Astro Pneumatic Tool Company
- Thread starter Astro_Pneumatic_Tools
- Start date
bubinga
Well-known member
Does the flex have a screw to tighten a little if needed?
Yes, socket screw.
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bubinga
Well-known member
Thanks, I ordered one!
demarpaint
Well-known member
I have one on the way. There's a pretty long wait time on the shipping from Amazon though.
Muckin_Slusher
Well-known member
That's mildly upsetting.
I looked at amazon.ca and they don't list the 78318, but amazon.com does and lists ships to canada. Guess I'll have to get the account password from momma.
BTW thanks for being awesome!
Yes, I've been waiting for this one for so long I pulled the trigger the instant someone posted a link here, not realizing I purchased it from a 3rd party seller.
I'm sorry! I posted the original link so I'll take responsibility. They were available for $20 something when I did though.
Hey look, if I cared that much, I would have cancelled/returned once I figured it out. I'm just happy to have it in hand and for it to be (from first impressions) even better than I expected.
bubinga
Well-known member
Said to show up this Friday. July 7th.
UPS drivers' contracts run thru the end of July.
Retroman
Well-known member
Up to $52 bucks this morning.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
dnschmidt
Well-known member
As Mick sang: "You can't always get what you want." Com'on nut this is a super cool tool and you're bitchin' already. Incidentally, this tool was invented by my neighbor Fedwrench.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
No need to get defensive over positive criticism.
If I was complaining, I’d ask why it’s not reversible.
A few improvements would make this a more competitive option. That’s all.
Cruzan80
Well-known member
IIRC, Astro said the reversible part is still under patent.
demarpaint
Well-known member
My 78318 is due tomorrow.
DerekV
Well-known member
Reversible =/= locking
Cruzan80
Well-known member
If I was complaining, I’d ask why it’s not reversible.
I was addressing the above, not anything about locking or not.
dnschmidt
Well-known member
Thirty bucks for the ratchet and a 24mm socket or $120 for a 24/25 mm KABO. I'd say that's a damn competitive option already.No need to get defensive over positive criticism.
If I was complaining, I’d ask why it’s not reversible.
A few improvements would make this a more competitive option. That’s all.
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
All valid pointsNo need to get defensive over positive criticism.
If I was complaining, I’d ask why it’s not reversible.
A few improvements would make this a more competitive option. That’s all.
I posted this in the new tool arrival thread when I got mine back in June:"Other Thoughts: I'd like to see a 10-12 inch long version. Sometimes 18 inches is too long for some applications. I'm sure they are peeps reading this that are thinking, man, I wish it was reversible. I wish it had a locking flex head. I wish Astro would have stuck a fixed 17mm boxed end with wire retainer on the end opposite end of the ratcheting end to serve as a breaker bar. Just random thoughts
If you have 3/8 Nano sockets, you need one of these. 
"I didn't invent this thing. The Astro Dude (Denny knows his name, a real tool Manufactuing genius) made a prototype after much discussion about what handle the Nano sockets needed. I think it's a great first edition tool.
I hope they're other versions. might not be from Astro due to patents but, I'm sure other peeps want to jump on the band wagon. I mean the peeps with the reversible patent might release a reversible version. The locking flex head peeps could release a locking version. Someone else could release a 10 inch long version with a fixed boxed end opposite the flex head. It all depends on how well they're received and if there's money to be made
Imitation is the highest form of flattery so, will see how it goes.
All I know, is this flex head ratcheting handle is a winner-winner chicken dinner when combined with the nano sockets.
Hell, sales of extra long flex head ratcheting wrenches might drop a bit once word spreads about nano sockets with their new handle
Astro should offer a set of Nano Sockets with the new handle included.
bubinga
Well-known member
KnurledNut
Well-known member
By "competitive", I meant function, not necessarily price.
Kabo increases the pivot dimensions as size increases. Any idea of the Astro flex design proof load? Will it handle the force a 24mm headed bolt takes?
I appreciate your thoughts Denny.
Thanks for the reply, Fed.All valid points
"Other Thoughts: I'd like to see a 10-12 inch long version. Sometimes 18 inches is too long for some applications. I'm sure they are peeps reading this that are thinking, man, I wish it was reversible. I wish it had a locking flex head. I wish Astro would have stuck a fixed 17mm boxed end with wire retainer on the end opposite end of the ratcheting end to serve as a breaker bar. Just random thoughts
I didn't invent this thing. The Astro Dude (Denny knows his name, a real tool Manufactuing genius) made a prototype after much discussion about what handle the Nano sockets needed. I think it's a great first edition tool.
I hope they're other versions. might not be from Astro due to patents but, I'm sure other peeps want to jump on the band wagon. I mean the peeps with the reversible patent might release a reversible version. The locking flex head peeps could release a locking version. Someone else could release a 10 inch long version with a fixed boxed end opposite the flex head. It all depends on how well they're received and if there's money to be made
Imitation is the highest form of flattery so, will see how it goes.
All I know, is this flex head ratcheting handle is a winner-winner chicken dinner when combined with the nano sockets.
Hell, sales of extra long flex head ratcheting wrenches might drop a bit once word spreads about nano sockets with their new handle
Astro should offer a set of Nano Sockets with the new handle included.
Having a fixed end is a great idea.
I wish AP the best. I tend to give them a little tough love, but it's well intended.
dnschmidt
Well-known member
Fed is too modest. He without question came up with the idea and I passed it on to my friend Chris Pettit at ASTRO who ran with it. Chris TIG welded a prototype which was shown at SEMA but was hardly what he eventually produced in production which is much nicer. For the cash this is the tool of the year. I've already passed on Fed's idea for a shorter version which Chris told me he was already thinking about when I made the suggestion.
WWheeler
Well-known member
I was wondering the same thing.
The O.D.s of my Craftsman Max Axess set of the sockets are 18.4mm and 12mm, so they sadly are not going to be interchangeable with the 78318 ratchet and the 19pc 3/8" nano set that Amazon tells me will be arriving tomorrow.
They are weird sizes that only seem to work with their ratchets and nothing else. They don't seem to work with metric or SAE sized wrenches. The larger set are too large to fit an 11/16" or 18mm 12 pt and they just spin in a 3/4" or 19mm 12pt. They could possibly be turned with a 3/4" or 19mm 6 point but they are too loose and sloppy to be practical to try to use like that, and probably damage the socket or wrench if I tried. The smaller set is too large to fit in an 11mm or 7/16" in 12pt or 6 pt and too small, they just spin, in a 1/2" 12 pt or 6pt, but they do fit a 6 pt 12mm ok, but without the retaining ring like the pass-thru ratchets have they would be falling out constantly.
The Craftsmans I have are Apex-made so I have long assumed Gearwrench pass-thru sets were going to be the same, but IDK if that's actually the case or not.
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I've read that the Craftsman, gearwrench, and one other common version are interchangeable. But your post confirms that the gearwrench won't work with the Astro ratchet which would have been the best case scenario.
I wonder about the Armstrong version...
assassin10000
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2022
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WWheeler
Well-known member
Don't own any spline drive to check, unless that's what these Max Access ratchets are supposed to be. I didn't think so as these are 6 point and every spline drive I've seen has 12 pt iirc.
I received my 78318 last week; I like it very much. But I agree that a 10-12" version would probably be more useful than this offering. I know that I can use the Nano sockets in a ratcheting wrench, but the retaining clip is nice. I did modify a 3/8 adapter to use as a Nano retainer in a ratcheting wrench by cutting the female end as short as possible. I don't know who came up with that idea, but I saw it here.
WWheeler
Well-known member
My Astro 78318 Nano ratchet and 78319 19pc Nano sockets showed up today. Sweet!
retDAC
Well-known member
GearWrench, Craftsman, Crescent, Sata, and Husky pass-thrus swap. There are/have been some other brands made by the same OEM.
The old Armstrong/MATCO pass-thrus had the gear on the outside of the socket.
GearWrench, Craftsman, Crescent, Sata, and Husky pass-thrus have a 6 LOBE drive design so not feasible.
Cruzan80
Well-known member
Got my 73818. It’s Awesome. sorry if this has been asked already, but any intention of one for the 1/2 drive nano sets ? If so, I’ll take one.