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Adam Ell handles
December 14th, 2005 02:03 AM
December 13, 2005 Ell Handles


Craftsman used to market an L-shape socket holding handle, in either 3/8 or ½ inch drive versions. They were model numbers 4318 and 4402.

The Ell is pure simplicity, having a standard Allen key's long and short legs, arranged perpendicularly to each other, in the shape of an "L".

Bother ends had square drives, with the ball detents.

So, making my own from an extension bar would be quite problematical.

Their official use was for turning spark plug sockets.

But, they look like pretty good close quarter tools also.

I‛ve got Ell handles offered as early as 1957 (my earliest owned Craftsman Hand Tool catalog). They made it to the Craftsman 50th Anniversary 1976-1977 catalog. They were not in the 1977-1978 catalog.

Who uses spark plugs or would desire a spark plug socket specialty handle anyway?

Anyone see either size of these allusive tikes around?
Admin Ells
December 14th, 2005 05:18 AM
Perhaps Sears discovered that they were generating a lot of bent/broken extensions when people used them on the Ells as breaker bar extenders, and so discontinued them in favor of the sliding-T handle. Many auto parts stores carry a 1/2" drive L-shaped non-flex head "breaker bar" next to the lug wrenches. May even have a telescoping handle, but all are likely to be too poor quality to be worth using or modding.

Snap-On still makes a ratchet head that uses extension bars for handles. I know which brand extensions I would use on it.
Joe Plugs
December 14th, 2005 08:18 PM
I've never gotten a plug stuck. A breaker bar will usually get 'em if they've been cross threaded.
Adam Ell handles 2
December 14th, 2005 10:05 PM
The Ell handles are relatively short affairs, that like the L-key Allen wrench, that if anything control over torqueing.

As for the worry about using cheater bars with Ell handles, I think even today, a "gorilla-grip" mechanic would turn to their faithful Breaker Bar.
Admin Similar tools
December 18th, 2005 03:41 AM
Probably right--if they were so thin they flexed before breaking anything. Though I can't see how they'd be very usefully compact vs a flex stubby ratchet or even a stubby box-end over the plug socket.

Craftsman did once offer extremely offset box wrenches that could potentially do the same job. They kind of resemble a deep socket with a handle sticking out the side, and a nutdriver on the end of that handle. First offered in 1994, #s 34680 to 34698 as "angled open-back socket wrenches".

Craftsman also had adjustable box-end wrenches in 1994 #s 44663, 44665, and 44666 (later with a vinyl grip as 43380, 43381, and 43382). While more bulky, they were a lot lower profile, kind of like the GearRatchets of today.

As an aside, I do prefer my old-style Craftsman spark plug sockets machined with only a very shallow hex inside, over the new ones that resemble ordinary deep sockets.
Adam Deep Offsets
December 26th, 2005 10:09 PM
I know what you are talking about. My neighborhood OSH hardware store, that sold Craftsman stuff that Sears no longer sold, had an SAE set of standard finish Deep Offset box wrenches.

I love them for those annoying situations where a 15 degree offset box-end "won't cut it".

There are now the highly polished, Craftsman Professional grade deep-offset wrenches, available in both SAE and Metric.

I should probably pickup a set of Metric deep-offsets.

Even though I normally restore old SAE type fastener equipped tools, I'm slowly, but surely being dragged into the Metric world - kicking and screaming.
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