Tools. Man do I love tools. I love investing in tools, I love using good tools. I take care of my tools. I don't buy everything, but I have a decent amount. Some trick tools, too.
Ok, so sometimes my quest for tools, combined with my penchant for frugality, lets me down. I bought 2 big sets of 6-point, deep well, 1/2 inch drive, impact sockets at the tool tent at an auto swap meet. One SAE, one metric. For like $20 per set. Cheap. They have served me well for the limited amount that I use them. Until yesterday.
I was taking off the winter tires on my late-model daily driver. I have them on a set of dedicated rims, so I can swap them myself at home. For some reason, the lugs were especially tight. I mean really tight. No problem, I have tools! I had the 19mm impact socket on my 24" breaker bar (big time leverage) and I hunkered down for a big pull. I know for a fact that I can pull harder with that than my wimpy impact gun can, even on it's highest setting, with a full air tank.
I lifted up on the breaker bar, and the entire corner of the car threatened to lift off of the driveway. PING! One loose. Again. PING! Whew. Again. Hmmm. Seems to have slipped off or something. Oh rats, galled the corners of the lug nut over. Big time. That looks like, well, we'll go back to that one last. Another. Hmmm slipped off again. Oh no. Galled another one. Geez, I'm dripping sweat all over here, and I can't even get one wheel off. Alright, number five, and...what the hell is this? (Look down at the end of the socket) Holy...I ripped the entire side of the socket open. I mean I knew I was strong, but...that's supposed to be hardened. Who is THE MAN!? Oh, wait, that was that Chinese tool set. Crap.
Ok, so sometimes my quest for tools, combined with my penchant for frugality, lets me down. I bought 2 big sets of 6-point, deep well, 1/2 inch drive, impact sockets at the tool tent at an auto swap meet. One SAE, one metric. For like $20 per set. Cheap. They have served me well for the limited amount that I use them. Until yesterday.
I was taking off the winter tires on my late-model daily driver. I have them on a set of dedicated rims, so I can swap them myself at home. For some reason, the lugs were especially tight. I mean really tight. No problem, I have tools! I had the 19mm impact socket on my 24" breaker bar (big time leverage) and I hunkered down for a big pull. I know for a fact that I can pull harder with that than my wimpy impact gun can, even on it's highest setting, with a full air tank.
I lifted up on the breaker bar, and the entire corner of the car threatened to lift off of the driveway. PING! One loose. Again. PING! Whew. Again. Hmmm. Seems to have slipped off or something. Oh rats, galled the corners of the lug nut over. Big time. That looks like, well, we'll go back to that one last. Another. Hmmm slipped off again. Oh no. Galled another one. Geez, I'm dripping sweat all over here, and I can't even get one wheel off. Alright, number five, and...what the hell is this? (Look down at the end of the socket) Holy...I ripped the entire side of the socket open. I mean I knew I was strong, but...that's supposed to be hardened. Who is THE MAN!? Oh, wait, that was that Chinese tool set. Crap.
-
So I picked out the closest SAE size, and finally finished without any problems. Lots more sweating, though. No, seriously.
-
Cheap tools are a gamble. I'm gambling a little money that they will work decently for a while, maybe longer. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Although in retrospect, these sets might not have been even a justifiable deal. For example, the sockets go down to 3/8 inch hex. These are supposed to be impact sockets. Who would use an impact gun on a teeny-weeny 3/8" hex? That doesn't even make sense.
-
I'll get a good quality socket to replace that one (only that one, because I'm frugal), and that will probably solve the problem. I don't use many metric tools.
-
For brevity, I will shorten the story up as time goes on. "Well one time I sheared an impact socket clean off. Just gripped it in my hand, and gave a mighty twist. Made a CRACK like a gunshot...'course I was pretty strong then."
1 comment:
Consideration: get SK sockets instead of Chinese knuckle busters.
Tom
Post a Comment