Tried and tested: Gedore 172 Piece Socket Set review

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One of the key ingredients in any home mechanic’s toolkit is a decent socket set. However, getting the right size, particularly for working on motorcycles, is tricky. The Gedore 172 piece socket set includes a selection for a variety of scenarios.

A 1/2in drive socket set can often be too hefty for most jobs on a bike, although it is perfect for loosening off wheel spindles, for example. Similarly, a 1/4in drive set is a little small for many tasks but if you are working on say carburettors on older bikes or smaller components, they can be ideal. And a 3/8in drive set is perfect for the vast majority of fasteners that you will find around most bikes.

This Gedore 172 piece socket set covers all the bases by combining these three drive sizes in one, offering pretty much all the socket set you will ever need for working on a motorcycle.

First off, the ratchet handles. Each is sized perfectly, the plasticised grips fitting nicely in the hand and allowing plenty of feel for the fasteners while preventing discomfort or cold from the chrome vanadium forged metalwork. Each has a thumb button to release the socket, ensuring it stays on the ratchet throughout use though occasionally you forget and try to fit a socket without pushing the button – you need to push it to fit AND remove a socket.

The ratchet direction lever is simple to use with the thumb and the mechanism uses 72 teeth, so you only need to turn the handle 5° to get to the next tooth and continue undoing or tightening the fastening. The heads are reassuringly thick and chunky without ever feeling like they get in the way or cause access issues.

There are various accessories that come with the Gedore 172 piece socket set. It includes extensions for all three drive sizes and a sliding T-bar handle for the 1/2in and 1/4in drive sockets as well as a universal joint adapter in each drive size.

There is a full selection of six-point sockets in each drive size, covering fasteners from 4mm up to 32mm across all three variants and there is a selection of deep sockets as well in popular sizes in each of the 1/4in, 3/8in and 1/2in ranges. You also get three spark-plug sockets – 16mm and 21mm in 1/2in drive and 18mm in 3/8in drive – and there is a selection of Torx-drive sockets, in each of the drive sizes.

All the sockets – including the deep ones – as well as the 1/4in Torx and hex-drive sockets are formed in matt-finish chrome vanadium steel so they are easy to use by hand and to make this even easier, each features a knurled hand-ring so you can easily turn each with your fingers once the fasteners have become loose enough to do so. This is a very handy feature since you will rarely need the ratchet handle to undo a fastener all the way and this helps speed the process up enormously.

You also get a 1/4in drive screwdriver handle and a huge selection of drive bits to slot into appropriate adapters as well as a range of 1/4in drive bits that will work on both the screwdriver handle as well as the ratchet or T-handle, including Torx and hex-drive bits.

Finally, you also get a set of Allen keys. The Gedore 172 piece socket set and the whole lot is housed in a solid, well-made plastic case.

Verdict

I have been using the Gedore 172 piece socket set for everything I have needed to do on a motorcycle for a couple of years and I haven’t found it wanting at all. Everything is incredibly well made and though it is part of Gedore’s Red range – aimed at amateur mechanics rather than professionals – the quality is superb.

A huge amount of thought has gone into its contents and it covers everything you are likely to need on a bike – and most of what you will need on a car as well. If you want to get yourself rolling with a toolkit, then I speak from experience when I say that you could do an awful lot worse than make this your first investment – it may well be everything you need.

Pros:

Exceptional quality

Covers three drive sizes

Vast range of tools and bits

Cons:

None we can think of

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