Author Topic: 3/8" Drive sets  (Read 39518 times)

Offline hickory n Steel

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Re: 3/8" Drive sets
« Reply #60 on: October 14, 2018, 08:37:52 PM »
Here's my only 3/8 " set " which was a gift for my birthday last year from someone who doesn't know a ton about tools.
The ratchet is smooth and it gets the job done, but being made in China It's nothing I'd want to brag about.
Maybe when they start making these in the US again I'll break it and exchange it at Lowe's  ;D


And of course this is the epitome of what I hate about blow mould cases, I could easily fit 3 of these sets in a steel case if these dimensions.
« Last Edit: October 15, 2018, 07:01:20 PM by hickory n Steel »
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Offline J.A.F.E.

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Re: 3/8" Drive sets
« Reply #61 on: October 15, 2018, 09:42:42 PM »
Believe it or not a lot of people like the blow molded cases. I have nothing against them because they are plastic my objection is the interiors leave little room for additions and they are always kind of silly large for the contents. But hanging in the store it looks like you are getting a big set and I guess that's what moves the merchandise.
People who confuse etymology and entomology bug me in ways I can’t put into words.

Offline hickory n Steel

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Re: 3/8" Drive sets
« Reply #62 on: October 15, 2018, 09:58:03 PM »
Believe it or not a lot of people like the blow molded cases. I have nothing against them because they are plastic my objection is the interiors leave little room for additions and they are always kind of silly large for the contents. But hanging in the store it looks like you are getting a big set and I guess that's what moves the merchandise.
They work great when the tools aren't extremely hard to remove as they can be, it's mostly just the bulk for me though I do like the classic appeal of steel.

I've had and seen blow moulded cases that make good use of space, but most such as this one seem to be huge just so they can look " cool " on the rack.
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Offline bonneyman

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Re: 3/8" Drive sets
« Reply #63 on: October 15, 2018, 11:07:27 PM »
Heck, put a RHFT rat in that box and call it a good day!  ;D

Offline J.A.F.E.

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Re: 3/8" Drive sets
« Reply #64 on: October 15, 2018, 11:45:34 PM »
Heck, put a RHFT rat in that box and call it a good day!  ;D

The RHFT is one of the best ratchets to wear the Craftsman name the others all being antiques now. Definitely a ratchet worth having.

The sockets in the set are actually pretty good but an extension or two and a universal are needed.
People who confuse etymology and entomology bug me in ways I can’t put into words.

Offline d42jeep

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Re: 3/8" Drive sets
« Reply #65 on: October 16, 2018, 03:34:44 AM »
Here is a wartime Duro/Indestro/D-I 3/8” drive set that I’ve been putting together for quite a while. During WW2 1/2”, 1/4” and even 9/32” drives were more popular than 3/8” so it’s been pretty time consuming finding the pieces and I’ve had plenty of help from my WW2 tool buddies. The sockets are all D-I marked except for one wartime Duro.
-Don

Offline DeadNutz

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Re: 3/8" Drive sets
« Reply #66 on: October 16, 2018, 10:11:37 AM »
Blow molded cases are fine as long as you are paying attention when opening them. Nothing worse than opening them upside down and ending up with a pile of loose sockets. The wife has a Husky USA 1/4, 3/8, 1/2" set that I grab as a road box when I go to help someone and I have opened it upside down. :(

Offline bonneyman

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Re: 3/8" Drive sets
« Reply #67 on: October 16, 2018, 10:15:57 AM »
Blow molded cases are fine as long as you are paying attention when opening them. Nothing worse than opening them upside down and ending up with a pile of loose sockets. The wife has a Husky USA 1/4, 3/8, 1/2" set that I grab as a road box when I go to help someone and I have opened it upside down. :(

You've only got to do it once!  :-[

Offline J.A.F.E.

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Re: 3/8" Drive sets
« Reply #68 on: October 16, 2018, 12:19:39 PM »
Blow molded cases are fine as long as you are paying attention when opening them. ...

Yes I have to confess to doing tat myself. Perhaps more than once.

The other thing when the cases use a molded flap as a hinge or clasp and it breaks over time then it won't stay closed and tends to dump everywhere. And forget about using the grab handle.
People who confuse etymology and entomology bug me in ways I can’t put into words.

Offline hickory n Steel

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Re: 3/8" Drive sets
« Reply #69 on: October 16, 2018, 03:37:58 PM »
Blow molded cases are fine as long as you are paying attention when opening them. ...

Yes I have to confess to doing tat myself. Perhaps more than once.

The other thing when the cases use a molded flap as a hinge or clasp and it breaks over time then it won't stay closed and tends to dump everywhere. And forget about using the grab handle.
I used to have a cheap drill in a blow mould case that the latches broke off of, I'd forget and every other time I picked it up the drill would fall out. I'd often catch it but it didn't take too many impacts on the garage floor to leave the drills guts spilled about.
The crappy western auto 1/4 set also had problems opening, and it was in a steel box albeit with a poorly designed latch.
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Offline bmwrd0

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Re: 3/8" Drive sets
« Reply #70 on: October 25, 2018, 10:44:31 PM »


I found the 5/16-2/8-7/16 and 5/8-11/16- 3/4 (all FV's) today at the restore, already had everything else I needed and put together this small set. Don't really need much outside these for most light jobs. Just need to find the correct 2" extension and I am good to go.

Offline bonneyman

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Re: 3/8" Drive sets
« Reply #71 on: October 26, 2018, 12:00:04 AM »
Nice! Hows the ratchet feel? SO probably has the kit for it still if need be. The one time I called SO for a rebuild kit the lady on the phone was super nice and they got the parts to me really fast.

Offline bmwrd0

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Re: 3/8" Drive sets
« Reply #72 on: October 26, 2018, 09:12:20 AM »
It already has a kit in it, I had been hanging on to it for a while, just waiting for something to do with it.

Offline d42jeep

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Re: 3/8" Drive sets
« Reply #73 on: November 10, 2018, 07:34:30 AM »
Here is a Walden combination 3/8” and 1/4” drive set that is missing a few pieces along with an earlier Walden ratchet.
-Don

Offline Jwitt

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Re: 3/8" Drive sets
« Reply #74 on: November 27, 2018, 06:38:16 AM »
Some craftsman back in the day needed a way to carry his 3/8 set around. What he did was make a wooden box that incorporates the speed wrench as the handle.




All of the tools are early Craftsman.
Jim