Any double box wrench with ratcheting end not extra long?

[milky2k]

I've been collecting double box end wrenches recently and noticed Matco had a style with one ratcheting end. This seems brilliant to me, break the fastener with one end and ratchet with the other end. This should be more common. I am aware of the Gearwrench Gearbox XL series and similar clones but I feel those wrenches are too long for me. I am concerned about clearance and would prefer something like the Matco's below, however, two things are keeping me from buying a set. First is the price, I see they are going for $250-$300 on ebay. I like them but Idk if I like them that much. Second, I understand these were made by Armstrong so any hopes of a warranty claim should the ratcheting end go bad is not going to happen. My questions are: How reliable and easy to clean is the ratcheting on these? Is it risky to buy a used set due to the possible wear on the ratchet? Does anyone make a set of similar length to the Matco for less, like around $150 or better? If there isn't one available, does anyone know of an upcoming new product? Maybe Icon, Gearwrench, Tekton or VIM have something in the works?

 

[oldschoolcraft]

One thing to consider is having an extra long box end wrench is super useful for getting more torque on tough fasteners. Having these be in an XL length lets them work for your XL needs. If you get a standard length then you still “need” a separate XL length box end wrench.

 

[T45]

IIRC Those Matco are are def. a relabel of Armstrong (made in USA).

 

[bcradio]

Icon already has a set but they are extra long. Likely nobody makes them shorter because you wouldn't need a box end on a shorter version. You could just break it loose with the ratcheting head. The XL version is for high torque.

 

[Fedwrench]

The ones pictured were the first gen MATCO proswing that were made by Armstrong featuring 12 point boxed ends with 72 tooth ratcheting boxed end. When the Armstrong factory closed, Matco turned to Kabo as a supplier, updated the boxed end to spline and the ratcheting boxed end to 90 tooth action. The ratcheting boxed end isn't serviceable aside from soaking it in atf or brake clean overnight. To me, the standard length proswing is the perfect ratcheting wrench.
I don't know of another source in standard length aside from Matco. SP Tools USA offers a locking flex head set minus 16 & 18 mm that is really nice but, runs about $250 not on sale. Great set though.
VIM is coming out with a new set but, it lacks the fixed boxed end,

 

[LWB]

I have a set of these and they're quite short.

https://japan.webike.net/products/24188654.html

 

[T45]

I have a set of these and they're quite short.

Wait...short aerospace box ... with flex head ratchets? Are the box 0˚ or 15˚?

 

[T45]

The armstrong/Matco ones are 15˚ box and 0˚ rachet end.

 

[LWB]

The degree varies from wrench to wrench trying to optimize the angle.

 

[KnurledNut]

https://webcat.cornwelltools.com/BP...c-Ratcheting-Double-Box-Wrench-Set-p371692109

https://webcat.cornwelltools.com/BP...c-Ratcheting-Double-Box-Wrench-Set-p371692110


SAE:
https://webcat.cornwelltools.com/BP...E-Ratcheting-Double-Box-Wrench-Set-p371692112
https://webcat.cornwelltools.com/BP...E-Ratcheting-Double-Box-Wrench-Set-p371692111

 

[LWB]

Someone else posted some wrenches that were almost identical to the DEEN wrenches but I can't remember the name for the life of me...

 

[KnurledNut]

Someone else posted some wrenches that were almost identical to the DEEN wrenches but I can't remember the name for the life of me...

SP Tools mentioned above. But they are locking flex.

 

[LWB]

SP Tools mentioned above. But they are locking flex.

Thank you!

TBH if I knew about these I would have bought them instead but I'm happy with the DEEN wrenches.

8PC METRIC REVERSIBLE LOCKING FLEX-HEAD GEAR DRIVE DOUBLE BOX WRENCH SET - SP10628

Set Includes: 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17 & 19mmChrome Vanadium Steel (Cr-V) for high strength & durabilityMeets & exceeds international ANSI & DIN standardLifetime warranty

sptoolsusa.com

 

[T45]

SP Tools mentioned above. But they are locking flex.

Quick question, do they have those offset box ends on the ratchet side (like the mountain et al) or are they standard type locking flex?

 

[Fedwrench]

Quick question, do they have those offset box ends on the ratchet side (like the mountain et al) or are they standard type locking flex?

No.

 

[Etchase]

SP Tools mentioned above. But they are locking flex.

Who makes those SP tools wrenches. The title says locking flex head and reversible. That would be ideal for me. I have Williams but the head doesn’t lock. I can’t see the reversing mechanism in the low resolution photo though.

 

[KnurledNut]

Who makes those SP tools wrenches. The title says locking flex head and reversible. That would be ideal for me. I have Williams but the head doesn’t lock. I can’t see the reversing mechanism in the low resolution photo though.

They are not reversible.

 

[T45]

it does look like reversing levers on the new ones, or is that the locking flex mech?

 

[LWB]

Thank you!

TBH if I knew about these I would have bought them instead but I'm happy with the DEEN wrenches.

8PC METRIC REVERSIBLE LOCKING FLEX-HEAD GEAR DRIVE DOUBLE BOX WRENCH SET - SP10628

Set Includes: 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17 & 19mmChrome Vanadium Steel (Cr-V) for high strength & durabilityMeets & exceeds international ANSI & DIN standardLifetime warranty

sptoolsusa.com

I'm going to take that back. I just noticed they're 0° offset box end. I have that in long wrenches. I would prefer the DEENS with the 7-10 degree or whatever they are.

 

[Fedwrench]

it does look like reversing levers on the new ones, or is that the locking flex mech?

Those are NOT reversing levers. They are the lock switch for the locking flex head. see the grooves above the switch?

the fixed boxed end is angled 15 degrees. The ratcheting boxed end is zero degree offset.

I believe these wrenches are made by Infar.

 

[T45]

Those are NOT reversing levers. They are the lock switch for the locking flex head.

Thanks for clearing that up. Makes sense.

 

[milky2k]

Thanks for the suggestions. However, the only one that came close was the Cornwell Blue Power set but a new one was more than I expected and I couldn't find a used metric set on ebay. I found a Matco set on ebay for a little more than I wanted to pay but it was in nicer condition than the one I posted so I went for it. Hopefully the ratcheting parts lasts a long time. For a while I considered getting an Icon ratcheting combo wrench and just use the box end for everything and rely on the warranty if it fails. I like the extra length the Icon combo wrench provided without going in to the extra long territory that seems to be the trend now. I see where the extra long wrenches can be useful but I want to avoid clearance issues. It's too bad there are so few offerings for a fixed and ratcheting boxed end and so many no name clones of extra long wrenches. Its too bad I don't know how to weld properly, I thought that if I couldn't find a cheap Matco set that I would take a cheap XL wrench set and cut a few inches off and weld the ratcheting side back on to make it the length I was looking for.

 

[milky2k]

I just wanted to provide a follow up to my Matco Proswing- double box end purchase. It took a while to get here but I finally got them. They look nice and are longer than I expected. It came in a red tray but its falling apart so they will live in some wrench rails instead. I never got a hold of any length specs so I wasn't sure how long they would be. I am attaching a pic with them on an inch grid for reference. These were made by Armstrong so I imagine they will be the same size. The 17mm sounded a bit gritty but a few cycles of oil and brake cleaner and it sounds better. I'll do a few more just to be sure. A dirty ratcheting mechanism was my concern with buying used but there were few options that were not extra long wrenches. I wish more ratcheting wrenches were serviceable like Williams and Snap-on but then again, I can understand why manufacturers don't want to encourage end users to open up their tools since it will likely increase warranty claims when they can't put it back together. I'm really liking this double box ratcheting format and if Gearwrench Gearboxes were shorter, I would have gone with them. Maybe ICON can clone these from 8mm-19mm instead of 10-19mm, that would be great just to have this format readily available. It can't be that hard. They are already making an XL double box set, all they have to do is make them a little shorter. Anyway, that's wishful thinking. Thanks for your input.