Square drive socket - loosening prevention

Which groove exactly are you referring to? That little dimple or the one that runs down the length of it?

Either way, it's just live tooling on the C-axis of the lathe. Goes in on the Z axis and moves laterally on the X to make the cut.

The "ball groove" that runs parallel to the cylinder axis. I'm guessing it's either an internal grooving tool or might be a spherical undercut mill.
I was wondering which one would lead to cheaper parts and overall better performance.

If I understand the "ball groove" correctly, it is the four shallow grooves that run the full length of the socket.
I don't think their purpose is to affect loosening.

I think it is to ease manufacturing.
I think they first drill a hole down the center to remove a bunch of material to make it easier to then broach the four corners.
The corners are what really matter when transmitting maximum torquage.

Like dtimeberlake said, the grooves are rough machining marks prior to broaching. Drilling the corners of a square hole and milling out the remaining material is slow but requires no special tooling. A broach for 3/4" square hole is about 800 $ and you want a hydraulic press to pull the tool through the work, which will cost 10k or more. Not many of those on craigslist. Broaching is fast and foolproof but it requires some capital to set up. I've done a lot of these at the mill. Send me a DM if you have some custom socket you're thinking about.

Sorry for the confusion. I meant perpendicular, not parallel.
I mean this banana.

Wuzhee said:

Hi there!

I'm wondering how they are manufacturing the groove inside the square socket of hand tools?
I'm familiar with the through hole versions and their dimensions (https://www.engineersedge.com/hardware/square-drive-tools.htm), but I haven't found anything on the groove sizes and methods.

Which one would you prefer manufacturing wise? Ease and cost are the important factors.
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I look at my sockets on hand, it is turned, its for the ball lock on the drivers or extension

Wuzhee said:

Sorry for the confusion. I meant perpendicular, not parallel.
I mean this banana.
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That looks like the hole that is drilled radially from the outer perimeter through the wall. The detente ball snaps into it.