I restore antiques and preserve historic and early architecture for a living. I agree that this does not replace socket sets. But…. This has helped me in many situations where the fastener is so deformed, has a one off shaped head, has an uncommon or early period head, or is a discontinued variety of bolt or nut that would not work with Metric or SAE sockets. If you work with early hardware this is a great tool to have.
@@davadoff I use a whole pantry of hand tools to get the job done. Most of them you can’t buy anymore. I have many different vice grips and extracting pliers to do this job as well. I do like having this tool tho. It has definitely got the job done when other tools could not. Thanks for the recommendations.
Yup. They are worthless for real use but twist a few dozen cup hooks in and you'll love one. Just gotta keep it light duty. Then again lost mine back in '17 with a house fire. Havent missed it enough to replace it.
@@mattfleming86 This. A few times using it for c hooks, eye bolts, wing nuts, etc. and you'll appreciate how much it helps your hands. I even wrap mine in some grip tape and hold it right in my hand to get grips on some of those odd twisty bits. And at the end of the day, it's cheap and sometimes you don't have room for every socket. On my main Leatherman tool pouch, I made a little pocket to stick one on the side and I've used it more times than I can count. Not bad for 12 bucks.
I feel like perhaps you're misunderstanding their intended market of this thing. Yeah, it kind of sucks at what it does but, for light duty stuff when you're out and about, it could at least accomplish the job at all. This thing isn't for mechanics, or for people to keep at home with the rest of their tools. It seems to me that the place for this is in a small EDC tool kit where size and weight constraints make it unrealistic to carry a full set of sockets. Then at least you have something to tackle the job.
Seen some people carry/use those in a lightweight emergency kit. It's never going to replace a good set of sockets, but a socket set doesn't fit in a pant or bag pocket either.
They have a place, and the original gator grip is better than all the cheap knockoffs at least. They are good for compact emergency kits and stuff. They also fit I bolts and wingnuts too. No they're not great nor do they actually replace a socket set or even make for a good everyday use tool at all, but they are worth owning. At the very least it's a universal backup socket, when you're in a pinch it can fill in for that 10mm you lost or whatever size it may be.
I bought one about 20 years ago to use with my leatherman. Never regretted it and it still works. Then again I'm using it with an original leatherman with the bit adaptor, so I'm not exactly putting a lot of torque on it, but it has got me out of a pinch a number of times.
I used it once on a lockable wheel nut, the owner lost the key....it doesn't replace a socket set, it's ok to have if you bought it for dirt cheap or in my case I bought a few things online and wanted to avoid paying delivery costs so I added it to my cart.
I used it to change an oil drain plug that was rounded after I ran out of options. I change oil in 3 of my vehicles and several others, and I don't have to remember what size the plug is. It has its place when you need it, but it will never replace a socket set clearly because of clearance issues. It's also not that expensive to hate it, and there are way more shitty all-in-one tools out there. If it breaks, it has a lifetime warranty too.
The Gator Grip is OK for irregularly-shaped items like eyebolts, eye hooks, or similar. Never tried to use one on a hex bolt (and not inclined to try, honestly).
What do you think of “new” version of this? It’s on Amazon under “EFFECTEER Adjustable Socket with Drill Adapter, Super Socket Fits for Standard 10-19mm”. All these all-in-one type tools are typically junk. Would love to see a vid about the EFFECTEER version to see if there is an actual improvement in usefulness. Keep up the great vids!
I have multiples of both of these. The Effector version is a bit more heavy-duty and can take a good bit more torque but it's not quite as universal as the pin-based tool in this video. For example, it works about as well as a particularly sized socket would on an eye bolt. IMO it suffered from a few main flaws: 1) The heads on the Effector-type mechanisms are quite wider than the one in this video. They don't fit as many places. 2) Adjustment requires turning the Effector to "close down" onto the nut/bolt head, which is sometimes specifically a problem because of #1 3) If you open it too wide, the little paws that grip the socket fall out and the springs fly out. It's pretty easy (even fun) to put back together - provided you can find all the tiny springs. TLDR; They both have their uses: The pin-based sockets are generally more useful but will definitely go belly up before the Effectors yield.
I agree with others that it’s occasionally useful for non-hex & ‘last resort’ situations but they’re basically rubbish. The ‘pins’ are soft & easily damaged, it’s difficult to use & it’s very sensitive to grit & grime
They're terrible. Neat idea, awful in practice. I hear a lot of people say they're good for compact emergency kits, but to me if you expect to run into needing a socket, you should carry a socket set. Maybe that new klien flip socket set.
I could never bring myself to part with my hard earned money to purchase some thing I know would be mediocre at best honestly didn’t know they still made these. I carry tool kits in everything I drive. Not enough for an engine rebuild but the common sockets and drive tools.
Gimmick gimmick gimmick. I can’t believe they’re allowed to sell this crap. I’ve seen this in Home Depot, HD should be ashamed for even considering selling this. I guy I worked with was given one as a gift when he was an apprentice. He thought it was cool until he used it and it broke.
