Do Those Universal Sockets Really Work? We Found Out

If you've perused through the tool section at any number of different stores, you've likely come across a device called a "universal socket." Most look like a regular deep well socket in profile, but the actual socket part looks like a mechanical imitation of one of the sand worms from "Dune." They're advertised under a number of brands. 

The one I bought from a local hardware store is called the "Gator Grip" and is made by the Endeavor Tool Company. A similar product on Amazon is listed as "Super Universal Socket Tools Gifts for Men — Gifts for Dad Father's Day from Kids Son Daughters Wife Grip Set with Power Drill Adapter Cool Stuff Ideas Gadgets for Men Birthday Gifts for Women Husband." Quite a mouthful. 

No matter what brand you buy it from, most are priced around $9-$12. How bad could it be? And does it really work?

"STOP lugging around that heavy Socket Tray," the box proclaims, along with phrases like "Gator Grippin' Power" and "Professional Grade." I often lug around a heavy socket set with me, so is this the tool for me? Can you ditch expensive Snap-On tools at home and rely solely on the Gator Grip for all of my needs? I plunked down exactly $12.70 to find out. 

First, I was relatively pleased to find out that my new crocodilian friend is made in the United States. I tend to buy tools made in the U.S., so that's at least a sentimental point in my book. The socket is fitted for a 3/8th-inch drive ratchet or an impact wrench, but it comes with an adaptor to fit into the chuck of a drill or impact driver. I decided to use it in my impact driver for testing. 

It's easy to test this tool on regular bolts, nuts, and the like, but it also advertises being able to drive hooks. Fortunately, I have just the use case scenario in mind. A curtain in my apartment is hanging by a pair of small hooks that are a huge pain to unscrew from the wall. Much to my surprise, the universal socket made quick work of the hooks. It worked pretty well.

Next I wanted to throw another oddball fastener its way. The front brake caliper of my bike is adjusted through a plastic capped screw that's almost always caked in mud. I don't want to use pliers to unscrew it, as that would damage it. The universal socket surprisingly found no difficulty unscrewing the cap, even with all the mud. 

In my younger days, I used to longboard quite a bit. Bending my leg the wrong direction put an end to boarding regularly, but I still enjoy it from time to time. The universal socket was more than adequate for adjusting the pins on the board's trucks. However, the body of the socket was much too wide for smaller bolts. It's rather poor when it comes to hard-to-access bolts.

For automotive usage, it's only capable of handling fasteners between 1/4 inch and 3/4 inch (7mm to 19mm in metric), that means that larger fasteners like lug nuts are off the table. Plus, many lug nuts have to be tightened to over 100 foot-pounds and over. The Gator Grip I was using lists "exceeds 100 ft/lbs of torque" as its limit, so it's probably not safe for the socket to go over that. To be fair, it never broke during my test.

Inside the engine bay of my car, it didn't have much of a problem removing small fasteners where the head of the bolt was protruding, but it was borderline useless for anything recessed. The outside is also the width of a pretty wide 3/4-inch socket, so it probably won't have much success anywhere deep into the engine bay. It's just the nature of the socket.

Overall, I was surprised with the universal socket. It did the job pretty well without complaining. However, that praise comes with a litany of caveats. This will not replace my socket set. It may serve as a rarely used addendum to any bizarrely shaped bolts I come across, but I would feel much better having my full collection of sockets with me. If I were to imagine a scenario where this would replace an entire proper tool kit, I would say it could only fulfill that role if you were absolutely certain you didn't have any high-torque repair jobs planned like housework, or working on something small like a bicycle or skateboard. The Gator Grip lives on in my tool box.