This post is sponsored by The Home Depot. The socket section of my mechanics tool box bears a fair resemblance to a hockey player’s smile at the end of a long season, lots of gaps. Somehow all of my 17, 14 and 13mm sockets have morphed into a pile of 16mm sockets, ditto for the 9/16ths, ½” and 5/8ths, all somehow magically transformed into a jumble of useless 11/32nds and 3/16ths. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a 16mm nut in all my time wrenching, I’ve managed to construct some very elaborate configurations to adapt a socket to a totally inappropriate drive size in order to complete a job. It also seems that the wayward sockets I find on the side of the road while out riding my bike (you’d be surprised by the number) were placed there by the same malevolent force that is determined to prevent me from ever having the right socket for the job.
Better Than a Set of Dentures
With all of that said, I was delighted to have the Husky 200 piece socket set show up at this branch of Home Fixated. With 200 ¼”, 3/8” and ½” drive sockets, this is the ultimate socket collection from Husky. That’s 200 sockets. This is not one of those 200 piece sets where you get 40 hex keys, 20 magnet inserts and an assortment of weird tools that look like they came from a supplier for sadistic dentists. Each socket features off-corner loading to help prevent rounding and damage to fasteners. The set offers a wide selection of sockets including SAE, Metric, 12-point, 6-point as well as standard and deep length sockets. This is the perfect mechanic’s socket set to combat that gap toothed look of my current set.
I wanted to get a look at what was included and started to sort the contents. They came out of the box conveniently sorted by drive size and length in separate bags. I grabbed some socket trays I had and started to get a good look at the scope of this collection.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About The Husky 200 Piece Socket Set
• Set includes: (25) 1/4 in. drive 6-point sockets, (20) 1/4 in. drive 12-point sockets, (22) 1/4 in. drive 6-point deep sockets, (28) 3/8 in. drive 6-point sockets, (23) 3/8 in. drive 12-point sockets, (22) 3/8 in. drive 6-point deep sockets, (2) 3/8 in. drive spark plug sockets, (34) 1/2 in. drive 12-point sockets, (24) 1/2 in. drive 12-point deep sockets
• Full polished chrome finish easily wipes clean of oil and dirt
• Cold formed chromium-vanadium (Cr-V) steel sockets for outstanding durability and strength
• Sockets feature chamfered lead-ins help to provide fast and easy placement onto drive tools and fasteners
• Sockets are designed with off corner loading to help prevent the rounding of fasteners
• Chrome finish provides corrosion resistance and added durability
• Large, hard-stamped size markings allow for easy readability
• Meets or exceeds ANSI standards
• Both 6 and 12 point sockets
• Includes 1/4 in., 3/8 in. and 1/2 in. drive size sockets
• Lifetime Warranty with no questions, no receipt required
The warranty on these tools is bulletproof. Just return any broken socket to Home Depot for replacement. The policy is lifetime, no questions asked, no receipt needed. Period.
Putting The Husky Socket Set to the Test
The sockets arrived just in time to get in on one of my least favorite jobs. The drum brakes on my Toyota pickup had just started to make a grinding noise whenever I applied the brake pedal. Best to address that issue quickly and hope the drums weren’t scored. I jacked the beast up, set it on the jack stands and got to work. Typically it is suggested that when using an impact driver an impact rated socket is used. I wasn’t sure if these sockets were rated for impact drivers, but the no questions asked warranty gave me all the permission I needed to fit the 1/2’” drive deep well 13/16” socket to my battery powered impact driver and remove the wheels. The chamfered openings allowed for easy fitment to the lug nuts. The fit was perfect, no play at all, I spun the nuts off and they fell easily out of the socket once removed. Exactly what I had hoped for and the socket readily withstood the force of the impact driver.
I repeated this operation on the other side, same result. I decided to push it a little further and fit the ½” deep well socket to the impact driver. I started a couple of bolts into the threaded holes on the drum and applied the impact, alternating from one to the other to pull the drum free. The driver had to work pretty hard to break the drum free from the hub, and then it broke free and came right off. Again, the socket easily slipped on and off the bolts, fit perfectly and demonstrated no ill effects from the abuse I had just administered. Please note, since we could find no reference to these sockets being impact rated, The Home Depot would probably appreciate you not abusing them like we did.
Anyone that has ever done brake work is familiar with the fine black powder that covers everything within 5 feet of the job. It is a job in itself to clean up clothing, skin and tools after a brake job, but the high degree of polish on these sockets made it painless to clean them up, just a quick wipe with a shop towel and they looked like new.
Looking Pretty Chipper
The next job on the agenda was installing new blades on a chipper shredder. Lots of nuts and bolts on this thing. Utilizing the smaller impact driver and the Husky socket set again installation of the blades and reassembly was quick and easy. As before, the fit on any fastener was precise. The chamfered entry again made fitting easy, and despite applying substantial torque the sockets again readily slipped from the fasteners.
More Wrenching Around with Husky Sockets
Since I had the impact driver and sockets out I decided to tackle one last job. We had purchased a 6′ rotary mower last year, or as it’s more commonly called, a brush hog. I used it quite extensively last year, and had recently dug it out of the sheep barn to start again on the pastures. I had been thinking I needed to change the gearbox oil but had been putting it off as it can be a battle to remove the fill plug on these things. I again fitted the appropriate socket to the impact driver and let it hammer away until the fill plug finally let loose. Again, I was delighted to see the socket was perfectly intact and that the fill plug slipped right out of the socket, not having distorted at all.
The Right Tool for the Job – Husky Ratchets
As a bonus, Husky sent along two of their newer ratchets. One was a long handle model and the other a stubby version. Both featured dual pawl technology which provides engagement in just 3.6 degrees of arc. If you’ve ever been in a tight spot you will be able to appreciate just how handy this feature is. The long handled unit is 15″ long, providing additional leverage to loosen stubborn fasteners. The stubby ratchet comes in at 5.5″ allowing for it to fit tight spots. Both also feature a low profile head, a flush mounted reversing lever, quick release button and are covered by the same lifetime no questions asked warranty as the sockets.
The Verdict on Husky Sockets and Long and Stubby Ratchets?
We have a lot of equipment around the farm, which are held together with a multitude of fasteners of various sizes. If, like us, you have need of more than just a basic set of sockets, the Husky 200 piece socket set is a good choice for you. Having the deep well sockets along with 6 and 12 point sockets included has covered any application I have come across at this point. I would recommend that anyone purchasing this set also buy some sort of system to index and organize them, given the sheer number of sockets. Oh, and a bigger tool box might be in order as well. The 200 piece Husky socket set is normally available from Home Depot for $199, but is currently on sale for $99.00:
You’ll find the low profile long handle ratchet for around $26:
And the stubby ratchet for around $20:
I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with Home Fixated in sponsored content. As a part of the sponsorship, Home Fixated is receiving compensation for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are our own words. This post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.
Well I bought the 200 piece Husky socket set. Any ideas on a brand of socket rack that actually accommodates all the sockets?
Husky’s tool sets are a superior product in comparison to the brands we trusted years and years ago with so called “Lifetime Warranties” I often find myself reaching for a husky tool set over my many others and there seems to be a more tangible ergonomic feel about them as to feel natural to be using them. They feel like a quality tool, they look like a quality tool, they function like a quality tool and the warranty is the real deal.
I agree Brian, as I put these sockets through a number of what I considered to be serious challenges I was consistently impressed with the quality of the tools. The fit was always perfect before and after use regardless of the amount of torque applied. I haven’t had to replace any at this point but am encouraged by the terms of the warranty, superior in all respects to some other brands.