Teach me tools - 1/4" or 1/2" socket sets
Discussion
I'm a very basic home mechanic - tyre changes, oil/fluids, batteries and on a brave and on an organised day - brakes. I would like to expand my limited skills.
My question is thus: socket sets - 1/4" or 1/2" or maybe both?
My thinking is 1/4" allows for smaller tools for areas with clearance issues, 1/2" allows for great torque, or is there something else I'm missing?
TIA
My question is thus: socket sets - 1/4" or 1/2" or maybe both?
My thinking is 1/4" allows for smaller tools for areas with clearance issues, 1/2" allows for great torque, or is there something else I'm missing?
TIA
3/8” is where it’s at. Get a good 3/8” socket set with a few extensions and a good ratchet handle.
...except for wheel bolts, caliper carriers etc, bigger stuff- 1/2”. Have probably 17mm, 19mm, 22mm, 24mm, 25mm sockets.
No need for a 1/2” ratchet, just a cheap 2’ breaker bar.
1/2” torque wrench which goes up to 150NM or so
1/4” is last.
...except for wheel bolts, caliper carriers etc, bigger stuff- 1/2”. Have probably 17mm, 19mm, 22mm, 24mm, 25mm sockets.
No need for a 1/2” ratchet, just a cheap 2’ breaker bar.
1/2” torque wrench which goes up to 150NM or so
1/4” is last.
Edited by HustleRussell on Wednesday 1st May 23:20
The majority of my gear is 1/2 inch drive.
I've got some 3/8 and 1/4 as part of a Halfords set, but it's the 1/2 inch I use time and time again. As others have said, 1/4 is good for internal trim parts or other light work (I also use mine for carb linkages).
I vaguely recall reading about some guy on PH years ago who complained that he kept breaking tools - turned out he was using 1/4 drive stuff to remove wheel bolts from his car!
Been working on cars for 25 plus years... it's never occurred to me to use 1/4 for wheels or suspension.
I've got some 3/8 and 1/4 as part of a Halfords set, but it's the 1/2 inch I use time and time again. As others have said, 1/4 is good for internal trim parts or other light work (I also use mine for carb linkages).
I vaguely recall reading about some guy on PH years ago who complained that he kept breaking tools - turned out he was using 1/4 drive stuff to remove wheel bolts from his car!
Been working on cars for 25 plus years... it's never occurred to me to use 1/4 for wheels or suspension.
Most of my sockets are 1/2" drive. Mainly AF & metric.
Some 3/8" in AF & metric sizes which gets a fair bit of use in spots where the 1/2" is too big.
Small set of 1/4" metric deep sockets for small stuff. Not used very often but last occasion was to replace the regulator on an alternator & the fasteners are tiny.
Built up over the past 50 years.
Some 3/8" in AF & metric sizes which gets a fair bit of use in spots where the 1/2" is too big.
Small set of 1/4" metric deep sockets for small stuff. Not used very often but last occasion was to replace the regulator on an alternator & the fasteners are tiny.
Built up over the past 50 years.
PositronicRay said:
My go to set is 3/8, 90%of stuff. 1/2 for suspension and brakes, 1/4 for trim or really light stuff.
Same. Also have a micro ratchet (were) which adapts onto 1/4” sockets and a way overpowered 1/2” ingersoll rand impact driver for when things really don’t want to come unstuck!3/8” is perfect for most jobs on a car I very rarely need to go bigger. 1/2” is used mainly for hub nuts and the like, although I always use a 1/2” torque wrench for wheelnuts at the track as it has better feel.
Both. Majority of my stuff is 1/2", and I use them for everything except for smaller stuff where I rely on the 1/4".
Majority of my stuff is from Halfords, their Advanced range which is pretty good. The ratchets I have are about 7/8 years old now and still going strong.
I also bought some Sealey 6 point sockets from Amazon, which aren't chrome but black. Two reasons for this. Black sockets can stand up to alot of impact (so if a nut isn't budging you can hammer it), the chrome ones don't tend to stand up to that sort of punishment. The second reason is that 12 point sockets can slip and you can end up rounding the head off, which isn't ideal. A 6 point socket will help prevent this, and to be honest I've never had a 6 point socket slip on me.
Majority of my stuff is from Halfords, their Advanced range which is pretty good. The ratchets I have are about 7/8 years old now and still going strong.
I also bought some Sealey 6 point sockets from Amazon, which aren't chrome but black. Two reasons for this. Black sockets can stand up to alot of impact (so if a nut isn't budging you can hammer it), the chrome ones don't tend to stand up to that sort of punishment. The second reason is that 12 point sockets can slip and you can end up rounding the head off, which isn't ideal. A 6 point socket will help prevent this, and to be honest I've never had a 6 point socket slip on me.
Not surprisingly everyone has their different preferences. I have a halfords pro 1/4" set, a 35 year old draper expert 1/2" set and a fairly new draper expert 3/8" set. The 1/4" gets used for little stuff like hose clamps, underbody panels, stuff under the dash etc.
The 1/2" is my go-to for everything larger and the 3/8" only gets used where access is a problem.
In terms of quality none of them have let me down.
I would start with 1/2" then get some decent combination spanners, then 1/4", the stubby spanners, torque wrenches (you will want at least two to get the range) etc etc etc. I always buy tools when I find I need them on the bases that the cost is justified by the saving from not paying someone else to do the work. Storage space can be an issue after a while though
I also tend to get mid range tools (hence the draper expert socket sets). Cheap stuff (eg silverline etc) is false economy, you end up getting better later. Top brands like snap-on you are paying for the name rather than the quality imho. But you do have to be careful. Draper make some pretty cheap and nasty stuff but I have always found their expert range good quality.
The 1/2" is my go-to for everything larger and the 3/8" only gets used where access is a problem.
In terms of quality none of them have let me down.
I would start with 1/2" then get some decent combination spanners, then 1/4", the stubby spanners, torque wrenches (you will want at least two to get the range) etc etc etc. I always buy tools when I find I need them on the bases that the cost is justified by the saving from not paying someone else to do the work. Storage space can be an issue after a while though
I also tend to get mid range tools (hence the draper expert socket sets). Cheap stuff (eg silverline etc) is false economy, you end up getting better later. Top brands like snap-on you are paying for the name rather than the quality imho. But you do have to be careful. Draper make some pretty cheap and nasty stuff but I have always found their expert range good quality.
3/8" drive for most bit on your average car. You can get a 1/4" reducer for the 3/8" and then use any 1/4" sockets you buy for special jobs.
Basically you buy a base socket set and then if you have a single car for a while you buy the sepcific tool(s) for each job you do on it building up the correct set of tools for maintaining that car.
It so much more of a pleasure to work on the car with the correct tool rather than messing around with say and adjustable spanner.
Basically you buy a base socket set and then if you have a single car for a while you buy the sepcific tool(s) for each job you do on it building up the correct set of tools for maintaining that car.
It so much more of a pleasure to work on the car with the correct tool rather than messing around with say and adjustable spanner.
HealeyV8 said:
3/8" drive for most bit on your average car. You can get a 1/4" reducer for the 3/8" and then use any 1/4" sockets you buy for special jobs.
Completely agree however for the OP's benefit I thought I'd add the following;You might wonder what the drawback is to doing everything with 1/2", for example. In what way is having a 1/4" or 3/8" kit beneficial when you can use a 1/2" with an adapter?
The obvious answer is you often aren't going to have room to swing a 1/2" bar if you're working on small stuff.
Less obviously- the classic newbie mistake when starting out is over-tightening fixings and snapping them, or applying too much brute force on fixings which have been over-tightened in the past or have corroded in place. Using a smaller bar limits the torque you can physically exert and can make the difference between shearing something clean off and stopping, having a brew and a think.
a 1/2" bar is going to make it very easy to shear a caliper slider pin bolt. 3/8" not so much. However a 3/8" bar will comprehensively mangle a jubilee clip (hex screwdrivers are best for these).
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