How Strong Are Harbor Freight's Icon Socket Adapters Compared To Snap-On? This Test Has The Answers

The fact that Harbor Freight's Icon-brand tools are a cheaper alternative to Snap-on hand tools is well documented. While Snap-On offers a wider variety of socket adapters (referred to as square drive adapters in the Snap-On catalog) options, Harbor Freight sells its Icon sets for a fraction of the Snap-On price. 

For example, the chrome-finished 4-piece Icon Socket Adapter Set from Harbor Freight is priced at $16.99, about $4.25 per adapter. Snap-On lists a 6-piece Combination Square Drive Adapter Set with a mix of black- and chrome-finished adapters priced at $186.00, or an average of $31 each. The two additional adaptors in the Snap-On set are the most expensive individually, but taking them out for a fair comparison still results in a $22.36 average for the four remaining Snap-On adapters.

The Torque Test Channel posted a video to YouTube where it conducted head-to-head tests of several ½-to-⅜-inch-drive socket adapters, including specimens from Icon and Snap-On, to determine "Which Tool Brand Uses the Strongest Steel?" Much like a previous comparison between Icon and Snap-On wrenches, the Harbor Freight clones compared better than some would expect.

It isn't surprising that socket adapters from Harbor Freight's Icon series tools performed well in the Torque Test Channel's test designed to push the tools to failure. What's surprising is how poorly the Snap-On adapter performed, being bested by brands such as Husky and Craftsman. However, it's worth noting that the team, in an effort to provide a fair comparison of chrome-finished adapters, used a discontinued Snap-On SVA4 socket adapter.

For the test, the team used Pushy, a hydraulic-powered apparatus designed to apply torque by pushing a lever attached to the tool being tested. All the socket adapters in the test were pushed to their breaking point while recording the highest torque achieved before failure.

The Snap-On SVA4 failed at 195 pound-feet of torque with what the video host describes as "an accidental failure mode." The adapter didn't break cleanly across the square-drive's cross section like many of the others. Instead, it broke at the cavity housing the spring-detent mechanism. A failure the team surmises as a potential reason for its replacement with the GSAF1F adapter ($27.00 from Snap-On).

The chrome Icon adapter failed at 254 lb-ft of torque and broke cleanly across the square drive in what the host describes as a "textbook" example. The surprising strength of the Icon adapter prompted the channel to purchase four additional sets and break a total of five ½-to-⅜-inch Icon socket adapters. The other four tests provided a failure range of 245 lb-ft to 252 lb-ft of torque.