Half moon wrenches?

[Jason280]

Just curious how many people here use half moon style box end wrenches, and whether they are worth adding to the box. I can't remember a time needing them in the past, but wanted to see what everyone's opinion on they style was.

Worth adding to the box?

 

[zbadass28]

I like them. Use them for intakes, door hinge bolts, and some other stuff now and then. Not the most used style wrenches in my box, but they do come in handy at times.

 

[t4runner]

When I started in the automotive business they were called starter wrenches and even then I didn't use them very much, over the years they just ended up gathering dust from lack of use

 

[rsanter]

I use then rarely as needed, if you want one get the ratcheting ones otherwise it sets tedious

Bob

 

[johninct]

I use them maybe once every year or two but when you need them they pay for themselves on that one job.

 

[I van putski]

I bought standard and metric cornwells to resell. They ended up in my toolbox and I never used them yet.
But it's better to have them and not need them.....

 

[Thumper]

I have some in metric and SAE.....they have come in handy over the years.

 

[dirtmister16]

starters,diesel work,distributors,fuel injector pumps on tractors. many uses, but id say they are a nicety unless you happen to need it that day, then they would be invaluable.

i know alot of mechanics that have them, dad has em but rarely uses em, i think ive seen him use any of them maybe a couple times since i was a kid. but he doesn't wrench like he used to either to be honest.

 

[bsaint]

I use mine a lot for exhaust work.

 

[creativecars]

I picked up some cheap ones. On my last oil change I grabbed the set and slid under the truck. From now on they will be my go to for that. Fit my hand well for that process.

 

[davesnothere]

I use them maybe once every year or two but when you need them they pay for themselves on that one job.

This.

 

[unslow1]

I use them maybe once every year or two but when you need them they pay for themselves on that one job.

I would second that. I remember a couple of intake bolts that if I didn't already have them I would've bought them.

 

[dsmnickk90]

Anyone use S shaped wrenches as well?

 

[cowboy73]

Here's how I used mine.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=150591

 

[MattPersman]

I got s shaped gearwrench I use them for transfer case bolts mostly

 

[sberry]

I would get one or make one on the occasion I needed it or buy HF for 20$. No logic in spending 300 just in case for that one day I might, usually those times are far and few unless you might be a specialist wth a need for a particular wrench. I say,,, better not to have and need than to spend several thousand dollars tryng to cover every odd scenerio one can imagine. Face some of it when you get there. A 15$ set of HF you can bend as needed would be just as good.

 

[gf0012-aust]

Anyone use S shaped wrenches as well?

I also have Hilka S shaped ring spanners - worth their weight in gold when you need to use them, just wish they were ratchet heads.

 

[bobcatdan]

I made it many years without them. Several times I thought they would be nice. When they went on sale by cornwell, I bought a set. I have found uses for them, but in my book, torque adapters ( kinda like a box end crowsfoot) have made most specilty wrenches pointless.

 

[young_buck]

I got a cheap set as a gift a while back with metric and SAE half moon and s wrenches, I haven't used them a lot but when you need them they are great to have

 

[sberry]

Yes, we just bought a set of metric impact swivels, cheap ones and I already had 18,,, only one I own but even at 30$ there was some consensus here as to,,, we made it this far without them??? ha. Like the ratcheting wrench, they are nice but in our scheme common combo is the ticket, the cheaper in some cases the better as it promotes purchase. At a dollar or 2 a piece its not a gut wrenching descision to throw another wrench at a problem. Same for a few cheap impact sockets. Buy 2 or 3 of the sizes we use the most on occasion for total investment of 10$.

We usually leave the last socket we use on a drive tool. I was being cheap and passed on a couple 6$ tape measures at Sears, they had heavy blades, 1x25. When I used to do customer work added one to bills on occasion, had a pretty good stash but it looks a little bare out there and am making a couple hang up deals for razor knives.

I really dont group tools by set but by use/frequency/duty cycle. My pickup is a good example. I cant remember the last time I really "didnt have" ,,,, where I didnt have a version of every wrench they made to where I couldnt do what I set out to do with pretty basic. On pickup I carry 1/2 drive shallow chrome sockets and a set of deep impacts with a 9/16 shallow and a 15mm tossed in. Proto ratchet, MIT breaker bar, couple extensions, battery or electric impact.

 

[2mJps]

I have moons and s wrenches. I work on little of every thing and havent had the s wrenches out of my tool box yet but i use the moons every 10 years or so. If my box was a sinking ship they would be the first to go.

 

[chrenan]

I've used both half moon and s wrenches on the lower exhaust manifold bolts on a 944 Turbo. When you need them, you really need them.

 

[redwrench60]

They're like man *****.....several people have them but they're mostly useless.

 

[Buckgnarly]

They're like man *****.....several people have them but they're mostly useless.

MOSTLY?!?!?.........

 

[greasemonkey44]

They're like man *****.....several people have them but they're mostly useless.

hahaha

ive got some gearwrench s shapes; i used them on a master cylinder once

 

[crewchief888]

i have 1 moon wrench

and it was modified for 1 PITA bolt inside a transmission housing.

and 1 S wrench,

it's a "specialty" tool (from SO)that combines 2 seperate OEM wrenches

 

[Rico.]

I have a lovely set of Facom half moon spanners that I have NEVER used... and over
the last couple of weeks I have seriously been considering buying a six piece set
of 'S' spanners... What the hell is wrong with me..?

 

[bob15]

Use them on starters and diesel injection pumps on Deere Waterloo tractors. They can be handy in the oddball job as well, something nice to have when you're desperate......

 

[mailpup]

I'm a shadetree mechanic and I occasionally use the half moon wrenches, metric though.