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Old 12-05-2021, 10:32 PM   #1
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Source for sockets and adapters

I have been trying to find a vendor to whom I can send a list of the sockets and adapters that I need for my toolbox, get a quote, place the order and have them shipped, and I am surprised I cannot find one. My preference is for Craftsman sockets, though I will consider other brands if they are equally reliable and similarly priced (scratch Snap-On, prices are obscene), and I need a variety of 1/2 in, 3/8 in and 1/4 in drive sockets, metric and SAE, 6 point and 12 point, and a few adapters and universals.

Any suggestions?

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Old 12-05-2021, 10:43 PM   #2
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Flash mob shopping in Chicago or San Francisco? I go by my local pawn shop to look about twice a year. I've done pretty good with that.
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Old 12-06-2021, 01:06 AM   #3
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Flash mob shopping in Chicago or San Francisco? I go by my local pawn shop to look about twice a year. I've done pretty good with that.
Pawn shops are a goldmine. I bought a Stanley all aluminum router for $20
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Old 12-06-2021, 09:02 AM   #4
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I agree that pawn shops can be an excellent resource, but only when the economy is not doing well. When I was living in the DF/W area in Texas a lot of mechanics in the airlines were either retiring or being laid off and it was a HUGE goldmine for the tools that I needed to build an experimental aircraft (or two). But where I live pawn shops are few and far between and a lot of what they carry is more along the lines of consumer electronics and jewelry.

Anyway, I was hoping for a referral to a web site for a company that can take a list of items I need and provide me with a quote.
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Old 12-06-2021, 10:52 AM   #5
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Both Home Depot and Amazon sell all manner of sockets and adapters. You can get a fairly comprehensive "mechanic's set" for a couple hundred dollars. The Husky line at Home Depot is every bit as good (or better) than Craftsman. Ace Hardware carries the Craftsman line if that's your preference. All are available on-line.
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Old 12-06-2021, 10:58 AM   #6
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I just checked out flea bay and searched 3/8" proto and got lots of hits. Many with free shipping. I am missing a few myself and am going to take a census and order some.
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Old 12-06-2021, 11:37 AM   #7
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Both Home Depot and Amazon sell all manner of sockets and adapters. You can get a fairly comprehensive "mechanic's set" for a couple hundred dollars. The Husky line at Home Depot is every bit as good (or better) than Craftsman. Ace Hardware carries the Craftsman line if that's your preference. All are available on-line.
The ones I am missing are part of sets, but if I did that I'd wind up with a lot of dups, which I am trying to avoid. The last set I figured I could get was an Icon 1/2" drive set where I was missing a number of consecutive metric sockets.
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Old 12-06-2021, 12:05 PM   #8
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Snap-on, Proto, Armstrong, Mac, and Matco are some of the strongest sockets I have used. I'm sure that there are others. Craftsman sockets are all thin wall that I find handy but I have broken more than a few. My bus tools are the strongest ones because a broken bus and broken tool is still a broken bus.
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Old 12-06-2021, 12:05 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rwnielsen View Post
Both Home Depot and Amazon sell all manner of sockets and adapters. You can get a fairly comprehensive "mechanic's set" for a couple hundred dollars. The Husky line at Home Depot is every bit as good (or better) than Craftsman. Ace Hardware carries the Craftsman line if that's your preference. All are available on-line.
I was thinking the same thing since Husky appears to be a good brand, but Home Depot only carries a fraction of the sockets I need. For example, 1/2inx36mmx6pt is only available as a deep socket or an impact socket, and the prices are high compared to Craftsman.
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Old 12-06-2021, 12:07 PM   #10
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Snap-on, Proto, Armstrong, Mac, and Matco are some of the strongest sockets I have used. I'm sure that there are others. Craftsman sockets are all thin wall that I find handy but I have broken more than a few. My bus tools are the strongest ones because a broken bus and broken tool is still a broken bus.
I haven't graduated to the level of the game where I can break craftsman sockets, only the cheap chinese ones. I will look at the expensive sockets but only at pawn shops, if the price is right.
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Old 12-06-2021, 01:41 PM   #11
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I buy my MIA sockets/tools off ebay. No real pawn shops close by, the ones that are, only seem to carry jewelry and outdated electronics.
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Old 12-06-2021, 03:00 PM   #12
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craftsman used to have many mechanic kits with multiple multiples.

they have sets with every size socket with 6 point, 12 point, and some extra fancy laser engraving on em, in 1/4, 3/8s and 1/2" drive.

i don't know about you guys.... but repeatedly, i have real bad luck with 1 brand of tools. the dewalts. just bought some screwdrivers, chipped the flathead right out of the box. bought an expensive set of drive ratchets and a month latrer they have gone stripped and rusty won't rachet anymore. corded tools stop working under light use. frankly, i'll never buy the fancy yellow brand again. too many losers in the bunch.
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Old 12-06-2021, 09:14 PM   #13
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I usually buy from Mcmaster-Carr, they have singles, complete sets and are always name brands like Armstrong, Proto, Wright. You can order at home in the middle of the night in your underwear and unless you live out in the boonies you will have them the next day if ordered by 4pm.
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Old 12-07-2021, 11:46 AM   #14
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Not sure about the modern Craftsman tools for use on a bus.

A few years ago I needed a torx bit somewhere in the 45 size range. I was working on one or my Harleys. I decided to get a set of the Craftsman 3/8" drive torx bits with a lifetime warranty - just in case.

I put the bit into the screw and cranked on it with my ratchet and it quite literally shattered into many small pieces. I took the set back, got a refund then ordered a Snap-On bit off the internet. Seems to me the one Snap-On bit cost a couple times as much as the entire Craftsman set. Difference is the Snap-On bit didn't 'SNAP' on first use and it's still in my box.

If you can find Craftsman tools from back-in-the-day then they'd probably be good but not modern, Chinese ones.
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Old 12-07-2021, 11:51 AM   #15
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Is Craftsman now made in China?
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Old 12-07-2021, 01:16 PM   #16
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Have been for a decade or more. The last craftsmen combination wrenches I bought around 2010 definitely were, the finish on them was terrible compared to the older wrenches I had. I read somewhere that they've since brought some of it back, but I can't find the article.
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Old 12-07-2021, 01:39 PM   #17
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What a damn shame. I haven't bought a craftsmen tool in years so I guess I was out of the loop. I have my grandfathers craftsman table saw built in 1939 and just put new bearings in it. Runs smooth. I have a lot of older craftsman hand tools USA built and are good tools. Maybe they will come out with a line of diaper bags with the Craftsman logo on the side. Proudly made in USA. That will make them dependsable.
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Old 12-07-2021, 04:24 PM   #18
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Yeah, I'd place my older craftsmen wrenches up against my snap on stuff any day. The new stuff is garbage. Rough edges, chipped chrome, and a wide tolerance on sizing. I could tell immediately it was different, because the chrome plating was real white colored compared to a normal chrome. And the surface, which usually had a "smooth" forged finish, was real rough and almost cast like.

Their ratchets were always a grade below snap on IMO, but the first 1/4" drive set I bought in 2010 got sent back because the ratchet mechanism was in pieces in the box. The replacement unit broke and seized solid about the 2nd use. I think I actually still have it around somewhere.

It's always disappointing to see something with decades of quality cheapened up like that.
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Old 12-07-2021, 08:13 PM   #19
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One of the advantages Craftsman had was lifetime replacement on any damaged tool. I would always get people to give me their broken ones and take a box in to Sears every now and then. A couple of decades ago they stopped replacing the tool, and instead started doing inhouse repair of the tool. Usually meaning leave it here and we'll call you when it's fixed. The repair kits must be Chinses products, because they don't last at all.
DeWalt makes good power tools, hand tools is just a side line.
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Old 12-11-2021, 09:29 AM   #20
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Have been for a decade or more. The last craftsmen combination wrenches I bought around 2010 definitely were, the finish on them was terrible compared to the older wrenches I had. I read somewhere that they've since brought some of it back, but I can't find the article.
Sockets are not made in China. They are still made in the US.

Snap-On most definitely manufactures in China as well as in the US, just like Craftsman. And most importantly, I can get 10% off on ALL tools at Lowes (except the ones that are already on sale, and sometimes I get it on those too). Snap-O does not offer any military discount. Rather pathetic for a so-called "all American" company.

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