Tool Review: GEARWRENCH 3/8” 7-pc SAE Long Hex Bit Socket Set
One of the greatest challenges a technician faces is not being able to access the part of the vehicle that needs service. Depending on the job, some technicians are able to add extenders to their tools, and other times technicians just have to get creative. When using the GEARWRENCH 3/8” 7-pc SAE Long Hex Bit Socket Set, No. 82537, Audeliz Mejias is impressed by the length of the tool.
Meijas, a technician at United Rentals Aerial Division in Worchester, Massachusetts, is pleased with the fact he did not need to use an extension with the hex bit socket set.
“The length provides an obstruction-free straight shot to the fastener, where an extension female end would be too large of a diameter and contact the edge thus pushing the tool off-center and likely causing the hex fastener to strip,” he says.
Other features of the set Mejias likes include the engraving of the sizes on the socket and that the hex bits are pressed into the sockets they were attached too.
“I’ve had other [hex bits] that simply slide in with a set screw or drift pin to hold them in place, but I much prefer this design,” he says. “The bits stay in – they don’t fall out or wobble around. You get a positive engagement and you can feel it.”
According to the technician, the set is very easy to use. The fact the tips of the sockets have a chamfer allows them to slide smoothly into the fastener, notes Mejias.
The only downside Mejias could find with the socket set is the packaging. Though the box the set arrived in did clearly state what was in the set, the tools were loose inside the box, making Mejias question whether he had received the whole set.
After removing the tools from the box, Mejias found he did have the whole set, and the set comes with a holder to help keep the sockets organized.
Editor's note: Mejias received an early product run of this set. Since then, GEARWRENCH has addressed this packaging issue.
The technician utilizes the set for a variety of applications around the shop, including jobs involving recessed cylinder head bolts, hub bolts, and hydraulic line fasteners.
Mejias has used other basic hex sets, but with these, he is especially impressed with how little flex the tools have given their length.
“I feel like the less flex there is the harder the hex bit,” he says. “The harder hex bits seem to work better [for] me, and [I] get more positive engagement with less chance of stripping fasteners.”
Mejias finds this product to be of great quality.
