Tried the cheap harbor freight impact socket set on a stuck exhaust bolt

I had a 2004 F-150 with a seized exhaust manifold bolt that just wouldn't budge. Figured I'd save some cash and grabbed the $20 Pittsburgh set instead of my usual Snap-on stuff. First impact hit and the socket split right down the side, left me staring at a broken tool and an stuck bolt. Lesson learned the hard way - spending $60 on a single impact socket from a good brand saved me 3 hours of drilling and cussing later. Anyone else have a cheap tool fail at the worst possible moment?

2 comments

2 Comments

terryk2824d ago

First impact? Man that's terrifyingly fast for a socket to just give out like that.

bennett.mason22d agoMost Upvoted

Fast for a socket? Maybe, but these things don't just snap out of nowhere. There's almost always a hairline crack or a bad heat treat from the factory that's been waiting to let go. First impact just happened to be the straw that broke it, not the actual cause. I've seen sockets that looked perfect on the outside but were garbage inside from day one. Toss in a cheater bar or a slight angle on the bolt and boom, that's your night ruined. The metal's got to have some flex, and if it's too brittle, it'll fail no matter how gentle you are with it. So yeah, I get why it feels scary quick, but I'd bet my next paycheck that socket was already on its way out before it ever hit the lug nut.