Screw on hoods for wide angle lens

Does anyone use the generic, screw on type of lens hoods? I have a couple lenses that I want to get hoods for, but I'm not sure how well they would work. One lens I want a hood for is the EF-S 18-55mm kit lens that came with my DRebel. The other is a 24mm lens for my AE-1. I would like a metal hood, but I'm afraid it would get in the way at wide angles. B&H has rubber hoods designed for wide angle lenses, but the hoods look like they are so wide that they won't do much good for stopping lens flare. Anyone have any experiance with these types of screw on hoods?

The best protection from flare is a dedicated lens hood (the one designed for use with that lens). The best physical protection is a hard plastic or metal hood, not a rubber one. Flare protection is most important with a wide lens (because they tend to flare easier due to the wider angle of view) and that extra little bit of protection may cause vignetting if it's not the right hood.

For these reasons - pain that it is - I use dedicated hoods with all my lenses.