So work has swapped to a different hydraulic fluid and I swear it makes everything it touches like holding a fish covered in slime. My wrenches are satin and they're ok. But all my non impact sockets are chrome and a touch of oil and they're all over the place. So my question is about industrial finishs, are they as rough as the impact stuff or as smooth as the chrome just not shiny?
my industrial 'black' wrenches are williams and wright, and are rough about like satin wrenches are. A little brake clean gets the grease off them. They can tend to rust just like impact sockets in a damp/ outdoor or mobile truck use. My few satin sockets are only slightly more "rough" than a chrome socket. If its sockets you really struggle with- some manufacturers have heavy knurling on the sockets and extensions, and you might find that more useful.
The black "Industrial Finish" tools are about the same as impact stuff. They'll have decent grip until you wear them in an the finish smooths out. If you're looking for sockets with a satin finish and knurling, I think Koken and some of the other Japanese and Euro brands make them. Personally, I use primarily impact sockets, MAC knurled locking extensions and QR ratchets to try and keep things from slipping away.
My main issue right now is hex bit sockets. Need short ones for adjusting spools and one bit of oil and off they go into the belly pan.
Do you have any brands of sockets with aggressive knurling to recommend?
Wera sockets have pretty deep teeth. The older s-k sockets had shallow knurling. Koken and Mac have it on their extensions. A little cheaper is OEM tools- I think they are taiwan or china, but they have it on their sockets.
I like that knurling on the koken extensions.