Open ended wrench design

[jives]

I'm wondering if the fancy configurations of some open-ended wrenches actually work as advertised to grip better. For example, Milwaukee has their "Max-Bite", Williams has "SuperTorque", and GearWrench has "Off Corner Loading". Anyone want to weigh in on if these are really better?

 

[Flared Base]

Sounds like a good idea for a Project Farm episode. It would be interesting to see the differences in holding ability and marring of fasteners with the different designs. If that comparison already exists, I'm not aware of it.

 

[vjquan]

Plenty of Youtube videos on this.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

I think it’s gimmicky. I use the box end to get things loose they go to the open end. Things tend to be to rusty her in Michigan to mess with the open end.

 

[CHI_Tool&Die]

My Wright, Williams, and Proto/Craftsman ASD wrenches all work as advertised. I use the open ends a lot at work. My only complaint is that the former does mar fasteners while the later is a bit looser fit probably due to the anti-slip design. I can’t honestly say I prefer ASD over the regular open ends yet. I mostly bought the wrenches for the satin finish or the length or the beam feel and not any special features.

 

[jives]

I guess I missed some of the earlier threads on this here on GJ. But when it comes to actually usability, does it make much difference. CHI-Tool says not really. . .any other opinions?

 

[Flared Base]

Plenty of Youtube videos on this.

I haven't seen any besides guys saying "I tried it out and it worked pretty good" or just pointing at differences between the tools on a table. It would be nice to have some control of variables and test actual function of the tools. The closest I have seen only compared 2 different brands. It would be nice to see more brands performing the same tests.

 

[Snapped-off]

I've used snapons FD+ on some rusty/ rounded fasteners with success. Sockets and Wright grip wrenches failed.

The Williams design is identical to snapon minus the little teeth.

 

[neophyte]

There are video’s testing various designs like this, and the usual result is the designs with serrations or off corner engagement do work better, than old style flat wrench jaws, although the effectiveness varies with the design, which varies with manufacturer, since most of these designs are individually different due to separate patents or patent infringement avoidance.

 

[bob15]

I've used snapons FD+ on some rusty/ rounded fasteners with success. Sockets and Wright grip wrenches failed.

The Williams design is identical to snapon minus the little teeth.

So they aren't identical.......

I find the SO+ bite better than the William Supercombos......

 

[garfunkle24]

I think it’s gimmicky. I use the box end to get things loose they go to the open end. Things tend to be to rusty her in Michigan to mess with the open end.

I personally find it quite difficult to get the box end on hydraulic and other hose fittings without any surgery.

 

[CJM8515]

Typically I break stuff free with the box end anyways unless I have no choice. I have the williams set as snap on is insane for what they want the flank drive plus. The williams does work better than other brands with no extra grip.

 

[Snapped-off]

So they aren't identical.......

I find the SO+ bite better than the William Supercombos......

Have you looked at them side by side? Let me rephrase, they're 90% similar and 10% different due to the teeth, the other grooves/notches are identical. They're probably made on the same line. I'm sure the FD+ work better because of the teeth.

 

[Snapped-off]

I personally find it quite difficult to get the box end on hydraulic and other hose fittings without any surgery.

That's gotta be the most common reply. "Why didn't you use the box end doofus? I never break stuff free with the open end."

Sorry Mr. YouTube the box end doesn't work in the application I was using the open end on..

 

[Wakefield]

There is a Youtuber comparing and torture testing various adjustable wrenches,I think in 10" or as close to that as possible,surprisingly an older Craftsman model made by Western Forge was actually able to snap a stud off,think it was a 3/8" (shank diam.) something that usually would require a Flank Drive+ or a Wrightgrip or some such in a one size wrench
But a load of 600 ft, lbs. on a strong metal flange destroyed the Craftsman,some of the other brands took more to destroy them (but those rounded off nuts or slipped)
think with the nut cranking test the wrenches were tightened by rocking them while turning the knurls. And observing "pull the fixed jaw side"

 

[Fedwrench]

As others have pointed out, there are several anti slip open end wrench test videos on you tube. One or two of them are actually quite good Personally, i feel the anti slip open end found on Milwaukees, Carlyle, some sunex, some Icon, and a few others (they're all made in the same Taiwan factory) to be a bit on the soft side compared to Snap on flank drive plus. They still get the job done but, may not be able to do it for as long. I think one of the best anti slip open end wrench designs is the one found on SK's X Frame ratcheting wrenches. Now, if SK was to slap that anti slip open end design on their long pattern combination wrenches, they would have a decent wrench except, for that wide in the hips issue with their boxed ends.
I don't think you need to have entire sets of anti slip open end wrenches but, I would want the common sizes for tie rod end jam nuts, ball joint nuts, some sensors, etc. because, when you need them, you really need them.

 

[KnurledNut]

Now, if SK was to slap that anti slip open end design on their long pattern combination wrenches, they would have a decent wrench except, for that wide in the hips issue with their boxed ends.

And while we are keyboard engineering...
Id like a set of Cornwell long pattern combos with the Kabo modified open end found on their ratcheting wrenches.

 

[corn chip]

the x frame is a sweet wrench. a bit bulky for some situations but man if you have the space to turn that sucker it will put some serious torq on a bolt

 

[jives]

OP here. . . some of the comments here and some of the YouTube vids comment on the softness of some of the anti-slip wrenches (e.g., Carlyle, Milwaukee), which could render the grooves in the open end useless, and essentially make the wrench useless. Does anyone really see this as a problem?

As an FYI, I am looking to buy, for the first time, an actual complete combo wrench set with all the sizes. And supposedly my last wrench set as an "advanced DIYer" and I don't want to have it wear out. If that is a possibility, I'll just get a regular open end design. My current set of metric and SAE includes Craftsman, Wright, Bon-E-Con, Pittsburgh (HF), and Master Mechanic. I know these wear out, even my old hand-me-down Bonnys and Wrights are worn, but it seems the anti-slip are more prone to wear out. Not in the market for high end, but the anti-slip appeal to me for my needs.

 

[bob15]

Have you looked at them side by side? Let me rephrase, they're 90% similar and 10% different due to the teeth, the other grooves/notches are identical. They're probably made on the same line. I'm sure the FD+ work better because of the teeth.

I have own both for over 20 years and the older William Supercombo's I have (non-polished), resemble a Bonney wrench (who Snap On also owns the patents to) on the box and beam and so-so on the open end to a Snappy. Plus, the Williams are softer if you test them on a hardness tester and also tend to spread open easier on the smaller sizes on the open end.

 

[Ton ton]

I used the open end of an SK wrench to snug down a couple bolts on a Chevy Colorado. No marring. I forget sk's name for the anti slip design. It was a metric bolt . I used an 11/16" wrench if my memory serves me correctly - super tight fit. No slop whatsoever.

 

[Catcher1984]

I would pick Williams supercombos all day over wrightgrip. The set of SAE wright grips I got were just too short in length and had a lot of quality control issues. Ended up selling them after about a year.

 

[bob15]

I would pick Williams supercombos all day over wrightgrip. The set of SAE wright grips I got were just too short in length and had a lot of quality control issues. Ended up selling them after about a year.

I have both (though my Wright aren't the "grip" style) and I find them much better than the Williams wrenches. Nothing flakes off them like the Williams and the open ends do not spread on the Wright wrenches.

 

[Snapped-off]

I have own both for over 20 years and the older William Supercombo's I have (non-polished), resemble a Bonney wrench (who Snap On also owns the patents to) on the box and beam and so-so on the open end to a Snappy. Plus, the Williams are softer if you test them on a hardness tester and also tend to spread open easier on the smaller sizes on the open end.

The old Bonney style are a totally different wrench. The new ones are like a chubby cousin to the new snappys.

 

[Zewnten]

Yes they work. Bought 2 snap on wrenches specifically for it, 12mm flank drive plus regular combo and angle. Bolts annealed on the turbo and these wrenches cut a 4 hour job to a 30 min job. Every other wrench just rounded the bolt corners off.

 

[xjfish]

Ahhh yeah. Personally I've had the best luck with SO flank drive plus. Does anyone else compare? Want a 24mm for alignments at the moment (jamb nuts)....

 

[cherrybomb]

Like Zewnten said sometimes a specific size or application is a problem,then its probably wise to buy the best.I understand those on a budget have to watch expenditures.Depending on what you work on,you will learn that certain sizes will wear faster,thats the time to upgrade that size to the best.Your original purchase kept you in budget.

 

[VolvoRyan]

I like my Wright-Grip 2.0's. I just got them, and the little grabby teeth seem to have some "stick-tion" even when tightening with the open end. They feel nice. They're nowhere near as aggressive as the Flank-Drive+, which is probably why the WrightGrips don't do as well where the fasteners are questionable.

My standard SK's seem to be pretty grabby as well. Same with my second hand set of plain ol' Snap-On "regular" Flank-Drive. Everything out there today has off-corner loading.

My rule (and others', too) is to hang up the matching set OCD (I suffer from this, too), and get the best set of wrenches you can afford, and then piecemeal some really nice wrenches for the places you know you'll likely need them. If you're DIY-ing, you'll start to recognize where you'll want to get the really nice wrenches. For example, I have a full set of SK line wrenches, but went Snap-On for the sizes old Volvos use for brake fittings.

I've come to realize that time is still kinda money for DIY-ers. You set aside a weekend to do a project, but if something won't come apart, then you wind up hosed right out of the gate. It can be soul sapping.

-Ryan

 

[JradM]

I like my Proto's with Anti-Slip Design. I don't think its a gimmick - it does something.

However, I also think a high quality combination wrench with regular flats works pretty good too. Certain wrenches just seem to fit tighter and flex less in a way that makes me feel like I can apply more torque with the open end. My Ultrapro set is like that. I bought a set after borrowing one from my neighbor. I could FEEL the difference when I used it - which surprised me. Naturally I needed a set of my own.

Still prefer my ratcheting Protos for most things though. But when I don't want a ratchet - those Ultrapros are great.

 

[Dakotadadv8]

Never had a chance to compare SO Flank Drive + to my current SO Flank Drive. Will rely on info from GJ and others that it grips rusted fasteners better, I believe SO Flank Drive wrenches may be more than enough for DIYer projects.

 

[DAustin]

Really the only time you need the FD+ type open end wrench is when you can't get the box end on the nut/bolt to break it loose. Then it does a good job gripping the nut/bolt to get it loose. But they do tend to mark the nut/bolt ,some more then others, so on a motorcycle or anything where you you have chrome nut/bolts or some that are easy to see you might not want to use the FD+ style open end wrench.
I think SO Flank Drive only is on the box end (or Sockets) were the FD+ means the open end has the gripping teeth.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Really the only time you need the FD+ type open end wrench is when you can't get the box end on the nut/bolt to break it loose. Then it does a good job gripping the nut/bolt to get it loose. But they do tend to mark the nut/bolt ,some more then others, so on a motorcycle or anything where you you have chrome nut/bolts or some that are easy to see you might not want to use the FD+ style open end wrench.
I think SO Flank Drive only is on the box end (or Sockets) were the FD+ means the open end has the gripping teeth.

Correct. Most all companies have off-corner engagement on the box end or sockets. Whether it works as well as the "flank drive" of snap on is another question. I think most quality tools do. Flank drive Plus means their toothed open end technology. Flank Drive Xtra is a new tight fit socket design which also tapers inwards.

 

[JradM]

By the way, when I need to break something loose but can't get either a socket or the box end of a wrench on it - out comes the Knipex pliers wrench because it will actually squeeze the fastener. It's truly a marvelous tool.

 

[charbar]

I can only speak for the Snap On Flank Drives and Proto ASDs that I have, but they DO make a difference for sure compared to the Snap On and Protos I have that do not have any fancy stuff going on. The Flank Drive does seem to work a bit better than Protos Anti Slip Design.

I definitely notice it on brass or aluminum fittings. If I grab a regular open end wrench it will want to round off the nut but when I grab a flank drive it will bite right in and come loose most times. As mentioned earlier in this thread, it will mar the fastener if that's of any importance to you. Don't use them on your pretty stuff!