The Ultimate Automobile Manufacturing Guide

Fixed or Adjustable Angle Heads?

8 April 2021 by Carlos Sullivan

Any time you have the opportunity to choose between two different styles of one type of tool, you're bound to have moments when you just don't know which would be better. Even something as small as an angle head tool can help you realize the many available options. One option that has its pluses and minuses is the adjustable feature on many angle heads. That sounds like a great feature to have, and many times it is. However, fixed angle heads have their benefits, too.

Reduce the Number of Tools You Need

If you run a large facility, you'll need multiples of each tool to ensure that workers have access to them when they need them and that they won't have to wait for two other people to finish using the tool. If you get fixed angle heads, you'll need to get different tools with different angles, plus however many extras you need of each tool for an adequate supply at the facility. That can add up to a lot of tools, and quite a large bill. If you get adjustable angle heads, however, you can reduce the number of separate styles of tools that you get, though you'll still need extras of the adjustable angle head. Still, overall, you'll have less to buy.

Less Breakage to Worry About

Adjustable angle heads move, which means there are more parts in that tool that can break. Fixed angle heads can break, too, but they don't have those extra adjustable parts that can freeze or snap off. The mechanism that lets you adjust the head is simple, but it's still something that will need maintenance and potentially repair, lest the adjustable parts get stuck and turn the tool into a fixed angle.

When the Needed Angle Is Just a Bit Off

One of the real joys of having an adjustable angle head is that, if the angle you need is just a bit off from traditional angled tools (e.g. 40 degrees instead of 45), you can still get the work done. You don't have to go searching for a fixed head that is at that angle. When you can adjust the tool to the exact angle you need, you end up with better accuracy, less damage, and less wasted time.

It doesn't hurt to have both fixed and adjustable angle heads. But for the majority of the heads you buy, you need to ensure that they will all be the ones you use and that you can maintain.

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