Irwin "Bolt Grip" sockets

Hi all,

Has anyone used Irwin "Bolt Grip" sockets?

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Are they any good? Just wondering if anyone has a strong opinion before I splash out on a set...

Best wishes,

Chris

Reply to
Christopher Tidy
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They look the business.....but there are not that many sizes.

I would only use them on stubborn rounded off nuts and bolts ... do not use as everyday sockets ,,,looks like they will damage the heads.

All the best.....mark

Reply to
mark

Indeed. They're only meant for damaged heads. I'm just trying to to weigh up whether to buy these or a die grinder.

Chris

Reply to
Christopher Tidy

Reply to
ravensworth2674

Try some of the cheaper brands, such as Teng.

Cheers Tim

Dutton Dry-Dock Traditional & Modern canal craft repairs Vintage diesel engine service

Reply to
Tim Leech

I haven't seen any for sale. I can only find bi-hex.

Best wishes,

Chris

Reply to
Christopher Tidy

sorry for the hijack, Are Teng really a 'cheaper' brand? I thougth their tools were of better than avarage quality.

Dave

Reply to
david.sanderson

Well they're cheaper than the top european and US brands. I've got two sets of theirs, one 3/8" drive metric, the sockets I've had no trouble with but the ratchet is cr*p. The other is 1/2" with metric, a/f and Whit, again I've had no trouble with the sockets but the case is rubbish & the t-bar and ratchet aren't of a very high standard. Both sets were good value at the time, but certainly not top quality. The metric set is all hex sockets, the larger set is all hex except for the Whit, which are bi-hex. Can someone explain the logic there?

Cheers Tim

Dutton Dry-Dock Traditional & Modern canal craft repairs Vintage diesel engine service

Reply to
Tim Leech

I'd agree with Tim here. Teng are middle of the road. Not the worst but not the best.

Best wishes,

Chris

Reply to
Christopher Tidy

Much of my stock of BSW have square heads. I can hammer a hex socket on a square headed nut, but bi-hex is a much easier fit. :)

Regards,

David P.

Reply to
David Powell

Fair point. Most square nuts were on coach bolts. Once upon a time you could buy special sockets for square nuts, I've got the odd one (I think they're 8-point)

Cheers Tim

Dutton Dry-Dock Traditional & Modern canal craft repairs Vintage diesel engine service

Reply to
Tim Leech

After considerable thought, I think I'm going to buy a set of these sockets. They're cheaper than a good electric die grinder, and given the failure of my experiments with alum so far, I'd rather extract the bolts whole. Most of the reviews I can find seem to be positive. I just hope they're as effective as they claim to be, and that the lobes don't wear down too fast.

It's a pity that Irwin don't sell their 13 piece set in the UK (and neither do any of the American sellers want to export here). Snap-on sell a set which looks identical at about twice the price. I was watching a barely used Snap-on set on eBay, but it has already soared up to a high price. What is it about Snap-on stuff? Their stuff looks similar to tools from Facom and Gedore which cost a lot less.

I'll post a review here once I've had chance to use them a few times.

Best wishes,

Chris

Reply to
Christopher Tidy

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