Any real difference between brands in big wrenches?

[Danglerb]

My first big wrench was a buck at the swap meet from a guy with a bucket full of 1 5/8 (trailer hitch combo wrench). I've picked up a few more big wrenches mostly for novelty, full set, maybe someday use for something.

Is there much of any difference between the brands in big wrenches? Seems like they are all plenty beefy for any practical use.

 

[toyodajeff]

I'm sure the name brands are little longer, stronger and the open ends are smaller. Some also have round handles.

 

[gdocktor3]

The difference is when you're in the field using them daily and a 6 foot cheater doesn't bend/break them.

 

[Westozfixer]

For years I used the china brand ones every day and only ever broke one, the 2" and I had sling and a forklift on it.

 

[bdelmar2]

One would assume the tolerances are better on a more expensive brand, but probably not enough to make any practical difference on fasteners of that size.

I suppose it depends on the situation - just like the smaller stuff.

I work mainly on cars/light trucks, maybe a medium truck now and then, and on rare occasions a semi tractor or odd piece of heavy equipment.

So I seldom need anything over 1" and rarely over 1 1/2" or maybe once every couple years I might get up in the 2" range, which is the biggest wrench we have in the shop - and we don't really need that honestly.

Ours happen to be old craftsman so are fairly decent wrenches, but a lower quality/price set would be ok, as long as it fit reasonably well. We also have some big metric wrenches, and I believe those are off brand.

I personally have large wrenches also, but I use them so seldom I haven't even brought them to work and honestly don't recall what brands they are - but not snap on for sure.


If I worked on big stuff like huge generators or other power production equipment or heavy equipment, or trains or something along those lines - even if I worked on semi tractors more often it would probably justify higher quality large tools.

 

[jeffyhog]

I always hear that the better quality wrenches/sockets/whatever have better tolerances, and I would also expect that to be the case. However, I never hear anything about tolerance of the bolts or nuts you are turning.

I think the bottom line is that the wrench is best that best fits the bolt/ nut.

I don't believe there is much difference in larger wrenches, but I still prefer to use quality tools

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

Is there much of any difference between the brands in big wrenches? Seems like they are all plenty beefy for any practical use.

Sorry, but there's a big difference.
The stuff I work on everyday is not huge by industrial standard, but is routinely in the 1-1/2" to 2" range and requires wrenches for large hoses / fittings, some up 4", and it's often corroded seized up from years of use.

Starting out as a newbie mechanic, I bought the full range of HF large wrenches thinking pretty much what the above quote says. I remember distinctly breaking off 3 of them in one job with nothing more than my own body weight / muscle, not double wrenching / cheater pipe use - snapped 'em like a twig. I have since avoided using any of the cheap stuff ever since and bought good quality to replace them. My 1-1/2 SO combo wrench was probably well over 100 bucks even back in 1996, but I use it nearly every day and have just about worn the chrome off it and never think twice about putting a 5 foot cheater pipe over it.

These days, I use a very large, good quality, adjustable wrench for very large stuff before I pull out a cheapo-POS wrench. Most of the old HF **** got cut up for special purpose / light work jobs over the years.

 

[woody 73]

I know that back in the day (40 plus years ago) the traveling tool shows had a warranty statement and when you asked them it went something like this; "Oh yes indeed they do" which in real life stood for...

The very moment you walked off the motel lot the warranty was null and void and to add insult to your injury they were gone in two days never to be seen again.

Of course those big wrenches were thick and heavy and lord only knows what kind of pot metal was in the batch the day they were made. That was a long time ago I am sure things have changed hopefully for the better.

 

[Gmonkee]

In heavy equiptment work I we had a mix of cheap to costly, antique to spankin' new.

The old stuff was all survivors of decades of hard use. The newer stuff was bling to CRV branded and it all worked. We even made some one use wrenches from steel plate. Five years later it shows far more than on use.

Truth is we leaned harder on the better stuff and used the lessor as backup wrenches but despite major random abuse it all survives today still working.

Proto and Williams were our top notch but when needed the old railroad wrenches took on the same tasks.

Don't be afraid of those dreaded 'lobster claw' wrenches in the big sizes. When space permitted we laid into them equally and sheared bolts without any wrench failures.

 

[disston]

I think the largest wrench I ever needed on a car was 1 1/8 for the steering box pinion nut. Had one. Then I needed a 1 1/2 wrench for the transmission mount on my boat and didn't have one. I collected 1 1/2 wrenches for a few years after that. I have a Snap On slugger wrench, a Bonney 4 way and several other combination wrenches. Sold the boat. Don't know when I may ever need something this big again.

For most of us the largest stuff is in front ends of vehicles. I have bunches of assorted old stuff and I might have it but I don't see myself spending any more money on large wrenches. Those big nuts and bolts usually mean hard work and I'm a little beyond my hard work days.

Those guys who use this stuff all the time know what they are doing. Some farmers would know too. Not really the average home repair or shadetree mechanic item.

 

[Al Borland]

Using concrete core machines, I broke a ton of wrenches on stuck bits. Cheap wrenches were safer, as they would "give" and fail slowly. The Expen$ive wrenches typically failed suddenly, violently. I would rather haave a little warning. Now, if the new guy was getting the bit loose...sudden failures were extra funny.

 

[VWTim]

We use a mix in industrial settings. Our guys provide up to 1-1/4" and the company buys bigger. The higher end wrenches have better fit and finish and are typically lighter. We have a mix of Proto, Armstrong, Stanley, and a few Pittsburg thrown in. They typically get lost or stolen before they break.

Our pipe guys like Proto and Armstrong for the ones they buy for themselves.

 

[metaldad]

i really like the beams of the larger wright wrenches.
very comfy

 

[OutsideMachinist]

Same thing as any size wrench. Most of the time you can get by with the cheaper ones. Sometimes you cant. They are thicker in the wrong places. Like the boxed end and open end being too thick or too wide. Causes access issues.

The open ends will spread much easier on cheaper wrenches. If you need to hit the wrench with a hammer or abuse it in any way putting a strap or sling on it it wont hold up as well. Cheap wrenches have a lot of spring and flex to them. Some to the point you can almost flex them by hand haha. Thats what you get with pot metal/pig iron wrenches.

Still have some hf/northern tool I use fairly often. The same rules that apply to smaller wrenches still apply to bigger ones.

 

[ssdave]

My dad had Craftsman wrenches up to about 1", in a set he bought in the 60's. When we kept getting larger and larger equipment, he had to buy some bigger stuff, and typically he didn't want to pay for it, so he ended up with import wrenches. My memories of that stuff were sloppy fit, open ends that spread, and beams that bent or twisted/warped under load. But, most of the time they got the job done. We used the torch a lot to heat up bolts to get them to break loose. Otherwise, they would round off and smear the nuts/bolt heads.

In my own tools, I don't use big stuff a lot. By the time I got to buying bigger stuff, I had replaced my cheaper tools with Proto wrenches up to 1 5/16", and Proto sockets up to 1 1/4". I just continued buying Proto, up to 2 inches as I could afford to or could find them discounted a bit. The great thing about that is I have never experienced any of the difficulties using them that I remember with my dads cheap stuff. There is an incredible difference between the Proto and the stuff my dad had.

The import stuff today might be magically better than those 60's and 70's wrenches my dad had. I'm not interested in testing that theory myself.

 

[Coach James]

I know several farmers that use 1.5" and larger on their equipment on a regular basis. Most have import wrenches from HF or Agri-Supply. They seem to be satisfied with them. I don't think any magic is involved, just better QC and all around better quality today than 40 years ago.

Coach

 

[bobcatdan]

While yes, there is enough beef to an imported big wrenches not to break one, compare to any USA made wrench of the same size and it's a toothpick compared to a popsicle stick. A lot more heft and length on a USA made wrench. It's nice to have a cheap set to cut and bend. One other thing I have found with the cheap ones, the tolerance is poor. My cheap 1 3/8" is oversized enough to fit 36mm which is much closer to 1 7/16".

 

[dutchgray]

I only have decent ones, the good Euro brands, buy them used when I see them cheap, have very little need though. 2" for gland nuts on our heating pumps is probably the most common use, most use pump pliers but you can't beat a wrench when they are stuck. One day I might find enough for a complete set, got common metric sizes covered to 50mm and some inch sizes.

 

[bigredmf]

I needed up to 2.5" for a large industrial plumbing project in the mid 90's.

Boss wanted HF, I wanted Craftsman but agreed to look at both. The HF at the time was by far the better wrench when it came to fit and finish. They were 80% cheaper and are still being used today.

Red


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[Danglerb]

Cripe dist had a big sale a few years ago and I think it has free shipping over some amount, so I went a bit nuts and bought combo wrenches up to 44mm, mostly Allen, Napa, some Gearwrench and others. Someday I might use the 27mm ratcheting wrench as it fits my crank bolt.

I've seen several sets of the jumbo wrenches in the HF clearance section missing one or more wrenches, so somebody is breaking them. I'd suggest the usual HF practice, test them out soon after buying, don't wait until you need it, then just return the junk until you get a good one.

 

[tonyciambrone]

I agree with what most others have said. If you dont think theres a difference between any standard wrenches, there's no difference in the big ones either.

I have a set of U.S.A Allen brand from 22-32mm and they have worked well so far. used them for an aftermarket oil cooler and my subaru's block heater. They seem very strong but most of what I was doing is under 50ft-lbs anyway. If youre dealing with fasteners that big that hold load I bet you could feel or notice a difference.

 

[jakemac]

There may be only minor differences in performance between the brands, but the biggest difference I see between quality and lesser quality or no-name brands is in the resale value.

If you think of your tools as an investment or retirement plan, than you might want to go with a well known quality brand.

If you don't care about the estate value of your tools then it won't matter what brand you buy as long as it gets the job done.

If you need large sizes for work on a daily basis, then you might want to go with higher quality for longevity.

 

[kythri]

With perhaps the exception of real estate, making purchasing decisions based on resale value is such a bad idea.

 

[SCscoutguy]

I know several farmers that use 1.5" and larger on their equipment on a regular basis. Most have import wrenches from HF or Agri-Supply. They seem to be satisfied with them. I don't think any magic is involved, just better QC and all around better quality today than 40 years ago.

Coach

Same for us here in SC. Most of the farmers I know just go to Agri-Supply and buy whatever large import wrench they need. I have never heard of anyone breaking one. I don't have an entire set of very large wrenches but when the occasion arises that I do need something larger than say 36mm I will just run down to Agri-Supply and pay $10 or less for the individual wrench I need instead of buying an entire large set.
http://www.agrisupply.com/

 

[cliftonbros89]

My Matco guy sells a lot of larger Sunex wrenches. Especially for guys with service trucks. He said he sells quite a few of them and all the guys like them. Claimed he's never have to warranty one either.

 

[Strouty]

I don't consider a wrench big until after 1 1/4" those are standard size in my wrench rolls. As for brand, I love my snap on wrenches, but I still use my cheapo ones for most field work. I have broken a few, never without using some sort of persuasion. I would say it all depends on what you are using the wrench for. If I used them everyday and counted on them, I would probably be inclined to buy a set of USA made Williams or go with Wrights. One thing I have found is that I have not run across a need for large metric wrenches yet, I can't wait until I have to start buying those.

 

[WittHay]

There is a difference among big wrenches. Where you notice it the most is on hydraulic fittings. The higher quality wrenches fit better, are longer for more leverage and when the wrench doesn't budge you grab a 4 lb. hammer and use some gentle persuasion on the end of the wrench.

My favorite is a Vulcan 1 1/4" combination. Looks like a Snap-on but longer and has a satin finish instead of chrome.

 

[Ed_EOD]

My favorite wrench...

 

[Strouty]

When I my Snap On driver swapped out some old wrenches due to chrome peeling, the new ones were shorter.

 

[WittHay]

That's strange that the new Snap-on's are shorter.

I had Canadian made Snap-on wrenches from the 80's and they were shorter than the US made ones from the 90's. For me they were the perfect length in sizes from 5/16" to 1"

 

[Strouty]

I can't remember how many were shorter, but there were a few of them. These were all bigger than 1", not sure about older ones shorter than that.

 

[jakemac]

That's why I prefer the old Williams wrenches to the SnapOn/Williams wrenches. SnapOn raised the price, but shortened the wrenches. In the large sizes it can be up to 2-1/2" shorter once you get into the 2" sizes. Less leverage.

 

[Strouty]

I don't think I saw any of mine that were that shorter, but it was enough that I thought about not swapping them out. I was tired of having to wear gloves or get chrome cuts on my hands.

 

[shockwave]

Look at old Bonney made matco wrenches they come up on eBay from time to time but there rounded beam is very comfortable on the big wrenches snap on can be sharp on there beams

 

[Sycan]

There is alot more steel in the snap on compared to the cheap big wrench. I never broke a cheapy, but the peeling chrome was getting dangerous. Here is a comparison pic of the 1 1/2" and the 2" wrench. Over I believe 1 5/8 they aren't polished, snap on dealer said that was because they know that hammers and cheaters are almost a given up in those sizes

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[Sycan]

This year it was give to the IRS or invest in wrenches!

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[senlow]

My favorite wrench...

Oooo... it's an itty bitty King ****.

 

[WWheeler]

With perhaps the exception of real estate, making purchasing decisions based on resale value is such a bad idea.

Could not disagree more. Brands/models that tend to have a higher resale value is usually a direct reflection of superior quality, higher levels of owner satisfaction, and that is what translates into the trust and willingness of people to pay more for that model/brand even after it has been used.

There's good reason truck brand tools, even beat up used ones, routinely sell for upwards of 70% of their new price while the same HF and similar budget tools sell for ~25% of their new cost if the seller is lucky. Usually it just goes to the dump when someone is done with it.

If you don't like to throw money away on disposable one-time-use tools and would rather to have a tool that you will be happy with for the long haul, then considering the resale value is a good thing to factor in before making a purchase.

Same principle can be said for cars/trucks/rvs/motorcycles/appliances/etc, anything really. Just because you're not likely at all to be able to turn a profit on something like you can on real estate, or even if you know that you are never ever going to sell it, doesn't mean it's not an investment. Every dollar spent on anything is an investment.

 

[jakemac]

With perhaps the exception of real estate, making purchasing decisions based on resale value is such a bad idea.

I was thinking more along the lines of the value of the tools to your family once you're gone. How much can they sell them for to pay the bills ?

Once I'm gone, my sister will be left with my debt, with nothing in my bank account to pay it off. However, if she sells my tools (and other things) smartly, she should have a small windfall to squirrel away for a rainy day. My (small) fortune is all ******* in rusty gold.
(OK, maybe tarnished copper, but even that has value)

 

[Coach James]

There is alot more steel in the snap on compared to the cheap big wrench. I never broke a cheapy, but the peeling chrome was getting dangerous. Here is a comparison pic of the 1 1/2" and the 2" wrench. Over I believe 1 5/8 they aren't polished, snap on dealer said that was because they know that hammers and cheaters are almost a given up in those sizes

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Is the Snap On thicker because it is lower quality steel?




Coach