Basin Socket Set

Working with the only alternative being a basin wrench, the challenge was to establish a socket design that allowed access to the tap nut while the water pipe was still in place. It made sense to produce an elongated socket with hexagon, claw shapes to grip the nut effectively. The device had to be compact, strong and practical and provide access to the nut from below which is why a simple, “T” extension was created. To cater for various nut sizes available in Australia and around the world, the Basin Socket Set comes in a number of sizes.

Original, handmade sheet metal prototypes provided by the client established the design criteria and satisfied the functional capacity. Further development used engineering principles to reinforce and provide the structural integrity, dimensional accuracy and the aesthetics. The plumbing industry appreciate quality, reliability and longevity in their tools so it stands to reason that Tough Nut Tools had to establish a benchmark when launching this new innovation.

The target market for this product is professional plumbers, home builders, handyman services etc. There has been sales and interest from the DIYer however this product was created to save time and frustration for the professionals. The product has been on the market for just over a year and sales through plumbing outlets have been encouraging; there is interest from the USA and other markets in Europe so the marketing and commercial potential for the Tough Nut Tools concept is outstanding.

The Basin Socket Set was developed and evolved through testing, trial and error and constant improvement over a couple of years. The client is himself a plumber and advised on improvements and tweaks to make the Basin Socket Set very effective, user friendly and practical. Technically speaking, a slotted design was chosen to fit over a breech piece and onto a fixing nut, with ribbed sides for strength. The sockets are countersunk to allow for the fitment of a ½ inch BSP and NPT at the longest size allowing the socket to always fit. The bottom side of the hex tabs of the gripping part of the sockets has conveniently been tapered to allow for the nut to be undone all the way to the bottom of the thread to the breech which is useful when the thread is corroded all the way. The unique socket design allows for torque strength to be transferred from the centralised “T” handle through the socket to the nut making it easier to undo.