Offset Box End Wrenches?

[cavalry]

I have been wrenching for 3+ decades and have never owned offset box end wrenches. I guess I never really encountered a situation where I could not access without one?
I now am the owner of an inch set, does anyone find these are really necessary? Obviously inch is not going to help me working on any modern vehicle, but I do own a lot of old junk and heavy equipment.

 

[dlwilson]

I have a Stahlwille offset box end wrench set it metric which I got as part of an estate sale. I would never have bought it by itself. Every now and then I find a situation where it is useful to have.

 

[Ricky Joe]

I am in the camp that uses them. I find them comfortable to use even when not necessary, and very handy at times. I worked on antique cars, and used almost no air. There are times when an offset is indispensable.

 

[PelicanPines]

I have a williams set... I use them but they are not my first go to. I like LONG offsets over short stubbies. I have both in metric.

The question posed that you have been wrenching for 30 years and didn't need them ... odds are... you will only use them NOW... because ... hey I got those offsets... they would work here... so use them.

To have a tool you don't need is better than not having a tool you need that you don't have.

Better than that... is knowing what tool you need for a job or might need.

I'm rambling ... I'm hungry. Carry on.

 

[lardy1]

My 70 degree offsets don't come out very often but they're another option in specific situations. I really don't need them but bought them because I'm an impulsive tool junkie. I use my 45 degree offsets a lot though. They are my go to due to the length and the feel in my hand.

 

[M6erfan]

I have a Stahlwille 60° metric set. I use them, not super often but on vintage motorcycles they are used more than one might think.

 

[four.cycle]

Usually it's the first one I grab, because I know I can almost always get at whatever it is with an offset box end.

 

[bonneyman]

I use my smaller metric box wrenches for bicycle repair, and their SAE relatives for the lawn mower and such. Different manufacturers made different lengths and offsets, which comes in handy when tackling a buried bolt. Here are my newer Duro metrics, Bonney SAE, and older Duro and Indestro SAE's.

 

[qqzj]

Pass thru socket sets replace them. I2 points seems dangerous.

 

[Rusted Nut]

Rarely needed, but indispensable at times. Offset wrenches are very useful when wrenching on motorcycles; especially Harley clutch adjustment.

 

[Kscardsfan]

I know on older, like pre 1960s, you saw them a lot with farm implements, tractors, trucks etc. so I'm sure they were quite useful in their era. But I’ve never encountered a situation where I couldn’t get to a bolt with the stuff I already have. And I’m a guy who really likes to wrench on old tractors and trucks.

 

[Fedwrench]

I have stubby SK metric sets in 6 & 12 point like the government Indestro set above. I find them to be handy if I need to hold a fastener on the backside while loosening it from the front. I also have Proto long full polished sets that don't get used much. I tend to use my extra long zero offset wrenches more. However, this is Garage Journal where it's better to have a certain style of wrench and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

 

[LWB]

I think it's just what you get used to. I rarely use a combination wrench and use 45 degree DBE all the time. I like having two sizes with one wrench too.

 

[Lucid Moments]

I have a set and use them, but only rarely. It is nice to have them when I need them though.

 

[bonneyman]

I have stubby SK metric sets in 6 & 12 point like the government Indestro set above. I find them to be handy if I need to hold a fastener on the backside while loosening it from the front. I also have Proto long full polished sets that don't get used much. I tend to use my extra long zero offset wrenches more. However, this is Garage Journal where it's better to have a certain style of wrench and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

Big 10-4!

Probably the best tool for such a task, as it's small enough to "palm" work it while short enough to feel the fastener with your index finger.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

There's a big gray area between necessary and useful.... Just because I can do something without a given tool doesn't mean I want to try.

 

[ScottsGT]

I’ve owned a set for 6-8 years and have had a need for them exactly twice.
first time was caliper bolts on the wife’s Honda Pilot.
second time was this past Saturday when I was installing a suspension seat base on my ZTR.
Damned handy to have when you need them.

 

[mdnelson86]

I have been wrenching for 3+ decades and have never owned offset box end wrenches. I guess I never really encountered a situation where I could not access without one?
I now am the owner of an inch set, does anyone find these are really necessary? Obviously inch is not going to help me working on any modern vehicle, but I do own a lot of old junk and heavy equipment.

I put them in a similar category to angle wrenches or other more "specialty" tools. I definitely don't use them every day, but there are times where they come in very handy and I'm glad I have them.

 

[LWB]

A standard (inch) set of wrenches is absolutely necessary for me. I have a lot of old equipment. Metric is basically for vehicles only.

I keep looking at angle wrenches thanks to GJ... We have an expansive set at work and generally only get used when working on hydraulics.

 

[FlaGman]

I also have the Stahlwille metric offset set, and when you need it you need it. I have run into a couple bolts recently that were easy to get to with the offset wrench, and would have been a pia otherwise.

 

[johninct]

When I was a kid, all we had were double end open end wrenches and double offset box wrenches. I have seen in older Snap-On catalogs complete tool sets with double open end and double offset open end box wrenches. When I got combination wrenches , I tended to use them and double open end wrenches. I decided to try to go back to using double open end wrenches more and start using double offset box wrenches again. I have gone so far as to get some new Snap-On double offset open end wrenches in inch and metric.

 

[LWB]

Might as well post pics now! Threads are better with pics. SK Wayne SAE I'm missing the 9/16 - 5/8

 

[LWB]

When I was a kid, all we had were double end open end wrenches and double offset box wrenches. I have seen in older Snap-On catalogs complete tool sets with double open end and double offset open end box wrenches. When I got combination wrenches , I tended to use them and double open end wrenches. I decided to try to go back to using double open end wrenches more and start using double offset box wrenches again. I have gone so far as to get some new Snap-On double offset open end wrenches in inch and metric.

Why are you trying to go back to DOE/DBE?

 

[johninct]

Ever replace a good tool with a new type / style of tool and now ,while using the new tool instead, all of the time, forget that the old tool did a great job and in some cases even a better job . I am finding that the double offset box wrenches sometimes gets to bolts easier. Last year, while working on my excavator I could have worked hard with a combination wrench but it was much easier to get to the bolt with a double offset box wrench. I had forgotten what they can get to because they sat in the drawer for years unused. Every style of wrench has a purpose. Another reason, sometimes it is just fun to go back in time.

 

[Technologyteacher]

They are a must to gain access to one bolt in order to change the fanbelt on my Corvair

 

[M6erfan]

When I was a kid, all we had were double end open end wrenches and double offset box wrenches. I have seen in older Snap-On catalogs complete tool sets with double open end and double offset open end box wrenches. When I got combination wrenches , I tended to use them and double open end wrenches. I decided to try to go back to using double open end wrenches more and start using double offset box wrenches again. I have gone so far as to get some new Snap-On double offset open end wrenches in inch and metric.

Years ago I gravitated to using OBE & DBE over combo wrenches. For me, and what I work on, (vintage Japanese motorcycles), it's more efficient. I have combo wrenches but I don't use them nearly as often.

 

[slowtwitch73]

I think they are just more ergonomic to use on any fastener. Keeps your hands up off the surface.. fewer busted knuckles. Also clearance over other fasteners that may be close.

 

[Garcky]

Habit. We fall into habits with tools, like anything else. We reach for the wrenches we use out of habit for the most part. Those offset wrenches used to be in people's hands a lot of times. Now, people don't reach for them as often, but it's really just habit.

If you use a type of wrench often, you'll be most likely to reach for that type, even when it's not the best choice. Offset DBE and DOE wrenches used to be a mainstay in people's toolboxes. Now, they reach for a ratchet and extension instead. Or a flex-head wrench. The others have stopped being a habit for most guys.

Another tool everyone has stopped using is the speed handle. Like other rarely used tools, though, speed handles have their uses, even now. We just don't reach for them any longer.

 

[bigredcornhead]

I have reached for my offsets when work on hubs quite frequent or brake related matters. Recessed bolts on the back of hubs typically, great to have a set.

 

[ptgarcia]

I find them quite useful working on motorcycles.

 

[Bubba Fett]

I got a set of cheap ones a few months back. I think I used one of them.

 

[Steve_P]

I have the USA craftsman inch set- never absolutely needed to use them in 10+ years. I have the Stahwille metric set and have needed them twice in the last ~5 years. If you are going to buy a set, look at the Stahwille ones as they have about the steepest angle which means the best access.

 

[cavalry]

Another tool everyone has stopped using is the speed handle. Like other rarely used tools, though, speed handles have their uses, even now. We just don't reach for them any longer.

I remember the days of putting in oil pan bolts with a speed wrench, it was the greatest thing ever. At least until I got an air ratchet and then later on a cordless ratchet.

 

[Garcky]

I remember the days of putting in oil pan bolts with a speed wrench, it was the greatest thing ever. At least until I got an air ratchet and then later on a cordless ratchet.

I still reach for the speed handle for pan bolts. It's right there, and I don't need an air hose or a charged battery. Really, it's just as fast.