The Added-Torque Option: Craftsman 10-Inch Flex Handle

Craftsman ³⁄₈-inch Drive 10-inch Flex Handle

A homeowner’s tool kit is not complete unless it includes an assortment – make that a set (or two) – of socket wrenches and the necessary drivers. These tools come in a range of drive sizes, where “drive” refers to the dimensions of the square bit that plugs into every socket and allows you to turn it. Drive sizes range from ¼ up to ¾ inch , though the biggest drives are only needed for work on large machinery. Most homeowners get by quite well with either ³⁄₈- or ½-inch drive set, which as a rule comprises seven or eight sockets and a ratchet.

Naturally, those who work on heavier machinery, including rebuilding cars, etc., will opt for the half-inch drive sets. I’m not really sure what good a quarter inch set is, personally, but they do seem to sell well.

They’re missing a critical piece of the puzzle, though: the breaker bar, or as the tool companies like to call it these days, the flex handle. When the ratchet is too delicate or too bulky, you pull out the breaker bar: it’s longer, for increased torque, and doesn’t have moving internal parts to break under stress. In this case, it’s a Craftsman 44363 Flex Handle, high-strength steel alloy forged in the USA with a textured nickel coating. The head swivels through 180 degrees with detents at 0 (so it can be used an extra-long extension with a slider bar handle) and at 45 degrees. The beefy handle tapers to a heavy I-beam shape and is pierced for insertion of a ⁵⁄₁₆-inch diameter slider bar (not included). At ten inches total length (nine inches from the center of the drive to the end of the handle), it’s about 60 percent longer than typical ³⁄₈-inch drive ratchets.

You use a breaker bar in situations where you need more torque: a bolt is stuck on tight, for instance. I’ve seen my Dad slide a length of pipe over his half-inch breaker bar to add an extra couple of feet of moment arm (leverage), even stomping on the end of the pipe.  I have that breaker bar somewhere, and it’s just fine (it’s a 70-year-old SK, if anyone’s curious). In other words, these babies are tough. The downside is fairly obvious; unlike a ratchet head there’s no fine adjustment of position: you are limited to the socket’s six- or twelve-point configuration when fitting it onto a hex head. Then again, the flex lets you “flip” the lever 180 degrees when turning a nut, so you don’t always need to be removing and re-inserting the socket.

Like all Craftsman hand tools, the 44363 flex handle is guaranteed for life, no questions asked. Mine dates to the mid-1970s; it’s marked with the –V– identifier. In other words, it’s lasted a while; and it’s gonna last a while more Summary PLUS: added torque, longer reach, lifetime guarantee MINUS: nope WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Extend your reach and add torque to your socket set with a breaker bar (aka a "flex handle").

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