How useful for car work is flexible extension on socket drive?

[Elder]

LIDL/ALDI stuff is surprisingly good for DIY stuff, not workshop quality, but good enough to do the job until it fails and you want to replace it and cheap enough to replace.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Limited. A set of 'wobble' extension bars is very useful if he doesn't already have them. Halfords. etc.

[Dr Zoidberg]

[Jonathan Schneider]

What's the difference ? I've got latex ones but what are vinyl ones like and used for ?

Jon

[Mike G]

I know many engineers use them, but personally I don't get on with them at all. I like to feel what I am doing. Means I might have to spend 15 mins scrubbing my hands afterwards, but it suits me. Also you get less messy on your own car, if you keep the engine and mechanical parts relatively clean. As far as flexible drives are concerned though, what I do find is useful, is a flexible drive screwdriver with a fixed hex socket for Jubilee clips. Mike.

[shazzbat]

torsional(twisting) forces. It will be considerably stronger than the human arm on the end of it. If you look at the picture closely, you will see that it is wound in the direction which means it will tend to close up when tightening. This makes it become more rigid. It will be considerably less strong in the other direction. At 1/4" square drive, it is only for small nuts and bolts, and strength is unlikely to be an issue. I have got one I kept when I left the army in 1980 and it still works a treat. It isn't the greatest tool in the world, but as I said earlier it is handy for awkward spaces.

Steve

[adder1969]

I've seen a few times "wobbley" sockets that allow a certain amount of movement - they're a bit like inbetween a regular socket and a UJ adaptor. For car work, I think those would be more useful.

[Guy King]

The message from "Mike G" contains these words:

I seem to have the sort of skin that doesn't come clean no matter how hard I scrub, nor with what. The sides of my index fingers are worst - where you spin a nut against your thumb. For the sake of matrimonial bliss[1] I'd rather wear gloves.

[1] The wife won't cuddle me if I'm all grubby. Though she will scrub my back.

[Guy King]

The message from Jonathan Schneider contains these words:

Latex are great, but they're not as tough and they degrade in less than a minute with some solvents, making them useless for brakes - for example. They also age badly in the box. Leave them to get hot or damp and you've had it.

Vinyl are tougher, but less elastic and thicker so they're less sensitive, less comfortable but last ten times longer.

[Guy King]

The message from "shazzbat" contains these words:

There's a word for people like you.

Optimist!

Some of us are more capable of gorilla tool abuse than others. I've snapped several 3/8" ratchets and extension bars - even a nice Facom one.

[Billy H]

A magnetic reach is an excellent idea.

-- Billy H

[Helen Deborah Vecht]

Jonathan Schneider typed

Tough, not stretchy, oil resistant, not very sensitive.

[Billy H]

If it's about hand cleaning then I've found the best way is to use a good squeeze of fairy liquid with a good dose of washing powder as grit. As good as swarfega every day of the week.

Oh yeah, and the fairy liquid makes the hands as soft as the face.

:o)

-- Billy H

[Tom De Moor]

I use those disposable latex/vinyl gloves a lot: on one side your hands stay indeed more clean but -to me- more important : the number of small cuts and brushes goes down a lot.

Oh yes: the manicurist doesn't get a heart attack when I enter ;-)

Don't laugh! I had to work for a "nail technican" lately. Went to his shop, allready wondering what on earth somebody who sells nails needs a shop at Brussels Avenue Louise (the most expensif lane in Brussels).

The bloke drive 911 turbo and has a herd (30 or so) of nice looking girls fitting another sort of nails. Sometimes I like my job, sometimes I think there were better ones ;-)

Tom De Moor

[Tom De Moor]

Aye but you don't tell the complete story. You had a pipe as extra lever and when the bolt refused to release, you had to put your total weight on it.

You didn't? I certainly did. Never went back for a refund or free remplacement of the broken socket.

Never... on the exception of the bloke at Snap-On which kept buggering me about his life-time garanteed tools. They make it, we break it! Garanteed :-)

Tom De Moor

[Guy King]

The message from Tom De Moor contains these words:

Nope - I'm just unreasonably beefy.

[Albert T Cone]

I'm not sure 'Herd' is the polite term :-)

[Guy King]

The message from Albert T Cone contains these words:

Room for an udder one?