2020 test18 productsHand Tools
Which Impact Socket Adapter Brand Wins?
We compared 18 impact socket adapter options head to head. DeWalt came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
DeWalt
Price shown in test: $4.63 each
Check price on Amazon
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Runner-up
Bosch
Price shown in test: $6.43 each, the most expensive per-adapter price in the video
Check price on Amazon
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Budget pick
Torque Smith
Price shown in test: $3 for the entire kit (about $1 per adapter), by far the least expensive brand tested
Check price on Amazon
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Made In | Claims | Shaft Design | Static Torque Test | Impact Clamp Load Test | Material | Impact Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1DeWalt$4.63 each | China | 'impact ready,' rapid load design, packaging states it can be used with any impact driver delivering up to 2,000 in-lbs of torque | solid hex shaft (no shock-absorbent zone) | 861 in-lbs, third place | 2,000 PSI, the BEST (first place) result of all 18 brands, exactly matching its own packaging claim; described as crushing the test | not tested | not tested |
| 2Bosch$6.43 each, the most expensive per-adapter price in the video | not indicated on the packaging | not tested | impact rated; shaft design not explicitly described as hex or round in the transcript, but grouped functionally with the hex-shaft group by strong results in both tests | 894 in-lbs, second place, narrowly beating the DeWalt (861) in this round | 1,875 PSI, second place, described as a very impressive finish; unlike most other brands, it did not twist much before breaking, instead disintegrating when it snapped | not tested | not tested |
| 3Torque Smith$3 for the entire kit (about $1 per adapter), by far the least expensive brand tested | China | not tested | not tested | 816 in-lbs, fifth place, described as very impressive for a low-priced tool; twisted quite a bit before finally snapping | 1,400 PSI, fourth place, described as doing very well | chrome vanadium | not designed to be used with impact tools |
| 4Makita Gold$4.58 | Japan | tilts 15 degrees | solid hex shaft | 951 in-lbs, the BEST (first place) result of all 18 brands, 126 in-lbs ahead of the TEEMO/TEMO | 1,250 PSI, described as by far the best in round one but not among the top 5 explicitly ranked in round two (DeWalt, Bosch, NEIKO, Torque Smith, TEEMO), indicating a relative drop-off from its round-one dominance | not tested | not tested |
| 5NEIKO$5.99 for a 4-piece kit, or $1.50 each | Taiwan | not tested | not tested | 666 in-lbs, notably lower than the other brands tested up to that point in the video | 1,675 PSI, third place, described as doing far better in this test than the last, taking the lead from Torque Smith at the time | chrome vanadium steel | designed for use with impact drivers |
| 6TEEMO$1.45 per adapter | not tested | not tested | not tested | 825 in-lbs, fourth place, briefly held the lead earlier in the round | 1,350 PSI, fifth place, came very close to beating the Torque Smith's 1,400 PSI | not tested | impact rated |
| 7Performax$4.88 ($1.63 per adapter), sold at Menards | China | not tested | not tested | 772 in-lbs, a decent result but not enough to take the lead at that point | 925 PSI, a middling result | not tested | not tested |
| 8Irwin$2 per adapter | China | not tested | not tested | 749 in-lbs, a decent result but not enough to take the lead | 925 PSI, tied roughly with Performax; did not twist much before breaking in this round, unlike the sample tested in round one | not tested | designed for use with impact tools |
| 9Warrior$4.99 for a 3-piece kit ($1.66 per piece), sold at Harbor Freight | China | not tested | not tested | 770 in-lbs, described as actually a pretty good performance | 700 PSI, described as not ready for impact duty | heat-treated chrome vanadium | packaging does not indicate this adapter is designed for use with impact tools |
| 10Hercules$7.99 ($2.66 per adapter) | professionally made in Taiwan for Hercules Tools (sold at Harbor Freight) | not tested | narrow round shock-absorbent shaft, described as looking nearly identical to the Bauer | 652 in-lbs, better than the Bauer's 604 but still below average overall | 1,300 PSI, again outperforming the Bauer's 1,225 in this round | not tested | not tested |
| 11Bauer$6.99 ($2.33 per adapter), sold at Harbor Freight | Taiwan | heavy-duty guaranteed, premium alloy construction | narrow round shaft design rather than hex | 604 in-lbs, well short of the leader | 1,225 PSI, above average; the long narrow shaft appeared to absorb the impact well, taking a long time to build pressure | not tested | not tested |
| 12ARES$7.99 ($2.66 per adapter) | Taiwan | not tested | hex shaft design | 760 in-lbs, about average | 675 PSI, below average; did not twist before breaking | heat-treated chrome vanadium steel | designed for impact use |
| 13Makita Impact X (standard)$7.99 ($2.66 per adapter) | Taiwan | not tested | narrow shock-absorbent zone, like the Hart, Ryobi, and Bauer | 741 in-lbs, a solid performance but well short of the lead | 1,050 PSI, a decent result; the shock-absorbent zone was again the failure point | not tested | not tested |
| 14Milwaukee Shockwave$9.99 | professionally made in China for Milwaukee Tool | up to 30 times life claim, custom alloy 76 steel for wear and shock resistance | narrow round shock-absorbent zone | 689 in-lbs, quite a bit short of the leader's 951 | 700 PSI, described as struggling in this round as well | not tested | not tested |
| 15Master Force$3.97 per adapter, sold at Menards | China | 'impact rugged' | hex shaft design | 754 in-lbs, a decent performance but not enough to take the lead | 850 PSI, slightly below average | not tested | not tested |
| 16Hyper Tough$4.28 | China | not tested | not tested | 717 in-lbs, 99 in-lbs less than the Torque Smith; twisted quite a bit before breaking | 675 PSI, gave up quickly; host notes this is understandable since it is not rated for impact duty | chrome vanadium steel | not designed to be used with impact tools |
| 17Hart$4.88, sold at Walmart | China | not tested | narrow shock-absorbent zone | 454 in-lbs, by far the WORST (lowest) of all 18 brands tested; the narrow shock-absorbent area broke rather than the shaft twisting | 400 PSI, again a very poor result described as struggling badly | not tested | impact rated |
| 18Ryobi$4.97 ($1.66 each) | Indonesia | not tested | narrow shock-absorbent zone, like the Hart | 490 in-lbs, described as not doing very well compared to the competition | 375 PSI, the WORST (lowest) result of all 18 brands in the impact test | not tested | impact rated |
How it was tested
- maximum static torque before failure (in-lbs, using a digital torque adapter)
- impact wrench clamp load at failure (PSI, using a two-hydraulic-ram test rig, low/medium/high impact mode)
“DeWalt's not kidding when they say their adapter is impact ready. Very impressive performance.”