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Private
Pilot Tested: Link Tools’ Locking Socket Set
by Steve Whitson, PrivatePilot, September 2004
It’s hard to believe that after 100 years or so, someone could improve on a tool we all use every day. Especially when the improvement is so vast and incredibly simple. Simple in concept, but perhaps not so simple to manufacture. We’re talking about the Link Tools socket set that has locking sockets and extensions.
How many times have you tried to lower a socket on a long extension down a narrow space, as between cylinders? You get the socket on the nut, tighten it up, try to remove the tool and off comes the socket. Maybe you don’t even get that far; sometimes the socket just falls off the extension after a slight jar. Then you have to waste time finding your magnet and fishing out the socket.
Well no more. These extensions and sockets lock so tightly that it seems impossible to pull them apart. When you want to separate them, a small pull on the locking device lets the socket or extension fall free. The locking device is like that found on air hose couplings, but a lot smoother and with less force required to lock and unlock. The ratchet also has a locking device, but this one requires that a knob be slid forward to drop the extension or socket from it. The male parts have a tang that’s controlled by the locking device, while the female portions have indentations on all four interior sides. This means it is not necessary to align the extension or ratchet to a specific orientation. A small thing, but very valuable when you only have one hand free.
The set we tested was the ¼-inch drive, and this included a screwdriver-type device, into which the supplied screw and Torx bits would fit. There’s also a universal joint, three extensions, 16 sockets ranging from 5/32 to 3/8 inch and 4 to 11 mm, and a carry case. The 3/8-inch set has larger sockets, ranging from 5/16 to 1-3/16 and likewise for the metric sizes. Another neat tool, which can be purchased, is a palm driver, a device that will take a socket, yet fits in the palm of your hand for those very-hard-to-reach areas. All the aforementioned lock securely in place.
Aside from the sockets not falling off, there are many lengths of extensions you can attach without fear that the assemblage will come apart. The tools have been tried by many professionals, as attested to by the letters of support we’ve seen, and the results are in: No one is going to buy another standard socket set as long as these tools are available. And I recommend you do the same.
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Making your job easier
Aircraft Maintenance
Technology, April 2004
Companies often take into account ergonomics
when designing tools – pliers with molded plastic handles for a
better grip, rivet guns with extra padding, etc. Ergonomic tool
accessories are also available, like gloves with gel inserts in the
palm to help reduce the impact of vibration during riveting
operations.
LINK Tools has a set of products that John
Davidson, president, says have a feature of overwhelming importance
for ergonomics – “hand-to-work” locking.
For years sockets were “retained on the end by
a spring-loaded ball bearing. If your hands were greasy the socket
was hard to remove and if the spring got dirty, the connection would
be so weak that the socket would fall off,” says Davidson. It was
Pete Roberts who came up with a better socket release – the Quick
Release for ratchet wrenches – sold by Craftsmen in the late
‘50s/early 60s. Not satisfied with his invention, however, Roberts
went back to improve his design.
“He came up with a totally revolutionary
approach…he put a diagonal pin through the shaft of the tools, which
comes out inside the socket. The top of the pin comes out above the
head of the socket and can be quick-released at any connection by
pulling up on the ribbed collar that goes around above where the
socket goes. And as a result the pin now retains, from the inside,
the socket,” explains Davidson. Since the pin is diagonal, putting
stress on the pin wedges it into the socket. It is locked until the
quick-release releases “the top end of it. It withdraws from the
socket and allows it to release.”
The design revolutionized not just ratchet
wrenches, but all related hand tools, says Davidson. Roberts
developed a comprehensive system that locks all tools and existing
socket pieces together, from the user’s hand to the work, and also
allows every connection to be quick-released apart – LINK’s new
Quick-Lock technology.
TÜV Rheinland of North America, a member of the
TÜV Rheinland Group (a global leader in independent testing and
assessment services) tested the LINK Quick-Lock Tool System and
awarded it the Q-mark as well as certifying the improvement in
productivity and reduction in physical stress, strain, and fatigue.
An excerpt from the TÜV study summary: “The
user test confirmed an improvement in impact on the body
specifically in the amount of bending and stretching required during
use resulting in reduced strain, stiffness, and pain. Specifically
test participants with muscle-skeletal problems experienced
significant reduced strain, stiffness, and pain.”
Davidson says most professional mechanics use
extensions on their tools, and these tools have a tendency to fall
apart at the connections, falling into the aircraft. Mechanics,
therefore, crouch over their work, ready to catch the pieces if they
fall from the tool. This leads to stress on the mechanics’ muscles
and skeleton. With the locking tools, however, mechanics don’t have
that problem.
During the study mechanics reported: “Being an
aircraft mechanic, I have to reach into, over, and under areas that
I cannot afford to lose a socket. The ability of [the] LINK brand to
lock onto the socket is huge.
” Indicating a 75 percent reduction in lost
days due to the pain associated with physical stress: “I contribute
the most of this to the fact that I have been able to do work
standing or sitting in positions somewhat normal [using the LINK
Tool system, and] not twisting or contorting my body in ways I used
to have to reach a part I was trying to work on, or trying to keep
sockets, extensions, etc. attached to my ratchet or whatever I was
using.”
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LINK Tool Product Review
by Mike Leasure, Purdue
University, ATEC Journal, Fall 1999
I recently had the
opportunity to test a set of the tools in the repair of an aircraft
engine in our powerplant laboratory. The task was the removal and
reinstallation of a cylinder assembly. I will explain more about
that experience later in this article.
The concept of the
"quick-release" ratchet system dates from the early 1960's. Inventor
Pete Roberts was responsible for this early innovation in tools and
has followed with the evolutionary, in not revolutionary LINK tool
concept.
The security of knowing
that a tool will not fall into the inner recesses of an airframe
during use is valuable not only from a safety standpoint, but when
lost productivity is factored into the equation, the value of the
locking feature becomes clear. The other obvious benefit is that
when pulling a socket off of a bolt or nut, the assembly will not
come apart. This prevents the socket from hanging up on the nut or
bolt in an inaccessible location. This really adds to the
versatility of the LINK assembly as removal force can be applied as
well as insertion force.
From my experience turning
wrenches on heavy aircraft, I can recall a socket or extension
dropping loose from the ratchet while working on a high scaffold or
"cherry picker". Again, it is not only hazardous to personnel and
aircraft surfaces below but results in lost time and productivity in
retrieving the tool. The LINK tool eliminates most of that worry. In
my experience, it is not the ratchet that drops because it is firmly
held in the technicians' hand while the socket and extensions, or
universal joints, are another matter.
When I received the tool
kit I immediately opened it and began to inspect the tools. My first
impressions were favorable. The size, weight, and "feel" of the
tools in the hand were good. The chrome sheen of the various
assemblies reminded me of the finish applied by other high-end tool
companies. The detents in the ratchet are firm and positive without
being harsh. Clearly, this was a well-made set of tools with the
professional mechanic in mind.
As I mentioned earlier, I
used the set to remove and reinstall a cylinder on an engine in our
powerplant laboratory. A few impressions were noted during this
exercise. First, it did take me some time to get used to releasing
the sockets and extensions during use. I was reminded of my first
trip rabbit hunting with a pump shotgun. I just kept forgetting to
pump in a second shell and second chances were rare. Just like the
shotgun, the release of the sockets became second nature with some
practice and use. Secondly, I would have liked a set of ¼ inch drive
sockets and a ratchet to use on specific fasteners. Those products
are currently in development and will be available in the near
future. The cylinder base wrenches, of course, did not lock onto the
ratchet, as they were not designed to do so. The LINK locking
feature does, however, hold most other quality brands of
sockets.
The ratchet and sockets
were primarily used during the cylinder work. The unidriver was used
to start a couple of the nuts onto their studs and it was handy for
this. The screwdriver inserts were used on the intake coupler clamps
as well as the rocker box screws and they performed without
incident. Overall, the set performed well and was no worse for the
wear in this short exercise.
The LINK tool
representative supplied various literature and endorsements related
to the tools and their use in the industry for my review. I found
the endorsement list to be very impressive. Organizations of
prominence included individuals at United Airlines, TWA,
Embry-Riddle University, Tulsa Tech, and Bombardier. All had used
the tools and had found them to their liking. I was particularly
intrigued by their potential in the educational environment. The
student would learn from the first use of this tool the importance
of tool control and safety. The use of this tool set would be a
constant reminder of the importance of accounting for all tools when
working on aircraft and the importance of not having tools that come
loose and drop out of control into inaccessible areas.
In conclusion, I was
impressed with the LINK tools and their implications in industrial,
mechanical, and educational areas. The endorsement list was long and
impressive. The tools performed well in use. It was important for me
that the tools perform as well as a standard set but with the added
locking feature. In other words, no compromises were made to
incorporate the locking feature that would limit the utility of the
tool in use. I found this set to be as good or better than a
standard set, and with the added locking AND QUICK-RELEASE features,
it was superior.
LINK tools may be
contacted through their website at WWW.LINK-TOOLS.COM or by phone at
(773) 549-3000, Fax (773) 549-3164.
For Over 70 Years, Embry-Riddle has been the
World's Premier Aviation and Aerospace University, training Aircraft
Maintenance Technicians in the US and the World.
