That moment a cheap drill extender finally saved my back on a ceiling job

I've been installing motion sensors in warehouses for about 5 years now, and holding a drill over my head for 30 minutes straight was killing my shoulders. Tried one of those 12-inch flexible drill bit extenders from Harbor Freight last week on a job in Tulsa, figured it would snap on the first hole. Ran 8 mounts through steel studs at 14 feet up and it held up fine, no wobble even with a drywall bit. Didn't have to lug the ladder around every 2 minutes, just stood there and aimed. I'm thinking of getting a second one for backup, but has anyone had these things fail on thicker metal?

2 comments

2 Comments

fisher.adam7d ago

Blew one out on 14-gauge steel studs in a Tulsa warehouse about two years back. It was a cheapo brand from Amazon, not a name brand, and the hex shank twisted right at the flex joint after the 3rd hole. The Harbor Freight ones are actually decent for the price, but I'd keep it to 1/4 inch or smaller bits on anything thicker than 16-gauge. What model are you using, the Pittsburgh or the Doyle?

alice3367d ago

Oh man, that brings back a memory. A buddy of mine bought a no-name flex bit set from a gas station actually, and the first time he tried to drill through a steel door frame the whole thing just snapped in half. He wasn't even pushing hard, just a normal steady pressure. The bit didn't even make it through the first hole, it just twisted up like a pretzel and broke off at the handle. He was so mad he threw the whole set in the trash right there on the job site. I usually just stick with the name brand ones now after seeing that happen.