Does anyone use line wrenches that AREN'T Snap On?

[eschoendorff]

Okay, there is a lot of tool-brand loyalty out there. Some of it is well deserved and the rest of it can be argued. But the strongest argument for Snap On comes with flare wrenches (line wrenches) and people will swear up and down that if you are not using Snap On, that you will surely round off nuts, loose your hair and remain infertile for the rest of your natural life.

I do not own any Snap On line wrenches. In fact, I own the Craftsman Professional and have used them with 100% success so far. So, are there any others that feel strongly about line wrenches that aren't Snap On????

Discuss....

 

[iiibdsiil]

I'll tell ya one thing, the Snap-on ones work great

In all honesty, I use them so little. Probably one of the biggest wastes of money in my box. Although, I did use a cheap set once that expanded and wouldn't do it's job. It was probably made in China though.

 

[kblazer87]

I have both Craftsman regular and a set of SK full polish that I like and use whenever called for. Both do the job equally, but the SK are a lot prettier.
Mike

 

[z28toz06]

I have s et of craftsman professional. Never had a problem rounding any nuts off.

 

[kartracer55]

I own 3 snap ons an SK and a regular craftsman. I dont use them at home that often which is why I never bought a whole set. I do use SK's ALOT in school and they show no signs of wear... Like them better than the snap ons in terms of comfort too

Jim

 

[dink]

Refresh my memory.....what are line wrenches again

 

[Roadster]

Refresh my memory.....what are line wrenches again

Line wrench = Flare nut wrench

Used for tightening/loosening flare nuts at line connections. Specially designed to turn flare nuts without stripping.

 

[dink]

Ohhhh okay....I have Craftsmen

 

[chevy302dz]

Craftsman Pro good
SK Good
Regular Craftsman Bad

 

[kgwld1]

Have both snap on and mac both work great.

 

[...dave]

i've actually had good luck so far with regular Craftsman, and an el-cheapo (emergency, only store open) 3/8" one... and most of my work is on cars whose brake lines were last worked on in the early 1960s. i do go through a LOT of PB Blaster, though. One of these days i'll probably invest in the SK set.

...dave

 

[pl_silverado]

I had a set of craftsman metric ones, but using them was hell. I have since bought a set of snap-on metric line wrenches, and they work like a charm. I have only needed to use SAE ones a handful of times, but i wish i had the snap-on sae set. One day, i just cant justify $ 160 for something in only use a handful of times per year.

 

[Thumper]

I have a full set of Snap-on metric and SAE. I have the old 3 piece set of Craftsman line wrenches that still get used. I also have some Cornwell crowfoot line wrenches that work well too.

 

[SuperKid]

I own a set of Craftsman, and I use Snap-On ones at school. After using them both, the only time I've rounded a fitting was with the Snap-On. But, to be fair, someone tried using pliers on the fitting before and rounded it a little already.

 

[krooser]

Matco...

 

[stimpy]

bought my set of snap-ons , after having a set of sears ( 80's) round off nuts on me , best investment I bought , use them for tight bolts where a ratchet won't fit or a box wrench , I have to buy a set of metric ones now ...

 

[l_bilyk]

Mine are ultraPRO from UAP. I wish i knew who made them

 

[MarkH]

Wrights with occasional Cornwells. Somebody has to be different.

 

[Canadian Charlie]

My metric line wrenches are Snap On and my SAE line wrenches are Grey which I bought from Canadian Tire back in the 80's.

Cross the border and get a set

 

[kartracer55]

I have a set of snap on crowsfeet in line wrench style... does that mean I can join the snap on flare nut wrench club now? Can I can I huh?!?!?!?

lol

Jim

 

[iiibdsiil]

I have a set of snap on crowsfeet in line wrench style... does that mean I can join the snap on flare nut wrench club now? Can I can I huh?!?!?!?

lol

Jim

Welcome to the club!

 

[pl_silverado]

i have a set of those crowsfeet too, in metric and sae, and i have yet to use them...

 

[Tx Firefighter]

My Snap-On line wrenches have the flare nut on one end and an extra thick open end on the other end.

Here's a picture off their website.

They work very well, much better than the Craftsman (non professional) ones they replaced.

 

[knucklehead]

My Snap-On line wrenches have the flare nut on one end and an extra thick open end on the other end.

Here's a picture off their website.

They work very well, much better than the Craftsman (non professional) ones they replaced.

all my wrenches are snap-on. i use this same set as well. i used to have problems opening the ends of 1/2" snap-on open end wrenches whole turning cylinder base nuts on harley motors. my dealer showed me the line set wrench with open end on 1 end. it is 50% thicker than a standard open end & can take more abuse. very high quality & as a bonus they also work great on line fittings. LOL

 

[Fast Orange]

I've had and tried just about every brand and style of line wrench over the years-almost any of them will do the job when what you're working on is new and shiny.When you're dealing with an older,rusty piece,the Snappies work the best-they're wider in the contact area,thicker walled and just plain get a better grip on the fitting.Plus,with one size per wrench,you only need one set for most jobs.

George

 

[Uncle Buck]

I have full sets of Cman in standard and metric, full standard Mac line wrench set, S/O crow foot line wrench set and a few other odds and ends brands in various sizes thrown into the mix. It has been my experience that one seems to perform as good as another so long as the pedigree of the tool is not questionable, ie.. USA only.

 

[just_me]

What I've learned about line wrenches

Well, I've just learned a lot about line wrenches, after a cheapie rounded off a brake line fitting.

There are significant differences between brands, btu it snot "good quality" vs "bad". Its unique patented designs to avoid rounding.

Two manufacturers have patented designs that grab and turn the flats, not the corners. This allows 50%-100% more torque without damage. These have curved sides to the wrench. The two are Snap on (flank drive) and SK (sure grip).

Craftsman professional is in the middle. They wave their hands about similar designs, btu are inconsistent. I have tried several time sand have also not been able to see one for real in a store. So I hesitate to claim much here.

The rest - well made or poorly - are regular flare nut wrenches with a true hex shape. They are much better than open end wrenches, but they are a step down - a big one - from the Snap-on and SK.

Unfortunately the Snap-on wrenches are VERY costly, and the SK better, but still pricey.

But, IMO, worth every penny.

G

 

[wrenchr]

Okay, there is a lot of tool-brand loyalty out there. Some of it is well deserved and the rest of it can be argued. But the strongest argument for Snap On comes with flare wrenches (line wrenches) and people will swear up and down that if you are not using Snap On, that you will surely round off nuts, loose your hair and remain infertile for the rest of your natural life.

I do not own any Snap On line wrenches. In fact, I own the Craftsman Professional and have used them with 100% success so far. So, are there any others that feel strongly about line wrenches that aren't Snap On????

Discuss....

Does anyone use line wrenches that AREN'T Snap On?

No why would you ask???

 

[milkovich]

+1 Craftsman Pros. Have done all the brakes on my old cars with them not rounded off any yet. The old regular craftsmans would round off brass fittings like they were designed to.

 

[danski0224]

I have a set of standard Craftsman, bought before the Professional equivalent existed... at least not at the Sears store in my neighborhood... never shopped the Big Book... and the Internet didn't exist yet.

Didn't like it.

Bought Snap-On.

Much, much better.

 

[dxdexter]

My SAE set is from the 1960's (Snap-on Canada) and my metric set is a Chinese special bought for a few bucks.

Snap-on are fantastic and the cheap ones are complete garbage. They round off everything that is the least bit tight.

 

[strizzy]

Re: What I've learned about line wrenches

he two are Snap on (flank drive) and SK (sure grip).

Craftsman professional is in the middle. They wave their hands about similar designs, btu are inconsistent. I have tried several time sand have also not been able to see one for real in a store. So I hesitate to claim much here.

Umm, Craftsman Pro = SK.

SK is the supplier for the full polished wrenches.

 

[ImportTuner]

I have the SK and Husky sets both in metric and SAE ... never had any problems with either ...

 

[Brandon_Lutz]

I used the Craftsman Professional line. So far so good. I'd like to get Snap Ons, but I really can't justify it as I haven't had any problems with what I have so far.

 

[DavidtheDuke]

Apart from precise machines (maybe), the best reason I like the SO's are because of the huge offset (helped BIG on a hard to get to slave cylinder line). But I've only otherwise used my dad's line wrenches, and he basically has ever brand you could think of in a big pile

 

[arthur1920]

one of the few apps I really like to use Snapon for. However, I also have craftsman and a n o name.. I can think of at least one fitting on my car that I really need to use the no name for, no the fitting isn't messed up, the no name just does better there. The snapon is a tad too tight for that fitting.

 

[arthur1920]

Yeah,
I really think the open/box is the way to go...and the ones that have a box and "speed wrench" (snapon) on the other side are just StOOPId

 

[jimvannoy]

I have a Mac set and a Craftsman set. Got them all back in the early 80's. I broke a Craftsman once. The Mac set has been fine.

 

[Jason_D]

I have a MAC sae set & an Evercraft (Balkamp/Napa) metric set & SO Crowfoot Flarenut(MM) wrenches. none of them have ever rounded a nut.

 

[krusty the clown]

i had sk's.......they spread. now i have snap on sae and metric at work. i have a set of cornwell's at home i got used cheap. they're ok, i only use them occasionally.