Flexible Axle (x334c01) Useful In Awkward Angles?

[DLuders]

Has anybody used the x334c01 "Technic, Axle Flexible 26L (Axle 2L and 5L Ends) with Dark Gray Cable"? As seen on the webpage http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=x334c01 , they can connect to a motor and drive things AROUND CORNERS and awkward angles without worrying about piecing together universal joints and axle segments. It's listed as Part Number x334c00 in Peeron, and that part only appeared in two sets from 1998: http://peeron.com/inv/parts/x334c00 .

If you used one of these 26-studs-long flexible Technic axles to drive something FAR AWAY at an ANGLE, do you think it would wear out a Power Functions motor too quickly with "side torque"?

[Conchas]

Find examples from the links below:

http://technicbricks.blogspot.com/2008/03/...on-of-znap.html

http://technicbricks.blogspot.com/2008/08/...-pf-linear.html

[Milan]

I would like to have 4L, and more different length flex axles, stronger than the original. That would provide making driven and steered axle more easily.

[CP5670]

I got a few of these off ebay some years ago. It's a neat concept, but in practice it's not very useful. It's too long for most purposes and is not as elastic as it might look, roughly comparable to long flex tubes, so using the axle at a sharp angle causes some friction in it. They are also pretty rare and expensive these days, so you can't use a large quantity of them in a model.