Front axle shafts the same??

Having had a garage try to fit a 96 front axle shaft onto my 92 car and being told it doesn't fit, Ive just proved it can!

I am having a loud banging noise at low speed on lock, so I am sure it is the shaft. Having swapped the shafts, the noise is still there, so it must be the other side (last time I go to that garage!).

So my question is, are the shafts the same for nearside and offside?

I'm sure that they are, but confirmation before I do another swap would be nice!

Thanks