I don't know why people think they need a flex head that locks?
You have used breaker bars before right? .....they don't lock
Especially with something that long...whatever angle u hold it at is what angle ur gonna be at. I personally have owned the snap on locking ratchet and I sold it. Before I sold it I would never lock it anywY just because I found it useless. I don't own a single locking ratchet anymore and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I guess some people think if it doesn't lock that your gonna be flopping all over the place and as ur loosening something the handle is gonna pivot and ur hand is gonna go slamming into the side of the vehicle or something. ......it is complete opposite of this
I find locking just happens to get it the way in ur rotation if u have to move it some to go around an obstacle.
To each his own but I'm sure most people that have used both will chime in and say that they prefer non locking. Plus it's just one extra addition to the ratchet to create a weak point.
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x100. Had the big 1/2 for a year or so and would cry if it went missing. Just got the 3/8 and love it the same. Locking creates more problems than it could ever solve.
I do a lot of alignments and brake jobs. Chevy trucks and suv rear disc caliper bracket bolts are super tight and locktite all the way off. I need an arc in my swing on those and on caster/camber adjustments going around the tire and such. I have had it almost parallel to the bolt and hit it with a hammer to get a bolt to move.
With a locking flex any movement in a direction that is not taking the bolt off is movement at the socket head/bolt. Thus requiring one hand on the handle and one on the head to hold it on. With a non locking flex you are allowed "torque shake" with 2 hands on the handle and the socket is not moving around on the bolt.
Plus once you get it loose you can go parallel and it becomes a decent speed handle.
Owned one locking, got rid of it and will never have another.