Six Point Wrenches

[CCantu357]

New to forum, just need some first timer advice. I was wondering why it is so hard to find six point combo wrenches now. All my sockets are 6 pt. and mostly work on my truck and would pefer to have 6 pt. wrenches as well. My local Sears and Autozone seem to just have the 12pts. Anyone know of any good 6pt. wrench sets around?

 

[king nero]

I believe SK Tools have them.
That will also probably be the only supplier of 6-pt wrenches, have never seen them in real life in Europe (only very small sizes, upto 5-6mm or 1/4", are almost always 6-pt).

 

[CCantu357]

Thanks for the tip. I hope they are affordable. I cannot help but wonder why you don't see them so much, but yet most automotive socket sets are still six point. I have never seen a 12 point nut in my life!

 

[Sahara54]

. I have never seen a 12 point nut in my life!

12pt's are more for the specialty nuts and bolts in the performance auto industry. ARP offers 12pt and 6 pt on almost all their bolt sets.

 

[jeremy v]

This is what I use. Mine are US made and from what I have heard the ones purchased online are still US made for the time being. Most stores still have US stock as well, since the 6pt wrenches are a lower volume item. This is the only way I know of that you can buy them cheaply and still get good wrenches. Any other option I know of is at least 2-3x the price.

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-12-p...947237000P?PDP_REDIRECT=false&s_tnt=39869:4:0

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-12-pc-standard-6-pt-combination-wrench/p-00947236000P?prdNo=2

 

[Stooge]

i put together a small set of satin finish proto 6pts mostly for pneumatic brass fittings so i have less chance of slipping and marring them up, not sure if its made any difference but that was my justification. i think i have 1 or 2 sk 6pts as well but the proto ones do the trick are can be had for a reasonable price

http://www.mscdirect.com/browse/Han...Wrenches?navid=12102567+4288247654+4294930807

 

[TheJohn]

12 pt wrenches are more popular because unlike a ratchet you some times cant position the wrench at the right angle to get good leverage with the box end, considering the wrench itself is pretty long. A 12pt can be used at twice as many positions as the 6pt, making it more useful (at times) then a 6pt, even though 12pt has a tendency to strip a few nuts and bolts.

 

[Rico.]

What baffles me more than anything is the fact that the vast majority of ratcheting
wrenches are 12 point. I just don't get it, surely logic would say that the vast majority
of ratcheting wrenches should be 6 point. They all have 5 degree or less swing arc, so
the fact that manufacturers make so few 6 point versions will continue to be a source
of bemusment for me.

 

[TJx]

Sears has 9 piece 6 point combination wrenches on sale $17.99 Craftsman Club price. The ones in my local store are US made.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00947235000P#reviewsWrap

 

[sberry]

There is a place in a well stocked mechnics set for a small set of 6. They are some of the only truck tools I really own, I bought a 6 pc set flank drive 30+ years ago. They have been worth it as problem solvers on occasion. The other 494 wrenches are common combo.

 

[ILDurable]

I do believe that SK has some 6 point wrenches in their product catalog.

 

[sberry]

I like that sears at that price, I could make that work. We use a lot of wrenches, a 6 point would add some tedium for general work but as a solver for damaged fastener they can sit around until needed.

 

[4xdog]

What baffles me more than anything is the fact that the vast majority of ratcheting
wrenches are 12 point. I just don't get it, surely logic would say that the vast majority
of ratcheting wrenches should be 6 point. They all have 5 degree or less swing arc, so
the fact that manufacturers make so few 6 point versions will continue to be a source
of bemusment for me.

I'm with ya on that one. I have Craftsman 6-point combination wrenches for when I think they're needed, but my daily go-to are the polished Craftsman ratcheting 12-point combo wrenches. I have regular C'man and also Industrial. They're super -- but I too wonder why they didn't go six-point inside the closed end? Maybe their feeling is we wouldn't use a ratcheting wrench on a difficult or fit-critical nut and bolt? I dunno...

BTW... my local Sears has Craftsman raised-panel six-point made-in-USA inch and metric combo wrench sets on the store shelves. Or at least did a couple of months ago.

 

[Applesauce]

What baffles me more than anything is the fact that the vast majority of ratcheting wrenches are 12 point.

Agreed. I have a set of ratcheting 6-point (rebranded Pedro's, not sure who the manufacturer is, probably Taiwan), and totally don't get the twelve-point thing.

That said, on high-grade six-point fasteners, I've been reaching for my twelve-point sockets more and more lately. They fall into place in twice as easily! I wouldn't want them as my only option in the event of fasteners that were rusted, damaged, mismatched, etc.

 

[TwoInch]

What baffles me more than anything is the fact that the vast majority of ratcheting
wrenches are 12 point. I just don't get it, surely logic would say that the vast majority
of ratcheting wrenches should be 6 point. They all have 5 degree or less swing arc, so
the fact that manufacturers make so few 6 point versions will continue to be a source
of bemusment for me.

ratcheting wrenches are generally not meant to break loose tough fasteners, which is where the 6pt would matter. the 12pt style can be used on a wider array of fasteners, that would be my guess.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Several years ago I bought a second set of Craftsman combination wrenches with 6 point box ends. It is very handy to have 2 sets, one being 6 point.

 

[PBCampbell]

Armstrong makes or at least made 6 point combination wrenches, full polish even! Otherwise, it's Craftsman.

 

[Rico.]

ratcheting wrenches are generally not meant to break loose tough fasteners, which is where the 6pt would matter. the 12pt style can be used on a wider array of fasteners, that would be my guess.

That is a very reasoned and educated guess... I could buy that argument.

 

[91bronc300]

What baffles me more than anything is the fact that the vast majority of ratcheting
wrenches are 12 point. I just don't get it, surely logic would say that the vast majority
of ratcheting wrenches should be 6 point. They all have 5 degree or less swing arc, so
the fact that manufacturers make so few 6 point versions will continue to be a source
of bemusment for me.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's something simple like the factory just uses 12 point broaches in all of their wrenches for simplicity or redundancy in tooling.

 

[byoungblood]

Thanks for the tip. I hope they are affordable. I cannot help but wonder why you don't see them so much, but yet most automotive socket sets are still six point. I have never seen a 12 point nut in my life!

Work on a Dana rear end, the cross pin bolt is 12pt. As are Ford driveshaft bolts, some head bolts on a variety of vehicles, rod nuts, bearing cap bolts, etc...

I'm just your DIY type, and that's where I've seen 12pt fasteners off the top of my head.

Also, I have never rounded off a bolt using a 12 pt box end wrench provided the wrench is the right size, and the fastener wasn't already damaged from corrosion or prior removal/installation attempts. If it is messed up that badly, out comes the pipe wrench or bolt removal tools.

 

[Caterpillar Cowboy]

Also, I have never rounded off a bolt using a 12 pt box end wrench provided the wrench is the right size, and the fastener wasn't already damaged from corrosion or prior removal/installation attempts. If it is messed up that badly, out comes the pipe wrench or bolt removal tools.

I second that and add that the wrench or socket must be of good quality, not your average junk tools!

 

[CCantu357]

Thanks for all the help. Just looked online today and see that Sears is offering the 28 piece 6 point set, every 6 point they make for 90 bucks. Seems like a good deal. While know most people use 12 points, I have seen them round off a bolt. I just like the way 6 point fits on my drain plugs and other vital bolts.

 

[oldldh]

I have the 28 piece 6 point set...

You can't beat the tools for the price...

My mega-understanding wife got them for me last Christmas....

All were "Forged in the USA"!!!

You won't be sorry...

 

[Caterpillar Cowboy]

The C-Man sets I started out with (3/8 drive) were 3/8 through 7/8. The Snap-On's I'm phasing in over the next few months sets are 1/4 through 7/8. Nice to get more in a set although buying 2 or 3 C-Man sockets is much more budget friendly.

 

[kc-steve]

I stocked up on Craftsman 6pt wrenches while they are/were still made in the USA but haven't posted sets for sale yet. I did post some singles though. They are getting "cherry picked" so I may not have what you need.

Steve

 

[MikeF2316]

ratcheting wrenches are generally not meant to break loose tough fasteners, which is where the 6pt would matter. the 12pt style can be used on a wider array of fasteners, that would be my guess.

12 points are more convenient when you're putting them on the fastener. With a 6 point, you're likely to have to move (rotate) it to get in on. With the 12 point, it'll probably just fall on, or you'll only have a small amount of repositioning.

 

[Gort the giant robot]

Lots of Pontiac v8 engines used 12 point bolts on them.

Gort.

 

[Frosthy]

Clutch/Flywheel and Flywheel/Crank Bolts as well as some internal engine bolts on Honda/Acuras of the last twenty or so years are 12-point as well... But normal/cheap 12-point sockets don't fit all that well. Go figure.

 

[devoncoolman]

Work on a Dana rear end, the cross pin bolt is 12pt. As are Ford driveshaft bolts, some head bolts on a variety of vehicles, rod nuts, bearing cap bolts, etc...

I'm just your DIY type, and that's where I've seen 12pt fasteners off the top of my head.

Also, I have never rounded off a bolt using a 12 pt box end wrench provided the wrench is the right size, and the fastener wasn't already damaged from corrosion or prior removal/installation attempts. If it is messed up that badly, out comes the pipe wrench or bolt removal tools.

Depends on what dana your working on. All of the trac-loc's use a roll pin instead of a bolt.

But if you want 6 points at a cheap price buy craftsmans.

 

[AmericanPreferred]

I recently put together a set of Armstrong polished 6 pts at Cripe. 16 peices from 10 to 25mm was $81 after shipping. I did have to put one USA Allen 12 pt in the set 22mm. Would have been a little less than $80, I had a GearWrench 1/2 inch ratchet adapter in the order as well.

 

[bassbone52]

I have a set of satin finish ASD Proto metric wrenches with six point box ends. The 19 mm is about eleven inches long. They are fairly new so I suppose they are still stocked.