I have some halfords pro deep 3/8 drive sockets that I used on an air gun every day for a couple of years (not recommended) as well as everyday normal use for a good few years after that and took some serious punishment. They chipped the chrome but otherwise are still fine. I tend to use a 3/8 drive ratchet and sockets most but I also have 3/4, 1/2 and 1/4 inch ones. I tend to use the half inch only for anything over 19mm as it gives more leverage (and bigger sockets tend to be 1/2 inch drive). The 1/4 drive set is normally used for anything under 10mm. If I were starting out buying tools again and I was on a tight budget, I would get a reasonably priced (not cheap) 1/2 drive set that did say, 10mm - 27mm and a cheapish 1/4 drive set. A decent set of spanners, screwdrivers, allen keys and pliers would also be a must. There are numerous other tools that would be handy but this would be the basic essential tools.