5 Of The Best Universal Joint Socket Brands (And 5 To Steer Clear Of)

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Universal joint sockets aren't the kind of tool that everyone will need; chances are, most don't even know what they do. If you're reading this, then you're probably not part of that group, but let's go through the basics, just in case. Universal joint sockets are tools that let you access areas that would otherwise be inaccessible to a ratchet or a power tool. How they do this in practice is a little complex, but in short, they transform movement towards one direction into movement towards another, letting you push down on your ratchet to dislodge a bolt at an awkward 45° angle.

Some universal joint sockets can rotate 180°, others are not as versatile but can deal with a lot more torque, and all are mostly used with an extension between the socket and the ratchet/impact wrench. While this is a somewhat uncommon tool, at least with DIYers, you might be surprised to learn that it's hard to find a truly horrible joint socket brand. Here, we'll discuss which brands are worth it and which are not, whether it's because they're too expensive or because the warranty isn't great. Before we do, let's put things into perspective. In reality, all those tools are fine. If you don't use a hand tool with an impact wrench, it probably won't break, no matter the brand. That said, some universal joint sockets are better than others.

Craftsman might not be the most premium toolmaker out there, but it's a respected name and usually offers a lifetime warranty, which isn't a given at a price this low. That's also true of the brand's universal joint sockets, which come in a decent variety and have good reviews. Craftsman sells two sets of this tool, both made of three pieces. One set is in the classic u-joint shape that allows it to bend 180° to work comfortably in extra cramped areas. It comes in a full polish chrome finish, which is resistant to corrosion, and has the socket's sizes sketched in large letters to quickly tell the pieces apart from each other.

The other set follows the less common, ball-shaped design; maybe that's why it's a little more expensive, coming in at $52.48 instead of Craftsman's alternative set, priced at $22.48. This design is often considered to take high levels of torque with less of an issue, but we should point out that neither of those sets is impact-rated. The second set comes with a wide black coat of paint and white details, and the measurements of the sockets aren't market but painted. Both sets include universal drivers in ¼, ⅜, and ½-inch varieties. The u-joint set is included in Craftsman's 298-piece tool kit.

Pittsburgh isn't a bad brand, per se, but it doesn't take much to figure out that something had to be sacrificed for the price to be so low. At $9.99 for the three-piece u-joint universal impact joint set, Pittsburgh's tools are only a quarter of the price of Icon's, another Harbor Freight brand and its in-store rival of sorts. Whether the price difference is justified is a constant matter of discussions especially online. Universal joint sockets are not the only tool line that sparks debate between the users of both brands, either: the conversation pitting Pittsburgh vs. Icon wrenches is equally heated and just as confusing.

Are Pittsburgh's universal joint sockets good? They certainly seem decent for the price, with their positive rating and hundreds of reviews. However, reading some of those reviews, it's easy to see a pattern between the score given and the use of the tool. Many who have given the tool three stars or fewer did so after using them with impact tools. However, it doesn't seem like the tools take kindly to this kind of use. Perhaps the similar ball-shaped two-piece universal impact joint set will be more resistant, as some say this version of the tool is, but it doesn't come with the ¼-inch size which is in the other set. To summarize, Pittsburgh is the best of the not-so-good choices. The only reason we say "avoid" is because, for the dollar figure, it only takes a little extra money to buy a much better product.

The most expensive Harbor Freight brand that makes universal joint sockets, Icon offers a good amount of choice and has positive reviews. And while it is more expensive than Pittsburgh, another major Harbor Freight brand that we just looked at, the difference isn't so pronounced to put them in different price brackets. Icon's spring-loaded ball design two-piece Professional Impact Universal Joint Adapter Set is sold for $24.99, making it about three times as expensive as the Pittsburgh equivalent, but that difference is easily felt in the reviews. Not a single user reports the tool breaking as soon as it was used with an impact gun, with many reporting it successfully tolerated their high-torque drivers.

Icon made SlashGear's list of the best socket set brands as well, so it's no surprise that the brand's universal joint sockets are well-liked. However, you might have noticed that the only set we mentioned until now only comes with two adapters: the ⅜-inch and the ½-inch ones. One of the most commonly used sizes is the ¼-inch, so where is it? Don't worry, it's in the other set, the u-joint three-piece Professional Universal Joint Socket Adapter Set. These aren't impact-rated and don't have quite the same average review score of the other set (4.6 vs. 4.8 stars), but are more flexible, thanks to their shape. They are also more expensive than the three-piece set, coming in at $42.99. Both products come with a lifetime warranty.

Matco Tools is a major toolmaker, but not everyone will recognize its name. That's because, while the brand is trusted by many professionals, its prices and offers are out of the reach of most hobbyists, while its renown is nowhere close to that of Snap-On and similar brands. In other words, Matco is really expensive and doesn't have many reviews. Are you going to spend $66.50 on a single ⅜-inch impact universal joint from a brand you don't really know, based entirely on nine user reviews? Probably not, yet, we can't ignore the fact that those reviews are not just positive but ecstatic.

For many of its users, Matco Tools isn't just about the quality or the specifics of the tools, but the convenience of buying from this brand. Matco's website has a whole page dedicated to franchising opportunities, especially tool truck vendors. It's clear by reading the page that the company is in the business of franchise tool distribution as much as tool manufacturing, which is why it doesn't make most of its tools. Who makes Matco Tools, then? It's hard to say. Some are made by the company. Others are manufactured for them from third parties. However, many more seem to be rebranded versions of affordable products with a massive price markup. If you're going to buy Matco Tools out of convenience, that convenience is still there. We just can't suggest you actively seek out this brand for your universal joint sockets.

Tekton sells all the universal joint sockets we've come to expect (¼, ⅜, and ½ inch), in both a u-joint style set, and individually, in steel ball and spring form. All of those have great reviews, and the price isn't too bad, either. They're more expensive than something like Pittsburgh but still cheaper than most named brand. Plus, Tekton tools come with a very generous warranty that is just about as hand-off as you can get. According to the brand's website, submitting a warranty claim is as simple as taking a picture of the broken tool, placing a piece of paper with your name and today's date nearby, and taking a picture. If you upload the request before 2 p.m., they'll even ship the replacement on the same day: "No time limits, no receipts, and shipping on us." It doesn't get much better than that.

Of all the many tools that Tekton sells, the company's high-rated tool sets with a lifetime warranty are especially note-worthy, and universal joint socket sets are no exception. While the massive, possibly excessive 33 and 19-piece sets are a little expensive, each priced at over $200, they can be found for great prices when on sale. At time of writing, the Tekton 33-Piece Universal Joint Socket Set is being offered at a generous discount on Amazon. Even if that's not currently the case, chances are that if you wait long enough, it will go on sale for a similar price again in the future.

Stanley is a well-known company in this industry (it was even one of our picks as one of the best hand tools brands), so it might be surprising to see us place a big "Avoid" next to its name. However, while this brand makes a lot of affordable products, including some tools under $25 that still have great reviews, the toolmaker's selection of universal joints isn't the best. There are only two types of tools of this kind from Stanley: chrome vanadium steel with a satin chrome finish u-joints and the Fatmax version of the same. What does Fatmax mean? According to Stanley, it's "the measure of a pro™." In other words, they are the premium version of Stanley's regular tools, but the brand doesn't elaborate on what that means in practice.

This brand doesn't sell any ball-shaped models or sets of any kind except through its subsidiary Stanley Proto. Furthermore, the universal joint sockets the company sells are difficult to find online. Proto, one of the few brands that still makes its socket sets in America, would fare a lot better, but it's hard to recommend this brand to those who were looking at Stanley's tools just a moment ago. One is a brand aimed at homeowners and DIYers, while the other, Proto, has prices that rival Snap-On. Plus, some of the brand's products don't even have good reviews, something that is hard to excuse at this price point.

GearWrench is one of the more expensive choices among non-premium toolmakers, while still being affordable by the standard of luxury tools. A set of three spring-based Drive Impact Universal Joints in the standard ¼, ⅜, and ½-inch measures costs just $44.99. That's more than many of its competitors, but it's less than a single Proto joint. Plus, those are impact-rated tools, and according to user reviews, they are actually fit for purpose. They come covered with a manganese phosphate finish that is supposed to offer protection from corrosion and the core is made from chrome molybdenum alloy steel, for increased durability. Does that make them better than chrome vanadium sockets? As impact-rated tools, it actually might, as it has the advantage of high impact resistance.

GearWrench sells a lot of mechanics' tools, so of course it didn't stop at making just one joint socket set. You can buy those tools individually for about $10 to $15 each, in the common ¼, ⅜, and ½-inch sizes, in u-joint and ball-shaped form. If you like bundles and toolkits, you might want to take a look at the GearWrench 10-piece ¼, ⅜, and ½-inch Drive Universal Joint and Adapter Set. For the not-so-cheap sum of $84.08, this set gets you three spring-and-ball joint sockets, two u-joint ones, and five socket size adapters you didn't ask for. The ball-shaped joint sockets are impact rated, while the others aren't.

Mac Tools is one of the big, expensive brands that seems to have one of everything and then more. An inventory many times larger than that of your competition would be a significant advantage and a compelling reason to choose this brand, provided the price is also significantly lower than that of the other brands. The toolmaker's lineup is more than a little confusing, as a whole. Some of Mac Tools' universal joint sockets are reasonably priced, while still being much more expensive than the alternatives, while others look nearly identical and are over three times as expensive. 

Mac Tools offers a lifetime warranty, but according to many users, getting a tool replaced is much harder than with other brands. Even reading the warranty agreement on the brand's website, it's clear that the procedure relies on a local distributors, and that users without one are somewhat of an afterthought. There are many cheaper alternatives to Mac Tools' hand tools, and many of them come with a better warranty. The same could be said for the brand's universal joint sockets.

Snap-On is extremely expensive, sure, and it doesn't always make the best tools for the job, as some independent tests show. As with Matco Tools and other similarly expensive brands, many loyal Snap-On users are professionals who the company sells to through a large network of dealers, especially tool truck sellers. For them, what makes Snap-On the best choice isn't quality, or at least not only; it's also about convenience. The tool shop literally comes to you; to warrant or repair a piece of equipment, you don't even need to call customer support. In a way, Snap-On is as much of a marketing company as it is a toolmaker.

Unlike Matco and other well-known expensive brands, however, Snap-On makes a lot of its own tools. This is one of the few major tools brands to still be independent, and it produces its own tools in manufacturing plants across the world that bear its name. That might also be why there are so many Snap-On tools that are worth the investment. Of course, those include the brand's sockets. Snap-On sells a staggering number of universal joint sockets, including some universal joint socket sets, and many users claim that what sets them apart is more than how nice they are to work with or how long they can last. Those sockets, they claim, come with thinner walls than the competition, which lets them fit where others can't. While situational, this advantage is worth a lot to many professionals.

Kobalt is Lowe's in-house brand of tools, and while it's not the only one carried by the store, it is often the cheapest. While this is one of the best brands of cheap power tools, the same can't be said for all of the brand's hand tools, including the universal joint sockets. Kobal only seems to make one set of universal joint sockets in the standard ¼, ⅜, and ½-inch sizes. They're only available in the u-locks 180° model, and are not impact-rated. They're not cheap, either. At $22.98, they're more than twice as expensive as the (impact rated) Pittsburgh sockets. It's weird seeing such a large markup on a budget brand like Kobalt.

Kobalt doesn't sell individual universal joint sockets, or sockets of different kinds, or an impact-rated joint socket. At least the tools they do sell have positive reviews, although not everyone is as enthusiastic as most users. One consumer in particular seems to have had serious issues trying to use Lowe's lifetime warranty to replace their product, and their experience is hardly unique. If you need a budget option for your universal joint sockets, you'd be better off with one of Harbor Freight's house brands or another one of Lowe's universal joint socket sets.

We selected those brands based on the durability and adaptability of their universal joint sockets, the variety of products they offer, and their warranty policies. We also considered user reviews, discussions, and professional coverage.