Topic

Got myself some wobble bars recently and find them great. They will allow a bit of sideways movement because of the rounded end. Useful in some situations for example -- When tightening or loosening the 4 nuts under the MGF inlet manifold the normal straight bar doesn't allow the socket to sit on the nut nice and tight slipping and rounding the nut off, but with these new wobble bars it all went a lot easier.

like those looking on fleabay now

TB

Yeah wobble bars are great I was thinking of doing my next installment on them, but Dave has beaten me to it!
Good work Dave!
In a similar vein Ballend Allen/Hex Keys such as these Kincrome ones like I have in both Metric and SAE:

Are bloody magic too!
They work on the same principle and allow access in awkward locations.

I got the Aldi set of these keys the other week.
They are more T-Bar handled than just key's though to be fair.
Impressed with the variety of the range and seem really good quality for the price too.

Here are some other accessories for you socket set.

Here's an extension bar the has an LED light built in that shines through the socket to illuminate your way on that bolt that you cant get onto because is hidden in a dark place and there's no room to shine a torch/flashlight in.

I've got a couple and they have been useful on the odd occasion.

Next up we have extension bars that have a locking mechanism to keep the socket on the end of the bar and not left behind on the bolt.
These are great when you cant reach the bolt as it's down in a hole and you don't want to have the socket come off down in the hole.
Good for spark plug sockets too!


Universal joints and sockets
These are handy for getting around obstructions

These aren't any good for use on a rattle gun.

Swivel joints and sockets
These do the same job as those above but are better, stronger and suitable for use with rattle guns.

Allen key and Torx male and female are also available for use with sockets and of course very useful.




Edit The female torx are essential for

I bought a set of Halfords Professional tools, which had wobble bars, 20 years ago to replace my Rover 800's head gaskets (3 replacements on 5 800's) - still going strong, IF I break one Halfords still replace them under the lifetime guarantee

Been out in the shed today taking pix of more ways to spend your money!

First up is the extension bar with a telescopic magnet to hold that bolt in for access to that hard to get at location. I've got these in both 3/8" & 1/2" drive

The telescopic magnet holds the bolt through the hole in the socket so you dont loose the bolt in a confined space, and because it's telescopic is good for deep sockets too!

And now we have a special kind of socket for doing pipe elbows...The weatherhead socket.



Next up we have spark plug sockets with an integral swivel and extension bar.

These are great for reaching spark plugs that are buried down in a tube like ours are. The socket wont be left behind stuck on the plug, so you'll no longer have the fun of trying to recover it.
The ratchet handle in the above pic, is specially made for plug removal by the Champion Spark Plug co, I've had a pair of these for @ 30 years. They have a fine tooth ratchet. Champion still makes them!