6 point combination wrenches

[Ulrich1able]

Not that I've experienced. In some cases the spline might leave marks, like a Wrightgrip, on a soft bolt or nut.

This has been a pretty big downside, although the only one so far, that I didn't think I'd encounter after I bought my set of Wrightgrips. (I thought they were gonna be the end all be all !! )

It almost makes them unusable on aluminum or brass nuts because they end up marring so bad that you're just screwing over the next guy who goes to try and take it off, but I guess this would probably be the cause with any other wrench with an anti-slip design.

 

[cherrybomb]

The Wright Grips are a great wrench.Your correct in saying they chew up the soft nuts for the next guy.Their are other less aggressive brands of open ends out there.Proto ASD is what I use with great results.I'm in the rust belt,I use 12 points,but I do have a few 6 points if all else fails. A good quality off corner engagement 12 point in most cases will get the job done

 

[sz0k30]

Awhile ago I bought a set of Craftsman SAE 6 point combination wrenches.

WOW! This from a guy who in other posts seem to have a strong dislike for Craftsman?

 

[Armatron]

Generally greatly prefer 6 pt across the board. Purely due to less wear and tear on fasteners. I've gotten to the point to where I keep 12pt in a different drawer, that only come out for super tight access situations.

 

[theoldwizard1]

WOW! This from a guy who in other posts seem to have a strong dislike for Craftsman?

Not sure why you would say that ! 95+% of my sockets and wrenches are Craftsman ! 95+% of my screwdrivers. 75+% of my pliers/cutters. Roll away, middle and top chest are Craftsman as are a couple other tool boxes.

I have some Sunex impact sockets, but that is about it.

 

[VolvoRyan]

When you consider the off-corner-loading (AKA "Flank Drive") in modern wrenches, there's a lot less fastener contact with 6-pt wrenches than one would assume.

Sadly, 6-pt wrenches are kinda dead. I like having a set for those "Oh my..." fasteners. Most of my 6-pt are end-of-the-like SK, but Snap-On does do 6-pt nicely.... but I almost always use 12-pt wrenches these days (except on plastic fittings/covers).... and a few of the cars here have serious rust belt things going on.

My go-to these days for suspension jobs is the Wright-Grips. They're just nice wrenches.

-Ryan

 

[dchawk81]

When you consider the off-corner-loading (AKA "Flank Drive") in modern wrenches, there's a lot less fastener contact with 6-pt wrenches than one would assume.



-Ryan

There's only 6 sides and corners to a fastener that can be contacted at a time. A good 6 point wrench uses most of the wall with its gradual curve starting near the middle where the dip is deepest then rocking a little. The least amount of rock on the best fitting wrenches up to and including practically none of actually none if you have to hammer the wrench or socket on.

A 12 point has a tiny little dip that touches the end of the wall near the corner, the better ones make contact further away from the corner than the worse ones due to a tighter fit. There are 12 dips, but when there are only 6 sides and 6 corners on the fastener it only uses 6 of them at a time.

 

[LWB]

The only 6 point combo I have is a 7mm