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Wright Tool has announced a new socket technology, which they say delivers 10X more contact area on the square drive, for more torque, greater grip, and less failure.
The new Wright WrightSquare process is a modification of the square drive, where load and stress are relocated away from the corners.
The company says that this enhances performance and increases socket life, and that this applies to sockets that attach to ratchets or impact tools.
Wright shows that conventional sockets have square drive recesses with slightly rounded corners.
WrightSquare square drive recesses have greater space at the corners.
From the provided images, the corners aren’t simply eased with a greater radius; it appears that the corners are pushed slightly outwards, providing more clearance for the anvil corners without sacrificing a lot of contact area between flat mated surfaces.
If you envision how the square drive anvil engages with and turns a socket, it does seem that WrightSquare can relocate stress away from the corners, helping to reduce wear.
All of this is an extension of Wright’s proven WrightDrive 2.0 technology, where similar has been done on the fastener-engagement side.
Wright’s WrightDrive 2.0 technology provides greater fastener engagement by rounding the inner corners of their sockets. WrightSquare does similar, but on the tool drive end side of sockets.
WrightDrive 2.0 can be found in Wright’s 6pt and 12pt sockets.
Wright adds:
Premium Wright alloy steel increases strength, and precision broaching gives users the most consistent quality and tolerance levels achievable.
And at the bottom of every Wright webpage:
Over 99% of Wright branded products are manufactured in the USA. The less than 1% of Wright branded products manufactured outside the USA still meet our strict quality standards. Country of origin is always disclosed on the product, packaging, and/or product page.
I would presume that WrightSquare drive end improvements will be added to all of the brand’s sockets moving forward, as a standard feature. I asked for confirmation and will update this post once I hear back.
