I need help picking wrenches

[Fender1325]

Really appreciate all the input here.

Wright seems to consistently get really good reviews here across the board. I never heard of them prior to being a GJ member.

I'll say this, I have zero length or comfort complaints with my Chinese craftsman wrenches. The issue is the open end spreads as we all know. More times than not, that happens on a stubborn nut and I have to borrow my boss's matco's which have teeth on the open end and ratchet.

The proto's look fine but they don't offer the same sized set as wright with the 12 pt. Box end. At least that I saw online. Then again, I was only looking at chrome. Maybe they offer more in satin for whatever reason.

I find the matco's very very capable, but they do have the thin beam.

Snap on can go piss in the wind as far as I'm concerned. I don't like the tool truck guys that come to the shop, and a lot of the **** they slap their name on is unimpressive especially for the money.

 

[Fender1325]

Side question, should I consider 6 pt. Box end over 12? Seems limiting to only have 6pt, not that I'd nearly ever encounter 12 but I do encounter 4.

 

[apdxyk]

Some SO is excellent. But I agree in general: this business model is already dying sooner than most care to notice - NAPA is on right track here. Again, some SO stuff is excellent though. Go with the Wright in satin, black oxide is the strongest material wise, but not the most friendly to the eye. of course, if you are into Philippino Gypsy bling, go with full polish

 

[Mr_B]

12 point box end

 

[Gmonkee]

I did a try before I buy thing for two years looking for the perfect brand for me.

I tried them all as I could and that included snapper wrenches.
In the end I stayed with the same wrenches from the start adding some nice (Brasilian) Euro bling for fun.

The snappy magic didn't happen for me either. They blended in with most of the rest of the good but not OMG great stuff including India and China offerings.

Hazet stood out among them but alas, not an easy to get brand locally.

 

[pdxgearhead]

Unless you really need/want teeth on the open end, I'd suggest SK Superchromes. I have the Craftsman Professional set in metric that I bought in 1994-1995 ish, which were made by SK and essentially are the same wrench.

I also have the long Carlyle combo wrenches in SAE. They are very long (a plus), the beams are very thick, and they are very heavy - almost too thick and heavy. But the price is right.

 

[ku17]

I think you'll find that all of the major industrial and tool truck brands have excellent open ends. I like Proto ASD because it's strong and it doesn't have teeth that mar bolts but I have flank drive + wrenches for when things get really stuck. Neither has rounded a bolt on me. I can't honestly say that those wrenches are any better or worse than Wright Grip. Odds are, the difference in performance is negligible. If Wright has the sizes you want at the right price, then by all means go with Wright.

Where you'll get yourself in trouble is if you buy import wrenches where the metal quality from set to set can vary so much. You might get a good batch of HF wrenches or you'll get a garbage batch that slips and breaks on the first use. You're rolling the dice everytime you buy HF, and there's a lot of guys that are okay with that and it's their money so they're free to do so.

I prefer my box ends to be 12 point because they're easier to index but you would likely be able to apply more torque with the 6 point. I can't promise that what I like will be what you like.

With respect to ratcheting wrenches, sounds like you're fairly tough on your wrenches, so it might not be wise for you to use them as your primary set. Also, ratcheting wrenches are a luxury, not a necessity. If you have the money for them, then they're a wonderful addition that will save you a lot of time, and hassle, in low clearance situations.

 

[Fedwrench]

As someone who owns all three brands you listed and many more, i would opt for the long pattern Carlyle wrenches. Carlyle has two types of combination wrenches, standard length and long pattern. Only the long pattern has the teeth on the open end if that's important to you. I chose the Carlyle because they have great balance, excellent chrome, are often on sale, and if you ever did break one, NAPA'a are pretty common.
The only real issue I have with wright grips is the angle of the boxed end. They aren't a uniform 15 degrees across all sizes. Many of the wright grip combination wrenches i have are closer to zero offset than 15 degrees on the boxed end. They're still nice wrenches if you don't want a long pattern wrench.
The Gearwrench non ratcheting combination wrenches made in the PRC aren't nearly as nice as the older, earlier versions made in Taiwan. Some wrench beams are wavy from having the brand, size, & part number stamped too heavily on to them, fitment issues, finish issues. they were real nice when they first came out though. Good luck in your quest.

 

[Shark Pilot]

If you like the Carlyle long pattern with teeth then check these out on sale for $39.99:https://www.doitbest.com/products/309435?via=57c72fea69702d410a003cf7%2C57c7305669702d410a00406b%2C57c7305769702d410a004073%2C57c7305869702d410a004077. They are identical to the Carlyle and if for some reason they don't fit your needs for your shop set they are cheap enough you can take them home and replace your Chinese CMAN. In the meantime maybe the WrightGrip 2.0 will come out.

 

[1982fxr]

Some SO is excellent. But I agree in general: this business model is already dying sooner than most care to notice - NAPA is on right track here. Again, some SO stuff is excellent though. Go with the Wright in satin, black oxide is the strongest material wise, but not the most friendly to the eye. of course, if you are into Philippino Gypsy bling, go with full polish

Not to start the typical war in here but s-o makes tons of profit every year and is quite simply the best all around Professional tool company that has ever existed. I don’t have s lotnof their stuff or stock.

A lot of people on here like Carlisle but Napa will find a way to guck that up just give em time.