Review on TEKTON 3/8 Inch Drive 6-Point Socket (14130) for Efficient Mechanic Work by Kulwinder Hendrickson

Cut through my old 13mm hex (made in USA) Thorsen which is over 35 years old. I will admit that I applied significant torque when loosening some disc brake bracket bolts. I had to use a 1/2 inch wrench and socket head. Replaced it with this one and Tekton impressed me. There will be snobs who despise anything that isn't made in the USA. I had the same disdain for Asian instruments. from China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan 30-40 years ago and it was well deserved. Since then the situation has changed significantly. I have no trust. On the other hand, Taiwan has generally improved the production of hand tools by orders of magnitude compared to the junk that poured out in the 1970s and 1980s. A number of brands make very good hand tools with excellent durability and reliability, making them well worth the price. and some others. Tekton is one of them and I was impressed with the range of their instruments, this is one of the first I bought. Snap-On, SK, Proto, MAC, Matco, Cornwell and heaps of heirs to the industrial brands Williams and Blackhawk and a few others I can't remember, all hand tool makers made in the USA are still top tools, but you Market target Technicians and mechanics use them 8-10 hours a day, 5-6 hours. Days a week, and even then only the highest paid can afford Snap-On. SK is not far behind in value. Ordinary mortals who know how to use hand tools and who have knowledge of home improvement maintenance, repairs, engineering and mechanical work cannot justify the high cost of these premium brands given the frequency with which they use them. Enter brands like Tekton. They are affordable, durable and reliable. What they don't do is the harsh treatment I've seen with hand tools. The Snap-On, SK, and Proto can handle this for a while at least, but I wouldn't expect this head to withstand 300 ft-lb of torque or be used with an air or electric impact wrench. On the other hand, maybe for a while at least, but I don't feel like checking it out as I don't abuse the tools. Conclusion: very, very cheap. Very well done. Sufficiently strong and reliable if not subjected to excessive loads. Need 300 ft-lb of torque? Get a minimum drive of 1/2 inch and even that is on the high end; The 3/4" drive is rated for this torque. Do you need to use an impact wrench? Make impact nuts to fit the anvil on the impact wrench. Keep it under 100 ft-lb and don't hit the with a hammer Breaker or the ratchet, don't put it on an impact wrench and you should be golden.