Best Combination Wrenches?

[Fender1325]

I have not had a wright in person no. Maybe its the lighting but the edge of the open end looks rounded in comparison to the snap on which looks sharper. Those are the things that annoy me when looking at cheap wrenches like kobalt. Its covered in gobs of chrome plating which hurts the detail of the edges where it mates to the fastner (speaking of cheap wrenches in general there not specifically wright)

 

[Fender1325]

I highlighted the sections I'm referring to in red.

That section on the wright looks rounded over - maybe its just a strange reflection in the original photo making it look like theres 2 edges

 

[n8n]

Wright has the best chrome out there. Have you actually seen one of their wrenches in person?

I'd like to see a polished Wright wrench next to a SK SuperKrome. Only Wrights I have are unpolished... SK's chrome is very, very good.

 

[Fender1325]

Heres a picture of my craftsman 1/2" edge I was talking about earlier. Theyre not even a year old yet.

 

[Fender1325]

Honestly, I dont understand the point of polished chrome plating. My father in law also really prefers it. The only things I can think of is visibility and smoother feel in your hand. Why dont they make some out of black cast iron? I realize the visibility would be a problem, but is cast iron just too brittle or something? Always seems like those old heavy cast iron tools are the ones that last generations. Just curious.

 

[4xdog]

here a combination wrench test:
http://wiesemann.eu/_UPLOAD/files/Oldtimermarkt.pdf

That's a pretty impressive wrench report, Monte -- thanks for the link.

German enthusiast magazines do great tests -- heavy on real data, which always is better than an opinion-fest.

I can only figure the barrier of it being written in German is the reason it didn't create a few more comments here, if you know what I mean (smile).

 

[FMC1959]

Davefr, I agree with you and several posters, but I think this was all about nothing. The OP sounds like he had his mind made up from the outset. (isn't there a term for this )

 

[Fender1325]

<---mind still not made up.

With the uneasy feeling I get from Snap On in regards to their warranty selectiveness the only sure thing I have eliminated is buying Snap on brand new. If I still decide theyre the best I'll look for used.

All I want is a wrench with crisp tooling, accurate sizing, and lasts.

The more I look at my chinese wrenches now after comparing so many brands, theyre tooling is pretty bad. But at the same time, I got an SAE and Metric set for 70 bucks with a lifetime no questions asked warranty.

 

[T45]

Heres another take on the snap on vs wright pic

 

[Davefr]

OK here are some more images but it's really tough to capture accurate images of polished chrome due to all the reflections.


SO is on the left and Wright is on the right. SO has a sharper transition from the surface to the open end. Wright has a very slight radius that increases slightly from the back to the open end. I would think Wright's implementation would minimize the chance of chrome flaking getting started in this vulnerable area.

Now here we have Wright (left), SK (middle), and SO (right). Notice that the chrome finish in the Wright is has a brilliant/mirror finish. The SK chrome has a slight orange peel look as does the SO wrench. Ignore the scratches. These wrenches have been known to actually turn some bolts.

When held in the hand, the Wright feels the best. (a tad thicker and more rounded in the beam)

IMHO all this comparing is a bunch of BS. The bolts probably won't care.

Here's a closeup of SO:

And here's SK. (better chrome then SO but not as good as Wright):

And here's Wright:

 

[T45]

Those are nice pics. Its a PITA taking good shots of shiny chrome on a digicam, so appreciate the effort. One issue is that they are all different sizes, so it's a touch hard to compare the shapes, etc. The snap-on is way-slimmer but it is basically a 17.4mm whilst the others are 18.0 and 19.0mm respectively.

On the issue of chrome, this is sort of a red herring. Its a non-issue unless there are chrome problems. Chrome itself is very soft and in terms of rockwell hardness and fit/feel it is best to avoid using chrome plating. If you need to use it, its better to have a better prepped surface with a thin-plate than a rough surface plastered over in chrom to make it smooth. The only practical issue is when the plating is so thick the tolerances or feel is lost, or so thing it loses its ability to prevent corrosion.

I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that any of those issues plague SK, Wright, or Snap on. But chrome is an imperfect batch-process and you can get one copy of any maker that is not up to par.

Here is a comparison pic on the shapes I worked on, but as you can see the lack of comparable sizes throws off the usefullness.

 

[shockwave]

i like the satin finish wrenches the best they still grip with oil up hands

but at the end of the day its how the wrench feels in your hand the shiney chrome is not that important to me more function

now cornwell makes some very nice wrenches i would like to see them compare to the wright wrenches aswell

 

[T45]

OP is you are interested in objective data, I would take a look at Monte's thread on 13mm wrenches ... its sort of a survey with lots of shapes and uncommon brands...


I'd also look at the 13mm wrench test thread, which has uncomon data on things like hardness of tool steel and issues about plating.

Survey Thread
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=258941

Test Thread
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=201468&showall=1

If you are interested in something that is not chrom plated, the best wrenches you can buy in this configuration are almost certainly Snap On black-oxide variants of the popular flank drive models.

They have part numbers GOEXM GOEX, the G is for government contract use. I believe hese were designed for FOD applications in aviation and the military. And provavly also to avoid issues about paying extra for "fancy" chrome plating on the tax-payers dime.

 

[n8n]

Honestly, I dont understand the point of polished chrome plating. My father in law also really prefers it. The only things I can think of is visibility and smoother feel in your hand. Why dont they make some out of black cast iron? I realize the visibility would be a problem, but is cast iron just too brittle or something? Always seems like those old heavy cast iron tools are the ones that last generations. Just curious.

Re: the chrome, it's personal preference. A lot of it is probably appearance. Also, polished wrenches are easy to wipe down and keep looking nice in an environment where they're likely to get greasy and oily. However, satin finish tools may offer a little more hand grip, so you win some, you lose some. Snap-On and SK only offer polished today, however many manufacturers (and we've been talking about Wright a lot in this thread) offer their wrenches both ways, for those who want a high quality wrench but prefer the feel of a satin finish on the beams.

Cast iron, well, yes, it's way too brittle and at the same time soft to use for things like wrenches. You definitely want forged steel, otherwise your tools would end up deforming and then cracking in short order under heavy use. Now there are "industrial finish" tools that use a black oxide or other coating rather than chrome plating, those are options for those who just don't care about shininess. However I don't like them for sockets as traditionally Cr-V hand sockets are chromed and Cr-Mo impacts are black oxide, mixing in hand sockets with an impact-appearing finish is asking for shatterlarity.

 

[n8n]

<---mind still not made up.

With the uneasy feeling I get from Snap On in regards to their warranty selectiveness the only sure thing I have eliminated is buying Snap on brand new. If I still decide theyre the best I'll look for used.

All I want is a wrench with crisp tooling, accurate sizing, and lasts.

The more I look at my chinese wrenches now after comparing so many brands, theyre tooling is pretty bad. But at the same time, I got an SAE and Metric set for 70 bucks with a lifetime no questions asked warranty.

re: crisp tooling, I wouldn't hold that perceived lack of crispness against Wright vs. SO. Yes, the SO has sharp edges while the Wright has a little tiny bit more radius, but that isn't where it matters, other than appearance. What matters is the strength of the alloy, and also the dimensional accuracy to spec of the AF distance and parallel-ness thereof. I don't have two same size Wright and SO wrenches to compare, but I'd be willing to wager that they're close enough to make no never mind.

Now the thinness of a SO wrench may be important to a specific application, or it may be a hindrance as you're looking for ultimate strength, but as the videos show either will snap a Gr8 bolt without permanent damage/deformation, how much more do you want? Even SO wrenches may be too thick for some applications, I have a set of Heyco DOEs for e.g. holding caliper pins on GM truck rear brakes. There's a reason some of us are tool whores

 

[tbaggz]

don't forget that Wright's have less bend on the box end.like 10° vs Snap On's 15°.

 

[merbie]

Haha we are all so nerdy I love it

I'd rather close my **** in a car door than wear a headlamp.

 

[ER70S-2]

Do any of you guys dislike the serrations on wrenches? A lot of the nuts and bolts I work with are plated. I wouldn't want to mar the plating which will make them ugly and more prone to rusting. Is this even an issue or am I over thinking it? I need a nice set of combinations and don't know if I should go with serrations or not.

 

[Fender1325]

ER70S-2 Id imagine you're correct, and would avoid those serrations for your application. I think those wrenches are for removing really stubborn old bolts.

 

[CNGsaves]

Here's a picture of my craftsman 1/2" edge I was talking about earlier. They're not even a year old yet.

<---mind still not made up.

With the uneasy feeling I get from Snap On in regards to their warranty selectiveness the only sure thing I have eliminated is buying Snap on brand new. If I still decide theyre the best I'll look for used.

All I want is a wrench with crisp tooling, accurate sizing, and lasts.

The more I look at my chinese wrenches now after comparing so many brands, they're tooling is pretty bad. But at the same time, I got an SAE and Metric set for 70 bucks with a lifetime no questions asked warranty.

Not sure what you're expecting OP. Sounds you bought your very first set of tools ever . . . .
. . . Chinese Craftsman a year ago. Now a year later you have a little nick in one. What's the problem??

How old are you?? Will be your 2nd set of wrenches EVER ??

What is BUDGET you'll really spend on these wrenches. Now a days plain set of combination wrenches are almost outdated. This jibber jabber about how bad Kobalts are, how bad chrome is on Wright . . That you're not sure SK is good enough ??. . . Really??

You want top tier wrenches then you pay $700 for SnapOn that is 10 times more than your C-Man chinese set. You want something in middle, then pay that. You want excellent at low price, then you WORK at hawking CL night and day and finding a bargain. Attend each and every garage/estate sale in your area and find a tool roll for $50 with SK wrenches from 70's. That's how the entire GJ Garage Sale thread is full of scores/You ***** where GJer's have hit the street and found bargains.

 

[lynnbilodeau]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Snap-On-Too...ViewItem&hash=item3a9fc30187&pt=US_Hand_Tools

or if you want similar quality with a few more big wrenches (15/16 through 1.25) go with Wright

http://www.toolbarn.com/wright-915.html

You will not likely ever be let down by either.

I have had a few Wright wrenches, and many Snap on wrenches. The debate will never be settled. There are personal preferences.

I saw a post earlier saying Snap on and Mac were the best. That is his opinion. But I have a bent Mac wrench that proves to me the Snap on is the better product. I posted comparison pics in an old thread. The 9/16 box end of the Mac bent trying to take a differential drain plug out of an antique Mercedes. After it bent, I used the Snap on and removed the plug without bending the wrench.

 

[Fender1325]

CNGSaves what's with the attitude?

I never made a single comment regarding SK wrenches. Yes Kobalt wrenches ARE garbage - when looking at 2 packs of the same set there were obvious, notable variances in the tooling. They're cheap, so it is what it is.

I am 29 years old. I always lived near my parents which allowed me to use my Dad's craftsman wrenches when needed. I have since moved away, and acquired a 1950 Cadillac I'm rebuilding. I needed wrenches and was always fine with Dad's original craftsman. As I've come to learn along with others, it's not the same. The nick in the edge of my 1/2 along with others from the set proves the metal is soft. The point being that they're not holding up as well as Id like and they're only a year old.

Yes, I'm entitled to my opinion. The wrights look heavy on the chrome plating to me and the snap ons look to have better detail and less bulk.

I want to invest in a quality set and am merely educating myself on the pro's and cons of brands I don't have experience with.

That is after all, the point of this forum, is it not?

 

[CNGsaves]

Sorry if sounded like "attitude" but seems like your expectations are unrealistic. Cheap chinese tools will get a mark. Mis-use of chinese tools will produce broken chinese tools !!

Surely you saw all the deals last year as USA made Craftsman raised panel combo wrench sets were dirt cheap. I picked up 26 piece Made In USA Craftsman set for $39 last year. They're nice set to throw in truck and have available if needed.

Too slow grabbing that deal got you $39 chinese lobster claw Craftsman RP's, but still dirt cheap. Looks like that's what you got, or a smaller set.

If you have no tools of your own, the Kobalt 300 piece at Lowes for $129 (was even lower around Christmas for $100 or so) is hard to beat.

Really no need to nitpick to death all the middle and high quality wrench sets if you don't plan on spending anything over $100 anyway (. . . and expecting both SAE and metric sets for that price).

What's your budget??
You plan on spending $100 . . .$200 . . . $400 . . . $800 ??
Want to buy both SAE & metric . . What sizes??
Without a gameplan, this is somewhat a goosechase.

 

[Fender1325]

American made craftsman for $39? Thats impressive. To the best of my knowledge the only USA Made craftsman are the industrial line, and MAYBE the pro? My set was something like 20+ wrenches of SAE and metric for $70.

I realize thats still a lot of bang for the buck but I want to buy something Im going to be really happy with and not need to upgrade.

Im okay with spending $300-$350 for a set of snap ons and supplement with the craftsman until I build out the set over time.

The cadillac takes just SAE anyhow. I could damn near take apart the whole car with about 3 wrenches. Back then they didnt have a different sized nut for everything. Radiator, fan, waterpump, fuel pump, intake manifold, gas tank, carburetor - they all come out with like a 1/2 or 9/16.

Although Im not happy with some reports of warranty refusal with snap on - I have a good feeling they'd be the last set of wrenches Id ever buy.

 

[CNGsaves]

You're not going to need "warranty" for SnapOn anyway using them DIY, no need to even worry about that.

Why not just buy these used SnapOn combo wrenches (SAE short combo) from fellow GJer and see whether you like Snappy's or not ?? For $65 it would get you started.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=276081

 

[expfcwintergreen]

To the OP: since you said 1/2 and 9/16 were two of your most used sizes, why don't you order one in SO Flank Drive Plus and the other in WrightGrip from their web sites. Unless SO has a sale going on, their is no cost benefit from buying a set of wrenches to buying them individually. If you order from the SO website, they will have a record of your order, and their lifetime warranty does cover manufacturing defects but not abuse or normal wear. SO also has free shipping on orders of less than $500. I have never needed to warranty anything from SO but only use them for what they were intended and don't loan them to other people. I don't have any WrightGrip wrenches but plan to try them. woodstockva has an excellent video on youtube comparing WrightGrip to regular length Craftsman and SK and another comparing them to SO FDP.

 

[Kirbot]

To the OP: since you said 1/2 and 9/16 were two of your most used sizes, why don't you order one in SO Flank Drive Plus and the other in WrightGrip from their web sites.

That sounds like some solid advise.


To the OP
If you're looking for a way to justify the Snapon, stop looking and just buy them already. In that case it's like trying to talk somebody out of thinking they "need" Rolex.

Just so long as you REALIZE you're going way overboard.

Wright and Snapon are generally regarded as the "best" combination wrenches around here. But I don't honestly see how you could go wrong with anything from Matco, Mac, Cornwell, Proto, Blackhawk, Armstrong, SK, or any of the other "premium" brands.

I have a Blackhawk USA set, satin finish, from 3/8 to 15/16, that cost me $40 used. And I'd be really surprised if they don't last a lifetime.

A wrench is a much simpler tool than some people will let on....

 

[n8n]

Do any of you guys dislike the serrations on wrenches? A lot of the nuts and bolts I work with are plated. I wouldn't want to mar the plating which will make them ugly and more prone to rusting. Is this even an issue or am I over thinking it? I need a nice set of combinations and don't know if I should go with serrations or not.

I would not in your case. Probably SK would be my recommendation in your situation, but there are plenty of other good choices as well without the serrations. WrightGrip/FDP are more designed for "non-cosmetic" apps where ultimate strength and being able to remove old fasteners without having to resort to drilling, turbo sockets, etc. is important.

 

[n8n]

You want excellent at low price, then you WORK at hawking CL night and day and finding a bargain. Attend each and every garage/estate sale in your area and find a tool roll for $50 with SK wrenches from 70's. That's how the entire GJ Garage Sale thread is full of scores/You ***** where GJer's have hit the street and found bargains.

It's like you know me

 

[n8n]

To the OP: since you said 1/2 and 9/16 were two of your most used sizes, why don't you order one in SO Flank Drive Plus and the other in WrightGrip from their web sites. Unless SO has a sale going on, their is no cost benefit from buying a set of wrenches to buying them individually. If you order from the SO website, they will have a record of your order, and their lifetime warranty does cover manufacturing defects but not abuse or normal wear. SO also has free shipping on orders of less than $500. I have never needed to warranty anything from SO but only use them for what they were intended and don't loan them to other people. I don't have any WrightGrip wrenches but plan to try them. woodstockva has an excellent video on youtube comparing WrightGrip to regular length Craftsman and SK and another comparing them to SO FDP.

This is really good advice.

Might as well order an 11/32" SK as well to try another brand; you'll need it anyway if you settle on Wright as their sets include neither 9/32" or 11/32" (my one peeve with their product.) You'll find that a very common size if you have to work on the car's electricals much, it's the size of a #8 SAE hex nut. Most of the time I'd use sockets or nutdrivers but there are times where you just need a wrench.

 

[Fender1325]

I think thats good advice guys. I'll let you know.

 

[Fender1325]

I wonder which to get - the flank drive (smooth open end) or flank drive plus (open end with teeth). Ive already broken many of the rusty bolts and replaced hardware. It will never be a show car, but I also wouldnt want to chew up the nuts so Im leaning towards the smooth end myself unless you guys have suggestions.

 

[AV tinker er]

I love my Proto ASD combos. They have worked great on every rusty bolt I have used them on.

Ditto. I got a set, 10-24mm off eBay for about $ 150 shipped. Brand new. Fantastic wrenches. Mine are satin finish. I don't care if they look dirty, they work great.

 

[John in OH]

......
To the OP
If you're looking for a way to justify the Snapon, stop looking and just buy them already. In that case it's like trying to talk somebody out of thinking they "need" Rolex.

Just so long as you REALIZE you're going way overboard.

Wright and Snapon are generally regarded as the "best" combination wrenches around here. But I don't honestly see how you could go wrong with anything from Matco, Mac, Cornwell, Proto, Blackhawk, Armstrong, SK, or any of the other "premium" brands......

Kirbot is absolutely correct.

If you are a non-professional and willing to spend the inflated price for Snap-On, then go ahead and do so. But, don't delude yourself by thinking you are buying the sole "best" combo wrench on the market. You are buying Snap-On because you want Snap-On and not because you are making a sound economic wrench decision.

I'm a Wright fan, but ANY of the other premium brands should last a non-pro their lifetime.

Also, as a non-pro, don't get hung up on the warranty topic. I've said this before here on GJ, I'm a non-pro, 64 years old, usually don't abuse my tools, and work mainly on farm equipment. In all those years I can probably count on one hand the number of tools I've broken in non-abuse situations. And I've NEVER broken or spread or otherwise damaged a premium brand Wright, Proto, or Armstrong combo wrench. People sweat this warranty issue way too much!!

 

[Davefr]

I wonder which to get - the flank drive (smooth open end) or flank drive plus (open end with teeth). Ive already broken many of the rusty bolts and replaced hardware. It will never be a show car, but I also wouldnt want to chew up the nuts so Im leaning towards the smooth end myself unless you guys have suggestions.

Why would you use the open end to remove rusty bolts? I'd start with the closed end and preferable 6 point.

All this discussion on the open end is almost pointless. 95% of the time I use the closed end. It's nice to have the serrated open end but how often is it really going to be used?

 

[n8n]

I wonder which to get - the flank drive (smooth open end) or flank drive plus (open end with teeth). Ive already broken many of the rusty bolts and replaced hardware. It will never be a show car, but I also wouldnt want to chew up the nuts so Im leaning towards the smooth end myself unless you guys have suggestions.

I'd get the FDP or WrightGrip. For fine work you don't want to mar, that would imply the fasteners won't require excessive force and the cmans you already have are more than adequate. But if you want good smooth wrenches my pick is SK but there are plenty of good options in that category.

Sent from my XT897 using Tapatalk

 

[Fender1325]

There are several places on the cadillac that only an open end would fit when taking things apart - for example the carburetor bolts. There simply isn't room for the box end.

Its kind of funny I need to defend wanting to go with snap on. Hell Im just buying one to see what I think anyhow.

Its also like arguing that pro's could get by with craftsman. I believe they could if they needed to. In most situations where theres high torque applied/needed a socket and breaker bar, or the box end of a wrench will fit.

 

[n8n]

There are several places on the cadillac that only an open end would fit when taking things apart - for example the carburetor bolts. There simply isn't room for the box end.

Its kind of funny I need to defend wanting to go with snap on. Hell Im just buying one to see what I think anyhow.

Its also like arguing that pro's could get by with craftsman. I believe they could if they needed to. In most situations where theres high torque applied/needed a socket and breaker bar, or the box end of a wrench will fit.

You're absolutely right. You can do lots of good work with Craftsman wrenches, but I agree with you that it is just nice to have really good tools. If they save you from one trip to the machine shop you've got your money's worth out of them. And if you just *like* the look and feel of Snap-On over Wright, and have the money to pay for them, then why shouldn't you get what you want?

Sent from my XT897 using Tapatalk

 

[Scimmia]

Its kind of funny I need to defend wanting to go with snap on. Hell Im just buying one to see what I think anyhow.

You're only defending it because you came in with your mind made up. You didn't want other opinions, you wanted other people to affirm your opinion.

If you want Snap-On, buy Snap-On. No need for defending your decision and no need to waste the forum's bandwidth.

 

[Fender1325]

Read the entire thread. I came in asking a question. I never even heard of flank drive or wrightgrip wrenches. Had no idea about cost or anything. I just wanted to know the best. I looked at the up close pictures that were posted and preferred the snap on throughout. Nothing more nothing less.

This thread has exhausted itself thoroughly.

I approached this fully objectively and thats it. The wright wrenches look bulkier with more chrome plating to me. End of story. Carry on with your lives!

To those of you who provided objective information, and aspects to consider I THANK YOU!