Long or standard

[dink]

Probably in about a month or so I will be looking into finally buying a complete set of wrenches.....my question is should I steer more towards the standard or long pattern wrenches....******at this point in this topic manufacturer isnt in question just the length*****

 

[kartracer55]

Well just for ha-has what brand were you thinking about?

Also, are you thinking 6pt or 12pt?

IDEALY you want 6pt long and 12pt standard, so you can really yank on the long pattern ones without having to worry about damaging the head as much. Just my opinion. One thing I did notice is that some brands are longer than others... sears says thier Pro line are long pattern, but arnt really much longer than standard craftsman wrenches. Theres a bigger difference with the snap on version.

Jim

 

[rdnkjeeper]

I was a mechanic and to this day I still only use standard. They take up less room and there is a way to use two of them to make it work like a longer one. I did have a few long ones, but found that the few times I needed the extra leverage wasn't worth the cost of a set.

 

[dink]

Oh yea sorry I meant to say either way they would be 6 point

My fathers father-in-law (parents divorced father remarried) mentioned to me and him that 6 point wrenches are the only ones you need.....his career was in race shops and machine shops.....he gave my dad his full range of impact sockets because he doesnt use them anymore

swivels are old Mac's and standards are Cornwell.....there all beauties...I told my dad when he dies I have dibs on his tools....he has a nice selection

 

[kartracer55]

Well Id be careful with 6pt... I dont care what he says... Im only a kid and I can tell you ive had more than a few situations where a 12pt would barely work, forget about a 6pt... Think about it, with a 6pt wrench, you need twice as much room to swing the box end of the wrench. Its different with sockets because they rotate around an axis, as long as the socket fits you wont have a problem removing the bolt(unless you run into ratchet swing problems of course) Im not at all against 6pt wrenches, I own them, but there will be some times when the simply will not work


Jim

 

[dink]

That is why I will be keeping the ratcheting wrenches...for things like that


By the way....the brand is SK....and I will be getting the set which ever I decide will be free in a sense

 

[eschoendorff]

I have never stripped a fastener with a decent quality 12pt wrench. I always reach for my Cman pros first. They are a long pattern wrench. For standard length, I have sets in Kobalt, Craftsman with some Allen and Snap On thrown in.

I usually reach for the longies first. They just always seem to work.

 

[Jared]

I also think that 6pt wouldn't be as good unless you also have a set of 12pt but i am only a kid aswell.


Jared

 

[dink]

I have never stripped a fastener with a decent quality 12pt wrench. I always reach for my Cman pros first. They are a long pattern wrench. For standard length, I have sets in Kobalt, Craftsman with some Allen and Snap On thrown in.

I usually reach for the longies first. They just always seem to work.

Do you have the full range of sizes....or on your long patterns do you just have specific sizes????

 

[motorheadjohn]

I was doing some shopping online the other day. One thing I noticed is the Cman Pro "long" length is about the same as a standard-length in Snap On and some other brands. So I think the brand you pick maybe should have an impact on that decision. Now that I have a set of Cman Pros, I almost never get out the Cman standards. I like the longer length and better feel. I think the extra-long length of a S/O or other brand long-pattern would not be needed often enough to justify the cost of an extra set.

Not everyone lists specs online, so some of my comparisons required measuring existing tools in the garage.

If you're buying one of the other brands, compare the lengths. You would probably be fine with a standard-length in another brand that compares to the length of the Cman Pro.

FWIW, I'm going to order a couple specific wrenches (sizes) in the extra long pattern, but not a full set. I've got a couple bolts on my Roadrunner and on my truck and wife's Jeep that would be easier to deal with using some extra leverage.

 

[MarkH]

The point of length and numbr of pts is very much what you do with your tools. Have some friends who have lived with just stubbies since it fits the work they do mostly small and tight. Then others who work on bigger things that are fairly open that have only long 6pts. For most of us we do a variety of work and having a selection is unfortunately the only but expensive option.

So look at what you do and buy appropriately.

 

[eschoendorff]

Do you have the full range of sizes....or on your long patterns do you just have specific sizes????

I have both full sets... SAE and metric. In the pic, the SAE set is on the magnetic mats, and the metric set is the full set on the left hand side. I figure if I ever need anything longer, I'll get out a breaker bar. The second pic is a drawer full of "standard" length wrenches, full sets of Cman standard and Kobalt metric, with a bunch of others hanging out in there, too.

Granted, my tool outfit cannot compete with most on here, but at least you kinda get the idea how the wrenches compare to those around them.

 

[thump186]

I think if you don't have an over abundent use for a long set then standard length would be your best all around bet. If you find you have a use for more length in certain sizes then get those sizes as you need them.

 

[Fast Orange]

Standard length,12 pt. is what I use about 99% of the time.They're short enough to fit in most situations,long enough to get decent leverage and if a quality tool,won't round off the fastener unless it's already rusted/damaged.
As to using Gearwrench type wrenches in tight spots-many times their larger diameter box ends won't fit on the bolt due to obstructions close to the bolt head.
I've got a set of long pattern Mac 6 pt. wrenches that I've had for about 15 years-they might get used a couple of times a year-mostly for suspension work on 1 ton trucks-shocks,etc.
My favorite tight spot wrenches are a set of Mac Micro-Turns-double ended box wrenches with the same size 12 pt on each end.The ends are indexed to the body of the wrench so that by alternating ends of the wrench,you can work with a swing of only 7.5 degrees.They are a little shorter than a standard combination wrench of the same size and the "walls" of the box ends are thinner than a regular box wrench. I haven't seen this style made by any other manufacturer.These too are probably about 15 years old.

George

 

[Wolverine]

A great starting point for you would be the SK 12-pt standard length sets of 15-metric and 15-SAE in a rack.

You can find them on Thetoolwarehouse.net and on ebay.



............ that would be a great foundation to expand upon!

 

[Canadian Charlie]

I like to work with standard length wrenches because I don't have anything bigger than that. I also have 2 sets of Snap On stubby wrenches, both in metric and SAE. My standard length wrenches are Snap On (metric) and Gray (standard)

 

[iiibdsiil]

Depending on how much time you will spend working on your stuff, I would invest in a standard length, and a short length. Personally, I have Stanard, Short, and Midget or something. Some cars really bite you in the ****. If you aren't doing it as a profession, then you will only need one smaller set. And remember, whichever set you buy will be the wrong one at some point. It just always works out that way.

I have 3 long wrenches, 17, 18, 19. I didn't buy them, they were given to me. Only time I ever used them was when I needed 2 wrenches.

 

[79rallysport]

Std. length, 12pt. in METRIC 8mm-22mm and SAE 1/4"-1" . get those first. Then if you need more, get them. You'll find that these will cover 99% of everything you will need.

 

[iiibdsiil]

Good call 79rallysport!

 

[Charles (in GA)]

If you are looking at Snap-on, get the dealer to order a set of Blue Point wrenches. They are the same as the Snap-On, forged on the same equipment, just have a duller, not as smooth/shiny chrome. The chrome looks more like Craftsman. They are quite a bit cheaper than the shiny Snap-On ones.

Charles