Crowfoot or angle wrenches????

[ssentt]

Got a few bucks from X-mas burning a hole in my pocket. Thinking maybe crowfoot wrench set or angle wrench set. I have a few sae crowfoots and have used them occasionally....just not sure what I would get the most use out of. Looks like angle sets in the 60 & 30 degree config are kinda limited who makes them. Not looking to spend snap on prices. Like to get both but funds are limited.
Any opinions?

 

[mds47588]

All depends on the sort of work ya do, how often do ya "need" 'em to justify the price...etc.

Example, I'm an airplane mechanic and could probably justify having both sets, but I don't have angle wrenches in my collection (yet), but I do get more than enough use from the crowsfoot wrenches to justify the cost.

For someone who works on vehicles the angle wrenches could be money well spent.

My two cents worth and opinion only.

 

[Highlux]

My crowsfeet never get used. What do you use them for?

 

[Tarheelgarage]

Use crowfoots on trans and ps hard line fittings where a regular flare nut wrench cannot gain access.

 

[Dirty Diesels]

Use crowfoots on trans and ps hard line fittings where a regular flare nut wrench cannot gain access.

Same here, use them on Abs & brake master cylinder lines where you cannot get in

 

[stage20]

I've got them all and only used one, one time on a trans line.

 

[Rico.]

Between Crowsfoot and angle spanners I would go for the crowsfoot first.

They are much more flexible as you can use them with extensions or without and
if you use them with a small head ratchet you can index them to almost any angle
rather than being stuck with either 30* or 60* of angle spanners. The only negative
is the profile will be bigger than the spanners...

So with only one negative and a load of positives, my money goes with the crosfoot.

 

[Plombob]

I have both and never use the angle wrenches. I use crows feet often.

 

[gtermini]

Get 6 pt flare-nut crowsfoots if you get them.

Greyson

 

[devoncoolman]

Flare crows and open crows for hard to reach brake lines, ps lines, ac lines, and trans/oil cooler lines. 30/60 angle wrenchs i mainly use for hydraulic lines and ps hoses. But have other good uses because the are a little shorter then a regular wrench but longer then a stubby. Honestly if you can afford the snapon 30/60 angle wrenches then dont bother. Get the open crows feet.

 

[RaptorDuner]

6 pt crowsfeet wouldn't work 90% of the time for me. I use both too often (sometimes at the same time) to choose for work. At home, I would go with the crowsfeet. I can turn cheap wrenches into angle wrenches in a pinch if needed.

 

[ssentt]

Get 6 pt flare-nut crowsfoots if you get them.

Greyson

I see northern tools has the flarenut versions....dirt cheap,,,,probably dirt cheap quality too. IDK

Menards has their version masterforce....american made,,,,Danaher/Apex I suppose. Not 6pt though.

Any suggestions on brand?

 

[619DioFan]

I have never needed angle wrenches but us my crows feet all the time. I have metric and sae standard crows feet from craftsman and husky and the flare nut style ( metric and sae ) from northern tool. BTW - I have a decent quantity of wrenches and sockets in the northern tool brand and I feel they are very good quality ( much better than HF ) it is a shame that northern tool is phasing out the house brand and going with the more expensive KLUTCH line of hand tools. haven't heard how the klutch line compares in quality.

 

[atwageman]

I've got crowsfeet in both regular and flare nut style SAE and Metric. The metrics see somewhat regular use. I do own a metric Tekton set of 30/60 wrenches. Rarely reach for those, as such I didn't feel like spending SO money.

When it comes to crowsfeet, I learned many years ago not to cheap out. Especially the flare nut stuff.

Cripes not long ago had some NOS USA Allen crowsfeet sets in both metric and SAE. Prices were good. I picked up a set of each as a back up to my SO and MAC.

 

[johninct]

I have both and use my angle wrenches a lot more. I don't know how I lived with out the angle wrenches. It saves me by not having to take everything apart to get the job done. Also, sometimes you need 2 open end wrenches on a bolt and nut and the angle wrenches can work there too.

 

[zakmartin]

A good set of crowfoot wrenches and some wobble extensions in various sizes can be worth their weight in gold, especially in the tight spaces of the engine bays you've seen rolling off the line over the past 10 years or so.

 

[Deadhead]

I look at this two ways... ok more than that but here is what I mean.

These are tools that most of us, who do it professionally for a living, dont use them everyday. I have just about all of them listed in both Std and Metric. I have both the flare and open style in 3/8 drive that gets me up to 1" and 21mm.
I use the flared ones a whole lot more than I use the open ones, probably ten to one.
Then I have 1/2" drive, open style, that gets me up to 2 1/2" in Std and 50mm in Metric. Might use them once a month, but then you will get that one job in you will use multiple sizes for a couple of days straight so it varies.

I have a cheap set of angle wrenches in both Std. and Metric up to 1 1/4 and 24 or 27mm I cant remember exactly.

If this is for a home box, I would get onto something like Northern Tool and get what you need there because you will not be using them everyday and there is no sense in dropping several hundred dollars to buy something that you will not get the full benefit out of. For a 100 bucks you could get quite a bit of stuff on the list above.

If you are going with the good stuff, I would start with the flare style crowsfeet in 3/8" drive.

 

[PowderKeg]

If I ever have to call a mulligan, I'd go for flarenut crowfoots first, open crowfoots second, and angle wrenches last, assuming I had replaced the hex and torx sockets before these.

 

[Plombob]

If I ever have to call a mulligan, I'd go for flarenut crowfoots first, open crowfoots second, and angle wrenches last, assuming I had replaced the hex and torx sockets before these.

I agree. Flarenut crowsfeet get used most often.

 

[davesnothere]

i just used a flare nut crowsfoot and an angle wrench on the same brake lines, replacing wheel cylinders yesterday. i needed the crowsfoot. i used the crowsfoot for breaking the lines loose, and snugging them up. i used the angle wrench as opposed to a regular combo wrench, well, for the multiple angles. i couldve gotten by with a combo wrench, but damn was that crowsfoot socket handy for the important parts.

i vote crowsfeet.

and i vote snapon.
when it comes to flare nut wrenches/crowsfeet, theyre worth it.