Stumped for a last minute gift? Those slippers not gonna work? Gift cards seem too generic? How about a socket?
No not a tool kit. A single 10mm socket. Why? They disappear.
No one knows where they go. Like a missing sock from the laundry sometimes you do find them in an odd place but so often after working on a project that requires a 10mm socket it gets sucked in a black hole. The Truth Is Out There and the 10mm sockets are nearby.
my precious
this post at Jalopnik really hit home Do You Know Where Your 10mm Socket is?
Ten-millimeter sockets go missing a lot. I know this is a thing because I’ve worked in shops with shared toolboxes. I built Formula SAE race cars in college, and I have always spent a fair amount of time in fabrication shops as an engineer. These shared toolboxes are totally devoid of 10mm tools. I know this is a thing for other people too because I see memes about it. I also noticed Amazon sells packs of 10mm sockets in quantities up to 26.
The reason for this is straightforward: 10mm is one of the most common size fastener heads on modern vehicles, and thus one of the most commonly used tools. First to go always seems to be the deep ¼” drive 10mm socket. This is often followed by the standard ⅜” drive 10mm socket, then the 10mm wrench, and then the standard ¼” and deep ⅜” drive 10mm sockets, and finally the 10mm nut drivers. This order may change depending on which socket in the toolbox is easiest to reach. Thankfully, there are no imperial fractions that are close enough to 10mm, otherwise, those would disappear, too. But if the 7/16” sockets start disappearing, you have a serious problem.
I posted about this and shared the link on my Facebook page and here were some comments
all new sets should come with three extras. It gets used regularly while much of the rest just sits there
10mm should be red or glow in the dark or something!!!
I just went and looked. Can't find it.
a bicycle wrenching friend says
For bike folks: 13mm open end. They always disappear.
I have purchased individual 10mm just for this reason.
and finally from a friend that sells Matco tools to professional mechanics
I keep two of each 10mm on the truck in short, deep, chrome, impact, 6 and 12 point. And I'll have to restock just those every couple of weeks.
If you have someone that has tools then the clear answer is YES a single 10mm socket is (probably) a perfect gift! This set of just 10mm sockets pretty much covers all the versions they need now and in the future.
Or show them you really love them with a pro 6 point 3/8 drive chrome standard from Matco.
Now where did I put that wobble extension?