will only be buying impact grade. So what kinds do you guys have/use, how do they hold up to professional use, and how well do they actually work?

I am not looking for spiral or fluted sockets made specifically for removing very damaged fasteners. I am looking for a general use socket that is just better preforming and less likely for me to need to use the spiral/fluted type.

Topic

[Scott Osborne]

Love my TDS Cornwell sockets. I use them on rusty fasteners all the time and rarely see them round stuff off.

[zero]

I have mostly Snappy flank drive. Out of the 5 sets I won, I paid full price for 1. The rest were all package deals bundled with something else.

I had (and continue to have) some cheaper ones, but the difference is night and day when you stick them on a fastener.

[Larry Bible]

I had to read this thread. You certainly do need good tools and use a box end instead of an open end when you are breaking things loose, but don’t overlook the value of HEAT. There are many situations where the blue flame wrench is invaluable. Keep it close at hand and use it when you need to. Used properly it can save lots of time, money and frustration. Just don’t overuse it. Don’t allow the fact that the torch is close at hand to make you start thinking that it is right for every situation.

Hope this helps.

[Author]

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