Locking extensions, educate me

[TheGrooveking]

I've decided to buy some locking extensions and figured I'd check in with you guys. What brands are good and which are to be avoided?

TheGrooveking

 

[pipsters]

The Craftsmans have a plastic unlocking tab (ball is metal). I have not experienced problems with it, but people tend to be plastic adverse. I bought them because they were much thinner than the standard locking mechanisms that most other companies use. I use mine mainly for spark plugs.

 

[mtkst19]

if you can find used,in 3/8 drive the older mac ones i prefer as the heads are narrower than the current model snap on or macs.

in 1/4 inch drive-- probably what ever floats your boat. i have this set:

http://www.mactools.com/shoponline/...0080-6-pc-14-drive-locking-extension-set.aspx

with that said, in 3/8 drive i have a mix of new/old mac's. the new ones were replacements for the old ones when they broke. still usa made. the new macs are same shape width as snappys. the ones that were broke were more worn out/abused. not that they were a ************* and junk.

in 1/4 drive, i have mac as well. be honest, i use the piss out of the 2 foot long locking extension. it is called the "secret weapon". as that is the secret tool to make life easier to work on cramped stuff. no more bending my neck under a dash for booster or clutch master bolts. or if i got a tight engine where cant get my hands, use a long enough extension until im free/unobstructed.

for most part im a snap on *****. i have nothing bad about the mac and im very pleased with them and would buy again. have lasted me well over 6 years and i use them daily. my 3/8 set was used to begin with--so it was in use even longer.

 

[lok]

Stahlwille.

 

[MattPersman]

I use the snap on, only issue has been the pin has come out of a couple of them and I put a little tighter roll pin in them and made sure they would not come out again. The pin holds the locking part on to the extension on the longer ones than 3"

 

[wafrederick]

I have a set of 1/4 Cornwell locking extensions,3/8 drive Mac set and one 3/8 drive Matco impact locking extensions.Do come in handy a lot beating losing sockets which some are not cheap.I have a couple 1/4 drive Matco chrome universal sockets,a 10mm and a 13mm which are $39.00 and some change a piece.

 

[jjjrmx5]

I have both MAC and S-K and use them regularly and both are of a VERY high quality.

Sanp-On's design is identical.

When you get into Craftsman units they begin to use the plastic lock slider or lock button vs. the metal sliding sleeve, and the HF locking extensions are an even simplerdesign using the siding lock collar but none of the rest of the well thought out multi-piece retention design of the high end tools.

It's another type of tool where you get what you pay for.

For me Mac was high end and SK the lowest cost that was acceptable that met funtional tool levels with a good locking mechanism.

 

[billymade]

I did this mini review in the past; we discussed a number of different brands....

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24430

 

[SMKS]

I you want USA made, Craftsman will be the cheapest. At least I believe they're USA made (for now, at least).

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00943345000P?prdNo=7

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00943355000P?prdNo=2

Harbor Freight also has ones that look pretty decent. They have metal locking rings. They're made in Taiwan, not China.
http://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-38-drive-uick-release-extension-bar-set-67976.html

 

[TheGrooveking]

I did this mini review in the past; we discussed a number of different brands....

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24430

Thanks for the link, I'm going to look into SK, since all of the truck brands are the same and made in the USA.

TheGrooveking

 

[shampoop]

Go for something with the collar and a locking pin rather than a ball.

 

[laskt9]

the craftsman ones with the plastic piece are junk if you use them everyday. the plastic piece inside will break and the button falls out. im on my third set of 3/8s.

 

[dwm]

In the end I think many of us wind up with two types: sleeve type for most things, and locking button when clearance is an issue (in my case, the top Torx bolts on the bellhousing of some cars). I like the Link Tools ones for sleeve type (its a wedge pin instead of ball; the harder you pull, the more it grabs), but the SK have served me well too. I like the Wera for pushbutton due to it leaving lots of clearance. The Stahwille that lok posted looks nice too. No idea about longevity of any of them since mine aren't used day in and day out and I've never run an impact on them (except maybe the SK once or twice).

 

[jjjrmx5]

In the end I think many of us wind up with two types: sleeve type for most things, and locking button when clearance is an issue (in my case, the top Torx bolts on the bellhousing of some cars). I like the Link Tools ones for sleeve type (its a wedge pin instead of ball; the harder you pull, the more it grabs), but the SK have served me well too. I like the Wera for pushbutton due to it leaving lots of clearance. The Stahwille that lok posted looks nice too. No idea about longevity of any of them since mine aren't used day in and day out and I've never run an impact on them (except maybe the SK once or twice).

Keep in mind there are various designs of both the sleeve and button units out there.

The Mac, Snap-On and high end units use a sleeve with a multi-piece angle finger to hold the sprung ball retainer in place and the socket on. The cheap HF version uses a metal collar held on with a hex set screw but uses the far less expensive push button style internals.

Those using push or slide buttons range from metal push buttons to plastic slide buttons with various methods to keep the ball ridgid to keep the socket in place.

I don't see where clearence would be an issue with the sleeve units as ur sockets will always be wider or a larger dia. then that collar. They did think of that when designing the collars on the truck brand stuff.

 

[dwm]

Keep in mind there are various designs of both the sleeve and button units out there.

The Mac, Snap-On and high end units use a sleeve with a multi-piece angle finger to hold the sprung ball retainer in place and the socket on. The cheap HF version uses a metal collar held on with a hex set screw but uses the far less expensive push button style internals.

Those using push or slide buttons range from metal push buttons to plastic slide buttons with various methods to keep the ball ridgid to keep the socket in place.

I don't see where clearence would be an issue with the sleeve units as ur sockets will always be wider or a larger dia. then that collar. They did think of that when designing the collars on the truck brand stuff.

Clearance can be an issue when you need the extension to pass over a flange or the like to get to the socket. Off the top of my head there are two spots on my BMW that are an issue. One iis the top two bellhousing fasteners and the other is one of the headlight housing fasteners. I CAN do the bellhousing fasteners with a locking sleeve type, but the button type is easier because it leaves me more wiggle room to get the socket on when I'm at the other end of a long extension. I can't really get to the one headlight fastener effectively with a sleeve-type, there's an obstruction that prevents me from getting the socket straight onto the bolt head. Enough room for a shallow socket to clear the obstruction, but then the locking extension sleeve is in the way. Damn modern cars with no space to work in some areas.

Most things, I use the one on the left or right in the picture because they're a lot easier to operate. But sometimes I need the one in the middle (which has a 10mm GP Duo-Socket on it in the picture, which is smaller in diameter than either of the sleeves on the left and right). Of the sleeve type, I like the fact that the Link Tools versions have short sleeves. The Snap-On chrome are pretty short too, but I don't have a picture handy.

 

[pipsters]

It's not like you are pulling sockets off of these things, they are just designed so that you don't lose the thing down in the depths of the engine bay.

 

[dwm]

It's not like you are pulling sockets off of these things, they are just designed so that you don't lose the thing down in the depths of the engine bay.

At the end of the task, the socket has to be removed unless you want it dedicated to the extension The Wera has clearance when I need it, but the button can be a PITA to operate sometimes. It won't lock on some of my Craftsman sockets without fiddling. As a DIY I sometimes have time to fiddle, but a flat-rate pro usually doesn't. Thankfully I don't need the lock on these extensions very often, but when I do, I'm glad I have them even though they're fussier to operate than any of my sleeved ones.

 

[mtkst19]

i run into clearance issues a lot on Porsche. these cars are why i bought locking extensions to begin with. as i use the lockers w/ swivel sockets to change plugs. you do not want cross threaded holes on a 911.

as for that diameter interference-- if you note the shaft of the extension necks up at the base of the slide collar on mac/snappy etc. the diameter of this neck is more so than old versions of the mac. That little bit thicker will prevent me from doing some jobs where that thicker diameter hits against something. doesnt happen all the time but it does.

 

[jjjrmx5]

Enough room for a shallow socket to clear the obstruction, but then the locking extension sleeve is in the way. Damn modern cars with no space to work in some areas.

That looks like a 10mm socket on a 3/8" drive extension, which is at the absolute bottom size socket for that size drive that will be close to the sleeve dia.

For 10mm I'd suggest a 1/4" locking extension and the appropriate socket, which I can damn well guess does not have a collar too big.

Again, right tool for the right job and what you show pics of is not my choice at all, so feel free to ***** but I'm not going along with it.

There are SOME areas where std. tool solutions do not fit, but those are few in most cases.

All in all, by buy what you need, but there are always exceptions, but those few exceptions don;t always mean the best overall tools should be tossed aside.

 

[DrkMtnDew]

Haven't had a single problem yet with the Cman version.

 

[pipsters]

At the end of the task, the socket has to be removed unless you want it dedicated to the extension . The Wera has clearance when I need it, but the button can be a PITA to operate sometimes. It won't lock on some of my Craftsman sockets without fiddling. As a DIY I sometimes have time to fiddle, but a flat-rate pro usually doesn't. Thankfully I don't need the lock on these extensions very often, but when I do, I'm glad I have them even though they're fussier to operate than any of my sleeved ones.

Right, but that's when you unlock the socket...I don't understand what you are getting at? My point is that there isn't really much force on these things as unless you weld the socket to something and pull, these are really light duty hand tools.

FWIW I use the Craftsman without any issues and they are very thin profiled. Nothing really sticking up, and they fit my Craftsman sockets perfectly.

 

[G1GRANDEUR]

My first locking extensions were Craftsman like stephen9666 posted.

I liked them and it worked great, very low profile release lever.

 

[shampoop]

It's not like you are pulling sockets off of these things, they are just designed so that you don't lose the thing down in the depths of the engine bay.

No, the high end ones like the snapon set I have are designed to work even when being spun at a super high rate of speed with an impact gun. This is especially important when using a swivel socket with an extension, as the second the fastener is removed, it will fling the socket off like a bullet if not well locked in place.

I guess the most important thing in deciding whether or not you want to get a professional set of locking extensions, vs a homeowner set, is whether or not you use any air tools.

 

[pipsters]

No, the high end ones like the snapon set I have are designed to work even when being spun at a super high rate of speed with an impact gun. This is especially important when using a swivel socket with an extension, as the second the fastener is removed, it will fling the socket off like a bullet if not well locked in place.

I guess the most important thing in deciding whether or not you want to get a professional set of locking extensions, vs a homeowner set, is whether or not you use any air tools.

If I were using them with an impact I would buy impact extensions. The Craftsman is fine for what it is designed for.

Like saying a Civic is a crappy race car. No ****. But it does what it does great and will go forever if used properly.

 

[dwm]

That looks like a 10mm socket on a 3/8" drive extension, which is at the absolute bottom size socket for that size drive that will be close to the sleeve dia.

For 10mm I'd suggest a 1/4" locking extension and the appropriate socket, which I can damn well guess does not have a collar too big.

Again, right tool for the right job and what you show pics of is not my choice at all, so feel free to ***** but I'm not going along with it.

There are SOME areas where std. tool solutions do not fit, but those are few in most cases.

All in all, by buy what you need, but there are always exceptions, but those few exceptions don;t always mean the best overall tools should be tossed aside.

The 10mm just happened to be what was on my bench when I took the picture. My bellhousing fasteners are all external Torx (3 different sizes to get the whole transmission out of the car). It's the same story; sleeve gets in the way. The torque on two of the three sizes is way beyond the range of my 1/4" TechWrench.

The headlight fastener is an 8mm, and hence requires a 1/4" extension. There is no going smaller there. Universal gets in the way too, as does a deep socket.

If you read what I said, I didn't advocate one or the other. I said many of us wind up with both. For good reason: right tool for the job is the one that's actually usable. I also said I use my sleeve-type the most often, but there are things for which I need the pushbutton type. You might not for what you work on. I need them for some things, and others do as well.

 

[dwm]

Right, but that's when you unlock the socket...I don't understand what you are getting at? My point is that there isn't really much force on these things as unless you weld the socket to something and pull, these are really light duty hand tools.

I don't think we're really arguing here. My only point was that sometimes I need the clearance of a button type, but in the case of the Wera, with some sockets the button just doesn't want to lock. So I have to remember which sockets work with it before I get under the car. My go-tos these days are the GP Duo-socket, but if I only had my old Craftsman sockets, the Wera extension would irritate me.

I don't bother with a locking extension unless I'm in a situation where losing the socket is likely going to piss me off or cost me a lot of time. I don't generally worry about them locking onto what I'm removing (except for spark plugs). It's snagging them on a flange or something else that sometimes pops the socket off. Not all that uncommon when you're at the other end of a 3' extension with a transmission between you and the fastener.

 

[shampoop]

If I were using them with an impact I would buy impact extensions. The Craftsman is fine for what it is designed for.

Like saying a Civic is a crappy race car. No ****. But it does what it does great and will go forever if used properly.

The snapon ones, and most likely many other high end ones are actually "locking impact extensions". So yea, they are expensive, but not that much when you factor in how perfectly they work and that they're basically the only extensions you will ever need.

 

[dwm]

The snapon ones, and most likely many other high end ones are actually "locking impact extensions". So yea, they are expensive, but not that much when you factor in how perfectly they work and that they're basically the only extensions you will ever need.

Are the Snap-On chrome ones rated for impact (FXKL24A for example)? I didn't think they were, hence the separate Snap-On impact extensions (at higher cost than the chrome ones).

 

[Seanbev24]

The Craftsman locking extensions are absolute ****. I've had sockets pop off them a few times, which isn't that big of a big deal to me. What really pissed me off is when the POS plastic tab fell apart and I had to pound a $40 Snap-On universal socket off of it with a hammer. I'm now in the middle of slowly building a collection of Snap-On locking extensions.

 

[shampoop]

Are the Snap-On chrome ones rated for impact (FXKL24A for example)? I didn't think they were, hence the separate Snap-On impact extensions (at higher cost than the chrome ones).

Hmm, didn't even know they sold the 3/8" and 1/2" locking extensions in chrome! Looking them up, for a 6" long 3/8" extension it's $42 for chrome and $50 for impact. I'm pretty sure chrome is a more expensive finish, so judging by that and the pricing I would assume the chrome ones are not rated for impact. But then again there's no such thing as a chrome impact.

I don't understand why anyone would want the 3/8" and above locking extensions in chrome. The only people serious enough to want nice locking extensions are going to have air tools.

All of my 3/8" and 1/2" extensions are black oxide. My 1/4" extensions are chrome because I'll never use them with an air tool, but they also sell impact ones.

3/8" impact
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/tools.asp?tool=all&Group_ID=19569&store=snapon-store

1/2" impact
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/tools.asp?tool=all&Group_ID=12922&store=snapon-store

EDIT: From what I can see the only difference between the chrome and impact models is the finish, and the fact that the impact ones use a pin retainer instead of a ball which should hold the socket on more securely. Still doesn't make sense why the impact models cost more though.

 

[dwm]

shampoop, I use my chrome locking extensions. I own and use air tools and have some impact extensions, but on my own cars I am frequently using hand tools and especially the torque wrenches. Even more true for anything threaded into aluminum or that would require a helicoil to fix (and ruin a day) if I ****** it. Air and cordless tools for rapid disassembly of many things, but except for weak air ratchets and clutched cordless drivers to run up nuts on long bolts, I never use them for assembly. I know it's very different for professional flat-rate mechanics, but for someone like me that has a car I want to stay in tip-top shape for many decades and getting it right is more important than getting it done quickly, it's hand tools for assembly. It's also the reason my car has not been to the dealer or an indie for service. I do it myself, including the connecting rod bearing replacement I did a couple of years ago that BMW likely would have covered. Nothing against professional mechanics, there are many good ones (including here on this board). I'm just paranoid and know sometimes things get rushed. I have the luxury of taking my time and I enjoy doing it. And when it comes time to pass inspection and hit the road course on a track day, I am confident that everything I've touched recently is torqued to spec and not going to earn me a black flag mid-session.

Different needs. I need the locking extensions just to prevent losing a socket by snagging it somewhere when getting it in/out of an awkward spot.

 

[Unearthed]

I have Craftsman, and SK. Both are OK. I recently bought 6 Armstrong locking ends from Cripe and added them to some select extentions. For me, this is the way to go. Take them off and use them on any extention you need.

 

[snap88]

Snap on 3/8 all day

 

[pipsters]

The snapon ones, and most likely many other high end ones are actually "locking impact extensions". So yea, they are expensive, but not that much when you factor in how perfectly they work and that they're basically the only extensions you will ever need.

The problem with the other types of extensions with the locking collar is their diameter. I bought mine specifically because every time I took off the intake manifold on my car, as I would pull the socket out, it would get hung up and pop off. It's pretty tight in there, and I wanted the thinnest type available.

I agree if you aren't concerned about diameter, get the impacts only with locking collar. But then again why even have chrome sockets? Why not just have impact sockets?

 

[dragonle87]

I believe Mac is the only one that have Locking Universal Joints

http://www.mactools.com/shoponline/product/tabid/120/p-326398-14-drive-locking-universal-joint.aspx

They have a set 1/4, 3/8, & 1/2 but I cant seem to find it

 

[dwm]

I believe Mac is the only one that have Locking Universal Joints

http://www.mactools.com/shoponline/product/tabid/120/p-326398-14-drive-locking-universal-joint.aspx

They have a set 1/4, 3/8, & 1/2 but I cant seem to find it

Link Tools has them too. I thought I had another brand in one of my boxes, but I didn't find it in a cursory search.

 

[muskaman67]

I have a set of cornwells locking extension set. 3/8 drive. i've used the snot out of them and they keep on kicking. i use them on my 1/2 gun with an adapter all the time doing ****** work and they hold up no problem. this is the set i have. well worth the money spent.

http://www.cornwelltools.com/webcat...KST-%2d-3Pc-3{47}8"-Drive-Lock-Extension-Set#

 

[bcradio]

No, the high end ones like the snapon set I have are designed to work even when being spun at a super high rate of speed with an impact gun. This is especially important when using a swivel socket with an extension, as the second the fastener is removed, it will fling the socket off like a bullet if not well locked in place.

I guess the most important thing in deciding whether or not you want to get a professional set of locking extensions, vs a homeowner set, is whether or not you use any air tools.

You want impact extensions to use with impact tools. Otherwise you risk shattering the thing in your face.

 

[shoturtle]

I used wera locking extensions. And have been happy with them. When using smaller sockets, the width of the socket is the largest point in the setup. Works well in tighter areas.

 

[csmitty]

Snap on has locking universals

Most likely will pick up a 3/8s soon.

For extensions I got a 3/8 Proto which is similar in design to the truck brands and through grainger discount the 6" was $17 vs SO $43. Used it a handful of times so far and no issues. Other than the universal falling off.

The CMan are labeled as quick release for some reason. I thought they were locking, not really. Was fun fishing the spark plug socket out deep down in a head. Those won't be getting used much anymore. Will try out the Proto for the same task soon. And probably get some more.