Sockets & Ratchets

A socket wrench is a type of wrench, or tightening tool, that uses separate, removable sockets to fit many different sizes of fittings and fasteners, most commonly nuts and bolts. more...

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It generally includes a ratcheting mechanism that allows the nut to be tightened or loosened with a continuous motion, rather than requiring that the wrench be removed and refitted after each turn. Typically, a lever behind the socket switches the wrench between tightening and loosening modes. The sockets attach to the ratchet through a square fitting that locks onto them and come in four common sizes: 1/4 inch, 3/8 inch, 1/2 inch, and 3/4 inch. These different square measures are described as "drives." (Despite being denominated in inches, these are international standards and no "metric" counterparts exist.) Larger drive sizes such as 3/4 inch, 1 inch, and above are usually reserved for use on fasteners used on larger industrial vehicles, in shipyards, and the like. The sockets themselves come in a full range of inch (SAE) and metric sizes. The two cannot be substituted for each other, even if the fit seems "close" - it will wind up destroying the nut or bolt head. The sole exception is the 3/4" and 19mm sockets, which vary by only one twentieth of one millimeter (less than the width of a human hair). The advantage of the socket wrench system is speed - it is much faster than a conventional wrench, especially in repetitive bolt-on or bolt-off usage.

The modern socket wrench, with interchangeable sockets, was invented by an American J.J. Richardson, of Woodstock, Vt. The tool was patented through the Scientific American Patent Agency on the 18th of June, 1863. The first illustration of the tool appears on pg. 248 of the April 16, 1864 issue of Scientific American. Previously, sockets were attached to the handle, so different-sized nuts required different wrenches.

Socket types

Sockets come in a variety of types:

6-point vs 12-point

Modern nuts and bolt heads are made with hexagonal gripping surfaces and as such limit the number of positions a wrench can adopt when placed over them. Sockets are produced in 6-point (hexagonal) and 12-point (double-hexagonal) configurations. When working in a confined area with limited turning space, 12-point sockets double the number of starting positions. 6-point sockets, however, offer a better grip on fittings and are less likely to slip and round off the corners with continued use and are generally preferred for damaged nuts and bolts. Simply stated: 12-point sockets are faster, six-point sockets are more secure. The majority of good quality "homeowner" socket sets come with 12-point sockets, which are perfectly adequate for almost all uses. Professional mechanics will generally prefer the 6-points sockets.

Read more at Wikipedia.org