The Best Deep Sockets For When Shallow Sockets Won’t Reach

Ask anyone who works on cars and they will tell you that a socket and ratchet set is an absolute must have item in your tool arsenal. In fact, working on cars without one would be nearly impossible. While there are many tools that can perform the individual functions of each individual tool in a socket and ratchet set, the overall functionality would be extremely costly to replicate if you are building a tool set piece by piece. Accordingly, most mechanics tend to have a mechanic’s tool set on hand to cover most of the basic auto maintenance and repair work.

However, even well equipped socket sets have their limitations, as you will find when you encounter nuts and bolts on your car that your ordinary socket set just can’t handle. One common shortcoming is that many socket sets only contain shallow sockets, which are the most common type. Some types of fasteners, particularly nuts threaded over long studs, require a longer socket to allow you to get your wrench on them. Fortunately, there is a socket type designed specifically for this purpose, and as such, a set of deep sockets is going to end up saving the day pretty often when you encounter tricky fasteners under the hood. The best deep sockets are both high value and durable enough that they will pretty much last forever.

The Best Deep Sockets

When it comes to deep sockets, Tekton pretty much corners the market thanks to their high quality and attractive pricing on their sockets. The Tekton deep socket sets are made from a high-strength heat treated chrome vanadium steel that is later chrome plated for corrosion resistance and long lasting durability. The sockets feature a 6-point high torque design (although they should not be mistaken for impact sockets and thus should not be used with an impact wrench) that gains good purchase on the fastener and prevents rounding corners off, even if the fastener is made using soft metal. The notched drive opening has a small recessed detent that will lock onto your ratchet or socket extension to prevent you from losing a slippery socket down into the engine bay.

Sometime after Henry Ford pioneered the automotive assembly line in America, the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) sizing in inches became the standard in the United States. The rest of the world continued to use a common metric sizing. What that means for auto enthusiasts is that you will have to chose the right set, or get both if you have multiple vehicles from different countries and have to accommodate both design standards. Fortunately, Tekton offers both metric and SAE sets so they have you covered. Each set includes eight sockets total. The sets are available in 3/8″ drive and 1/4″ drive, so there is a lot of versatility in terms of sizing depending on what you need. All sockets also have the size stamped into the base of the socket for easy identification.

As far as available purchasing options, Amazon is extremely competitive and is pretty tough to beat. Overall, the design and durability of the Tekton deep socket sets will offer long lasting value since they are robust enough to last a life time. They high performance from a quality tool brand and are undoubtedly the best deep socket set around. Happy wrenching!

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