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The best socket sets for home mechanics and DIYers

  • The best socket sets for automotive use
  • Versatile beyond solely automotive
  • Uses for sockets explained

Written by Chris Williams Updated: 29 November 2023

If you’re planning to do any substantial work on a car or anything big and mechanical, nuts and bolts will more than likely be used to hold everything together and you won’t be getting very far without a quality socket sets to remove these fasteners. A good hand tool set and wrench are essential for loosening or tightening these fasteners. Socket sets also include different socket sizes, integral for dealing with different-sized fasteners.

If you’re willing to spend a fair amount of cash on a socket set, we’d recommend Bahco. Founded in Sweden in 1886, Bahco is renowned for producing top-quality tools used both domestically and by professionals. Its range of socket sets aren’t world-shatteringly expensive but are of exceptional quality.

Wera or Focum socket sets are at the pricier end of the market and will have the same quality construction as presented in each brand’s screwdriver sets. Wera’s Zyklop wrench is a particularly clever innovation combining five ratchets in a single tool, but again commands a pretty steep price.

The best socket sets at a glance:

Editor’s pick: Bacho S330 1/4 and 3/8 inch 34-piece set – buy from Amazon.
Best for serious home mechanics: RS Pro 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch mechanical tool kit – buy from RS Online.
Best for classic cars: Sealey AK691 3/8 inch 35-piece Socket Set – buy from Demontweeks.

More affordable options we’d recommend include Draper or one of the entry-level Bahco sets. Draper is known for hex sets regularly used in professional situations but doesn’t have the same price tag attached. Don’t expect the same level of innovation, ergonomics or finish though. Most socket sets will come with a ratchet wrench included too, good news for beginners.

The best socket sets  

Editor's pick
Price: $61.30
Founded in Sweden, Bahco is now a brand with an international reputation for high-quality alloy steel sockets. The S330 sits at the affordable end of Bahco’s socket line-up and is great for DIYers and home mechanics. 

Residing within the chunky plastic case are 3/8-inch sockets, including spark plug sockets, plus a collection of 1/4-inch slotted, Phillips, and hex bits.   

Pros

  • Excellent build quality
  • Dynamic-Drive doesn’t damage fasteners

Cons

  • 10mm the smallest socket size included
<strong>Dimensions</strong> 33 x 30 x 23.5 cm
<strong>Drive system</strong> Square
<strong>Material</strong> Chrome Vanadium Steel, Polypropylene, Alloy Steel
<strong>Number of pieces</strong> 34
Best socket set for beginners
Talking yourself or being talked into tools that are overkill for you is extremely easy. A £200 socket set is of no value to casual home users, just as an Arctic expedition tent is of no value to recreational UK hikers. Workpro’s 3/8-inch, 24-piece socket set is ideal for occasional users. 

Consisting of the most common metric and imperial socket sizes, plus two spark plug sockets, most scenarios are covered with this set. It’s not as high a quality as the Bahco set above but using chrome vanadium steel alloy, it’s still corrosion-resistant and durable enough for DIYers. 

Pros

  • Metric and SAE sizes
  • Hard case included

Cons

  • Bahco set is better quality
<strong>Dimensions</strong> ‎19.51 x 7.01 x 15.01 cm
<strong>Drive system</strong> Fixed Square
<strong>Material</strong> Chrome Vanadium Steel
<strong>Number of pieces</strong> ‎ 24
Best for the serious home mechanic
You may have heard of RS Components, you may not. It’s huge – a massive multinational that produces industrial products, electrical components, and tools. Lurking amongst its vast product line-up is this comprehensive (but not overloaded with tools you’ll never use) toolkit.

In addition to the large collection of 1/4- and 1/2-inch drive sockets, there are also screwdriver bits, precision screwdrivers, and combination spanners. People who frequent the home workshop will benefit from this set more than casual DIYers.  

Pros

  • Accurately comprehensive
  • Very high quality

Cons

  • Overkill for casual users
<strong>Dimensions</strong> ‎ 19.51 x 7.01 x 15.01 cm
<strong>Drive system</strong> Fixed Square
<strong>Material</strong> Chrome Vanadium Steel
<strong>Number of pieces</strong> ‎ 24
Best socket set for classic cars
Sealey has a catalogue as extensive as is it possible for a tool manufacturer to be. Its AK691 mixed socket set serves as a suitable companion to home mechanics with a classic or American car, due to its inclusion of 11 imperial socket sizes (1/4 to 7/8-inch).

Sealey has an established reputation for quality with its hand tools in particular, and you should enjoy a lifetime of use with this set. 

Pros

  • Metric and imperial socket sizes
  • Metal hard case

Cons

  • No deep sockets
Best spark plug socket set
By and large, a standard socket set will cover almost all jobs you need to undertake, both for automotive purposes and beyond. Although a socket set may well include spark plug sockets, annoyingly there isn’t a universal size for spark plugs.  

Addressing this issue are specific spark plug socket sets. This one from Sealey is our pick of the bunch because it’s well made, great value, and bears all the sizes you’ll need. 

Pros

  • Excellent quality
  • Completes a socket set

Cons

  • None, but you may not need it
<strong>Dimensions</strong> ‎ not given
<strong>Drive system</strong> Fixed Square
<strong>Material</strong> Chrome Vanadium steel
<strong>Number of pieces</strong> ‎ 4
Best wheel nut impact sockets
Impact sockets are for use with impact wrenches and a tell-tale sign is the black rather than polished finish. High-torque tasks such as removing and fastening wheel nuts require tougher sockets, and these Draper sockets are the only ones here suitable for use with a power wrench. 

While removing and fitting car wheels is quite simple, it’s crucial to be done properly. Therefore, we only recommend this job and these impact sockets to highly competent home mechanics.

Pros

  • It can be used on locking wheel nuts
  • Use with an impact wrench

Cons

  • Only suitable for highly competent users
<strong>Dimensions</strong> ‎not given
<strong>Drive system</strong> One end is hexagon 6pt and the other a reverse conical gripper thread
<strong>Material</strong> Not given
<strong>Number of pieces</strong> ‎ 4
On sale
Price: £189.99 was £299.99
Available in 1/4 and 1/2 inch form, this comprehensive socket set includes everything from standard ring spanner and screwdrivers to spark plug sockets for your car maintenance requirements.

Extension bars and reinforced ratchets are also included, and the regular sockets range from 4-32mm in size.

Pros

  • Incredibly comprehensive tool set
  • Great build quality

Cons

  • The socket sizes could be more varied

Things to consider with socket sets

Which sockets are used for what? 

Concerning the sockets themselves, there are a few different types of sockets. Americans, insisting on being different, still use imperial socket sizes along with classic cars. If you see SAE attached to a socket set, it means it’s imperial. SAE stands for Society of Automotive Engineers, which is US-based. The rest of the world uses metric units. It’s a similar story with spanner sets.

The most common type of socket, whether it’s metric or imperial, is the six-point or hex socket, designed to fit over a hexagonal bolt head or fastener. These are the most versatile and fit the majority of fasteners. There are more specific types of sockets, such as spark plug sockets. Carrying an apt name, these are for removing and fitting spark plugs. If you have a diesel and need to remove the glow plugs, check out our guide on the best glow plug removal tools.

Regarding drive sizes, these still use imperial measurements even with Draper’s metric socket set. The smallest quarter-inch drive is best for accessibility in confined spaces. Three eight-inch drive sits in the middle and is the best for DIYers because of its versatility. This drive offers better accessibility than half-inch but more torque than quarter-inch. Half-inch drive in automotive applications is for high-torque jobs, like fastening or loosening wheel nuts. 

Chris Williams is a Senior Product Writer for CAR, also working for Live For The Outdoors. An expert in camping and muscle cars, he spends most of his time up a mountain or laying rubber.

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