That is a good point I didn't even think of lol I tend to build smaller more detailed things as oppose to huge things that require a lot of structural strength but you are correct I missed that one.
@@bricksculptin my experience, the ball and socket hinge has gotten loose quickly with great weights, and I love the ratchet hinge because they are (often) more structural sound
For builds that require more weight, usually builders use heavy duty technic rachets or technic-brick ratcheting joints. Sometimes some really bulky technic ball joint set ups
Depends on the use, if holding power is the main need, the ratchet hinge is the best, the bar/clip is less fragile and indeed serve as more than hinges, but the vintage ones are most compact.
Although those particular ball joint parts are only ten years old, the ball joint itself dates back to the 1970s (or possibly earlier), and was used for Homemaker figure hands, tow hitches, and probably other uses in forgetting. It can be fun to combine a 50 year old hand piece with a modern socket part!
Lego was only able to get the necessary control over their tolerances and plastic blends in the 2010s in order to make the ball joint as durable and stable as it is, now. It's more of an engineering feat, than an idea waiting to be had. Before that, you would need the "bionicle/technic" joints if you wanted the poseability, resistance and solid connection of modern ball joints. the "old" style were too flimsy and fragile to do what we do now.
You missed another important category - number of colours. The ball and socket only comes in gray making for some ugly builds. Only the bar and clip have the full range of colours.
Apparently the mixal joint molds are extremely precise, I’m talking the slight differences in friction between different colors of plastic can have a major impact on the overall durability and reliability of the joints.
Fun fact: There's a very interesting connection, although very specific in use, able to be made between a female side clip and a female side ratchet, since the latter has just a tiny bit of a bar sized "stud" on the insides of its "fingers". The most well knows case of it was probably in the set 70723 Thunder Raider from Ninjago, where it's used as a part of the transformation feature on the blue vehicle, it's meant to be easily connected and disconnected all over again. Funnily enough 71699, the remake of that set utilizes just a normal bar-clip attachment.
Ive seen it used in a few modern sets. It seems to be an extra low-weight-bearing and low-pressure clip connection. Very weak, but requires very little force to connect, better than clips and rachets since they can take a shocking amount of force to separate, especially when grouped up with 2 or 4 sections.
I have a love hate relationship with the mixel ball joint, because for whatever the reason it seems INCREDIBLY fragile. It cracks easily, weakens over time, but it is SUCH a useful piece.
Ball joints (specifically sockets) are inherently fragile at that size due to design and material limitations. Even at the Bionicle scale, there simply aren’t many ways to engineer a sturdier ball joint without infringing on other design constraints (namely size, friction and connection points).
@@JesseTroller Aren't there way older ball joints? They were already used as wrists in the hands of the buildable characters for the Family set (nr 200) all the way back in the 70s. Old technic suspension just had regular technic beams..
1:44 ball and socket is my beloved. i love using it for tentacles and more flowy robot arms. bar and clip is aa close second as its basically the same but with only one direction of movement which is super useful if you dont want your hinge moving outside of the set range.
If I had to pick only one, the bar and clip is probably best because of how versatile they are with the rest of the system. There are so many bar and clip shaped things in LEGO
Before video: The best is the clip and bar, due to its flexibility with most builds with a caveat of the clip being easy to break. After vid : okay the criteria and judgment while sound is EXTREMELY specific to the types of builds you do. Cause as someone who makes more mechanical and play feature focused builds the ratchet joint is supremely helpful and have found that is breaks almost never and only wears down rarely. I mostly agree with your ranking for the clip and bar and ball joint hinges, though I'd love to point out, for me often the freedom of ball joints is more a hinderance than help, as having one axis of movement allows most builds to be more stable. Though ball joints do have others applications.
I think we are on the same wavelength. I made a previous comment making these exact points and I also added that I think that the finger joint is way too flimsy and fragile for my taste
I really like the simplicity of the fingerjoint, it can also make some nice decoration if you place them side by side alternating the 3 and 2 fingers for a house facade for exemple.
what I expected you to mention was the bar'n'clip joints that are two wide, with a longer bar and two clips. these have more stability and can take more weight than a one wide joint, and again if you take them apart they can still be useful, for example for lego figures to grip the bar or for some type of rod to go into the clip
I would have given the finger joint hinge the edge over the bar/clip in position-ability on account of being able to flip it and reverse stud direction in a 1-plate-high space making it one of the few parts ever to be able to do this, and the only one that can within an enclosed 3-plate height. I used these ALL the time back in the day for architectural builds. One of the other reasons I think they were discontinued is that as LEGO refined their system, the position of the hinges themselves no longer fit into that standard positioning whereas the clip/bar and ratchet hinges are slightly offset from top to bottom to allow this adherence to the modern system. Having said all of that, the finger hinge plates still won and I agree, I miss them dearly. I no longer include them in builds due to their increasingly prohibitive price point but it takes a lot of problem solving to use other pieces for similar uses and that can be fun sometimes.
I really wish the finger joint returned. I grew up right as it retired and never saw it in official sets. Seeing their usage in MOCs and general building and I love it! I love all the old finger style joints! They dont fit into the system quite as well as the bar and clip does, but man they do just scream Lego to me, and provide some seriously good detail.
Not sure I can choose just one, because they all have applications where they are the best choice. The old finger hinges had many great applications, but they were also incredibly fragile. I do love how versatile ball hinges are.
I have a love-hate relationship with all of these type of joints but the ratchets are the only ones I have that haven’t completely worn away on figurines I’ve built with Lego. It’s amazing how standing on display after not being touched for years the ball and socket and clip pieces have completely decayed from having to support a builds weight against gravity. I had to go through my collection to replace 80% of the parts because the joints cracked, compared to the ratchets I saw much less degradation and they were able to stay on. Hell, they are even used in some Bionicle and Hero Factory sets on the larger scale figures to hold things together. Structurally they are a superior joint and depending on the type of build they are in they outclass the others
As a kid, I only used to have chinese knockoff lego, whose plastic was really robust and didn't brake almost ever except for clips. Even in the early 2000s, they had pretty outdated designs, and a lot of them had finger joints. I always loved the finger joint for its compactness and so - versatility
I wish they kept the finger joints because of how flat they are, so they can be used as a internal color stripe, with a change in angle without interruption. But all the hinge types have their specific places. I stick with my original assessment.
Would have liked to see a staying power category, these might look nice but if you use them to hold a larger build together it’s gonna look droopy eventually, probably some hinges faster than others.
Good points! I think I agree with your motivations for the placings in the categories as well. Unfortunately, I have far too few finger joint pieces to really make good use of them.
You can also attach just about any kind of clip piece to the C-shaped end of ratchet pieces, with the added benefit of it not straining the clip when taking the pieces apart, unlike a bar-and-clip connection.
Interesting note here-Lego piece 6628 is compatible with the ball/socket hinges. I haven't come up with a good use for this, but I'm sure there's one out there. I completely agree with the numbers across the board-I just wish there was a modern version of the finger hinge. Such a useful piece
I make a lot of mechs and builds with weird angles so I almost exclusively use the ball and socket joint. Each of these (except for the ratchet) got at least one top score so they all have a use which is nice. Side note now I really want to buy a couple finger joints I hadn't realized they were this good. :D
The rachet came in 1999 and almost instantly replaced both this and the larger finger system used for car roofs and such - however there were a few rather obscure uses left and most importantly all the re-releases of the early 2000s.
In the sturdiness category in the ratchet joint has an advantage over the finger and bar-and-clip joint. Even if it wears out it is still usable as a hinge.
Very interesting video! Growing up I only had a handful of finger joints, so I have very little building experience with them. I hope to get my hands on some of these parts!
I'd say it really depends on what you're trying to achieve. The ball/socket and ratchet work best as articulation joints, with the ratchet in particular being good for any joint that's going to have a lot of weight on top of it (i.e. the knees of a mech or something) - while it does have less overall range of motion than the other connections, it is much sturdier in terms of being able to hold its position. After all, both of these connection types are used quite often in proper action figures outside of LEGO. Whereas the clip/bar system is much more versatile and good as general-purpose hinges (including being used to angle other pieces) but due to the bar's compatibility with a lot of other stuff in LEGO, they're also great to incorporate in play features and are minifig compatible (a good example being the ladder piece). There is also the issue other commenters have mentioned of colour availability, and the basic clip/bar system definitely takes the cake when it comes to this. Both of these things, in my opinion, make it superior overall to the finger joint system but it does have its own unique applications like you showed with the whole stud compatibility thing.
Bar and clip, I like that it holds without slipping but doesn’t have to stay in specific positions like with the ratchet. And I find that the ball and socket has a little too much range of motion for most hinges I’d want.
Showing my age, but as a hinge I think the old finger joint is the best. The ratchet is great for ratcheting joints, and the other two for more specialised applications that aren't just rotating in one axis.
From the get-go, I would consider the bar-hinge the best. The versatility of the clip to also hold onto bars, the relative smoothness of its movement for play-features, the availability of color variants and the rigidness of its system make it perfect for me and I just love the way the pieces attach on an emotional level. It feels modern, but very Lego. It stands a tiny bit above the ball-joint, which, while more flexible (literally) can in some applications be too freely moving while also not providing the colors you would like. The ratchet-joint is clearly good for things you'd like to hold up, but damn, it is a limited usecase in my eyes.
You got me sleeping on the finger-joint. To my defense, I've never held that piece in my hands. However, I do feel like you were doubling down a bit too much on topside adaptability and studs while leaving out colors, the weight they can take and how they look in a build. On the latter, I actually think the fingers also win out.
The finger joint is probably my favorite because out of the four is the only one that you can directly attach a plate on top of it and it’s the only one that really doesn’t have a gap and it’s probably the only one that you can turn around and have a appease that has studs top and bottom
Just why I thought finger joint one, but yeah, I don’t use it in mocks at all because the part is just too darn expensive so I only try to use current pieces for mocks to make the cost a little bit more affordable and just in case if other people want to build my mocks
Bar and clip for general versatility, ratchet for stability, finger joint for facing studs in opposite directions compactly, and ball joint for nothing because it somehow never seems to be the right part for the job
The better part combination depends on the purpose of the “hinge”. Are we building a door or ramp that opens freely with minimal pressure? Are we building a pylon of sorts that requires rigidity? Or, are we building a multi-layered landscape of sorts that requires a plethora of directional connections?
I’m a big fan of the finger hinge. Because it’s so compact and can be reversed I’m often pining for more of them when I’m designing. The ball joint has the bonus of being very strong, and offers (limited) hinging in the second direction. But a final point is that the clip+bar has the most color options and the most brick/plate variations
I think you touched on most of the same thoughts I had. Except color availability, I think the ball/sockets for example is very limited and almost only available in a fixed dark and light grey combo. Unless you look outside of the Lego brand . (Which I do 😊)
Everything depends on use. Some builds will want the locking, some builds will want the universal movement of the ball, and some will want the versatility of colour options. There's also all the different shape variations that the bar and clip style gives you.
Definitely a case of which is getting more use. My personal experience with the ball joints is the sockets are fragile as all get out. I have so many cracked and broken ones! I can't say I have any broken ratchet joints but then I don't tend to use them often because I tend to build characters rather than structures. Versatility for the ball joints for me is higher as well because they have towball connections that allow them to attach to Technic elements and bridge the gap between the two systems.
I think all four of these have their ups and downs. The ball joint of course allows some side to side movement, and rotation, which is a pretty major plus, but it's also bigger and bulkier. The bar and clip offers smooth movement, but those clips are so easy to break. The clickety hinge holds its different positions fairly well, though it gets a little wobbly over time. The finger joint is flat and flush, really nice for fitting in tight spaces or being covered over, but it also has a habit of sliding out of itself when it moves back and forth. Really I think they each have their place, but I think if I had to pick, I'd pick the clickety hinge. I like the feeling of manually adjusting those.
Well... no love for the clickety hinge. :P What I think I like most about it is that it's good for structure. If you want something to be at an angle and stay there, it's better for that than any of the others. The finger joint, I agree that it's really good, I just wish it wasn't so easy to break. Maybe if I had more of it, I'd rank it higher. It really does come down to what the build actually needs.
I like the finger joint hinge. I use it to change direction of the studs by simply connecting both part the opposite way. It's the only hinge which is just one plate thick then.
This is a toughie! - The ratchet has the most clutch power, but limited positions. If you need the hinge to carry a load at a set angle, the ratchet is the best choice. - The bar and clip is the most versatile, since as pieces they can both play with so many other pieces. But as a hinge? Well, they get the job done, and without the ratchet's limitations. But the clips can weaken over time. - With the ability to rotate, the ball and socket hinge is a really strong piece. And with great clutch, too. Still, it always seems to fall just a little short, since the socket doesn't allow for quite as much motion as you'd think! Still, it's very good for all kinds of character and play builds. In some more precise jobs, all the different rotations can be a bit of a pain, as well. - The finger joint feels obsolete. Who am I to argue with Lego on that? But I'm sure you know some clever tricks hidden within.
Love your videos. When you place two or more pieces in a tie, you should add up the points for the positions they tie for and distribute those points evenly among the tied pieces. So for example, when you have a 2-way tie for second, you should give each piece 1.5 points (1+2 points divided by 2). The reason this matters, in this video, is that the categories that had ties ended up contributing more points to the total score because you gave both pieces that tied the full score.
The senior is best - it has the lowest profile and can be attached directly under plates for a flush fit. Given LEGO has improved the recipes for its different plastics to make them more durable, they should reintroduce the finger joint
I’ve had a LOT of the ball sockets break on me. I deal with a lot of mech making so I see these every day. I have a growing small ziploc bag of cracked ball sockets. Not to say clips aren’t fragile, but I’ve had less clips break on me. I’ve had finger breaks on the finger hinges, but the most durable in my experience is the ratchets. My broken hinge bag only has a couple broken ratchets. I think it varies from usage. Since I use ball joints for mech making, I see breaks more often. Your mileage may vary.
I feel like there isn't always gonna be one best hinge depending on the situation but for general use the bar clip one is probably gonna be the most useful.
My favorite is bar and clip because it is the most versatile and compatible with so many other pieces. The other two newer ones are for specific purposes if you need either sturdiness (ratchet) or a more fluent motion (ball). I love the vintage one because that was all I had as a child.
After watching the whole video: I agree with all details and the result does not surprise me. The ratchet is clearly the one that should only be used if you really need its special features. A suggestion for another video: show example applications in MOCs or sets where either all or several of these pieces can be used and where you need a specific one. Maybe there are rules of thumb in which situation you would start with one piece and just try the others if it does not work. E.g. if you tell me to make an animal sculpture I would intuitively put a lot of ball joints on the table. But I can't tell you out of my head where I need the ratchet.
Each one I think of a special use-case for. I like the old one because it's completely flat. You can limit the hinge's mobility to align it completely flat. The ratchet can hold its position. The clip is less likely to lose a tooth, and is a direct replacement for the old one as it can hinge in only one dimension. The ball and socket can move in all directions, so you can pose the model in a variety of ways. So it depends what you want to do with it.
starting opinion: the ball joint hinge has a lot of versitality, and tho im not an expirienced builder it looks like it would open up a lot of opportunities Ending opinion: honestly despite the tie between then, i think bar and clip may be my current favorite, just because finger joints are out of production and prone to breakage. im pleasantly suprised that ball and socket hinges did so well!
They all have something special. The ball joint is obviously the most versatile with movement and probably my favorite because of that, but is bulky. The ratchets have set spacing that I love, but are a bit specialized. The clips are far and away the most interconnectable with so many attachment options. And the fingers have the only design that can sit flush in a single plate height. Id say their intro order is my order of favorites, but they all have a place
The C-shaped end of ratchet pieces are compatible with almost all clip pieces (the only exception I can think of being minifigure hands). Unlike a bar-and-clip connection, taking the pieces apart won't put strain on the clip.
Great video! The finger joint for me is more useful for those old windscreen prints from adventures - I found the hinge had very little clutch, ESPECIALLY compared to the others, but the look definitely has the most mystique and aesthetic appeal.
At the start of the video, I thought the greatest was the bar and clip. And still do, yes, the fingers got a higher score, but the clip hinge is versatile as fuck. Plus, it just works with so many other pieces, and the bar part looks sick on its own.
For me personally it's easily bar and clip because of the number of parts you can use them with which makes for great connections and I already have plenty in my collection.
I was driving, so I couldn’t comment first, but finger joint. That was the choice for me. See nothing terrible about it. They all have their place in builds, give me all the options any day.
The classic one, because it allows two parts to be seemless next to eachother. It's a shame they don't have a reversal for the classic folded ones in folded mode. Might consider 3D printing one.
My favorite is the bar hinge because It fits with the most lego pieces ( you can attach other things to the bar and you can hold other things on the clip)
Before watching: I like the old hinge for it's ability to match slope angles really well, but the ratchet hinge is what I like for structural applications After watching: I think that the main thing preventing me from liking the finger joint and clip joint more is their weakness under load, which is what the ratchet is for. I also think the ball and socket is better than the ratchet joint after watching the video, because it is good under load, while being very versitile.
Guess: I think ball and socket is best. Bar and clip and ratchet get loose grip over time. I like the finger joint but hard to find them and more expensive. Ball and socket also gives an extra plane of motion
Each is the best for what it provides. Ball&Socket have the freeest movement, Ratchet are great to build something stable, and Fingers looks cleanest naked, which is also when weight isn't an issue. Bar&Clip are slightly different - they are never the best hinge. But that's because they are not hinges - bars and clips are only second to studs in connection types. It just so happens that a very versatile connection type can ALSO be used as hinges. I'd argue Clip is the best PIECE of those, just not best hinge. Much like 2x1 rounded plate is easily a better piece then any sideways hinge, AND can act as a sideways hinge, but isn't the best sideways hinge. After video: I agree with most of what was said, but the grading is ridiculous. Fingers have one thing going for them - they are flat. Great if you can't hide the hinge, that's it. But somehow, that alone wins them three categories. That's like grading the other two types of motion Ball&Socket allow individually, or invent a category "Minifig-Interactivity" so Bar&Clip gains bonus points. Meanwhile, the entire point of a ratchet is to be stable in a specific position, yet the grading system only takes points away for that.
Interesting. I entirely disagree with your ranking system, but I see where it comes from. I have never had a ratchet joint wear out but I’m more of a build it and leave it until I want to take it apart, never been one to play with anything other than mindstorms and the earlier rx stuff. I have had clips break though, so I definitely find ratchet joints more durable. Still for anything I build it usually needs to hold up some weight and a couple ratchets are way easier to use than going brick by brick to support pieces set at an angle on clips.
The vintage finger joint is probably the best IMO. It's easier to create slight slants of vehicles and other builds that require a slant. It also has a decent connection that doesn't wear over time as much as the clips or the ball joint receivers do. Seeing how good they are makes me wish I had more in my collection. Lego definitely messed up when they retired that hinge...
It's bar and clip no question, it's by far the best to have a lot of, as it's very well rounded and can fill multiple purposes, ball joint is superior in some regards but it's range of motion can be too free and the more limited style fits more applications
They do different jobs. The wretched will give stronger joins, the ball and socket will give more possibilities. The finger and clip are mire comparable, but I don’t think one is particularly stronger.
My bet is that ball is universally better, but ratchet is superior in higher strength applications. I've had bar and clip joints wear out and break far faster and more frequently than ratchet joints, so I find it interesting you've had the opposite issue!
My favorite is the *bar and clip*: The ball joint is immediately out. It _needs_ to be doubled up just to function as a hinge instead of a ball joint. *Top side compatibility* is overrated: In order to use the _bottom_ side compatibility, the thing under the hinge (and the part of the hinge that moves) has to be a tile (or something else without studs on top.) BUT, in order to use _top_ compatibility, you have to put tiles on top of the moving part, which elevates the height of the hinge assembly by one plate anyways. What really pushes the clip ahead of the competition is that clips (and bars) are available on so many pieces that it almost offers you even more versatility than the ball joint. The only thing that the ball joint has over the competition is that it can hinge at _any angle_ (with side ratios that are reasonably small integers).
With the below corrections, my scores in your system would have been: Finger 11, Ratchet 4, Bar-and-clip 12, Ball-And-Socket 11 You *didn't convince me* that the finger joint is better than bar-and-clip, but you showed me that it's basically just as useful. -- In "range of motion", you put bar and clip above finger joints because of their upwards range. But the downwards range is reversed, and the overall range of motion is pretty much identical. I'd have given 2 points to each. -- As stated, top side compatibility is overrated; and you also gave a top-being-flush related bonus to finger joints in the "studs" category. -- One thing you forgot to mention in the "overall versatility" category is that bar and clip can not only do _stud reversal,_ they can also do _SNOT_ (with the sideways clip piece that can hold vertical bars). AND you can use them to get any sideways offset, if you use an actual bar with two clip pieces. That's kind of a 4 right there. Bonus fact: The finger joint is the only one who has the axis of rotation at a different height than the others. I don't know if that makes it _less_ versatile (because it can't be combined with another type), or if it makes it _more_ versatile (because it offers you a unique type of articulation.
I'm an old school kinda guy, so I'm going to say my favourite is the OG retired hinge. The others have their good and bad points, but I'm sticking with OG. For now. 😅
I can use the second one in most cases and there are a lot of different parts with bars and clips that I can combine depending on what I want to do. The others are not that variable imo. Now let's watch the video!
Prior to watching the video, I'd either choose the the ratcheting hinge or the bar and clip hinge depending on what application I needed it for, so both hinges are tied in first place for me. I used the hinge with the fingers quite a lot in my youth as the others didn’t exist yet, entering my dark ages in ‘98. I generally wouldn't use the hinge with the fingers as I feel the bar and clip hinge can do most of the jobs that the version with the fingers did, and would choose to use parts that are still in production as price is a huge factor for me. I’d prefer to spend more money on cooler, mor e bespoke LEGO items like rare and cool minifigs or printed elements and get everything else as cheap as possible. Also I prefer using new, unused LEGO wherever possible so that makes getting hold of out of production parts harder too.
You know what after watching the video I’m going to say my favourite depends on the application required while building. I’m definitely considering given the finger joint a second look, as you’ve pointed out it outshines the other choices in quite a few areas.
I paused the video at the directed time, and here I am in the comments: There is no such thing as "the best hinge" in a fully universal way. For example the old finger-hinges are the most-compact. That's great! And yes, I would certainly use them a lot if they were still made and easy-to-get. The ball joints can do more than just rotate on one axis, which is of course great or terrible depending on your use-case. Either the best or the worst one, usually. Bar-and-clip gets huge points from me for being the most-elegant by using standard connection-types. The click-hinges are of course useful if you want to standardize angles across many hinges. Personally I use the bar-and-clip ones the most, or I should say, I use them most as hinges. The ball joints I might use even more, but as actual ball joints for a wide range of motion, for limbs of small mechs and such.
The finger hinges would win if they had good clutch after years of use and if they were still made today, as their flush design makes it ideal for making clean builds. However, taking into account age and clutch, I think the modern bar and clip hinge is best. It is quite strong, comes in tons of colors and shape variations, and isn't limited to descete angles. The ball and socket joint is nice and strong, but in its capacity as a 2-dimensional hinge, it suffers greatly. It also is limited by colors, which ends up being an enormous downside. I think its abilities as a vehicle for organic and complex angles, however, are in a league of its own, and doesn't really have a fair comparison with the others.
I think "best" really depends on the application. If all you want is just movement along one axis, I feel like the bar and clip is my personal favorite. It doesn't rely on delicate points of attachment like the finger joint, has a variety of connection possibilities, and has enough friction as to not be too loose. My only question about this system is what the difference is between the modified plates which have the "clip with centre cut on top" vs. modified plates which have the "open O clip on top".
So having finished the video, I've definitely developed a lot more respect for finger joint pieces - I honestly didn't think of them as a solution for stud reversal, but they really are a very elegant and space-efficient technique for reversing stud connections. I still feel turned off by just how prone these pieces are to breaking. In my old collection I never used these pieces often, and I was very careful not to over stress them, yet I found the finger connections broke surprisingly easily (in my experience anyway).
I discovered the ratchet joint was a problem when creating a pediment for a MOC building: it was difficult to make it stay at the angle needed. When fully incorporated into the build it was fixed, but a finger joint or bar and clip would have been better. Why didn't I use one of the others? I didn't have the pieces in the colour I wanted, and am too tight fisted to put a small order via Bricklink. Eventually I will place the order when I need a lot of other pieces,
I don't think there's a best, since they have different uses and applications, but there is definitely a worst: the clip and bar is a finger joint, but worse. Ball joint has 3 degrees of freedom and a good holding power for model poseability. Ratchet has a single degree of freedom and the best holding power, for when you need repeatability and stability in your positioning. The finger joint has a smoot action, the best for precise position (strange angles) and play features; it also allows for the thinnest legal stud reversal. I wish they kept it in production...
You missed one important category - how much weight can it take before it collapses.
This, very important! maybe he can do a little test of screen and put it in a pinned comment.
That is a good point I didn't even think of lol I tend to build smaller more detailed things as oppose to huge things that require a lot of structural strength but you are correct I missed that one.
Might have to do this!
@@bricksculptin my experience, the ball and socket hinge has gotten loose quickly with great weights, and I love the ratchet hinge because they are (often) more structural sound
For builds that require more weight, usually builders use heavy duty technic rachets or technic-brick ratcheting joints. Sometimes some really bulky technic ball joint set ups
I like the low profile of the vintage hinge. Less bulk in the way when space is limited. Plus it has a very clean look.
100%
Depends on the use, if holding power is the main need, the ratchet hinge is the best, the bar/clip is less fragile and indeed serve as more than hinges, but the vintage ones are most compact.
agree its very situational
Although those particular ball joint parts are only ten years old, the ball joint itself dates back to the 1970s (or possibly earlier), and was used for Homemaker figure hands, tow hitches, and probably other uses in forgetting. It can be fun to combine a 50 year old hand piece with a modern socket part!
Lego was only able to get the necessary control over their tolerances and plastic blends in the 2010s in order to make the ball joint as durable and stable as it is, now. It's more of an engineering feat, than an idea waiting to be had.
Before that, you would need the "bionicle/technic" joints if you wanted the poseability, resistance and solid connection of modern ball joints. the "old" style were too flimsy and fragile to do what we do now.
You missed another important category - number of colours. The ball and socket only comes in gray making for some ugly builds. Only the bar and clip have the full range of colours.
I totally agree. It is a very important category and it is definitely missing. But in the end, it does not change the ranking I think.
Yeah I left color ranges out in respect for the retired piece but its a good point when considering the ball joint!
💯
Apparently the mixal joint molds are extremely precise, I’m talking the slight differences in friction between different colors of plastic can have a major impact on the overall durability and reliability of the joints.
@@bricksculptyou could have it be a comparison to the colors available at the time so it’s more of a percentage then just total number of colors
Fun fact: There's a very interesting connection, although very specific in use, able to be made between a female side clip and a female side ratchet, since the latter has just a tiny bit of a bar sized "stud" on the insides of its "fingers". The most well knows case of it was probably in the set 70723 Thunder Raider from Ninjago, where it's used as a part of the transformation feature on the blue vehicle, it's meant to be easily connected and disconnected all over again. Funnily enough 71699, the remake of that set utilizes just a normal bar-clip attachment.
Ive seen it used in a few modern sets. It seems to be an extra low-weight-bearing and low-pressure clip connection. Very weak, but requires very little force to connect, better than clips and rachets since they can take a shocking amount of force to separate, especially when grouped up with 2 or 4 sections.
I have a love hate relationship with the mixel ball joint, because for whatever the reason it seems INCREDIBLY fragile. It cracks easily, weakens over time, but it is SUCH a useful piece.
Really I didn't realize they weaken that much over time. But to be fair I don't have a ton of experience with this piece.
I've noticed that too. The sockets break rather easily
Fun fact: the Mixel ball joints (not the sockets) first appeared as Technic suspension parts.
Ball joints (specifically sockets) are inherently fragile at that size due to design and material limitations. Even at the Bionicle scale, there simply aren’t many ways to engineer a sturdier ball joint without infringing on other design constraints (namely size, friction and connection points).
@@JesseTroller Aren't there way older ball joints? They were already used as wrists in the hands of the buildable characters for the Family set (nr 200) all the way back in the 70s.
Old technic suspension just had regular technic beams..
1:44 ball and socket is my beloved. i love using it for tentacles and more flowy robot arms. bar and clip is aa close second as its basically the same but with only one direction of movement which is super useful if you dont want your hinge moving outside of the set range.
I’ve always liked the ratchet. It makes very satisfying clicks, and I like that it stays in place at specific angles
The click is nice!
If I had to pick only one, the bar and clip is probably best because of how versatile they are with the rest of the system. There are so many bar and clip shaped things in LEGO
Before video: The best is the clip and bar, due to its flexibility with most builds with a caveat of the clip being easy to break.
After vid : okay the criteria and judgment while sound is EXTREMELY specific to the types of builds you do.
Cause as someone who makes more mechanical and play feature focused builds the ratchet joint is supremely helpful and have found that is breaks almost never and only wears down rarely.
I mostly agree with your ranking for the clip and bar and ball joint hinges, though I'd love to point out, for me often the freedom of ball joints is more a hinderance than help, as having one axis of movement allows most builds to be more stable.
Though ball joints do have others applications.
I think we are on the same wavelength.
I made a previous comment making these exact points and I also added that I think that the finger joint is way too flimsy and fragile for my taste
Yeah everybody's individual building style will definitely sway their opinion.
I really like the simplicity of the fingerjoint, it can also make some nice decoration if you place them side by side alternating the 3 and 2 fingers for a house facade for exemple.
I like that application
what I expected you to mention was the bar'n'clip joints that are two wide, with a longer bar and two clips. these have more stability and can take more weight than a one wide joint, and again if you take them apart they can still be useful, for example for lego figures to grip the bar or for some type of rod to go into the clip
Yes that's an option but I Had to make it a fair fight and compare apples to apples.
I would have given the finger joint hinge the edge over the bar/clip in position-ability on account of being able to flip it and reverse stud direction in a 1-plate-high space making it one of the few parts ever to be able to do this, and the only one that can within an enclosed 3-plate height. I used these ALL the time back in the day for architectural builds. One of the other reasons I think they were discontinued is that as LEGO refined their system, the position of the hinges themselves no longer fit into that standard positioning whereas the clip/bar and ratchet hinges are slightly offset from top to bottom to allow this adherence to the modern system.
Having said all of that, the finger hinge plates still won and I agree, I miss them dearly. I no longer include them in builds due to their increasingly prohibitive price point but it takes a lot of problem solving to use other pieces for similar uses and that can be fun sometimes.
justice for ratchet hinges
Finger joints are my favorite! Glad to see them getting some love.
I really wish the finger joint returned. I grew up right as it retired and never saw it in official sets. Seeing their usage in MOCs and general building and I love it! I love all the old finger style joints! They dont fit into the system quite as well as the bar and clip does, but man they do just scream Lego to me, and provide some seriously good detail.
the old finger one, i like how flat and full it is. few gaps, fits into tight spaces.
Not sure I can choose just one, because they all have applications where they are the best choice. The old finger hinges had many great applications, but they were also incredibly fragile. I do love how versatile ball hinges are.
I have a love-hate relationship with all of these type of joints but the ratchets are the only ones I have that haven’t completely worn away on figurines I’ve built with Lego. It’s amazing how standing on display after not being touched for years the ball and socket and clip pieces have completely decayed from having to support a builds weight against gravity. I had to go through my collection to replace 80% of the parts because the joints cracked, compared to the ratchets I saw much less degradation and they were able to stay on. Hell, they are even used in some Bionicle and Hero Factory sets on the larger scale figures to hold things together. Structurally they are a superior joint and depending on the type of build they are in they outclass the others
As a kid, I only used to have chinese knockoff lego, whose plastic was really robust and didn't brake almost ever except for clips. Even in the early 2000s, they had pretty outdated designs, and a lot of them had finger joints. I always loved the finger joint for its compactness and so - versatility
I wish they kept the finger joints because of how flat they are, so they can be used as a internal color stripe, with a change in angle without interruption. But all the hinge types have their specific places.
I stick with my original assessment.
Agreed. I wish finger hinges were still around.
i am glad all of these exist, also for use without hatching, for surface details, or combined with bars and such, many videos to follow 😊😊😅
Would have liked to see a staying power category, these might look nice but if you use them to hold a larger build together it’s gonna look droopy eventually, probably some hinges faster than others.
Coming soon
Good points! I think I agree with your motivations for the placings in the categories as well. Unfortunately, I have far too few finger joint pieces to really make good use of them.
The ratchet is my favorite followed by the ball and joint for applications where the additional range of motion is needed.
You can also attach just about any kind of clip piece to the C-shaped end of ratchet pieces, with the added benefit of it not straining the clip when taking the pieces apart, unlike a bar-and-clip connection.
Interesting I did not know that thanks!
Interesting note here-Lego piece 6628 is compatible with the ball/socket hinges. I haven't come up with a good use for this, but I'm sure there's one out there.
I completely agree with the numbers across the board-I just wish there was a modern version of the finger hinge. Such a useful piece
I make a lot of mechs and builds with weird angles so I almost exclusively use the ball and socket joint. Each of these (except for the ratchet) got at least one top score so they all have a use which is nice.
Side note now I really want to buy a couple finger joints I hadn't realized they were this good. :D
I would've thought that the oldest combo retired in like… '01. I'll have to look up which sets it appeared in up until 2006
The rachet came in 1999 and almost instantly replaced both this and the larger finger system used for car roofs and such - however there were a few rather obscure uses left and most importantly all the re-releases of the early 2000s.
The ratchet hinge will always be nostalgic for me
Same here
In the sturdiness category in the ratchet joint has an advantage over the finger and bar-and-clip joint. Even if it wears out it is still usable as a hinge.
Very interesting video! Growing up I only had a handful of finger joints, so I have very little building experience with them. I hope to get my hands on some of these parts!
Thanks!
I'd say it really depends on what you're trying to achieve. The ball/socket and ratchet work best as articulation joints, with the ratchet in particular being good for any joint that's going to have a lot of weight on top of it (i.e. the knees of a mech or something) - while it does have less overall range of motion than the other connections, it is much sturdier in terms of being able to hold its position. After all, both of these connection types are used quite often in proper action figures outside of LEGO.
Whereas the clip/bar system is much more versatile and good as general-purpose hinges (including being used to angle other pieces) but due to the bar's compatibility with a lot of other stuff in LEGO, they're also great to incorporate in play features and are minifig compatible (a good example being the ladder piece). There is also the issue other commenters have mentioned of colour availability, and the basic clip/bar system definitely takes the cake when it comes to this. Both of these things, in my opinion, make it superior overall to the finger joint system but it does have its own unique applications like you showed with the whole stud compatibility thing.
Bar and clip, I like that it holds without slipping but doesn’t have to stay in specific positions like with the ratchet. And I find that the ball and socket has a little too much range of motion for most hinges I’d want.
Showing my age, but as a hinge I think the old finger joint is the best. The ratchet is great for ratcheting joints, and the other two for more specialised applications that aren't just rotating in one axis.
From the get-go, I would consider the bar-hinge the best. The versatility of the clip to also hold onto bars, the relative smoothness of its movement for play-features, the availability of color variants and the rigidness of its system make it perfect for me and I just love the way the pieces attach on an emotional level. It feels modern, but very Lego. It stands a tiny bit above the ball-joint, which, while more flexible (literally) can in some applications be too freely moving while also not providing the colors you would like. The ratchet-joint is clearly good for things you'd like to hold up, but damn, it is a limited usecase in my eyes.
You got me sleeping on the finger-joint. To my defense, I've never held that piece in my hands. However, I do feel like you were doubling down a bit too much on topside adaptability and studs while leaving out colors, the weight they can take and how they look in a build. On the latter, I actually think the fingers also win out.
yo the lego pencil is so cool!
Thanks!
I really like this idea of rating the pieces with a score
The finger joint is probably my favorite because out of the four is the only one that you can directly attach a plate on top of it and it’s the only one that really doesn’t have a gap and it’s probably the only one that you can turn around and have a appease that has studs top and bottom
Just why I thought finger joint one, but yeah, I don’t use it in mocks at all because the part is just too darn expensive so I only try to use current pieces for mocks to make the cost a little bit more affordable and just in case if other people want to build my mocks
"The Finger Joint" sounds like a seedy night club...
Yes it does lol
Bar and clip for general versatility, ratchet for stability, finger joint for facing studs in opposite directions compactly, and ball joint for nothing because it somehow never seems to be the right part for the job
The better part combination depends on the purpose of the “hinge”. Are we building a door or ramp that opens freely with minimal pressure? Are we building a pylon of sorts that requires rigidity? Or, are we building a multi-layered landscape of sorts that requires a plethora of directional connections?
I’m a big fan of the finger hinge. Because it’s so compact and can be reversed I’m often pining for more of them when I’m designing.
The ball joint has the bonus of being very strong, and offers (limited) hinging in the second direction.
But a final point is that the clip+bar has the most color options and the most brick/plate variations
I think you touched on most of the same thoughts I had. Except color availability, I think the ball/sockets for example is very limited and almost only available in a fixed dark and light grey combo. Unless you look outside of the Lego brand . (Which I do 😊)
Yeah I've been told you can get off brand ones I'm modern colors.
I'd have to put my money on the bar-clip hinge because of how well regarded it was in the last video on hinges.
I agree with the merits of top- and bottom-side compatibility. It's just a shame that there's no official modern analog for them.
Watch part 2 it covers a lot more
I like the ratchet for it's stability and the bar and clip for their versatility
Everything depends on use. Some builds will want the locking, some builds will want the universal movement of the ball, and some will want the versatility of colour options. There's also all the different shape variations that the bar and clip style gives you.
Very true
Very true
Definitely a case of which is getting more use. My personal experience with the ball joints is the sockets are fragile as all get out. I have so many cracked and broken ones! I can't say I have any broken ratchet joints but then I don't tend to use them often because I tend to build characters rather than structures. Versatility for the ball joints for me is higher as well because they have towball connections that allow them to attach to Technic elements and bridge the gap between the two systems.
I think all four of these have their ups and downs. The ball joint of course allows some side to side movement, and rotation, which is a pretty major plus, but it's also bigger and bulkier. The bar and clip offers smooth movement, but those clips are so easy to break. The clickety hinge holds its different positions fairly well, though it gets a little wobbly over time. The finger joint is flat and flush, really nice for fitting in tight spaces or being covered over, but it also has a habit of sliding out of itself when it moves back and forth. Really I think they each have their place, but I think if I had to pick, I'd pick the clickety hinge. I like the feeling of manually adjusting those.
Well... no love for the clickety hinge. :P What I think I like most about it is that it's good for structure. If you want something to be at an angle and stay there, it's better for that than any of the others. The finger joint, I agree that it's really good, I just wish it wasn't so easy to break. Maybe if I had more of it, I'd rank it higher. It really does come down to what the build actually needs.
The clip is my personal favorite, as it is able to connect with so many parts, and is small and inconspicuous
I like the finger joint hinge. I use it to change direction of the studs by simply connecting both part the opposite way. It's the only hinge which is just one plate thick then.
the finger joint is going to be the one that is easiest to build with due to it's low profile, but nothing is as satisfying as the ratchet
They are very satisfying!
This is a toughie!
- The ratchet has the most clutch power, but limited positions. If you need the hinge to carry a load at a set angle, the ratchet is the best choice.
- The bar and clip is the most versatile, since as pieces they can both play with so many other pieces. But as a hinge? Well, they get the job done, and without the ratchet's limitations. But the clips can weaken over time.
- With the ability to rotate, the ball and socket hinge is a really strong piece. And with great clutch, too. Still, it always seems to fall just a little short, since the socket doesn't allow for quite as much motion as you'd think! Still, it's very good for all kinds of character and play builds. In some more precise jobs, all the different rotations can be a bit of a pain, as well.
- The finger joint feels obsolete. Who am I to argue with Lego on that? But I'm sure you know some clever tricks hidden within.
Love your videos. When you place two or more pieces in a tie, you should add up the points for the positions they tie for and distribute those points evenly among the tied pieces. So for example, when you have a 2-way tie for second, you should give each piece 1.5 points (1+2 points divided by 2). The reason this matters, in this video, is that the categories that had ties ended up contributing more points to the total score because you gave both pieces that tied the full score.
Yeah that would work better.
You should have included a category for piece COLOR variation, as it might come close between the bar hinge and the ratchet hinge
The senior is best - it has the lowest profile and can be attached directly under plates for a flush fit.
Given LEGO has improved the recipes for its different plastics to make them more durable, they should reintroduce the finger joint
I’ve had a LOT of the ball sockets break on me. I deal with a lot of mech making so I see these every day. I have a growing small ziploc bag of cracked ball sockets.
Not to say clips aren’t fragile, but I’ve had less clips break on me. I’ve had finger breaks on the finger hinges, but the most durable in my experience is the ratchets. My broken hinge bag only has a couple broken ratchets.
I think it varies from usage. Since I use ball joints for mech making, I see breaks more often. Your mileage may vary.
I feel like there isn't always gonna be one best hinge depending on the situation but for general use the bar clip one is probably gonna be the most useful.
My favorite is bar and clip because it is the most versatile and compatible with so many other pieces. The other two newer ones are for specific purposes if you need either sturdiness (ratchet) or a more fluent motion (ball). I love the vintage one because that was all I had as a child.
After watching the whole video: I agree with all details and the result does not surprise me. The ratchet is clearly the one that should only be used if you really need its special features. A suggestion for another video: show example applications in MOCs or sets where either all or several of these pieces can be used and where you need a specific one. Maybe there are rules of thumb in which situation you would start with one piece and just try the others if it does not work. E.g. if you tell me to make an animal sculpture I would intuitively put a lot of ball joints on the table. But I can't tell you out of my head where I need the ratchet.
There is a variant of the vintage hinge that allows a full 180 degree turn so thats cool.
Each one I think of a special use-case for.
I like the old one because it's completely flat. You can limit the hinge's mobility to align it completely flat.
The ratchet can hold its position.
The clip is less likely to lose a tooth, and is a direct replacement for the old one as it can hinge in only one dimension.
The ball and socket can move in all directions, so you can pose the model in a variety of ways.
So it depends what you want to do with it.
Agree
starting opinion: the ball joint hinge has a lot of versitality, and tho im not an expirienced builder it looks like it would open up a lot of opportunities
Ending opinion: honestly despite the tie between then, i think bar and clip may be my current favorite, just because finger joints are out of production and prone to breakage. im pleasantly suprised that ball and socket hinges did so well!
They all have something special. The ball joint is obviously the most versatile with movement and probably my favorite because of that, but is bulky. The ratchets have set spacing that I love, but are a bit specialized. The clips are far and away the most interconnectable with so many attachment options. And the fingers have the only design that can sit flush in a single plate height. Id say their intro order is my order of favorites, but they all have a place
The C-shaped end of ratchet pieces are compatible with almost all clip pieces (the only exception I can think of being minifigure hands). Unlike a bar-and-clip connection, taking the pieces apart won't put strain on the clip.
Great video! The finger joint for me is more useful for those old windscreen prints from adventures - I found the hinge had very little clutch, ESPECIALLY compared to the others, but the look definitely has the most mystique and aesthetic appeal.
At the start of the video, I thought the greatest was the bar and clip. And still do, yes, the fingers got a higher score, but the clip hinge is versatile as fuck. Plus, it just works with so many other pieces, and the bar part looks sick on its own.
For me personally it's easily bar and clip because of the number of parts you can use them with which makes for great connections and I already have plenty in my collection.
There is a sideways hinging piece (2x1+2x1), really good for getting angles when used right. It would be cool to see it tested to.
I was driving, so I couldn’t comment first, but finger joint. That was the choice for me. See nothing terrible about it. They all have their place in builds, give me all the options any day.
I love the ratchet!!! it's so good for transforming builds and for when you want to hold an angle.
The classic one, because it allows two parts to be seemless next to eachother.
It's a shame they don't have a reversal for the classic folded ones in folded mode. Might consider 3D printing one.
My favorite is the bar hinge because It fits with the most lego pieces ( you can attach other things to the bar and you can hold other things on the clip)
It might be number 1 for me as well.
Before watching: I like the old hinge for it's ability to match slope angles really well, but the ratchet hinge is what I like for structural applications
After watching: I think that the main thing preventing me from liking the finger joint and clip joint more is their weakness under load, which is what the ratchet is for. I also think the ball and socket is better than the ratchet joint after watching the video, because it is good under load, while being very versitile.
Ratchets are my initial preference overall but it's situational. Good strength and I prefer the lack of position freedom for a lot of purposes.
Guess: I think ball and socket is best. Bar and clip and ratchet get loose grip over time. I like the finger joint but hard to find them and more expensive. Ball and socket also gives an extra plane of motion
don’t forget the technic compatibility of the ball and socket joint! 17:24
Each is the best for what it provides.
Ball&Socket have the freeest movement, Ratchet are great to build something stable, and Fingers looks cleanest naked, which is also when weight isn't an issue.
Bar&Clip are slightly different - they are never the best hinge. But that's because they are not hinges - bars and clips are only second to studs in connection types. It just so happens that a very versatile connection type can ALSO be used as hinges. I'd argue Clip is the best PIECE of those, just not best hinge.
Much like 2x1 rounded plate is easily a better piece then any sideways hinge, AND can act as a sideways hinge, but isn't the best sideways hinge.
After video:
I agree with most of what was said, but the grading is ridiculous. Fingers have one thing going for them - they are flat. Great if you can't hide the hinge, that's it. But somehow, that alone wins them three categories. That's like grading the other two types of motion Ball&Socket allow individually, or invent a category "Minifig-Interactivity" so Bar&Clip gains bonus points.
Meanwhile, the entire point of a ratchet is to be stable in a specific position, yet the grading system only takes points away for that.
The ratchet is the best hinge. It’s the only one that allows you to keep things locked in place and yet has a good size and range of motion!
Interesting. I entirely disagree with your ranking system, but I see where it comes from. I have never had a ratchet joint wear out but I’m more of a build it and leave it until I want to take it apart, never been one to play with anything other than mindstorms and the earlier rx stuff. I have had clips break though, so I definitely find ratchet joints more durable. Still for anything I build it usually needs to hold up some weight and a couple ratchets are way easier to use than going brick by brick to support pieces set at an angle on clips.
Bar and clip has this in the bag
The vintage finger joint is probably the best IMO. It's easier to create slight slants of vehicles and other builds that require a slant. It also has a decent connection that doesn't wear over time as much as the clips or the ball joint receivers do. Seeing how good they are makes me wish I had more in my collection. Lego definitely messed up when they retired that hinge...
I agree
I agree
Really needed a weight category - how much weight they can hold before bending.
Coming very very soon lol
Ball and socket joint hinge is great but, due to its low profile and durability, I still prefer the finger joint hinge.
Well done mate
Thanks
It's bar and clip no question, it's by far the best to have a lot of, as it's very well rounded and can fill multiple purposes, ball joint is superior in some regards but it's range of motion can be too free and the more limited style fits more applications
Ratchet all the way! Fell in love with it when it was a common piece in early Star Wars sets, definitely not as flexible but rigid!
They do different jobs. The wretched will give stronger joins, the ball and socket will give more possibilities. The finger and clip are mire comparable, but I don’t think one is particularly stronger.
My bet is that ball is universally better, but ratchet is superior in higher strength applications.
I've had bar and clip joints wear out and break far faster and more frequently than ratchet joints, so I find it interesting you've had the opposite issue!
My favorite is the *bar and clip*:
The ball joint is immediately out. It _needs_ to be doubled up just to function as a hinge instead of a ball joint.
*Top side compatibility* is overrated: In order to use the _bottom_ side compatibility, the thing under the hinge (and the part of the hinge that moves) has to be a tile (or something else without studs on top.) BUT, in order to use _top_ compatibility, you have to put tiles on top of the moving part, which elevates the height of the hinge assembly by one plate anyways.
What really pushes the clip ahead of the competition is that clips (and bars) are available on so many pieces that it almost offers you even more versatility than the ball joint.
The only thing that the ball joint has over the competition is that it can hinge at _any angle_ (with side ratios that are reasonably small integers).
With the below corrections, my scores in your system would have been:
Finger 11, Ratchet 4, Bar-and-clip 12, Ball-And-Socket 11
You *didn't convince me* that the finger joint is better than bar-and-clip, but you showed me that it's basically just as useful.
-- In "range of motion", you put bar and clip above finger joints because of their upwards range. But the downwards range is reversed, and the overall range of motion is pretty much identical. I'd have given 2 points to each.
-- As stated, top side compatibility is overrated; and you also gave a top-being-flush related bonus to finger joints in the "studs" category.
-- One thing you forgot to mention in the "overall versatility" category is that bar and clip can not only do _stud reversal,_ they can also do _SNOT_ (with the sideways clip piece that can hold vertical bars). AND you can use them to get any sideways offset, if you use an actual bar with two clip pieces. That's kind of a 4 right there.
Bonus fact: The finger joint is the only one who has the axis of rotation at a different height than the others.
I don't know if that makes it _less_ versatile (because it can't be combined with another type), or if it makes it _more_ versatile (because it offers you a unique type of articulation.
I'm an old school kinda guy, so I'm going to say my favourite is the OG retired hinge. The others have their good and bad points, but I'm sticking with OG. For now. 😅
Finger joint for me pure because of the stud reversal. I've used it in several MOC for this purpose when space was tight or I needed a low profile
I can use the second one in most cases and there are a lot of different parts with bars and clips that I can combine depending on what I want to do. The others are not that variable imo. Now let's watch the video!
bar and clip is by far the most versatile
Prior to watching the video, I'd either choose the the ratcheting hinge or the bar and clip hinge depending on what application I needed it for, so both hinges are tied in first place for me. I used the hinge with the fingers quite a lot in my youth as the others didn’t exist yet, entering my dark ages in ‘98. I generally wouldn't use the hinge with the fingers as I feel the bar and clip hinge can do most of the jobs that the version with the fingers did, and would choose to use parts that are still in production as price is a huge factor for me. I’d prefer to spend more money on cooler, mor e bespoke LEGO items like rare and cool minifigs or printed elements and get everything else as cheap as possible. Also I prefer using new, unused LEGO wherever possible so that makes getting hold of out of production parts harder too.
You know what after watching the video I’m going to say my favourite depends on the application required while building. I’m definitely considering given the finger joint a second look, as you’ve pointed out it outshines the other choices in quite a few areas.
17:38 what is that 2x1 plate with bar? Ive never seen that
Yeah It a plate modified with bar but it's smaller. Not sure the part number.
I paused the video at the directed time, and here I am in the comments: There is no such thing as "the best hinge" in a fully universal way. For example the old finger-hinges are the most-compact. That's great! And yes, I would certainly use them a lot if they were still made and easy-to-get. The ball joints can do more than just rotate on one axis, which is of course great or terrible depending on your use-case. Either the best or the worst one, usually. Bar-and-clip gets huge points from me for being the most-elegant by using standard connection-types. The click-hinges are of course useful if you want to standardize angles across many hinges. Personally I use the bar-and-clip ones the most, or I should say, I use them most as hinges. The ball joints I might use even more, but as actual ball joints for a wide range of motion, for limbs of small mechs and such.
i'm quite fond of the rachet joints. not as flexible etc but ratchet... very useful
AH DAMNIT NOOOO.. .
yeah. i like their strength for playability stuff and all but for building i suppose you'd never really care for that...
Playability is a good point. Thanks for your input!
The finger hinges would win if they had good clutch after years of use and if they were still made today, as their flush design makes it ideal for making clean builds. However, taking into account age and clutch, I think the modern bar and clip hinge is best. It is quite strong, comes in tons of colors and shape variations, and isn't limited to descete angles. The ball and socket joint is nice and strong, but in its capacity as a 2-dimensional hinge, it suffers greatly. It also is limited by colors, which ends up being an enormous downside. I think its abilities as a vehicle for organic and complex angles, however, are in a league of its own, and doesn't really have a fair comparison with the others.
The finger joints are the best pieces for SNOT, but to serve as hinges, I have to go with clips and bars.
I think "best" really depends on the application. If all you want is just movement along one axis, I feel like the bar and clip is my personal favorite. It doesn't rely on delicate points of attachment like the finger joint, has a variety of connection possibilities, and has enough friction as to not be too loose.
My only question about this system is what the difference is between the modified plates which have the "clip with centre cut on top" vs. modified plates which have the "open O clip on top".
So having finished the video, I've definitely developed a lot more respect for finger joint pieces - I honestly didn't think of them as a solution for stud reversal, but they really are a very elegant and space-efficient technique for reversing stud connections.
I still feel turned off by just how prone these pieces are to breaking. In my old collection I never used these pieces often, and I was very careful not to over stress them, yet I found the finger connections broke surprisingly easily (in my experience anyway).
Yeah not sure how different the clips are I would have to play around with them.
Glad I had a little influence. thanks for watching!
I discovered the ratchet joint was a problem when creating a pediment for a MOC building: it was difficult to make it stay at the angle needed. When fully incorporated into the build it was fixed, but a finger joint or bar and clip would have been better. Why didn't I use one of the others? I didn't have the pieces in the colour I wanted, and am too tight fisted to put a small order via Bricklink. Eventually I will place the order when I need a lot of other pieces,
I like the ratchet. It's sturdiest by a considerable amount.
I don't think there's a best, since they have different uses and applications, but there is definitely a worst: the clip and bar is a finger joint, but worse.
Ball joint has 3 degrees of freedom and a good holding power for model poseability.
Ratchet has a single degree of freedom and the best holding power, for when you need repeatability and stability in your positioning. The finger joint has a smoot action, the best for precise position (strange angles) and play features; it also allows for the thinnest legal stud reversal. I wish they kept it in production...