I know we can get the gist of the above article, but man it'd be cool to see that translated!
I know just enough German that reading through it was painful, so i took the time to type it up and translate it using Google Translate. This still left a bit of a mess, but I went through it and I think I have a pretty good translation. Still a few rough spots:
Of Bending and Breaking
If it costs nothing, it is no good! When it comes to wrenches, however, the saying is wrong. 1 Euro gets you the same quality as the most expensive 32 Euro competitor. Is stinginess in the toolbox really [*****]?
Emine Pistor can break any wrench. But, the petite woman with mischievous eyes is not clumsy. Quite to the contrary: the Materials Tester of the materials research community Werkzeugund e V, in Remscheid, is doing exactly what we were looking for. She takes 18 wrenches in turn and wrings their necks. A calibrated Torque Tester helps her. In the middle is a high-strength steel hexagon, which the wrenches are placed on. A powerful electric motor and gearbox then slowly rotates a crank, the end of which acts on the shank of the wrenches. The hexagon, meanwhile, measures the applied torque, which carries the wrench about-until it finally gives up.
The wrenches were previously purchased in Mainz on a tour of various Baumarkte and tool-tray acts. There were also two wrenches from cheap providers on the market MOTO TECHNICA in Augsburg and four copies of specialty toolsellers. All were 13mm Combination wrenches, ranging in price from one to 31.95 Euros. We chose 13mm because that is probably the most popular size for work on automobiles. Combination wrenches, because we wanted to test both Open-end and Box-end forms, and it is not fun to watch good tools being purposely broken. It's cheaper and it makes looking at the toolbox less painful ...
This brings us back to Emine Pistor. The test is literally bending or breaking: Each Wrench stays on the Torque Tester until it breaks, bends or slips. So let's start with the weaker side, the Open End. DIN 3113 requires that a 13mm Open-End wrench be capable of at least 51 Newton-Meters of torque, without complaint. This is important, because if a Wrench slips or breaks, it's usually so abrupt that it's difficult to avoid injuries to the fingers. Oil or lubricant on the screwhead will tend to make slipping easier, but in the interest of uniform conditions, we used no lubricant on the test-hex. After 18 test of Open-End wrenches there is good news: Not one Open-End wrench is broken, though they all met the requirements of the DIN standard.
The worst value of the test(94Nm) was scored by the Metrinch wrench scored, with the patented wave profile that allows the same wrench to be used on both Metric and English fasteners. Metrinch tools are considered to be particularly useful when it comes to deformed hex heads, which normally allow the wrench to slip hopelessly. The weakness of the mouth was revealed here, however, as it bent up very clearly.
T he other end of the spectrum is dominated by the dull gray of Hazet. The German top dog withstood a whopping 184 Nm on the hexagon and fulfills the DIN, more than three times! It would be too simplistic, however, to make a final decision based on the sheer torque values, for the Hazet is also the Wrench with the thickest mouth in the test(6.35mm). This can be quite cumbersome in use, for example, to turn a small lock nut or place the wrench at most hidden points. In our table, we therefore assign rankings in different categories, so you can decide what is important to you. First in "Maximales Drehmoment Maul(Maximum Torque for Open-End)" is the Hazet. But in the "Maulbreite(Open-end thickness)", the Hazet is last. The Bahco (formerly Belz) wrench, is thinnest at 4.93 millimeters, while the torque measurement put it in 15th place. If Strength rules over everything, it must be the Hazet; if you need to get into tight engine spaces, you will be better serverd with the weaker Bahco. The summary is used as a mean of all the virtues and weaknesses of individual wrenches: Price, Open-End thickness, Box-End thickness and the values of maximum torque on Open-End and Box-end were added together to determine the best all-rounder, this is clearly the Wrench by Walther . With a 5.1mm Open-End thickness(third place), a 160 Nm maximum torque(eighth place) on the Open-End, it has a very good average. Aso, on the Box-End, the wrench withstood the maximum torque the machine was capable of applying.
The ring was not as easy to test. The specification of DIN 3113 is fulfilled at 107 Nm, but for us it was the Test Apparatus that was the limiting factor: The cost of the test hexagon is approximately 700 Euro, and it is only rated up to 250 Nm-above that there is a danger that it would be deformed, making it useless for testing. So we decided to to apply no more than 240 Nm. Just for comparison: That's more than twice the tightening torque for cylinder head bolts! A 12.9 Grade M8 screw is rated for just 43 Nm. Nevertheless, 10 of the 18 wrenches tested held up under this gigantic load of 240 Nm, without deforming. This corresponds to a load of about 24 Kg, at a distance of one meter from the center of the fastener. With bare hands this amount of torque is never transferred to the short 13mm wrench. For this reason don't get too hung up on the numbers. We wanted a direct comparison to separate the wheat from the chaff, but even the worst value of 182 Nm, achieved by the Ajay Industries India wrench is entirely sufficient in practice.
The price comparison is remarkable in every respect. The HR International (India), bought for one Euro at the Augsburg parts market, is undisputed number one. On the other end of the scale, the US-American manufacturer Snap-on, charges a whopping 31.95 Euros for a highly polished chrome Combination wrench with the proprietary FLANK DRIVE SYSTEM. Without FLANK DRIVE a similar wrench costs 29 Euros. We tested both. The good news for Snap-on: FLANK DRIVE pays off, because the rippled surface of the Open-End gave the Wrench more grip on the hex. However, it on;ly achieved the exact same 143 Nm as the Indian One-Euro Wrench! Without FLANK DRIVE the Open-End achieved 135 Nm. Adding that Snap-on with the slogan "Nothing even comes close" the nose is quite high wearing. However, it is also understandable that there are so many fans of the marque. The chrome plating is exalted above all others, the wrenches are flatter between the fingers and each is so small by. For some workshops-or showrooms with hydraulic ramps-it simply has to be Snap-on. And if a wrench should ever actually break, thanks to a lifetime guarantee, it will be replaced by the Snap-on Dealer immediately and without cost ...
Which brings us straight to the subjective preferences. Says Matthias Heyer, motor vehicle mechanic and engine specialist in the B + F Touring Garage in Troisdorf-Spich: "I personally think that the Snap-on Wrench is too smooth, but other colleagues swear by it. Leaning over into an engine compartment and with oily fingers I can't manipulate it well. For me, a Wrench must be especially small and handy. Fact is, however, that almost every manufacturer has its specialties. The small creak of Snap-on, for example, don't break-are simply the best of what there is! With tongs, however, nothing is better than Belzer. Almost every manufacturer triumphs in certain tools! "
Whether a wrench is rough and grippy like a Hazet or as smooth as a Snap-on must be, therefore, is simply a matter of taste. Clearly noticeable, however, the quality of the surface treatment of the more expensive brand-name products is better than the cheap wrenches. At the top here is Snap-on, followed by Bahco, Facom, Stahlwille, Metrinch, Walther, Matador, Proxxon, Wiesemann and Stanley provided you have a certain preference for the smooth and solid surface finish. Should you prefer rough and grippy, Hazet and Gedore are quite ahead the score with a carefully pearled surface. Even with oil-smeared fingers this Wrench will not slip out of your hand, however, they are not so easy to keep clean. But even among the cheap tools by Ajay Industries (2.50 Euros) and HR International's (one Euro), there are still considerable differences. While the chrome plating of Ajay was lost under bending load, the cheaper HR remained completely straight, and its chrome proved stable.
Brand-name Tool Manufacturers constantly make the argument that cheap tools are not true to size and suffer significant variations in Quality. The latter is ruled out by a tool brand with ISO certification of the production process, because this clearly defines that every single Wrench is manufactured to the exact same standard-type. Our research showed, however, that the two cheap Indian products come from ISO-Certified factories and also include the GS seal "Geprufte security" of the TUV Rheinland.
In terms of dimensions, DIN 3113, requires both Open-and Box-Ends measure between 13.04 and 13.24 millimeters in size. In fact, there were three borderline Box-End measurements of 13:25 per millimeter with Ajay, HR and Mullner. However, since the most elaborate test aapparatus, despite Projection technology, has a margin of error of 0.04mm, we go in favor of the "accused" and assume that these are within tolerance.
Is it worth it to spend a lot of money for brand tool? The simple answer is:.. no. Because Wrenches are not worn out, but usually laid forgotten, stolen or simply left. This is, of course, far less painful if the respective Wrench has cost just a few cents. The 32 euro Snap-on would make you cry...If you own a toolbox full of glossy valuables, watch it like a hawk, wrap the toolbox with barbed wire and never even use a single Wrench, this helps, but it makes the screws rather lonely. And my buddy Jochen should be happy with the cheap Indian ...
immediately and without cost ...
(I fixed it)