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who makes the best combination wrench?

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Fishey

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Aug 11, 2012
Messages
59
So, who do you think makes the best open/box wrench?

I personally would have to say snap on flank drive plus wrenches are unequaled as no other wrench i have used gets close to the open end gripping power of the SO wrenches. Altho, i have not used the MAC wrenches that have the grippy open end. It seems to me box end rarely makes a difference between brands. However open end spread and slip is far more important atleast to me. What do you guys think are the best brands?
 
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lbgradwell

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Mar 21, 2007
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Oakville, ON
Really?

I would suggest that one of the hundreds of threads on this exact same topic has already answered your question...
 
H

housey

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Mar 11, 2011
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Western Australia
I like my stahlwille no .13s. They work well for me and are a good deal lighter than the American style spanners, which is nice when you are carrying your tools around in a bag
 
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RKA

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I would say whatever you have and like is the best. Next.
 
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sk farmer

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bonney

i would say the the snap-on mentioned falls in the lineup somewhere just below or above the raised panel craftsman.
 
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GTO

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NJ,FL
Fishey said:
So, who do you think makes the best open/box wrench?

I personally would have to say snap on flank drive plus wrenches are unequaled as no other wrench i have used gets close to the open end gripping power of the SO wrenches. Altho, i have not used the MAC wrenches that have the grippy open end. It seems to me box end rarely makes a difference between brands. However open end spread and slip is far more important atleast to me. What do you guys think are the best brands?
Click to expand...

The search option is your friend.
Please use it.
Thx
 
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e30bradley

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Don’t have a garage in Arizona USA
we don't need another one of these threads.. I really hate to say it but its true, this has been covered many times. The best would be the most expensive.. Snap on, maybe hazet, stahlwille? I don't know. I've never used anything better than my SO Flank Drive Plus. its just personal preference. I guess you should buy a few sets of the most expensive brands and when you decide on which you like best, you can donate the rest to me. I'll even pay shipping :)
 
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wmartin

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Jun 16, 2011
Messages
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Fishey said:
I did didn't find any real specific thread with good information.
Click to expand...

Don't sweat it. Practically every thread on the forum is a kind of repost since there's only so much you can say about this stuff, and there'll always be someone with a USE THE SEARCH ENGINE F'IN NEWBIE message to welcome you.

The question about open ends doesn't strike me as a bad one. I've got shiny Snap-on wrenches and satin Williams, smooth jaws on one and not the other, and usually would just grab whatever is closest anyway.
 
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e30bradley

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Don’t have a garage in Arizona USA
I searched "best, wrench" in the advanced search with title only selected and didn't find anything on the first 4 pages.. I know I've seen a discussion on this before though. maybe someone can point him in the right direction?
 
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4x4gearhead

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Maybe we should all just jump on him for asking such a question? Seems kind of unreasonable to me. P.s. its gonna be your preference, asking a question like that only agitates debate. Buy whats affordable for you.
 
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richfinn

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Jan 29, 2011
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Location
Leeds, Yorkshire, England
Dont the Flank drive plus mark the fastener if you use the open end?

Maybe not so good if your restoring things.

I also like the few Stahlwille spanners I own over my older Snap On and Mac.
 
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thetreshon

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Sep 15, 2010
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Location
Southwestern Ontario, Canada
yeah, for me - I CAN'T STAND how (unless I'm stooopid) I can't search for anything with 'SK' in the title...two letters is too short for searches.

Hate that, and if you know how to search for it, without typing in Sherman-Klove...please lemme know.

I like the Flank drive PLus, but also my Gray Canada's 'cause they're nice and shiny, tough and Canadian made is a bonus.
 
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wornoutoldman

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Conover WI "God's Country"
Vintage Snap-on would be my suggestion. Look for the underlined script on the wrenches. Half of retail (or less) on ebay for clean examples. Also has thicker beam than current offerings = very comfortable to use.
 
OP
F

Fishey

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Aug 11, 2012
Messages
59
richfinn said:
Dont the Flank drive plus mark the fastener if you use the open end?

Maybe not so good if your restoring things.

I also like the few Stahlwille spanners I own over my older Snap On and Mac.
Click to expand...

I have found this to be true but if the snap-on wrenches mark it then my Craftsman Pro USA wrenches will round it.. Seems the snap on can grip almost double over my craftsman pros.
 
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RCStocker

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Aug 12, 2012
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Location
Indiana, California, Australia
Many people are new to tools and many people including myself sometimes fid it hard to locate information on the subjet in a forum. The heading for one are never what you think and that makes it hard to come up with the proper information.

I know the subject is like beating a dead horse but .... I am not going to say more. Some of the responses are rude and some are funny.

The best wrench is the one that you are using if it does the job. I have all the major brands and My 50 year old Craftsman to just as good of job as my newer Snap-on. The Flank drive is a joke to me. I understand the concept but there are patents on better wrenches that were never made.

I use my S-K wrenches all the time. I have 2 sets of each metric and SAE in the SK line. One are short pattern and the other long. Many times you need 2 wrenches one the nut and the other on the bolt head. I have industrial sets, raised pannel sets, satin sets, polished not (Polish) which I see so often. They are not Polish for Poland they are Polished. That is a nother subject for another day how now one know the English language. It is a hoot.

The bottom line is that they all work and they all work well. The quality might not be as goo on some but you know they still do the job. Some cheap tools spread or split but then again if you are having that problem you need to go to a larger size socket and breaker bar. Some ratchets split you because they have cheap pot metal guts.
The funny thing is that Harbor Freight tools are getting much better in quality. 50 years ago no one wanted to buy anything form Japan. Everyone said it was junk. They were wrong. I bought all Japanese Machinist tools and the have proven to be as good if not better than Starrett. The old Japan sockets set that you could buy for $3.99 worked well and had good steel but no one thought they were any good. I have picked up several of those old sets and use them just for the fun of it and they work well.

I would rather buy all my tools use and buy SK than to spend the money for any truck brand. (I know SK has trucks) don't go there. LOL

I would rather have the money invested in my retirement plan than sitting in my tool box hoping I can sell them for what I paid when I retire. I have 57 sets of wrenches between my 3 shops and trucks at last count. I have at least 14 different brands and they all do the job.
 
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F

Fishey

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Aug 11, 2012
Messages
59
RCStocker said:
Many people are new to tools and many people including myself sometimes fid it hard to locate information on the subjet in a forum. The heading for one are never what you think and that makes it hard to come up with the proper information.

I know the subject is like beating a dead horse but .... I am not going to say more. Some of the responses are rude and some are funny.

The best wrench is the one that you are using if it does the job. I have all the major brands and My 50 year old Craftsman to just as good of job as my newer Snap-on. The Flank drive is a joke to me. I understand the concept but there are patents on better wrenches that were never made.

I use my S-K wrenches all the time. I have 2 sets of each metric and SAE in the SK line. One are short pattern and the other long. Many times you need 2 wrenches one the nut and the other on the bolt head. I have industrial sets, raised pannel sets, satin sets, polished not (Polish) which I see so often. They are not Polish for Poland they are Polished. That is a nother subject for another day how now one know the English language. It is a hoot.

The bottom line is that they all work and they all work well. The quality might not be as goo on some but you know they still do the job. Some cheap tools spread or split but then again if you are having that problem you need to go to a larger size socket and breaker bar. Some ratchets split you because they have cheap pot metal guts.
The funny thing is that Harbor Freight tools are getting much better in quality. 50 years ago no one wanted to buy anything form Japan. Everyone said it was junk. They were wrong. I bought all Japanese Machinist tools and the have proven to be as good if not better than Starrett. The old Japan sockets set that you could buy for $3.99 worked well and had good steel but no one thought they were any good. I have picked up several of those old sets and use them just for the fun of it and they work well.

I would rather buy all my tools use and buy SK than to spend the money for any truck brand. (I know SK has trucks) don't go there. LOL

I would rather have the money invested in my retirement plan than sitting in my tool box hoping I can sell them for what I paid when I retire. I have 57 sets of wrenches between my 3 shops and trucks at last count. I have at least 14 different brands and they all do the job.
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I have found that my craftmans will round bolts on the open end when a snapon will grip it. This means that if I find a fastener that I can only get open end on and they are hard to loosen my craftsman will simply not do the job however the snap-ons will do the job. If my craftsman will not do the job then I am stuck and have to figure something else out or find a torch/vicegrips etc.. That takes time. I like most mechanics get paid flat rate so time is money. I am simply looking for any real data on who makes the best. So I can reduce the time spent trying to remove fasteners so I can get a job done putting money in my pocket.
 
C

CORTEZSS69

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Oct 24, 2011
Messages
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Location
Kansas City
Welcome to GJ, I really like my Craftsman Professionals. They are made in the USA. I had a set of Craftsman RP for 24 years. I just recently up graded and I'm very happy with my choice. I bought them used but they were like new. Good luck with your decision.
 
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RedFordTruck

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bcradio

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stephen9666 said:
Perform these google searches, and you'll get your results:

site:garagejournal.com combination wrench best
site:garagejournal.com combination wrench buy
Click to expand...

ding ding ding... we have a winner.

I don't know about others, but I'd rather members revive old threads than start new ones on the same topics. It just makes it easier to have as much information in one spot as possible rather than a million 2 page threads on the same topics.
 
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Mickey O

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Oct 25, 2009
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Location
Chicago, IL
Skokie brand wrenches are the absolute best, settle for nothing less.




09-10-2011-skokie.jpg
 
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Skin

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Boston
some of you really need to lay the hell off the new guy. Its a tool forum, let him ask his question and get answers, not 5 people telling him to search. I guess you guys would be happy if the forum was closed then everyone could just search! And frankly this topic really hasnt been covered recently. The last few threads have been specifically about bargain wrenches. Dont like the topic? Dont respond.
 
4

4x4gearhead

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Messages
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Skin said:
some of you really need to lay the hell off the new guy. Its a tool forum, let him ask his question and get answers, not 5 people telling him to search. I guess you guys would be happy if the forum was closed then everyone could just search! And frankly this topic really hasnt been covered recently. The last few threads have been specifically about bargain wrenches. Dont like the topic? Dont respond.
Click to expand...

I agree, some topics are beaten to death and I get it, but theres no need to get nasty with people who are just here to learn something. If we would all get off our high horses and not be so abrasive. We are all here because we obviously like wrenching enough to spend our free time talking about it, so why not treat each other with some respect?
 
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franzdom

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Sep 7, 2009
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Location
NC
I think the Snap-On are about the best, they are available long and their standard is pretty long too. More comfortable but heavier is the wright but they aren't long. Hazet definitely also comes to mind when I think of best combination wrench, as does the rather unique Stahlwille. I love the look of the Stahlwille offset, it's forged form rather than simply being bent.

sw14-12.jpg


sw14-profilex.jpg
 
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chris6278

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May 14, 2012
Messages
458
Location
USA
I have snap on, mac knuckle savers, craftsman pro, and craftsman rp and for whatever reason i always grab my rp over everything else. Ive been usin them for years and they're what im used to. Ive never had a problem with them an they take a beatin, in fact ive broken more truck brand wrenches than the rp panel ones. Everybody is gonna have their own opinion on whats the best but just go with what works best for you
 
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TwoInch

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Location
NW INDIANA
RCStocker said:
They are not Polish for Poland they are Polished. That is a nother subject for another day how now one know the English language. It is a hoot.

.
Click to expand...



hmmmm......

and for the record, "polish" is just as correct as "polished"....

if you dont believe, have a look. definition #7 to be exact.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/polish

check sears.com, or snapon.com to see examples of "polish wrench" descriptions.
 
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S

SantaAna12

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Joined
Mar 1, 2012
Messages
1,091
"Stahlwille offset, it's forged form rather than simply being bent."

sw14-12.jpg


sw14-profilex.jpg
[/QUOTE]

Interesting point Franzdom.
 
A

AZ_Catskinner

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Jan 29, 2011
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Location
Morenci, AZ
I prefer Mac KS2's and Proto's ASD combos. At the end of the day though, I still use the RP Craftsman set when I don't want teeth marks on bolts/nuts.
 
W

wrenchr

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Jul 29, 2007
Messages
11,603
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Michigan
CORTEZSS69 said:
Welcome to GJ, I really like my Craftsman Professionals. They are made in the USA. I had a set of Craftsman RP for 24 years. I just recently up graded and I'm very happy with my choice. I bought them used but they were like new. Good luck with your decision.
Click to expand...

They use to be made in the USA. :(
 
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