This post concerns a quest for the strongest sockets made--Sears vs. snap
on, 3/4" drive vs. 1/2" drive, impact sockets vs. regular sockets.

So in the middle of all these posts about the proper tightening torque for
lug nuts (I think there's been a new factory bulletin issued lowering the
torque spec to 110ft lbs., by the way) I went four wheeling and broke my
tire. When I went to change it, I was horrified to find that I could not
remove the lug nut until after about 1 hour of attempting to do it with a
star wrench.

The star wrench didn't seem to be quite the right size, and I felt it was
in danger of rounding the nuts.

Meanwhile, I finally suceeded only after squirting liquid wrench in there
and using cheater bars.

So when I got home I decided to loosen them all and retorque them, just for
safety sake preparing for the next time. Well, wouldn't you know, most of
the lug nuts were frozen on and I had to use a 1/2" breaker bar and 1/2"
socket to get the lug nuts off. The star wrench this time did indeed round
one of the nuts and I had to throw this nut away. Serves me right for using
no-name Harbor Freight tools, but the last lug nut was so tight I had to
use a 5 foot cheater bar on a 4 foot breaker bar and my 1/2" 19mm socket
broke!

So I changed to a Sears brand 19mm 12 point socket and sure enough the
socket did not break and the lug nut came off. Hummm.... Maybe Sears is
better than Harbor Freight no-name after all.

During this procedure, I noticed that the 1/2" breaker bar was under severe
stress during this procedrue so I decided to get a socket for my 3/4"
breaker bar so that I would have no doubt in the future as to my ability to
remove these wheel nuts without destroying the breaker bar.

But the fact is, Sears does not make a 3/4" 19mm socket. So I called
1-800-tools-for-u yesterday (Snap-On) and they said they don't make a 3/4"
socket either in regular form, but they do make an impact socket version.

So innocently, I asked the Snap-On fellow if the 3/4" impact socket would
be stronger and the fellow said this: he said the impact sockets are made
of softer steel and are not as hard as the regular sockets. Further, he
said they are *cheaper* than the regular sockets and he did not know
whether they would be stronger or weaker for my application.

I thought an impact socket was always stronger, but what do I know?

I am not tempted to order from tools-for-u the 3/4" impact socket unless
one of the list members has the opnion that a non-impact socket (regular
style) would be stronger.

Comments on all of this, anyone?

_____________________________________________________
Derek Drew                           New York, NY & Washington DC
ConsumerSearch
drew@interport.net
212-580-6486 (W)
212-580-4459 (H)