Product Review: Byrneos Nut Flex Pro
When it comes to working on your ATV, there are only two types of situation concerning a bolt that refuses to come free: Those of us who have encountered this frustrating situation and those of us who will.
When that happens you can do as we do (swear, throw things then proceed to round out the bolt in question) or you can do things the right way and invest in a breaker bar. We decided to drop the $20 on a Byrneos Nut Flex last week when we found a particularly tricky nut on the underside of a Yamaha Blaster’s front fenders. Read on to find out if it was money well spent or just something else we could throw across the workshop after rounding out another of our machine’s bolts.
What Is It?
It’s a breaker bar with a screwdriver handle and a little trick up its sleeve and by sleeve we mean its handle: A plethora of common sockets (8, 10, & 12mm) stay hidden away there until called upon.
How Does It Work?
The magnetic socket storage/ switching process is surprisingly intuitive. The top socket allows you to yank the hidden sockets out of the handle. You select the one you want to use then stack up the others to put back inside. The handle’s end cap slides sideways to make the swapping possible. It’s quick, painless and the magnets are actually powerful enough to do the job asked of them.
The actual function of the breaker bar works incredibly well! The tool turns flicks of the wrist into smooth, usable torque. We not only removed the rusted out bolt/ nut on the fenders in question, but we were able, thanks to the variety of sockets included, to completely disassemble the machine using little more than this tool.
What Makes It So Efficient?
Aside from the fact that it comes equipped with most of the sockets you would need to wrench on modern ATVs, it allows the user to bend the tool to 90 degrees for maximum leverage, then straighten it once the nut breaks to be spun out with the speed of a screwdriver. Very nice!
Will It Work With Your Own Sockets?
Absolutely, so long as your sockets are ¼ inch drive. We were delighted with its ability to offer similar benefits using screwdriver bits, hex keys, torx keys and so on. So long as you have ¼ inch drive bits (or an adapter), the Nut Flex accepts anything you throw at it.
How Much Does It Cost?
The Pro model (which includes the 2 spare sockets) goes for $21.95 and can be ordered directly from the company’s website. The standard model includes only an 8mm socket and goes for $14.95
What Do We Think?
We think stripping out or rounding off bolts really ruins our day. Breaker bars are always a wise investment in preventing this but the Nut Flex goes a few steps further in terms of portability and ease of use. Now that we’ve witnessed how well the product works in the garage, we’ve got ours in our ATV’s under-seat tool kit for potential trailside snafus. The Nut Flex Pro is money very well spent!