Sockets/Socket Sets

A socket set is the tool that covers the most ground for the least money, which is why it is usually the first thing on a new truck and the thing most often bought twice. The decisions that matter are drive size, depth, point count and whether the work is hand or impact. We stock individual sockets and complete socket sets in 1/4-inch, 3/8-inch, 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch drive, in SAE and metric, shallow and deep, with the ratchets, extensions, adapters and universal joints that make them usable in real spaces.

Drive size sets the torque the joint can take: 1/4-inch for control panels, electronics and small fasteners, 3/8-inch for the majority of general work, 1/2-inch for structural and fleet bolts, and 3/4-inch where line hardware and heavy equipment are involved. Six-point sockets grip the flats of a fastener and are the right choice on anything tight, corroded or already rounded; twelve-point sockets engage at twice as many angles, which matters in a confined space where the ratchet swing is short. Deep sockets reach a nut on a long stud; shallow sockets fit where there is no room above the fastener.

Impact sockets are not optional on an impact wrench. The black finish marks a tougher, slightly softer alloy that absorbs hammer blows, where a chrome hand socket is hardened to resist wear and can crack and throw fragments. Insulated 1000V sockets extend the same work to energized equipment. Where a fastener carries a torque specification, finish it with a torque wrench rather than trusting an impact setting.