wobble extensions

[lightning02]

I'm biased but TOPTUL makes very nice wobble extensions that are made exactly like the Koken wobbles pictured above. You can use them as a normal extension with the socket held firmly in the fully attached position (indistinguishable in this case from a normal extension) or use them as a wobble if you back the socket off a bit.

i looked on your ebay page and couldnt find any

 

[dnschmidt]

OK, you might be right about that. I thought I had them up there but I didn't so I've fixed that and I've now listed a wobble bundle of what I've got available in a packaged deal. The 1/4" has a unique feature in that it has both a square drive and a boss on the end that enables it to be used with a wrench. Cool feature.

 

[lightning02]

im wondering if all these taiwan made wobbles are of the same strength. like toptul and duralast and tekten and sunex and HF

why pay more if there all the same in the end? i would understand if one brand is known to be stronger.

 

[48548]

Here are the few I have.

Here are few snappy's.

 

[tonyciambrone]

Well I don't agree that wobble extensions are luxury tools. Tools are made in a specific fashion to make things easier ie luxurious. A ratchet sure is luxurious compared to a combination wrench or breaker bar or spinner handle but thats not how I look at it. I can see how you would feel that way if different extensions didn't benefit you much

I havent personally wanted magnetic or locking extensions, but I do like my HF wobbles. More important to me is having a good universal joint, adapters and quality 1,3,6 inch regular extensions in all sizes plus a long one or two in 3/8ths

 

[lightning02]

Yea I have all those but no wobbles

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

im wondering if all these taiwan made wobbles are of the same strength. like toptul and duralast and tekten and sunex and HF

why pay more if there all the same in the end? i would understand if one brand is known to be stronger.

That's a lot of speculation… even if their made in the same factory, doesn't mean their each held to the same standards. However, your guess is as good as anyone else. Extensions aren't big $$, so try a brand and if it fails… buy something else. Either one with a good warranty or cheap enough that you wont care if it breaks.

 

[M6erfan]

Sorry to dig this up but...

I'm eyeing a set of these from Franks Tools. They look awesome and I have one of their ratchets. Any issues with these so far?

I wouldn't mind Tekton as I have a lot of their stuff but I like the Koken set a bit more.

I have sets of 1/4 and 3/8 wobble ext from Ko-ken for over a year and no issues. I havent put a ton of torque on them but they seem strong and they have the best knurling in the business IMO. GTG!

 

[wkndwarrior29]

I recently bought the tekton wobble fix during an eBay 20% sale and am happy with them for the $24ish that I paid. Not as beautiful as koken but I'm just a weekend warrior anyway.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[bwringer]

Love those Kokens. May need to investigate...

No one's mentioned Wera yet -- Wera makes some wobbles that are quite lovely and seem damn strong so far.

 

[jallyn]

I picked up the Nepros 1/4" and 3/8" wobble extensions... their shortest available. I had read a while ago that the shortest wobble is all you need as you can put it on the end of your regular extensions if needed and they are super short for tight spaces. The 1/4" is 25mm (1") and the 3/8" is 30mm (1.2"). Snap-On doesn't make them quite this short.

Being Nepros they look sweet and have excellent fit and finish. They are wobble-plus or "wobble-fix" style. I'm happy with my purchase.

https://www.nepros.net/?cat=2&grp=9&sub=37

 

[u118224]

I have lots of extensions but no wobbles. What will they do that a universal won’t?

 

[Gmonkee]

Resist binding at the cost of less angle. I really like mine.

 

[uncwstudent]

I quite like the Gearwrench wobble extensions. They're made in China but I've never had any problems with them.

 

[General Geoff]

I have lots of extensions but no wobbles. What will they do that a universal won’t?

Fit through here:

I'm eyeing a set of these from Franks Tools. They look awesome and I have one of their ratchets. Any issues with these so far?

The only issue I have is keeping track of them when someone else uses them during a job! I have and use them frequently in all three major drive sizes (1/4", 3/8" and 1/2"). I use the 1/4" ones the most often, and they have held up perfectly where other wobble extensions have twisted right off. Very strong. The chrome has held up very well too over the past few years. I've put them away wet a few times and still no rust.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

I broke my Koken 1/4 drive 1 inch wobble extension, maybe 1-2 weeks of use, pretty upset about it too. They're beautiful, great knurling, wobble-plus feature works well; but I'm all spooked about them now.

Looking at it, it looks like straight defect to my eye, there's a dark spot on one corner where it broke. I'm going to get around to trying to warranty it soon, I just have a feeling it's going to get rejected. I wouldn't shy away from Koken though, I'm a fan in general.



FWIW: $130 will get you a big wobble plus Snap On set, via ebay. I forget what I paid for the Kokens, but I got a snap-on set to supplement the kokens (after the one broke), which supplement the SKs. The SKs were purchased to supplement the gearwrench I broke 2 of, so I have 4 sets of 1/4 wobbles.

 

[plinker]

I have the Sunex impact wobbles in 3/8 & 1/2, broke a couple (3/8 & 1/2, both 3") but they had a lot of use. One guy I worked with had the HF impact wobbles in 1/2 drive, no complaints.

 

[WWheeler]

Some years ago I was gifted a couple wobble-plus extensions along with a couple other small tools for helping a friend tow his truck back from where it left him stranded and then hanging out for most of while he put a clutch in it the next day. He gave me a 1/4 and 3/8 short wobble pluses and ever since then I hate using a regular extension.

I've since acquired several sets of 1/4-3/8-1/2 wobble-plus style extensions from several other brands incl Craftsman, Tekton, GearWrench, etc to go in all my boxes at work and home. I really like them all. Have no complaints about any.

I consider wobble extensions to be one of the more significant breakthroughs in ratchets and sockets in my time. That sounds overly dramatic but I luv them. IMHO the ability to get around obstructions and fit where other options won't cannot be overstated. Wobble ends have many times been the difference between 5-10 minutes that feels like 30 hating every second vs 1-2 minutes of getting **** done and on to the next. Anything that can save me from having to take apart extra **** just to be able to get to the **** I'm trying to work on is one of my greatest heroes.

I have not broken any, yet, but I don't recall ever needing to go full-on Gorilla with any other than the Snap-on's and they can definitely take it. I've broken regular extensions before of DIY-level tools brands and the wobble versions look like they be easier to sacrifice. Whenever I'm using them I have that in mind.

 

[Gmonkee]

Mine are Great Neck from the clearance bin at AZ a good 7 years ago. I had to try them and really liked the angled access bit.

There has been wear on the male drive end with sharp burrs forming. But honestly they are high miles and otherwise perfectly functional.

Not what I expected of a GN product.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

I have the Sunex impact wobbles in 3/8 & 1/2, broke a couple (3/8 & 1/2, both 3") but they had a lot of use. One guy I worked with had the HF impact wobbles in 1/2 drive, no complaints.

I have the HF 1/2 wobbles, and HF 3/8 wobbles, both impact. They work well for me, none broken in the number of years I've had them.

 

[General Geoff]

I broke my Koken 1/4 drive 1 inch wobble extension, maybe 1-2 weeks of use, pretty upset about it too. They're beautiful, great knurling, wobble-plus feature works well; but I'm all spooked about them now.

Looking at it, it looks like straight defect to my eye, there's a dark spot on one corner where it broke. I'm going to get around to trying to warranty it soon, I just have a feeling it's going to get rejected. I wouldn't shy away from Koken though, I'm a fan in general.

Do you have pics of the break?

 

[Tonyuk]

I would pick a set up from any store near you that you can warranty easily. I've never broken any however i've seen a few shear at the cut in that allows the socket to wobble.

 

[DFB]

I have been selling these PowerBuilt ones on my under my tool tent along with ratchets, breakers, and straight extensions of the same brand along with some Tekton stuff I carry.

AllTrade made in Taiwan

Nice chrome finish and knurling 3" 5" and 10"

But all I have is the 1/2" drive. Wobbles are fairly new addition to my toolbox but I like them a lot, especially over a typical swivel, They are very handy, I need to get a 3/8" set

I was going to consider the HF impact versions but I first tried their straights and disliked them for sloppy fit on cordless impacts several could fall right just shaking the tool

 

[HondaCBMan]

I have Capri wobble plus extensions. Love them. I had no problem with my prior Gearwrench set but the fit and finish on the Capri is better imo.

 

[Mr_B]

I've broke 3/8 and 1/4 at wobble groove .
going happen at times in hard access scenarios needing pretty high torque .
Get brand likely be half decent and a warranty that you can use easily/quickly .

 

[sberry]

Mine are Great Neck from the clearance bin at AZ a good 7 years ago. I had to try them and really liked the angled access bit.

There has been wear on the male drive end with sharp burrs forming. But honestly they are high miles and otherwise perfectly functional.

Not what I expected of a GN product.

Years ago I bought a 3 pc set from Auto Parts ATD, 12$, they worked so well bought another and still use them.

 

[DFB]

Speaking of Great Neck products I also have the 9 pc 1/2 deep Crv impact socket sets in blow molded case. I can barely keep them on the table, especially the metric ones!

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Do you have pics of the break?

See below

 

[General Geoff]

If you can get a clearer pic, I wouldn't hesitate to send it along with a warranty request to Koken USA ([email protected]), or even call them at (978) 455-0672.

How much torque were you applying to that 1/4" wobble extension? According to Koken's own literature, their 1/4" extensions are rated for minimum 75 newton-meters or ~55 pound-feet of torque, but their wobble-fix extensions, particularly in the unlocked wobble position, are inherently weaker than fixed 1/4" extensions so anything over 45 pound feet applied may be grounds for warranty denial due to "tool abuse".

Frankly, even 45 pound feet is a LOT of torque to be putting on a 1/4" extension, so unless you were really reefing on it, I suspect a manufacturing defect.

 

[CR888]

I love wobble-plus style extensions, very clever idea. But if I know I'll be putting a good amount of torque on something I'll use a regular fitted extension. Though my 1/2" wobble plus have been used in some pretty tough situations...but there 1/2"!

 

[2ndGearRubber]

If you can get a clearer pic, I wouldn't hesitate to send it along with a warranty request to Koken USA ([email protected]), or even call them at (978) 455-0672.

How much torque were you applying to that 1/4" wobble extension? According to Koken's own literature, their 1/4" extensions are rated for minimum 75 newton-meters or ~55 pound-feet of torque, but their wobble-fix extensions, particularly in the unlocked wobble position, are inherently weaker than fixed 1/4" extensions so anything over 45 pound feet applied may be grounds for warranty denial due to "tool abuse".

Frankly, even 45 pound feet is a LOT of torque to be putting on a 1/4" extension, so unless you were really reefing on it, I suspect a manufacturing defect.

Smart phone camera is very limited, that was the best of 10 pics I tried to take. The extension made it a week or two before failure. All of the others have been fine.


I was running in a BMW slide pin bolt, 7mm, and when it snagged up it just sheared. I'm sure I'll get blasted for mentioning I used my m12 ratchet, but it's only rated for 30 ftlbs as advertised, I doubt it does that. I agree, factory defect.

 

[General Geoff]

Is the M12 ratchet, an impact tool? If not, I still think you have a very solid case, even more solid than if you had just used your hand since the tool itself is only rated to 30 pound feet, well below what the extension should take.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Is the M12 ratchet, an impact tool? If not, I still think you have a very solid case, even more solid than if you had just used your hand since the tool itself is only rated to 30 pound feet, well below what the extension should take.

Nope, no impacting. Just a little cordless ratchet, like a baby air ratchet. I doubt it does 30ftlbs, the case flexes if you really lean on it.


Just ran it in, pin went flush, snap.

 

[sreeb]

When I bought my first set of HF wobbles, I thought "no way this will last". But I have yet to break one.

Of course I live in SoCal where it is unusual to have something truly stuck.

 

[Finky198]

I love wobble-plus style extensions, very clever idea. But if I know I'll be putting a good amount of torque on something I'll use a regular fitted extension. Though my 1/2" wobble plus have been used in some pretty tough situations...but there 1/2"!

No worries on the smaller sizes.

I have the wobble plus in 1/4” and 3/8” and reg extension 3/8” and 1/2”. I have put some serious torque on all of them especially on the 1/4 drive with the tllf72 it’s easy to apply well over 50ftlb so why not test them out a bit.

 

[d.mcfarland]

When I bought my first set of HF wobbles, I thought "no way this will last". But I have yet to break one.

Of course I live in SoCal where it is unusual to have something truly stuck.

Do the male ends of the extensions have major deformation on yours?

On mine it seems like the metal is extremely soft. They never broke, but they have certainly lost their shape. I'll get a picture if I remember.

 

[d.mcfarland]

Got a picture of the deformed Harbor Freight 3/8" wobble extensions (never more than 50 lbs of torque at the most I bet):

 

[rijndael]

Do the HF impact wobbles tend to suffer the same issues? Mine seem fine so far.

 

[HondaCBMan]

Got a picture of the deformed Harbor Freight 3/8" wobble extensions (never more than 50 lbs of torque at the most I bet:

Were they from the Pittsburgh or Pittsburgh Pro line?

 

[d.mcfarland]

Were they from the Pittsburgh or Pittsburgh Pro line?

Pittsburgh. They were $9 so i'm not sweating it, but still very strange that of all things, they deformed like that.