What's the point of 12 point sockets?

[Jayson Woodruff]

Since the family's out of town, I get to spend the afternoon organizing my sockets.

So, what's the point of 12 pt sockets? Some of my sets came with both 6 and 12. I've only come across a few 12pt bolts in my time, and I didn't have a need to unscrew them. So should I keep these duplicate 12pts out of my overstock pile of tools for any reason?

Jay W

[Jeff Shyu]

more tech savy people will probably have some different max torque numbers on the 6 vs 12, available surface of contact, etc.

personally though, i like the 12 because it offers me a bit more flexibility when it comes to fitting the socket over particularly hard to reach nuts/bolts that may be just slightly turned to not mate up to the 6 point..

yeah, i'm lazy..

[Jayson Woodruff]

Bwahh. How about these old 8 points?!? I bet they're older than I am.

Jay W

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Ease of placement in tight confines.

[Q V]

12 pt sockets are also useful for square fasteners

[Robert Puertas]

I used to have a strip of 6-point English sockets and a strip of 12-point Metrics.
This made it easy to grab the right set with a quick glance in the drawer.

Of course now they have colored rubber bases and other nice touches but most of my tools previously belonged to my dad or one of my grandfathers.

[John Coffey]

Maybe these...?

[Pete Loney]

My take on 6 -vs- 12 was for when the edges of a bolt had some damage, the 6 point had more surface contact and better "grip".

Less of a chance of stripping the bolt.

The 12 point ones seem to strip bad bolts easier IMHO.

[John Coffey]

12 point bolts are generally used for beyond Grade 8/Class 10.9 applications (over 120ksi). These bolts are flanged and are a basic replacement for socket heads in aerospace applications per AIS/NAS standards. They require less head space and use a smaller socket (less then the OD of the bolt flange). SPS sells most of their high strength head bolts with 12 point bolt heads. Brembo and others use 12 point high strength bolts to attach rotors to hats. 12 points are also very common on high performance motorcycles.

[Michael Smith]

honda flywheel and pressure plate bolts.

[John Stimson]

I'll go along with the 12-point sockets offering more alignment positions on a hex fastener, which can be important when using a breaker bar in a tight space. I think fitting square fasteners is a lucky coincidence, especially since the angles of the flats will not lie flat on a square, increasing the chance of rounding the corners.