Just wasted $175 on a 'universal' torque wrench adapter that stripped a bolt head

I was working on a Cessna 172's cowling in Tulsa and grabbed this new adapter from a truck sale, thinking it would save time. It claimed to fit any size, but it slipped on a 3/8 bolt and rounded it off perfectly. Now I'm looking at a way bigger job to extract it. Has anyone found a truly reliable brand for those adapters, or should I just stick with the individual sockets?

3 comments

3 Comments

seanperez23h ago

Universal solutions usually end up creating more specialized problems.

tylerg3022h ago

Maybe, but that feels like looking for problems. Most fixes work fine for most people. The edge cases get too much air time.

calebhayes22h ago

Agree with seanperez, and TylerG30's point about edge cases is exactly why.