Socket extensions - any quality differences

[Brad Walker]

I was looking to purchase some extension sets and was wondering if there was any significant differences in quality. Are the Snap on extensions that much better to maybe Icon extensions?

 

[shawhite]

I buy snap-on because I like their knurling it’s usually in the perfect place for me when I need to spin something by hand with greasy hands. That and I like to support my remaining American workers

 

[2ndGearRubber]

IMO wobble extensions, especially in 1/4 drive, is where one needs to spend money. After SK, gear wrench, and koken - snap on has by far the best reliability for me in the 1/4 wobble dept. And I crank on them pretty good.

Another consideration, and this goes for all extensions, is overall size. I'll pick on 3/8 Drive, the cheap extensions are as thick as your pinky finger. Not a big deal when you're playing around with a lawnmower, but in the modern automotive engine bay things get tight quick.

If I had to start all over, snap on for wobbles, Koken for standard extensions because of their amazing knurling. Above 1/4 drive snapping drive ends becomes less of a consideration.

 

[lardy1]

Felo has great wobble extensions but I've only see them in 1/4"

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I am not picky on extensions. Most of mine are Craftsman both old USA and modern Sears China ones and SBD made Taiwan ones. They all do fine for me. I’ve got Pittsburgh 1/4,3/8 and 1/2 wobble extensions they do ok but the sockets do come off of the most used ones pretty easy. I also have tons of other brands like Ampro and Snap-on and Proto and SK and others and they all do fine for me. I’ve never broke or bent one.

 

[Tools4Me]

I agree with much of what has been said already.

I also only use Snap-on wobbles in 1/4" drive. Others I have tried are just too weak. My 3/8" drive and 1/2" drive wobbles in chrome or impact form are all Taiwan, Japan, or USA brands (not Snap-on). They work great, they are quite economical, and I haven't broken any yet.

For regular extensions I actually prefer the older stuff. Thorsen, Plomb, Husky, SK, New Britain, Kraeuter, used Snap-on, etc. Usually cheap and plentiful online and at garage sales. I have full diameter extensions for higher strength tasks, and narrow shafted extensions for tight areas. Mainly stuff made from the 1950's through the 80's. Older than the 50's and the strength is often not up to modern standards. Newer extensions often have much more rounded male square drive corners. That usually translates to quite a bit of connection rotational slop which I don't like. Tight low slop fitment from a well formed almost complete male square end makes an extension feel much higher quality during use, especially when you need to use a couple extensions in series to achieve a very specific total length. Excessive connection slop also makes your ratchet have a harder time clicking to the next tooth when working in tight areas, so it's best to minimize it whenever possible. The easiest way I have found to do that when buying online, is to avoid any extensions with heavily rounded male square drive corners.

 

[belvedere]

I bought some Tekton extensions. I am pleasantly surprised at the good quality, and they do have knurling.

 

[Fedwrench]

It depends on your level of OCD is. In the past, I preferred MAC extensions because at the time, they were the only manufacturer to place the knurling where I really wanted it, around the female square drive area. Recently, I've used toptul, Sonic, and Ko-ken extensions and they've become my reach for first extensions. The Toptul and Sonic versions I have, feature a hex shaped female square drive area that can be used with a wrench, or is great for finger spinning. They also have knurling on the shaft. Ko-ken extensions have knurled grooves around the female square drive area and really nice satin finish.
I've had bad luck with 1/4 drive SK wobble extensions as I've managed to shear the wobble end off of the shaft when using it with a flex head 1/4 drive ratchet. Now there are other extension considerations besides knurling. I like the square drives to match on both ends, being oriented in the same direction. I also like cutouts on the female square drive end. Some people get hung up on where the detent ball is on the extension end. Sometimes they're not centered and it affects socket retention. I also like the extension shaft to be arrow straight. In the end just because it comes off of a tool truck, in itself does make the tool perfect.

 

[Al Borland]

Never cared much about knurling. I have a few knurled, and a few i stuck rubber hose sections on for grip when i needed it and never took off. As far as them being too fat, as long as it doesn't get thicker than the female end of the socket... It's gonna fit.

 

[Tuc04]

If you ever want to use something like the Snap On FZ1 it seems that Snap On is the only maker that consistently keeps the male and female end of the extension oriented to each other. I have a wide variety of makers and the rest are all hit or miss on orientation.

 

[M635_Guy]

I have Sunex, Tekton, SK and Craftman extrensions and they all seem fine. I like knurling, but I'm not sure I need it. I've never switched extensions because it did or didn't have knurling.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

I have some craftsman, husky, tekton and others that i aquired and i like the tekton the most

 

[Hotrod33809]

I just bought some Proto extensions off ebay. They have knurling and seem to work fine

 

[FuzzyTiger]

I have some Wera extensions that I quite like. Knurling on the ends. A plastic sleeve thing that rotates freely so you can hold onto the extension to stabilize it without stopping it from spinning freely. And a locking mechanism with a very simple button that adds no extra bulk. I'm not a fan of the pull to release designs.

 

[M6erfan]

Mac or Ko-ken

 

[iagsxr]

I like knurling especially on my 1/4" because I spin them with my fingers a lot.

Bought Snap On wobble extensions when they first came out thirty-some years ago. Hated them because they were too loose. Never bought or even looked at them again. Couple summers ago I found a Husky wobble extension. You can just pop the socket on and it wobbles or push it on farther and it's solid. Maybe they're all like that now but it's pretty slick. My found extension has became one of my favorites (it's also knurled).

 

[jhelrey]

I bought from Northern Tool and Titan.

 

[jim m]

I have a lot of Brands of extensions . Every thing from Metrinch to Snap on. I am not a pro just a weekend warrior. But I’m always fixing something. I have never bought off a tool truck Cost is an issue. Most of my tools were bought used. Something to look into. All my wobbles are Great neck Pitsberg pro and Husky and have served me well for going on 20 or so years. The best I can suggest is keep doing what your doing. Get your research and buy the best tool you can afford. Don’t go out n debt over them

 

[Kscardsfan]

I’ve got such a mixed bag it’s hard for me to narrow It down too much. Some Snap On, some Proto, bunch of craftsman I got as a high school student. Theres even a double handful of Pittsburgh extensions that were given to me to get them out of someones box for a move lol. Outside of the el cheapo harbor freight jobs they’ve all worked fine for me. I should probably point out that I’m a shade tree guy/overly enthusiastic amateur who has spent far more on tools than he could ever justify, not a pro.

 

[FMB4]

I am not picky on extensions. Most of mine are Craftsman both old USA and modern Sears China ones and SBD made Taiwan ones. They all do fine for me. I’ve got Pittsburgh 1/4,3/8 and 1/2 wobble extensions they do ok but the sockets do come off of the most used ones pretty easy. I also have tons of other brands like Ampro and Snap-on and Proto and SK and others and they all do fine for me. I’ve never broke or bent one.

I've never had any extension fail on me either (Craftsman, SK, Plumb/Proto, Thorsen and various other brands).

 

[finn]

Mine are from all over. I keep saying that I’m not a SnapOn fanboy, but the best extensions I own are the 3/8” and 1/2” black oxide SnapOns. They just feel right.

Favorite 1/4” in the box is a Wright, and both the old SK, (actually SK-Wayne, which tells you how old they are) and old Craftsman are up there.

Later Craftsman don’t “feel” the same, and the generic no names and HF in my collection are disposable as far as I am concerned. Newer Tool Shop (Menards) and Stanley are not so hot.

Worst I had was the TSC house brand, maybe Jobsmart or something like that. They were returned to the store because I couldn’t get them into the sockets.

 

[Jland]

I saw this last year, thought it a bit interesting and mildly amusing but I bought a set after watching it...

 

[Bubba Fett]

I once strung a bunch of extensions of various lengths together to get to a spark plug through a wheel. Mainly because the wheel openings were big enough, and I was too lazy to take the wheel off. I call it the Inspector Gadget technique.

 

[Mallen]

I have snapped off the ends of quite a few cheap extensions. Mostly 3/8". I have couple of harbor freight 1/2" extensions that were thrown out by freight because they were broken. I took them just to try their return policy and they swapped them out without question. So that was pretty cool. Lately the hf ones seem to have improved slightly. I've snapped a few craftsman but not as many as hf and not nearly as many of those as the junk ones that come in 5 dollar tool kits. (I guess I'm showing my age as those are 20 dollars now)

I mostly use old Snap-On , Mac, and Proto that I find at garage sales or thrift shops. I've never had those break no matter how much I abuse them. But I wouldn't call them critical unless your making up a toolkit to put in your 4x4 or something. In that case, if you need a 18" extension, and it breaks, your screwed. But if it happens at home, just grab another. At home, a broken extention at worst usually buys you a busted knuckle and you grab another.

If your a pro, time is money and you use the right tools. I remember explaining to my boss why we needed to buy the expensive set of screwdrivers instead of the cheap set from harbor freight. When I'm working on million dollar piece of equipment, and I strip out a screw because I was using a 2 dollar screwdriver, and spend the next 3 hours carefully getting it out to avoid causing even more damage, how much money did we really save.

As for myself, I dont have to maintain my own set of tools for works, so usually my own stuff is way better than at work. (I know...)

I did find that some things like universal joints are worthless in anything but top quality tools. The last craftsman ones I got fell apart when I took them out of the package.

 

[Mr_B]

Main difference is precision of square drives/wobble movement, consistency of heat treatment and nice features like usable knurling and more slim shaft diameter .
Plenty very usable extensions in mid price range and I always see truck brand sets on marketplace pretty much monthly so not hard get more top end at more acceptable cost .
I got a fair few taiwan extension sets as they do a lot with knurling on the shaft that I find handy in use, hold up pretty good and you normally know you to blame when do bust one .
The worst stuff normally easily spotted by poor machining and some longer extensions not being that straight .
you do want fairly good detent ball as nothing worse than socket stuck on fastener in hard access spot or fallen off with the fastener into an even bigger retrieval ballache .

 

[cherrybomb]

I have Proto wobblers.that I like.Also have Williams,they are great also.I feel like,I'm covered by both of these brands.

 

[CS454]

I bought Snap On wobble Plus in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2... I've twisted the end off of a 3/8 WP and even before that I tended to grab my Mac chrome extensions more due to the more aggressive knurling. Would like to try Koken for the same reason.

So tl;dr, my vote goes to Mac.

 

[Mr_B]

^
Yes I also prefer the MAC
Had some sets off the truck but first 2 MAC sets I got like new used off marketplace .
I see fair few snapon and mac sets for sale used and is a good route to go .

 

[JradM]

Yes, there are differences. However, in my experience none of them break with normal usage - or even "rough" usage. It's only when you get silly - like using pipes on your ratchets or using adapters to use a larger ratchet - that they break.

I could see breaking a 1/4" wobble with an XL 1/4" breaker bar - but only if you were also using a larger-sized 1/4" socket too. Otherwise you're more likely to just snap the bolt.

Basically, I would sum it up as - if you're breaking extensions, either:

• You're doing something you shouldn't and there's a better way, or
• You're doing something you shouldn't and you have to because there's a space limitation.

If you find yourself dealing with a nut or bolt that's tool-snapping tight, consider using an impact, or heat - or both (heat can usually be applied even in tight spots).

I have cheap extensions and more expensive ones. Mastercraft is the lowest grade I own. Proto, Williams, Armstrong etc, make up the higher tier. Despite the quality disparity, I don't usually give much thought to which one I grab out of my toolbox. I just look for the best fit.

Rather than spend lots on a high tier, I'd make sure you have a decent collection. I have wobble extensions, locking extensions, extra-super-long extensions, super-short extensions, magnetic extensions, a couple lighted extensions, etc. Options are good!

Buy Koken, Nepros, Snap-on, etc, if they do something special you need. Otherwise I would just buy a mid-tier like Gearwrench, Tekton, Williams, etc and spend your savings on more options.

 

[ovscrider]

i like the knurling on my tekton set vs my craftsman. finally retired most of my craftsmen for an assortment of tekton and Sata.

 

[AA/FC]

I had a lug nut seized on a VW several years ago. I broke two different Chinese extensions (using a breaker bar, not an Impact gun) when finally the Snap-on extension got the job done without breaking. See for yourself below...

 

[JradM]

I had a lug nut seized on a VW several years ago. I broke two different Chinese extensions (using a breaker bar, not an Impact gun) when finally the Snap-on extension got the job done without breaking. See for yourself below...

Ha - I'd say that's my case in point: you ought to have used an impact and then wouldn't have had that problem.

I suppose if someone doesn't own an impact, maybe that's a case for spending money on premium extensions.

 

[AA/FC]

Ha - I'd say that's my case in point: you ought to have used an impact and then wouldn't have had that problem.

I suppose if someone doesn't own an impact, maybe that's a case for spending money on premium extensions.

If the guy who originally put the tires on DID NOT use an impact, then I wouldn't have been in that position in the first place! lolol

This was a roadside repair.... My midsize 18 volt 1/2" Milwaukee wouldn't touch the seized lug nut. It took all of my 300 pounds on a 25" breaker bar to break that lug free. (in fact, I believe it was actually a lug bolt on that VW, not a lug nut) Unless we're talking about some bad ***, super high end impact, I highly doubt any average impact (battery or air) would've handled that job.

 

[CS454]

Ha - I'd say that's my case in point: you ought to have used an impact and then wouldn't have had that problem.

I suppose if someone doesn't own an impact, maybe that's a case for spending money on premium extensions.

I twisted the end off of a SO Wobble Plus extension with a 12mm 12 point starter bolt and a long handled 3/8" ratchet. The 12 point Tekton socket outlasted it. Your mileage may vary, I suppose.

 

[Mgdoug3]

I can only remember breaking one extension. It was an no name impact extension with a breaker bar trying to remove a trailer tire. I remember it twisting the end off with little effort. That was years ago behind I had an electric impact.

My preferred extension is any with knurling. I like my older SK ones because they're more aggressive than the new style.

 

[Diffident]

I've broken the ends off multiple USA Craftsman 3/8" extensions....Sears was 15 minutes away so it didn't bother me. Now I just buy Wright Tool extensions.

 

[gearhead1]

I have all kinds, and like others, the knurled ones are nice.

I had some new HF impact ones years ago, and the ball became permanently depressed after first use.

Some stuff is ok at HF and I still thinks lot of it is junk.

The Proto are reasonably priced for US made IMHO.

 

[Mallen]

Its actually hard to say what breaks a tool. Its not necessarily the thing it was doing when it broke. For example, I had a Snap-On half inch breaker bar. Abused it all the time. There were times that I put it on a nut and then stood on it , making it hold my full weight, the jumped up and down to break the bolt loose. Then one day I had a wheel nut that wouldn't come off a pt cruiser. So I tried pulling really hard, and it wouldn't budge. So I tried jumping up and down on it , and it wouldn't budge. So I put a jack handle over it, and it broke off. So which abuse damaged it enough to make it finally give up? (Ok, in this case, it was probably the jack handle, because I broke a harbor freight 3/4" socket in half, then got a napa so let, and put a six foot cheater over the wrench and put it over my shoulders and stood up and mangled the 3)4" breaker bar. (Although it did get the nut off) But it's my point is, it's hard to pinpoint exactly which incident of egregious abuse caused enough damage to the microstructure of the metal to cause the tool to fail.

 

[dscheidt]

Its actually hard to say what breaks a tool. Its not necessarily the thing it was doing when it broke. For example, I had a Snap-On half inch breaker bar. Abused it all the time. There were times that I put it on a nut and then stood on it , making it hold my full weight, the jumped up and down to break the bolt loose. Then one day I had a wheel nut that wouldn't come off a pt cruiser. So I tried pulling really hard, and it wouldn't budge. So I tried jumping up and down on it , and it wouldn't budge. So I put a jack handle over it, and it broke off. So which abuse damaged it enough to make it finally give up? (Ok, in this case, it was probably the jack handle, because I broke a harbor freight 3/4" so let in half, then got a napa so let, and put a six foot cheater over the wrench and put it over my shoulders and stood up and mangled the 3)4" breaker bar. (Although it did get the nut off) But it's my point is, it's hard to pinpoint exactly which incident of egregious abuse caused enough damage to the microstructure of the metal to cause the tool to fail.

Indeed. I broke a snap on 3/8 ratchet (bought used), removing a fender. that 1/4" bolt didn't do it in, it was probably one of the times it got hit with a hammer...

 

[Jland]

sooooo just curious....you had 3 extensions in your "roadside repair" toolbox..2 being "chinese junk" and only after breaking the 2 you THEN decided to use the snap on???