Wobble extensions?

[george4]

Need to pick up wobble extensions in all drives. I see SO has wobble and wobble plus, what is the difference? SKs and Craftman look good too, any input?

 

[caspian65]

Believe the wobble plus allow you to push a socket down and lock it solid.

 

[-lecroix-]

I have Craftsman's version of the Wobble Plus ... best thing since sliced white bread.

 

[george4]

I have Craftsman's version of the Wobble Plus ... best thing since sliced white bread.

I will put you down as undecided about cman.

 

[-lecroix-]

No, you can put me down as decided on the Craftsman stuff ... it's the over priced Snap On hype is what I'm not so sure about.

 

[Deafautotech]

i am prefer to have seperate set as wobble extension set and regular extension set.... i had both sets and have no problems...

the snap on wobble and regular extension sets at my work while i had craftsman wobble and regular extension set at home.... both extensions are work good but craftsman would be crack or broke easy than snap on's...

 

[joenero]

I prefer separate wobbles as opposed to the wobble plus. They do work fine as a wobble extension (snap ons) but I wouldn't rely on them as a "solid" extension.

I've only broke one extension ever, that was a Matco 1/2" drive 1 1/2" chrome one. Using a 24" breaker bar (not an impact!) to remove a crank pulley bolt.

I do prefer the feel of the snap on's opposed to my matcos though and it's a world above regular c'mans.

 

[ImportTuner]

I prefer separate wobbles as opposed to the wobble plus. They do work fine as a wobble extension (snap ons) but I wouldn't rely on them as a "solid" extension.

I've only broke one extension ever, that was a Matco 1/2" drive 1 1/2" chrome one. Using a 24" breaker bar (not an impact!) to remove a crank pulley bolt.

I do prefer the feel of the snap on's opposed to my matcos though and it's a world above regular c'mans.

You can feel the difference between a Snap On extension and a Craftsman extension ...

 

[caspian65]

Don't remember my old craftsman extensions having a grip section that the SO have. I have all 3 types of extensions, solid, wobble and wobble plus, in varying lengths.

 

[kythri]

You can feel the difference between a Snap On extension and a Craftsman extension ...

What, you can't?

Snap On extensions don't flex as much, and they hold the socket on much more snugly, allowing a more accurate and precise transfer of power from the ratchet to the fastener.

Alright, I'm now thoroughly disgusted with myself.

By the Craftsman. It's a freakin' wobble.

That is, of course, unless the new Snap On Flank Drive Ultra Mega Mega Plus Fast and Furious XLT wobbles have been released. If so, buy those.

 

[Cashed]

I'm not a big fan of snappy but I do have some of their extensions. IMO there a lot nicer than the craftsman. They have the knurling which comes in handy. The socket is actually held on tighter, and the regular craftsmans almost feel like wobble extensions to me after using the snap ons.

 

[KingPerformance]

I have never had good luck with a wobble extension. I just never liked them. IMHO if you can't reach it with a straight extension then you need a universal socket.

I love mine.
Sometimes you can get away with a universal joint and a standard socket, but I have found in many cases there just isn't enough room.
As for extensions, I have broken everything under the sun with the exception of a snap on extension. The snap on units are thinner, stronger, have less “wobble” (I know, you want wobble on a wobble extension and that they have), and the knurling is a nice touch. Try out several brands if you can, and pick the one that supports YOUR needs. Good luck, and keep us up to date on what you choose.

 

[eschoendorff]

I use the Craftsman, SK, and some cheap MIT made in Taiwan wobbles. They all work very well. This is one item where I would buy the Craftsman over the truck brands....

 

[Deafautotech]

I have never had good luck with a wobble extension. I just never liked them. IMHO if you can't reach it with a straight extension then you need a universal socket.

I love mine.
Sometimes you can get away with a universal joint and a standard socket, but I have found in many cases there just isn't enough room.
As for extensions, I have broken everything under the sun with the exception of a snap on extension. The snap on units are thinner, stronger, have less “wobble” (I know, you want wobble on a wobble extension and that they have), and the knurling is a nice touch. Try out several brands if you can, and pick the one that supports YOUR needs. Good luck, and keep us up to date on what you choose.

i am agree with you! but i had snap on wobble set as i only need to make little degree off instead pissed off on univeral joint because it flex down and i cant get it stright unless i had to tape it with electrical tape...

 

[caspian65]

I've used my wobble extensions before when I needed that little extra "curve" to get to a fastener.

 

[george4]

I have never had good luck with a wobble extension. I just never liked them. ...
Try out several brands if you can, and pick the one that supports YOUR needs. Good luck, and keep us up to date on what you choose.

Thanks for the input everyone. I would like to get a set of universal sockets, probably 3/8. I ended doing ebay for some SO wobble extensions. Got a set of 3/8 wobble plus and a few individual regular SO wobbles in ¼ and ½ . I wanted something with knurling. My regular extensions and universals are mostly Cman. I looked at new Cman wobbles and they seem fine too. I assume no problem in extending a wobble with a regular extension unless there would be some violent reaction from using a SO and a Cman together.

 

[Detroit Diesel Man]

I have a set of 3/8 Mac wobble ext in 3/8" I hardly use them tho..mostly I get by with ext with a universal on it. Their tends to be a little more room under the hood of a Peterbilt,Freightliner or Kenworth than a Honda,Subaru or Chevy Compact car..


DDM

 

[Uncle Buck]

I have never had good luck with a wobble extension. I just never liked them. IMHO if you can't reach it with a straight extension then you need a universal socket.

I love mine.
Sometimes you can get away with a universal joint and a standard socket, but I have found in many cases there just isn't enough room.
As for extensions, I have broken everything under the sun with the exception of a snap on extension. The snap on units are thinner, stronger, have less “wobble” (I know, you want wobble on a wobble extension and that they have), and the knurling is a nice touch. Try out several brands if you can, and pick the one that supports YOUR needs. Good luck, and keep us up to date on what you choose.

How the hell do you break extensions? I have broken a few sockets through the years as well as a few ratchets but the closest I ever came to breaking an extension was when I have broken a drive reducing adapter. Don't you know when it's time to go a different direction before breaking up your tools, regardless of getting replacements for nothing I think a guy has to know when it is time to get a different plan of attack!

 

[-lecroix-]

It think some feel they are more of a man if they can break a tool and then brag about it.

I don't get it either bro.

 

[KingPerformance]

How the hell do you break extensions? I have broken a few sockets through the years as well as a few ratchets but the closest I ever came to breaking an extension was when I have broken a drive reducing adapter. Don't you know when it's time to go a different direction before breaking up your tools, regardless of getting replacements for nothing I think a guy has to know when it is time to get a different plan of attack!

You must not work on cars for a living.

 

[KingPerformance]

i am agree with you! but i had snap on wobble set as i only need to make little degree off instead pissed off on univeral joint because it flex down and i cant get it stright unless i had to tape it with electrical tape...

if they don't stay straight give them a slight tap with a hammer to close the sides down again. Or, just hand them back to the snap on man and tell him you want a new one.

 

[kidney]

How the hell do you break extensions? I have broken a few sockets through the years as well as a few ratchets but the closest I ever came to breaking an extension was when I have broken a drive reducing adapter. Don't you know when it's time to go a different direction before breaking up your tools, regardless of getting replacements for nothing I think a guy has to know when it is time to get a different plan of attack!

I splayed open the end of a 1/2" drive extension once. Can't say I was doing anything abusive to it, nothing that wouldn't be expected of a 1/2" drive. I have a feeling it was a one of those sneaky foreign ones, though.

 

[Danglerb]

On my list of things to buy are two 24" 1/2" drive extensions. Hooked together with a bit of finese apparently they allow removing the torque tube on my car without dropping the entire transaxle and rear suspension. Snapon is $55 each, and so far I have been hunting for a better deal than the typical $5 at the swapmeet.

What sort of torque is reasonable to expect a 1/2 drive extension to tolerate?

For wobble I just assumed those would never be stressed, so HF is fine.

 

[-lecroix-]

You must not work on cars for a living.

What does one have to do with the other? Are you saying auto techs are stronger than they are smart? If so, I think some folks here might take offense to that.

Cause I'm dumber than a sack of hammers and I've never had a problem telling the difference between a 3/8" drive job and a 3/4" drive job.

 

[george4]

For wobble I just assumed those would never be stressed, so HF is fine.

I do not understand that. If you need the wobble to break loose a nut, why would the stress be any less than if you had a straight shot with a regular extension?

 

[Uncle Buck]

You must not work on cars for a living.

No I do not work on cars for a living, but that statement is rather ignorant when you step back and think about it a minute, just because I do not, does not mean I could not do so if I so chose. I know that if I wanted to work on cars for a living I would make a damned fine mechanic, so your statement in no way elevates your mechanical aptitude or abilities even a wee bit in my estimation. Actually, if I were you I think I would be re-evaluating my abilities if you are not capable of knowing what is too much force to apply to a given drive size of tools! I guess for me it simply underscores why so called professional mechanics rarely get a glimpse under the hood of my cars.

 

[ImportTuner]

What does one have to do with the other? Are you saying auto techs are stronger than they are smart? If so, I think some folks here might take offense to that.

Cause I'm dumber than a sack of hammers and I've never had a problem telling the difference between a 3/8" drive job and a 3/4" drive job.

I don't work on cars for a living, but I think he means that if you did, your tools would wear out sooner with the less expensive brand ... at least that was my take on the comment ..

 

[Uncle Buck]

I do not understand that. If you need the wobble to break loose a nut, why would the stress be any less than if you had a straight shot with a regular extension?

Agreed.

 

[kythri]

Guys, you just don't understand. If you don't work on cars for a living, then you don't know anything about tools, and you're using your tools incorrectly.

Proper use and application of tools ultimately results in their destruction (unless they're made by Snap-On). If you're not breaking your tools, you're not using them correctly.

Man, just because you're employed to do something doesn't mean you're qualified to do it, or even slightly skilled. Jiffy Lube hires people that used to work at McDonald's, yet people think that they're magically qualified to change your oil and perform other services without screwing things up.

Having a job and being able to do the job are two completely seperate things.

 

[MarkH]

I do not understand that. If you need the wobble to break loose a nut, why would the stress be any less than if you had a straight shot with a regular extension?

To simplify the engineering problem the stress is still there. It is moved to a different place. With a regular extension it is on the nut or bolt since it not fitting right. With the wobble the socket should be square on the bolt or nut relieving the stress there and moving it to the woblle joint which is better designed to handle that stress and minimize fastener damage. There are more nuances, but that is the simple version.

 

[Danglerb]

I was looking at it as, the wobble won't support as much torque, so you use something else when a lot of torque is needed. Looks like I have it backwards.

 

[kythri]

I don't know that I'd use a wobble with the intent of lowering stress on a fastener, to minimize damage. That's really not the point of one of the things...

The same amount of force is going to need to be applied directly to the fastener to remove it. The wobble is designed to allow you to get into a hard-to-reach spot, not as a tool to redistribute stress to a different point.

It would seem obvious to me, due to physics that I can't really explain, that the main point of stress in the equation will be at the wobble.

 

[Danglerb]

Better to put the extra stress on the wobble than to have a socket not be square to the bolt or not fully engaged on it.

I assume a universal joint or socket might be a better choice for more torque, but a wobble might fit where a universal doesn't have clearance.

Whats not clear to me is if a wobble needs to be a premium part, or why I would want both wobble and wobble plus?

 

[-lecroix-]

Just buy the Snap On ... everyone knows it better ... it has to be, it cost more.

 

[Deafautotech]

Just buy the Snap On ... everyone knows it better ... it has to be, it cost more.

that why i got it from member of this forum for good deal as standard extension set and wobble extension set from my good friend who was my auto teacher in high school and college... i am still used it and love it! i had mac tool wobble set and it seem not wobble what it should be... so i had to trade in for semi floating puller set to be adapter to my OTC slide hammer for jeep vehicles...

 

[NOMAD]

I needed some extensions to break down the motor on my E30 BMW and I picked up a "wobble-plus" at Sears. It did a decent job and it seemed nice to be able to jam the extension further into the socket to gain a "direct drive" on the nut. The only complaint is that it would sometimes go into direct drive mode when I wanted to keep it wobble.

I'd agree that when "wobbling" these seem harder to apply good torque because the side to side motion redirects some of the force.

But I don't work on cars for a living so I shouldn't be allowed to post.
I may go get a job at the Grease-n-Lube so my advice can be certified.

 

[strizzy]

Are theses "wobble-plus" extensions on the Sears website somewhere? I can't seem to find them...

Companion brand?
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...ols,+General+Purpose&sName=Socket+Accessories

 

[NOMAD]

I was in the store and was looking for some extensions.

I think mine might be the companion. I figured if they broke I'd know to get the others.

 

[-lecroix-]

My wobble extensions are Craftsman brand ... not Companion.

 

[TNToy]

Guys, don't read so much into it. This was the original exchange:

How the hell do you break extensions? I have broken a few sockets through the years as well as a few ratchets but the closest I ever came to breaking an extension was when...

You must not work on cars for a living.

That's pretty straightforward. The guy has apparently never broken an extension, which likely means he doesn't do this stuff for a living. Here's how King and I both jumped to that conclusion:

Let's assume that replacing a motor mount pays 4 hours because you have to drop the front suspension/subframe assembly to do it the way the book says...

...But you can partially pry part X out of the way, cram a 3/8" drive extension in there with a 21mm wobble on it, and break the widget in question loose in 15 minutes. Problem is, the torque spec on that 21mm bolt is very high.

It's time to bust out the 1/2" impact (or breaker bar) and a reducer. Extension #1 meats a speedy demise, extension #2 pops it loose, and you've got the vehicle out the door in 1 hour flat.

Scenarios like that are why (1)We have so many duplicate ratchets and extensions in our drawers, and (2)Why we pay a lot for tools that get warrantied no-questions-asked.

If you need that explained to you, there's nothing wrong with that. But you don't work on cars for a living. You certainly aren't unfortunate enough to be flate-rate like King & myself.