The Best Impact Socket Extensions To Make Bolt Access Easier

An impact gun is a very useful tool to have in your toolbox. Lug nuts, frame bolts, and seized/rusty bolts are easily removed with the help of a quality impact gun. They provide power in bursts to break nuts and bolts loose, without the use of extra-long breaker bars. The one drawback of an impact gun is their size. They can be quite large and hard to get in to tight spaces.

So, what do you do when you can’t reach a stubborn bolt with your impact gun? You reach for your impact socket extensions. First, we should note that your normal non-impact socket extensions can twist, bend, and even snap under the stress that a powerful impact gun is capable of putting out, potentially creating a very dangerous situation for you. Keep your ordinary extensions in good condition for when you need them for your hand tools, and only use extensions made specifically for impact use! The steel in impact socket extensions is formulated precisely for the right amount of strength and spring. Impact extensions are also slightly thicker than non-impact extensions.

It is never a bad idea to have several extensions in various sizes, both for normal use and impact use. If the budget is tight, remember, you can always use an impact rated extension for non-impact jobs, but never use a normal extension with an impact gun. Normally, extensions can be purchased in sets containing a few different lengths of extensions. After all, sometimes you might need 8” of extension, while other times you might only need an extra inch or so.

The Best Impact Socket Extensions

With impact socket extensions, the great news is that you won’t be spending a lot of money to buy a very high quality set of extensions. The tool truck brands will have you believe that you need to spend over $100 for their 3 piece impact socket extension set. Honestly, we believe this is the worst way you could spend your tool money. While we will always pay more for quality tools that are hands down better than anything else like them, we can’t justify spending extra money for a fancy name on the side of the tool.

With that in mind, we have chosen the Tekton 4971 1/2-Inch Drive Impact Extension Bar Set and Tekton 4966 3/8-Inch Drive Impact Extension Bar Set as the best impact socket extension sets, depending no the drive size on your impact wrench of course. Both the 3/8” and ½” sets come with 3 different lengths – 3”, 6” and 9” – so you can be sure to always have the length you need. The 3/8” extensions are slightly thinner than their ½” siblings, but other than that, both sets are identical.

Tekton makes tools that last. These impact extensions are made from forged and heat treated chrome vanadium steel for maximum strength with minimum flex. To protect the extensions, they are finished with a corrosion-resistant black oxide finish.

The spring loaded detent ball on the drive end of the extensions locks in to impact sockets perfectly and won’t release the socket until you want it to. We have used extensions in the past that featured a weaker spring behind the detent and have found that, over time, the detent ball becomes useless and the socket starts falling off the extension.

On the driven end, there is a through hole to allow detent balls from the impact tool or other extensions to lock in to place securely.

Overall, we highly recommend the both the Tekton 4971 1/2-Inch Drive Impact Extension Bar Set and Tekton 4966 3/8-Inch Drive Impact Extension Bar Set. They are high quality tools at a price everyone can afford, and that is all we ask from our socket extensions. The best place to buy these impact socket extensions is Amazon.com thanks to the extremely competitive pricing! Happy wrenching!

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