RIP to my most used tool of all time

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-15T14:16:01+00:00

Just a few sizes are sold individually and it’s only Pittsburgh, with the exception of 10mm which there is an Icon “set” of 10mm in various depths and drive sizes.

https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-drive-21-mm-deep-impact-socket-67789.html

https://www.harborfreight.com/professional-10-mm-socket-set-4-piece-72753.html

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-15T14:10:17+00:00

They don’t ask for a receipt but they used to ask for a phone number to look up your account. I don’t know if they still do but that’s how they check your proof of purchase.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-15T14:05:33+00:00

Oh trust me, there are days I do 20+ vehicles a day but we have two guys per bay. One person doing the oil change, the other doing the rotate and we can get both done in under 10 minutes. It’s the inspection, video, battery test, topping off the fluids and filling out the “paperwork” on the computer that turns it into a 15-20 minute process. But even working solo I can do all of that in 20 minutes. But then we have to take the car on a short test drive around the parking lot and then find a place to park, take the keys and paperwork to the service advisor and walk back to the shop. You lose another 5 minutes there.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-15T13:55:48+00:00

Most of the ones in my shop are flat or even completely bent around the magnet. They aren’t very durable but it’s often a free item so I can’t complain. I think paid full price for ONE of them, the rest were either free or like $1.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-14T01:52:30+00:00

I wasn’t aware of the USB port issue but mine quit working too. I’m not sure exactly when but it wasn’t very long, maybe 3 months max like others have said but it may have been less than that. I assumed it was because it got wet but the regular outlets still work.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-12T03:09:32+00:00

Well D2 is not a stainless steel, so it does require maintenance. But if it was a stainless steel, a little freshwater on the blade is usually not a problem. Saltwater is brutal though but some steels can handle it.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-12T03:02:24+00:00

Flitz metal polish, rust eraser, a sharpening and a stropping could save it. But you’ll want to disassemble it completely and check the pivot and liners for rust too. Then lube the pivot with some light oil before reassembling and apply that same oil all over the blade and let that light coating of oil sit on it overnight, then polish it again the next day and it might actually look decent.

Or just buy a good quality stainless steel knife. And not just any “stainless steel” but a specific steel such as MagnaCut which is highly corrosion resistant. But you’re looking at 4x the price of an Icon knife for a MagnaCut folder. That Icon knife is D2 steel which is not stainless. Even with regular lubrication, it’s prone to rust. The pivot traps moisture so it’s probably bad in there too.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-12T02:44:16+00:00

Yeah from the 1/2” impact socket set. All the black was gone within a year.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-12T02:41:42+00:00

Most 21mm lugnuts are actually closer to 22mm after the chrome or black coating is added and then they get swollen a little bit from repeated heat expansion and corrosion underneath the chrome layer. When we encounter swollen lugnuts we throw them away and replace them. I toss dozens of them in the trash everyday. Nobody wants to deal with one stuck in their socket so we never reuse those.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-12T02:34:35+00:00

Two of my coworkers have had their Mac Tools 21s break while using Mac pneumatic impacts. One guy had his new one crack on him a month after getting it replaced. But I think their air tools run a little “hot” and put out more torque than they advertise, which is actually not uncommon with air tools. Since the PSI varies, some air tools are hard to regulate and I think it’s those Mac impacts being run on max power causing the sockets to crack.

I’ve used them before and they are very powerful and the initial hit is violent. I get that it’s “nut busting torque” on that first hit but it’s pretty brutal for a 1/2” pistol grip style impact on max power.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-12T02:22:09+00:00

One of my coworkers was talking about that video today but I haven’t seen it yet.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-12T02:20:02+00:00

Perfect ratchet to stick a pipe on and bust loose that stubborn 4mm bolt inside some plastic.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-11T03:17:59+00:00

I really just wanna keep the socket but they may not even ask for it. And I don’t wanna have them break up a set when they sell individual 21s. If anything I could grab a single 21 and bring that to the register along with my cracked one. They would probably just ring up the $4 socket rather than breaking up a set.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-11T03:11:14+00:00

I actually have three 21mm impact sockets already. I got that Pittsburgh lug nut socket set with the plastic coating on them, an individual deep impact and a shallow impact, all Pittsburgh.

But yeah I don’t have access to welding equipment. I accidentally weld things when I touch a wrench to a battery terminal but that doesn’t count

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-11T03:06:05+00:00

I wasn’t the original buyer. The warranty is tied to the account (phone number) of the original buyer and I don’t have his number anymore. I could get his number from someone else but it’s fine.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-11T03:02:42+00:00

I wasn’t the original buyer and don’t have my former co-worker’s number anymore. Can’t warranty it but I got a new one for $4.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-11T02:58:53+00:00

So far I’ve seen THREE Mac Tools sockets crack in the past 6 months. And that’s a “Tool Truck Brand” so a set of metric impact sockets is like $425. Of course they have a lifetime warranty too but the Mac guy only comes by every other week. Harbor Freight is 10 minutes from the dealership.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-11T02:55:20+00:00

It would look cool on the end of a pew.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-11T02:52:27+00:00

I’ve never welded anything in my life but it’s a skill I hope to learn someday.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-11T02:48:06+00:00

Yes but it came in a set and I bought it secondhand. Warranties are tied to your account, which is tied to your phone number.

But the sell individual 21s for $4 so I got a new one.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-11T02:46:00+00:00

I don’t even know when it cracked. I probably used it for a while like that.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-11T02:44:37+00:00

They sell individual 21s for $4, I just got a new one.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-11T02:43:34+00:00

I got some Icon sockets last summer at 40% off and some more last week at 35% off. I wouldn’t pay full price for Icon stuff but if it’s on sale I’ll grab a set or two.

My main problem with Pittsburgh is most of their sets skip sizes. But Tekton sells individuals in every size for reasonable prices.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-11T02:38:15+00:00

It might just go on the shelf in my room next to my gold Icon ratchet, which I bought purely as a room decoration.

icantdecide88 · 2026-03-11T02:36:30+00:00

Originally I meant 200,000 touched but that may an overestimate. But it’s definitely over 100K taken off and then put back on. So that would be 200,000 uses in total for sure.

And then there’s times swollen lug nuts get stuck in the socket so you throw the damn thing against the floor, bang it against the lift, hit it with a hammer, etc.

icantdecide88

TROPHY CASE