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Open End combo wrench vs. Double Boxed Wrench
- Thread starter chefwong
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Usually an open end will not stand up to the torque as a box "closed end" all things equal.
My set is open on one side and 6 point on the other. I will not buy anything 12 point.
+2 on no 12 pt, all of the ratchet combo (mine are Craftsman) wrenches I have found are 12 pt, so my solution is a set of 6 pt combination wrenches to break things loose, then I use the 12 pt ratcheting to remove the loose fastener. The best way to round off a stuck bolt or nut is to use a 12 pt socket/wrench. I use the 12 pt ratchet end wrenches only for light stuff. An open-end wrench is only used when I can't get a box wrench or a 6-pt socket on it due to clearance or interference issues.
I prefer 6 pont box wrenchs myself. However; there are times when one needs an open end wrench. Buy the box set now and later if you find the need get a set of open end type
Sometime you must come straight in to a nut. Sometimes you don't have clearance to get a box end over a nut. Only an open end will work on something like adjusting the clutch on my truck.
My first choice for heavy breaking things loose is a 6 point socket and a breaker bar. Them a 6 point box, a 12 point box, but sometimes the open end is the only thing you can get on it.
Open ends are best for square junk you sometimes encounter.
You never can have too many different wrenches. My most recent addition was a set of offset box wrenches. One worked great on the nut at the top of the strut on my Cavalier.
My first choice for heavy breaking things loose is a 6 point socket and a breaker bar. Them a 6 point box, a 12 point box, but sometimes the open end is the only thing you can get on it.
Open ends are best for square junk you sometimes encounter.
You never can have too many different wrenches. My most recent addition was a set of offset box wrenches. One worked great on the nut at the top of the strut on my Cavalier.
Originally Posted By: mechanicx
Yeah wrenches are really for when you can't get a socket on the bolt, so I think combination wrenches make more sense than box end. I liked to have a 6-point ratching combo wrench but all I see around is 12 pt.
Mac Tools makes six point ratcheting double and single box end wrench sets.
Go to their website and look for "Mac Edge Ratcheting Wrenches".
With 72 tooth gearing, ratcheting six point wrenches are very usable.
Yeah wrenches are really for when you can't get a socket on the bolt, so I think combination wrenches make more sense than box end. I liked to have a 6-point ratching combo wrench but all I see around is 12 pt.
Mac Tools makes six point ratcheting double and single box end wrench sets.
Go to their website and look for "Mac Edge Ratcheting Wrenches".
With 72 tooth gearing, ratcheting six point wrenches are very usable.
Originally Posted By: chad8
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66286
Not a good choice and I'm not a tool snob.
A ratcheting box wrench will be weaker than a non ratcheting wrench of the same bulk. In almost every case they are bulkier and weaker than a conventional box wrench. An open end wrench is also weaker than a box wrench so you are giving up wrench strength.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66286
Not a good choice and I'm not a tool snob.
A ratcheting box wrench will be weaker than a non ratcheting wrench of the same bulk. In almost every case they are bulkier and weaker than a conventional box wrench. An open end wrench is also weaker than a box wrench so you are giving up wrench strength.
Originally Posted By: chefwong
In what application do yall suppose a open wrench would be used that a closed one would not ....
Square nuts.
Tightening the clamp nut on a clamp BNC or N connector.
Hydraulic fittings. Hydraulic fitting wrenches are nice for many things, having some advantages of open end wrenches and some of closed wrenches.
In what application do yall suppose a open wrench would be used that a closed one would not ....
Square nuts.
Tightening the clamp nut on a clamp BNC or N connector.
Hydraulic fittings. Hydraulic fitting wrenches are nice for many things, having some advantages of open end wrenches and some of closed wrenches.
Originally Posted By: Carbon
Originally Posted By: chefwong
In what application do yall suppose a open wrench would be used that a closed one would not ....
Square nuts.
Tightening the clamp nut on a clamp BNC or N connector.
Hydraulic fittings. Hydraulic fitting wrenches are nice for many things, having some advantages of open end wrenches and some of closed wrenches.
+
Sometimes there isn't room to get a wrench over the head of the nut and you have to come in from the side.
Originally Posted By: chefwong
In what application do yall suppose a open wrench would be used that a closed one would not ....
Square nuts.
Tightening the clamp nut on a clamp BNC or N connector.
Hydraulic fittings. Hydraulic fitting wrenches are nice for many things, having some advantages of open end wrenches and some of closed wrenches.
+
Sometimes there isn't room to get a wrench over the head of the nut and you have to come in from the side.
Nice thing about a combo is you break something loose with the box end and then switch to the open end for faster removal.
Open end is ANYTHING but fast, unless you have a lot of clearance.
Open is useful if by the time you get the nut/bolt off, you have very little clearance, which may make removing the tool itself hard.
And for all the above reasons.
Some 12pt flank drives are quite useful. 12 pts are significantly faster than 6 points. And sometimes 6 points will catch you at some off angle that doesnt fit between one of the points.
I've got box end longs and shorts in 6 pt, withe the corresponding open ends.
but I've also got ratchet wrenches long and short versions, U shaped, S shaped (all ratcheting) but still find myself going to the 12 pts a lot too.
In the end, your tool box fills up with more variations of the same tool, just to make your job easier, or to have some options.
Open is useful if by the time you get the nut/bolt off, you have very little clearance, which may make removing the tool itself hard.
And for all the above reasons.
Some 12pt flank drives are quite useful. 12 pts are significantly faster than 6 points. And sometimes 6 points will catch you at some off angle that doesnt fit between one of the points.
I've got box end longs and shorts in 6 pt, withe the corresponding open ends.
but I've also got ratchet wrenches long and short versions, U shaped, S shaped (all ratcheting) but still find myself going to the 12 pts a lot too.
In the end, your tool box fills up with more variations of the same tool, just to make your job easier, or to have some options.
I've owned more styles of wrenches than I care to think about, but there are 3 styles that I used 98.9% of the time, while all my semi-exotic wrenches that I just KNEW I'd use sat quietly in the box:
1. Your plain Jane, standard length open end/12-point box combination wrenches
2. Double box end 12-point LONG handle wrenches
3. Open end/12 point fine-toothed Gear Wrench, not with offset box and reverse lever, BUT WITH A SWIVEL
Numbers 1 and 2 were all Matco except for stuff over 22mm. I have a set of Blackhawk gear wrenches with the reverse lever that I simply did not use the second I got the Gear Wrench brand with the swivel.
And I know I'm new here, and I swear I'm not trying to be a jerk, but if you're rounding fasteners off with 12 point anything, you're doing it wrong.
1. Your plain Jane, standard length open end/12-point box combination wrenches
2. Double box end 12-point LONG handle wrenches
3. Open end/12 point fine-toothed Gear Wrench, not with offset box and reverse lever, BUT WITH A SWIVEL
Numbers 1 and 2 were all Matco except for stuff over 22mm. I have a set of Blackhawk gear wrenches with the reverse lever that I simply did not use the second I got the Gear Wrench brand with the swivel.
And I know I'm new here, and I swear I'm not trying to be a jerk, but if you're rounding fasteners off with 12 point anything, you're doing it wrong.
Cheap bolts and cheap wrenches add to the problems. While you can choose your wrenches, who knows what you may run into as far a bolts. Hammer, heat, and penetrating oil are big helps.
Agreed, though even a good tool used improperly is going to mess stuff up.
For me, nearly every time I've rounded something off, it was due to not being physically able to keep the tool square with the fastener due to obstructions or whatever. They aren't designed to work that way, and my having to use the wrong angle was almost always due to not having the exact right tool. The old saying is you can do anything with the right tools, and its 100% correct. If a person is having to invent a way to do something, they very likely don't have the truly correct tool for the job. (That's life, unless you're the Snap-on guy!)
Therefore, I ended up with an absurd amount of tools.
For me, nearly every time I've rounded something off, it was due to not being physically able to keep the tool square with the fastener due to obstructions or whatever. They aren't designed to work that way, and my having to use the wrong angle was almost always due to not having the exact right tool. The old saying is you can do anything with the right tools, and its 100% correct. If a person is having to invent a way to do something, they very likely don't have the truly correct tool for the job. (That's life, unless you're the Snap-on guy!)
Therefore, I ended up with an absurd amount of tools.
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