My Nissan Leaf Forum

So in the past, I bought this socket set http://www.directsupplyukltd.co.uk/products/metrinch-14-piece-socket-set-met-0525/269/ but it was recently stolen. Even though they sell this brand/style in America of this American made socket set, I can't buy this exact set here - only internationally. This company will ship it to me, but the cost is 38 pounds for carriage. Does anyone know if this is a reasonable charge to ship to Seattle? I've been in contact with the company and they are willing to ship, but I haven't heard back since I started talking about payment. Can I interest anyone in the UK to order it from thier website and ship it to me?

Unless you are wanting that exact set for sentimental reasons, I think you would be much better off with this set:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1260 ... dNo=5#desc

Not only is the price similar, but you can probably walk in and pick it up.

You cant compare the quality, the British ones are referenced to the Metric standard in Paris. The Sears tools are probably made in N Korea!

I dunno... Craftsman tools are generally high quality and they do carry a lifetime warranty...

The original appears to be some sort of english/metric combo set. Much more portable than the Craftsman one shown.

I'm definitely looks at this specific one for sentimental reasons. I love this set. I have Metrinch sets for 1/2 short and deep, 1/4 short and deep, 3/8 deep only now, and wrenches. I love these sockets because I can really put torque on the nuts without rounding them off and they don't have to be an exact fit. This small red set is the one I used the most (which was why it was out when I forgot to put it away and lost it) and I really want an exact replacement. The American site sells a 3/8 short and deep set, but it's physically twice as big. I consider myself lucky that somewhere in the world I can still get what I want. Hopefully I can find someone in the UK to help me out as airfare gets expensive...

shipping is 38 POUNDS? is that a mis type?

its a socket set. are you a professional mechanic? do you wrench for a living. there are a lot of top quality tools that can be had locally for the same price sans shipping. check out... umm, crap! cant remember the name of the place but they are on Pacific Hwy S just south of the Airport...hmm.?? but they have good stuff, or Tacoma Screw or ya like hey its a socket set right? am i missing something?

English Pounds, £.

I’m not a professional mechanic, but I play one on TV in my dreams.

I am definitely an automotive enthusiast. I took a stock Mazda Miata and modified it with a Turbocharger running at 15 pounds of boost. I’ve pushed a POS Pontiac Fiero home and *not quite* did a ground up rebuild/refinish on it. I’ve replaced a handful of engines and transmissions. And I do almost all of my own maintenance. So yeah, I end up using my sockets a lot.

The Metrinch socket is unlike any other socket I’ve come across. It does Metric and it does inch - it doesn’t care which. Most socket points are hard angles, but these are curved, like a sine wave. That shape allows them to firmly grip on nuts without needing at tight fit, so that abused and rounded nuts can still be taken off. This link kinda tells why it's different http://www.metrinch-tools.com/website/introductie.php?subnr=2. I remember when a buddy of mine was taking his exhaust down pipe out and the exhaust nuts rounded off with his socket set. I brought my Metrinch over and without trouble, we got the damaged nut off and left the stud in great shape.

They really are an amazing socket design and that is why I bought a full complement of them. But this red set… I used it far more than any of the others. It’s the right size and weight and does most of what I do. Anytime I go on a road trip, or over to help a friend, this one always went. That set and I have a lot of memories together (like when my buddy was rebuilding the front end of his pickup and we mistook a nick in the oil filter for a rear main leak. He bought a new truck over that oil filter ) so it’s worth more to me than to the average guy to get an exact copy of the set that I lost. I think I paid about $50 for it when I bought it, but I think it’ll cost me closer to $130 to replace it from England. For the same price, I can get a set from the American distributor, but it will have the deepwell sockets too. I’d rather have my smaller set.

Dave, I like your posts on this board and I’d like to meet you (again? We might have met in a downtown Renton coffee shop meet up a year ago…) so I’d be happy to drive down to your place and show you what a set looks like. I might need some help getting a charge before I head North though.

i was there!! and we do need to get another meet going now that we have a whole lot more people... but anyway back to topic

so these are not "just a socket set" then. i am not a mechanic but i do see the value of sockets that work on the "downtrodden" nut. i have also had many frustrating experiences with rusted, rounded, etc... in fact i have a set of channel locks that are basically set aside for this purpose.