Good - but cheap - 1/2" socket set. Suggestions?

[Bandit127]

Good advice, thanks all.

I think it is Teng that make Halford's professional socket sets.
 

[thai-wronghorse]

Oh really, this would explain why they've lasted so well then.

[clipperjay]

Teng are the only ones that use a hard polyplastic grip and after 12 years of everyday hard abuse its lighter than any solid metal one! Plus I seem to torque things up quicker with it, than my other heavier sets.
 

[mk2terror]

ive had a teng socket set i use it everyday had it for years.

from 8mm to 19mm

useful : D

[Chambo]

Cant go wrong with halfords pro IMO I use them everyday at work so they do last and when something has gone wrong they will do a straight swap out of the cupboard,wratchet spanners with the flexi head I've had 2 replaced with no problems at all oh and a U.J,even silverline spanners are good I've had a couple of big spanners 27 and 30 mm that have been used for 3 years,often belted with a hammer and even the Crome finish is still intact so I'm impressed with them I don't own any silverline sockets though but am pretty impressed with the quality. Chambo

[twotwofour]

Halfords pro gear is draper expert. Most of it looks exactly the same too. Nothing wrong with it, equally up to snap on standards (which in my opinion is overpriced average quality gear for the grease monkey who needs to buy it on a payment plan).
Benefit with halfords gear is if it's broken you can take it back to the shop 7 days a week and there is a spotty youth ready to swap it 7 days a week.

I have gear from facom, teng, draper, wera, britool (now called britool expert), laser, Kennedy....
A good mixture. I can't fault any of the gear, it all serves its purpose.

If you want sockets for undoing rusty bolts, make sure you get 6 point (high torque) if available. They apply pressure on the flats of the hex rater than the 6 edges. The 12 point or multi point sockets are usefull only for fasteners that are clean and regularly undone.

I just bought a britool expert rail of sockets. £20 from eBay 10mm through to 32mm. I really can't fault them.

If people are busting the 1/2 inch drive ratchet then they aren't using them as intended. Get a decent strong arm/breaker bar around a meter long.