Ratcheting box end wrenches - Opinions?

I have a complete set of those in "Snap On" brand. It's been years since I actually needed to use one. I don't like flat wrenches. Good way to tear up your fingers. What you might consider instead (if you don't already have them) is a set of open end/box wrenches with the swiveling box head on one end. Those I use constantly. Mine are Craftsman.

Absolutely I'd agree - a good set of open/box end wrenches are a staple - I have a set of std and metric Craftsman open/box end wrenches - I want to say the box ends have an angle offset of about

15deg. These are my staples along w/ sockets. My stds are 12 sided and metrics are 6 sided. .

You are right about the knuckles thing - that's surely why most box ends have a slight offset angle.

I since checked a catalog and Sears/Craftsman does offer the ratcheting wrenches in both flat models and offset models. The offset models include a reversible ratchet switch since they can't be 'flipped over'. Some have traditional open end wrenches as well

Maybe ratcheting wrenches are more gimmicky and I'll just pass... sorta why I posted - see what other people had to say.

I do have one car w/ a GM battery way down in a well and I have to admit that either a ratcheting wrench or one of those battery wrenches for GM bats would be handy but then how often do I need such a tool? That's not much rationale by itself for a set!

IMHO the "gearwrench" reversible offsets are great, I wouldn't be without them. I have the flat ones as well but I don't use them as often now that I have the offsets. One thing to keep in mind is that you still need to have regular combination wrenches for "breaking" fasteners loose because the gearwrenches' ratchets don't like massive amounts of torque. As for the SAE/Metric delimma, I can't help you there :)

nate

Bought a complete set of "Gearwrench" brand ratcheting box end combination wrenches at Sears within the last year (up to 19mm I think). Very nice. I am reluctant to use them at high torque to break loose bolts (though it would probably be ok). I have some Proto fixed combination wrenches where I "daisy chain" the box and open ends to double the torque in removing some fasteners like differential fill plugs, and I wouldn't do that with the Gearwrenches. Where they shine is for the smaller bolts, like 10mm. For example, in removing two upper bolts from my timing chain cover to change a valve cover gasket, a socket won't fit, so it is very slow repositioning the wrench every few degrees. The Gearwrenches have a "fine" ratchet with

15 deg. of movement req'd. Haven't really had a need to use the larger sizes yet. I may I like them just as well. Somehow they have an excellent "feel" for tightening just the right amount without overtightening. Also have a mirror chrome finish which bespeaks quality in manufacture, or at least looks great. Somehow they're much nicer to use than a ratchet handle and socket - very convenient and quick. As I was considering the purchase in the store, someone walked by saying he used this brand daily at work and was very pleased with them. Nicely weighted and designed - look better than the Craftsman brand to me. I belive in this case Gearwrench was the original design. So far, very pleased with them - work great.

Nate and Daniel, I had the same thought about not using them for 'breaking' tight fasteners. I'll stick w/ plain old box ends for that I think. Especialy the 6 sided jobs on the tightest stuff.

I think a great case is made for an angled offset to the box ends and also for a finer degree of movement to register a 'click' on the ratchet can also be an advantage. (would a trade-off be a smaller 'tooth' and thus a weaker ratchet?)

I do think a ratcheting wrench is a good application of the 12 sided. In fact I'm almost sure all such wrenches are 12 sided. It's more of a speed/convenience tool I guess. And if you are wrenching on less than gorilla torqued stuff the 12 sided should be fine.

I like that term 'daisy chaing' - I never knew quite what to call that trick. It would only work on a ratcheting wrench if the other end is open ended of course.

On the Craftsman vs the Gear brand - would the Craftsman have the same lifetime warranty as their other hand tools?

I love polished wrenches - they feel nice and clean easily. However

95% of mine are the rough cast finish (plated) as is typical of the standard Craftsman wrenches. At this point I'd be hard pressed to justify casting these aside and replacing w/ polished ones - I guess technically they functionally perform the same no?

If you do a lot of tight work, another option for you would be a gearless ratchet... I haven't seen them incorporated into a wrench head yet but it's only a matter of time. My friend has a little stubby ratchet that he picked up at one of those travelling Chinese tool stands... it's actually quite nice. I am guessing, without having disassembled it, that it works on some kind of ball and ramp principle, but there's no perceptible backlash and no worries if you're in a real tight space and can't even get the 5-8 degrees of swing to catch a ratchet tooth. Very thin too, the head is only 1/4" thick.

I still stand by my statement that the offset gearwrenches are the absolute shiznit. Best "gimmick" tool I ever bought, I use the snot out of them. Some of them are even worn through the chrome plating already :)

nate

Where they seem to be most useful is in tight spaces, which tend to be more common in newer cars, which tend to be metric. I have a set of flat stubby and flex head "Gear Wrench" brand wrenches. Well worth the cost, but if I had to chose, I would take the stubbys. I use normal combo wrenches for breaking loose stubborn bolts. I believe the Gear Wrench has a life time warranty.

If you're not buying, and you've got no better gift ideas of your own, then these are great for a person who does a great deal of work on a large number of different makes and models.

Notice all those modifiers...

I've got a mish-mash of different styles and brands of the ratcheting box ends that I've pickedup over the years. I find that they are great in places where you need to ratchet on the nut because you'd be flipping an open end over and over all the time, you don't have the width for the head of a ratchet and socket to fit, and it's a repititious job.

I have a generic brand of fractional with the 'switches' and rarely use them. That's why I only spent a whopping $8 for the set of

5 wrenches. I've got a Craftsman 10-12mm, a Snap-On 15-17mm that's off-set, and a Mac Tools 18-19mm. I've got a Taiwan Super 13-15mm with a broken 15mm end, I use it for all of the domestic vehicles that have the 13mm head capscrews.

If you don't have a real need for them, ie: you don't do work pro- fessionally, then I don't know that you wouldn't be better off with- out them. But if you DO work on a great variety of vehicles, these things will get you out of a few jams every now and then.

Hope this helps!

-andy

"Nate Nagel" wrote

I'll second that. I use my "gearwrenches" all day long. As you mention, I do not use them to "break" a bolt free, but they are super for working in tight spaces. Or just for quickly removing a bolt or nut that I can't get to with my 3/8's air ratchet.

Ian