Whether you live in a single-family home or an apartment, you have come across a few situations that required that you need a decent set of tools. You could be assembling some new furniture, tightening a loose door knob, or any number of tasks that arise.
When you need tools to to complete a task, there is nothing worse than not having the right tools or a set of tools that has pieces missing. The missing pieces are almost, always the ones you need. If you are a person that does not ‘fix’ a lot of things but want some basic tools around just-in-case; a good set of socket wrenches is a good place to start.
A socket wrench is a type of wrench, sometimes referred to as a ratchet wrench and it uses separate and removable sockets to help tighten many different sizes of nuts and bolts. A socket wrench is a tightening /loosening tool that looks like a short pipe with a removable or integrated handle with either a square of hexagonal shaped hole.
The most important factor to consider when looking for socket wrenches is size. Choosing the proper size wrench is crucial, since using a socket wrench that is too large will damage the points of the tool. Socket wrenches are sold in four common sizes or drives: 1/4 inch, 3/8 inch, 1/2 inch, and 3/4 inch. If looking for American socket wrenches, remember that the 8 point sockets fit only square heads while 12 point sockets fit both hexagonal and square heads. Wrenches with 6 point sockets are the most secure.
