Carbon Fiber wrenches

[PavelK313]

I did quick search and didn't se anyone posting about this.

I was doing research on some wrenches and came across this company that makes carbon fiber wrenches. I think they look really cool and i love the idea but personally I feel its more of a novelty item then practical everyday wrench.
What do you guys say?

http://carbonlitetools.com

 

[colt zantop]

Cool but not 200.00 cool! LOL

If they were cheaper I might grab a set.

 

[JonnFX]

Cool idea, but they are a bit fat around the business ends and they look a bit unfinished.
And while they are trying to match SAE with metric, they are leaving some of the sizes out (a pet peave of mine).

I'll pass.

 

[Thumper68]

If I am going to pay $40 per wrench they need to change it to unlimited lifetime free replacement.

 

[zkling]

I feel sorry for the poor sap that breaks one. Have you ever had a carbon fiber splinter? They **** big time.

 

[383 240z]

2nd on the unfinished look of them After seeing up close what the F-1 teams CF looks like, those wrenches could and SHOULD be all aero'd out, nice high gloss finish. They look like my little nephew laid them up in his high school shop class.

More like this is what I was expecting.

Keith

 

[balane]

Not ever having held one my gut tells me rounded edges would be welcomed.

 

[monomach]

I'm no CF expert, but I do know that instead of bending like a wrench, they'll just plain break into splinters when they get to the failure point.

CF is also easier to "chew up" at corners than tool steel, but it looks like they put a steel insert in there to spread the pressure out so that it shouldn't be a problem.

Good luck slapping a cheater on one of those, though. It'd be weird to see a wrench with a handle that cracked in half.

The limited sizes available and the mixed MM/SAE is pretty bogus.

 

[devoncoolman]

Neat novelty item. Too fat at the buisness end of things there. Whats the purpose of having a light weight wrench? I think id pass just too expensive for a wrench i wouldn't use.

 

[ZRX61]

I feel sorry for the poor sap that breaks one. Have you ever had a carbon fiber splinter? They **** big time.

What he said...

 

[Aquaticbob]

Looks like the kids who put the carbon fiber vinyl wrap on everything they own would like these.

Though the price tag is too steep for them so nevermind on that. They'll just take their harbor freight tools and vinyl wrap them to look like CF wrenches

 

[Exceller8]

Very cool but not for $200. If money were no object I'd get a set just for the coolness factor.

 

[priceman1414]

My best guess in regards to why these aren't 'mirror finish' like 'racecar' carbon fiber as someone mentioned is because that sort of finish with the extra resin is more prone to cracking under load?

Definitely does have a cool factor, but the wrenches would look a little better if a little more work was put into the finish on the sides.

 

[383 240z]

That super smooth finish is not from too much resin, its a by product of vac-bag forming. Trust me there is NOTHING extra on an F-1 car. Keith

 

[CWP1616L]

I can't think of anything nice to say about those.

 

[Farmall450]

Neat novelty item. Too fat at the buisness end of things there. Whats the purpose of having a light weight wrench? I think id pass just too expensive for a wrench i wouldn't use.

Exactly, steel wrenches aren't all that heavy, and much sleeker than these...

 

[APEowner]

Seems like a cure for which there's no known disease.

 

[GYPSY400]

Yup.. neat idea.. I do like the idea of having metric and SAE on the same wrench, and they civered the most common sizes (11mm is 7/16" so it works out)..
but too fat where it counts

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

 

[PCustoms]

I'm no CF expert, but I do know that instead of bending like a wrench, they'll just plain break into splinters when they get to the failure point.

I'd consider myself extremely well versed in the material, and you are right. That layup loaded in that manner will not last long at all, assuming that the bonded insert doesn't shear first. I'm pretty sure I know who made the base CF sheet that is used to make these as well.

a carbon wrench is possible, and would be extremely stiff if the fibers were placed correctly. That sheet is not made that way however.

 

[NoxiousBurrito]

Seems like a cure for which there's no known disease.

I could see NASA having a use for them, the reduced weight might actually be worthwhile when trying send them into space.

Maybe for someone who works at heights/climbs a lot in their job and the reduced weight is worth it.

Got too think pretty hard for a situation where they would be beneficial though.

 

[Jswain]

Not unless they included a lifetime supply of thin leather work gloves.

 

[ChevyEFI]

Hey. They're not raised panels. Props for that.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

If I was concerned about weight I would rather have titanium or aluminum with a steel insert. I wouldn't use these wrenches out of fear of splinters......and the price tag.

 

[garboui]

I agree that as many have said that no rounded edges would ****. I definitely think with a little more eng they could make them a lot sleeker and compact at the ends. By the looks of it its been hacked together with a pile of cross weave carbon. A layup with some strategically placed direction carbon would for sure get the ends more compact. Most of the time on carbon when you see that cross weave its just for a top protection and looks.

As for those talking about snapping (a properly built) wrench. Not unless you did use a cheater. If you have ever looked at a lot of critical bicycle parts like handlebars, stems, and steer tubes particularly. These tin *** light parts are subject to much greater torsional, moment and bending loads that you would ever to be able to muster on a wrench with a comparable amount of material.

 

[aar0s]

No way, there would be no weight to them, Id blow out my elbow trying to throw one at a wall when I got pissed.

 

[theknurl]

No way, there would be no weight to them, Id blow out my elbow trying to throw one at a wall when I got pissed.

+10

the failure mode for carbon fiber is ugly......watch F1, a tap and they explode

just another item for carbon sluts.....its like on one of my motorcycle forums.....guys replace the forged 55mm aluminum wheel nuts with Ti ones that weigh more.... village idiots

I'll stick with my SnapOns thank you

 

[Jswain]

I agree that as many have said that no rounded edges would ****. I definitely think with a little more eng they could make them a lot sleeker and compact at the ends. By the looks of it its been hacked together with a pile of cross weave carbon. A layup with some strategically placed direction carbon would for sure get the ends more compact. Most of the time on carbon when you see that cross weave its just for a top protection and looks.

As for those talking about snapping (a properly built) wrench. Not unless you did use a cheater. If you have ever looked at a lot of critical bicycle parts like handlebars, stems, and steer tubes particularly. These tin *** light parts are subject to much greater torsional, moment and bending loads that you would ever to be able to muster on a wrench with a comparable amount of material.

I would be more worried when they get nicks from hitting against metal like when a stuck bolt breaks free, then the next time you get a handful of the wrench and put out on it a hundred little splinters shoot into your palm.

 

[garboui]

I would be more worried when they get nicks from hitting against metal like when a stuck bolt breaks free, then the next time you get a handful of the wrench and put out on it a hundred little splinters shoot into your palm.

Yes and no. Small scratches that did no go past the top cosmetic cross weave layer wont fail catastrophically. From all the CF breaks that I have seen in the past, its usually in an area of blatant design flaw or from a scratch/gouge. In the cases of the scratch/gouge it would typically begin to propagate with use until the entire cross section yielded. The blatant defects/weak points would have a higher amount of snap failures.

 

[928'er]

Carbon fiber is strong and light, but it's not hard. Can't imagine any need for a wrench that's not hard.

 

[uart]

Carbon fiber is strong and light, but it's not hard. Can't imagine any need for a wrench that's not hard.

The only parts that needs to be hard are the contact surfaces where it meets the fastener. That's why they have metal inserts there.

I can see a place for these ultra lightweight wrenches (and tools in general). Aircraft, bikes, anywhere you carry or climb with a lot of tools. It's a niche market for sure, but there is a market.

It's a shame that these ones have such a horrible finish though. Those sharp edges don't just look bad, they're likely to be a real useability issue in my opinion. I don't see any reason why that couldn't have been done properly, with a nice rounded smooth finish.

 

[sloppy]

I feel sorry for the poor sap that breaks one. Have you ever had a carbon fiber splinter? They **** big time.

yeah they do..

 

[SlappyWhite]

I have done some work with carbon fiber and have broken more than my far share of carbon fiber parts (both prepreg and wet). If these break you will have a hand full of carbon fiber shards, this is not fun.

The shards are all like little razors, way worse than anything else I have experienced (broken glass, flaking chrome plate, etc.). I would also worry over time they may wear and chip in places also exposing you to shards. An outer layer of kevlar may go a long way to solve this BUT then they wouldn't be so pretty.

Looks cool, I would pass even if they were cheap.

 

[BearCuda]

Seems like a cure for which there's no known disease.

Sounds like the bulk of the pharmaceutical industry.

 

[rlitman]

I can see a place for these ultra lightweight wrenches (and tools in general). Aircraft, bikes, anywhere you carry or climb with a lot of tools. It's a niche market for sure, but there is a market.

Somewhere buried in a drawer I have an aluminum wrench made to service a dirigible. That was a use where every ounce could count, and these would have fit the bill nicely.

I don't see that sort of extreme weight pressure with aircraft use. Perhaps climbers (radio tower service?) would like them.

Space use? Well lift costs per pound are enormous, but NASA already has steel sockets on the ISS. EVA tools are often beryllium copper. That's even heavier than steel, but also able to work in cryogenic temperatures. Not sure how well carbon would work there.

 

[Cap'n]

It was -25 celsius outside the other day, and I was pulling the thermostat on a small block GM...I can't stand wearing gloves, and those metal wrenches bit badly in the cold.

So, I find these vaguely interesting, but considering the price, and the extremely poor design (I don't see those being especially useful), I think I could probably just find some way to wrap my wrenches to avoid frostbite.

 

[Steinmetz]

Aside from the aforementioned (and valid) objections, these tools appear to be almost impossible to keep clean. Wiping then with a clean towel would probably further embed oils, greases, or whatever else was deposited on them. Use solvents? They appear to be somewhat absorbent. And which solvents could be used that would not adversely affect the composite structure?

 

[Steinmetz]

Somewhere buried in a drawer I have an aluminum wrench made to service a dirigible. That was a use where every ounce could count, and these would have fit the bill nicely.

I don't see that sort of extreme weight pressure with aircraft use. Perhaps climbers (radio tower service?) would like them.

Space use? Well lift costs per pound are enormous, but NASA already has steel sockets on the ISS. EVA tools are often beryllium copper. That's even heavier than steel, but also able to work in cryogenic temperatures. Not sure how well carbon would work there.

I'd like to see that aluminum wrench. Maybe made from aluminum to be non-sparking?

 

[rlitman]

I'd like to see that aluminum wrench. Maybe made from aluminum to be non-sparking?

Me too. If only I could remember what I did with it. . .
It was a double ended box wrench. Nice forging, with raised lettering forged in and what looked like 12 point broached ends.

Yes, I'm sure the non-sparking was a big plus too. Even in a helium filled craft, you could still have huge chambers filled with "blaugas" fuel.

 

[fitz11]

If I needed light wrenches I would rather go with the titanium ones motion pro makes. No splinters and they actually look finished.

http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/tools/category/titanium_wrenches/

 

[joe_padavano]

As others have noted, carbon fiber is extremely sensitive to impact damage. The first time you slip on the nut and whack one of those, the carbon will crack. Worse, if the damage is on the inside, you won't see it until it breaks the next time you use it, sending your knuckles flying into some adjacent sharp piece of metal. These are for show only, to impress the uninformed.

In that respect, they're a lot like fart can mufflers on Hondas...