The Wrench, Wrenches, Wrench Set thread

[Nova Scotia Mike]

Hi,

 

Lets talk wrenches!

 

I realized the other day I could up my wrench set game. I was reaching for my 10mm combo wrench and noticed it was looking pretty well worn. The set that I have is metric, likely a 7 or 9 pc, no name, open on one end and box on the other and I'm thinking I bought them ~20 years ago. I've never had a case for them. They mostly live in a tray in my rolling toolbox but sometimes they get thrown loose in tool bag and they've all spent at least a night on the floor. I might give them a wipe down after use regularly but a dedicated deep clean on them is very rare. They don't owe me anything at this point. I think I'd like to get a fresh set and move my well worns to back up/secondary/in vehicle duty.

 

I've been eyeing the *pro*consumer options from local retailers (e.g., Canadian Tire, Home Depot, etc) and am not against online. Lots of varied offerings with different aspects to consider; Ratcheting? Stubby? Metric/SAE combo sets? Sets with a good case/pouch? 6pt vs 12pt? Finish? Flex Head? Brand? Monkey? Thin head? etc

 

What wrenches/wrench set have you got or used that you loved or hated? If you were to move forward with only one set, what would it be?

 

Edited September 25, 2021 by Nova Scotia Mike

[rockmeupto125]

Most of my Snap-On tools were new in the 1960's.  The ratchet teeth are getting a little rounded.

 

I would buy old name brand in good shape before I'd spend money on new name brand.  I've rarely seen tools become better made.

[DBLXX]

I’d spend money on a new name brand. They just last longer. 

[TOXXIC]

I've used Sears Craftsmen wrenches for years. But that was likely before they started getting farmed out to China for manufacturing. I do like to keep my wrenches in an organizer because I grew up with a father who just threw them in a box or drawer and would tell me, "Timmy get me a 3/8" wrench!"  I remember frantically looking for disorganized wrenches, and him yelling at me to hurry up.

 

All of my wrench and sockets are stowed on sticks or in holders. I also have a massive amount of hand tools, like 2 or 3 of everything.

 

I have some Snap On stuff, but since I don't use my tools to earn money, the ROI isn't there for me. I've heard the Home Depot Husky brand tools are good and they supposedly warranty them like Sears used to.

 

[superhawk996]

Excluding the very expensive professional brand wrenches I have (Snap-On, Mac, etc), I really like my "Craftsman Professional" set, don't know if they still make them.  The Icon line from Harbor Freight looks pretty good but I haven't used any.  The regular Craftsman are satisfactory 99% of the time.  I have some 6 point pro-grade I got in a used tool bundle decades ago, I've only used them a couple times, they don't need to exist.

 

I have several brands of modern fine tooth ratcheting wrenches and love them.  I also have sets of the really old style with the big teeth from pro names and Craftsman, they're ok but not great due to the large swing needed to jump teeth.  The pro grade are a hair better but not worth the $.

 

If I were assembling a set of ratcheting I'd probably choose fine tooth swivel head.  I say probably because I don't own any and have only used them a few times, but I think I'd like them the best.

[superhawk996]

I'm not well organized, but it's decent most of the time.  The home wrenches are mostly just laid out in order on carpet type drawer liners.  They shift a bit when the drawers are shut too hard, but it's not bad.  The ambulance wrenches are mostly in slotted trays to try to keep them organized, but big bumps disrupt that.

[blackhawkxx]

2 hours ago, superhawk996 said:

The home wrenches are mostly just laid out in order on carpet type drawer liners.

I also keep my wrenches laid out on a liner in my three high boxs.  As far as fine tooth ratchets, I was always under the impression that the fine tooth was weaker than the other.  So like a true tool junkie, you need both.  If were replacing all my wrenches, I would have to go look at and feel them to know what I wanted. 

[Nova Scotia Mike]

Good call outs here, thanks keep em coming. 
 

Never heard of double ratcheting ones, the open end ratchets too on these …

 

Home Depot double ratcheting

Edited September 26, 2021 by Nova Scotia Mike

[superhawk996]

7 hours ago, blackhawkxx said:

As far as fine tooth ratchets, I was always under the impression that the fine tooth was weaker than the other.  So like a true tool junkie, you need both.

Some, maybe all, of them use a pawl that grabs two or more teeth at a time to help spread the load so they could be as strong as a coarse toothed one.  Metallurgy and precision will make a bigger strength difference with the fine.  I've screwed up a couple of the coarse, but don't remember if I abused them; probably.  I have one fine that has a very sticky selector, but don't remember if I abused it.  I've used ratcheting wrenches as 'backer' wrenches with an impact gun a few times, quite abusive to them.

[IcePrick]

On 9/25/2021 at 5:57 AM, Nova Scotia Mike said:

 

 

What wrenches/wrench set have you got or used that you loved or hated? If you were to move forward with only one set, what would it be?

 

 

My old Snap-On combinations (vintage 1980's) are my favorite for hand fit.  Plus, they're slimmer than most other brands so they fit in low clearance areas where some others won't.

 

That said, the Husky and Kobalt brands (Lowe's and HD, can't remember which goes with which store) aren't bad and have a lifetime warranty as well.  Some are a little clunky in the hand (Kobalt ratchets come to mind), but they certainly work.

 

On 9/25/2021 at 6:30 AM, rockmeupto125 said:

Most of my Snap-On tools were new in the 1960's.  The ratchet teeth are getting a little rounded.

 

I would buy old name brand in good shape before I'd spend money on new name brand.  I've rarely seen tools become better made.

 

Only once did I have a Snap-On retailer show any reticence to repairing one of my old tools.  Have you stalked a truck and asked them to honor their warranty?

[TOXXIC]

16 hours ago, Nova Scotia Mike said:

Good call outs here, thanks keep em coming. 
 

Never heard of double ratcheting ones, the open end ratchets too on these …

 

Home Depot double ratcheting

I have a number of ratcheting wrenches and they have a place and serve a purpose, but I’ve often found clearance issues as the shoulder on the boxed, ratcheting end is too thick or large and will not fit in the tight locations a traditional wrench will fit. When access is open they are great. I’ve also tried to not put extreme torque on them as they don’t seem as robustly built internally. I’ve had a few skip teeth over the years. 

[SwampNut]

I've got a box full of Craftsman, mostly 25-35 years old.  Not sure how that helps you shop today.  I had one wrench replaced under the lifetime guarantee though and absolutely love the new one.  Way nicer than the old one, very fine ratcheting.  I also have the combo open end/ratcheting box from them and love those.

 

[IcePrick]

28 minutes ago, SwampNut said:

I've got a box full of Craftsman, mostly 25-35 years old.  Not sure how that helps you shop today.  I had one wrench replaced under the lifetime guarantee though and absolutely love the new one.  Way nicer than the old one, very fine ratcheting.  I also have the combo open end/ratcheting box from them and love those.

 

 

I have some 1980's Snap-On ratcheting box-end wrenches, they feel like clunky old cave-man tools carved from rocks compared to the Kobalt combination ratcheting ones I got a couple years ago.  My guess is the Snap-Ons would hold more torque, just from the feel of them.

[SwampNut]

I should clarify that my ratcheting combo wrenches are newer vintage.  2006-2010 range pretty sure.  When Craftsman came up with a new version that wasn't clunky, I replaced all my wrenches with those.  Sockets are much older.  Some screwdrivers date back to pre-1980.

 

If I had to shop today, for both manual hand tools and battery powered handheld tools, Kobalt would be top of my list to start looking.  That's not to say I'm sure they are better, but that my very limited exposure to them tells me they are *A* top choice.

 

I might still also consider HF, I keep hearing more and more good things about their sockets.

 

[superhawk996]

19 hours ago, SwampNut said:

I might still also consider HF, I keep hearing more and more good things about their sockets.

With only minor handling in the store, their Icon stuff looks to be closer to Snap-On than Craftsman, and far from chinesium.  They'd be a strong contender if I were starting fresh.  Only downside is not knowing if they'll be around in the future where something like Kobalt or Craftsman seems more likely to stick around.

 

I haven't paid attention to the standard level HF tools.  The super chinky junk tools that used to be everywhere seem to have mostly vanished.

[SwampNut]

I had another thought...I'm pretty sure that the combo-ratchet wrenches get well over 50% of usage compared to sockets.  And the sockets get much more use at the end of a small battery impact driver than with a hand driver by far.  With a proper battery driver, there's no penalty and seemingly zero risk of cross-threading.

[jcrich]

I have a combination of older Craftsman and newer Kobalt. Craftsman box end metric and SAE wrenches. Kolbalt metric and SAE ratchet wrenches. Craftsman and Kolbalt ratchets and sockets. Craftsman and Kolbalt pliers.  Kolbalt 3 tier, rolling box. As you can tell I like Kolbalt stuff. 
This might help.

 

Edited September 28, 2021 by jcrich

[SwampNut]

I don't think it helps at all to know that all these brands are related, because none of them share things like battery format or pretty much anything else.  It's a scam, but you can't do fuck-all about it.

 

[blackhawkxx]

13 hours ago, superhawk996 said:

I haven't paid attention to the standard level HF tools.  The super chinky junk tools that used to be everywhere seem to have mostly vanished.

And the prices reflect that.  One of the things I have always liked about H.F. is the ability to pick up a tool that may never gets used or only used once or twice at a very cheap price.  

[SwampNut]

I liked that too, but my last venture with the chink junk fucked me.  The tool bent, and then left me with a super hard to reach e-torx that was damaged, on the back of a motor.  I think recovery involved an air grinder in a 3" space.

 

[mikesail]

Husky from home depot and kobalt from Lowes are well made and warrantied. Yet the number of times that comes up really makes warranty a non issue.

 

Another contender in budget tools is Crescent, I bought a combo wrench and socket set that has both metric and SAE. At Costco it was dirt cheap, they have impressed with a super finish that stays clean over the years. Well made as far as I can see, nice shape too.

 

I grew up buying Craftsman, certainly ok stuff, but the smooth wrenches from Snapon  and others are so much better to clean and are slimmer for the rare times that matters. 

 

If the six point vs twelve point mattered, you would already know what you need there. Really a non issue.

A stubby ratchet is really cool when needed, like once a year. Ratcheting wrench seems to come into play slightly more often. A swivel headed ratchet is well worth getting in my thinking.

 

[SwampNut]

22 minutes ago, mikesail said:

A swivel headed ratchet is well worth getting in my thinking.

 

I thought so too, and also a twist socket wrench.  Neither has been touched in years though.  The twist is literally that, you turn the end.  Great idea, but I just end up reaching for a 90 degree adapter for the impact driver.

 

Now THAT is a must have, lifesaver in some cases.