Thrilled With My Metric WrightGrip Wrenches

[Obie]

Just wanted to show these off a bit. I sold my old Wright 958 set (without WrightGrip, 7-24mm plus a 6mm) to a guy who just left the shop to move to Texas. He was just starting out and needed some quality tools, so I let them go for an even hundred. He also got my Montezuma Crossover a few months ago for a steal too.

I loved my old metrics, love my SAE WrightGrips, and I just know that I'm going to love these every bit the same, if not more.

I ordered these from JD Industrial Supply. These guys were a pleasure to deal with. They were very polite and helpful, placed the order minutes after I called them because I special ordered the 6mm. They had them shipped straight from Wright this morning and I had them in hand after work today. Great job fellas!

And if WrightTool1 (Ty Smith) is reading this, I just want to say thanks for making such awesome products, and making them here in the USA. Your guys and gals sure know how to make the best damn tools I've ever seen and used. Really outstanding and keep up the good work! Love your stuff so much I just ordered another $200 in impact sockets from Epsteins; I can't wait for Friday.

I know these aren't the best pictures, so I'll take some more at work tomorrow where I have a better camera and better lighting.

Also, It seems like Wright has changed their finishing process a bit. The box ends had a silver/chrome textured coating, similar to the coating inside Armstrong/Craftsman sockets. It is still chromed underneath though, as there was a thin spot on one of the wrenches that didn't get covered.

The finish on these is almost immaculate. There are a few very small spots where the textured coating splashed onto the broach, but these are really, really small. And a few water spots that will come off easily. Other than that, perfect.

I compared the 19mm to a few Craftsman wrenches I had in the tool box at home. The Crossforce is an 18mm though. The Wrights aren't really all that long, but with the thick beams it doesn't really matter. Plus, I like having shorter wrenches for tight spaces. The extra 1" or so shorter doesn't really make much difference in leverage anyways, and I'm a pretty strong guy.

And a shot of my home box metric wrench drawer. Every wrench is there is a USA Craftsman. All the imports get thrown in their own junk drawer

 

[jeff g]

Hi
I like them

 

[Altec]

Nice pen holder!

 

[Obie]

Nice pen holder!

Haha, thanks. I scavenged that from an old lawn mower I had. A shame, because it was an ancient 100% USA made model, but it would have been more than the cost of a brand new Snapper to fix. Kept that as a souvenir.

I want to start off saying I am not attacking or putting down Snap-On in any way. They cater to a different market, and still make many of the absolute best tools money can buy, and make them here in America. And their Dual 80 ratchets, USA or not, are so smooth I **** in my pants every time I swing one. So please don't take any of this the wrong way.

I took these pictures at lunch today. I borrowed a co-workers (filthy!) Snap-On Flank Drive Plus 15mm. The others are my Armstrong ratcheting, Armstrong Maxx Beam, and Craftsman stubby. All USA made. I picked 15mm because it's almost never used, so mine still look brand new.

The Snap-On is clearly the longest, with both Armstrongs tied for second.

I took a few shots of the Snap-On, one Armstrong (both wrenches have identical open ends) and the Wright to show the difference in their open end designs. It's tough to see, but the Armstrong uses a notch on each side of their open end as opposed to teeth on the Wright and Snap-On. All three work extremely well, there really isn't too much difference. And check out that b-e-a-utiful Wright chrome

This picture showcases the thickness of the beams. The Armstrong Maxx Beam is clearly the thickest, next being the Armstrong ratcheting. The regular Armstrong wrenches are a pretty squared design. Very effective and very comfortable. The Wright is technically third, with a thick rounded beam. Aside from the Maxx Beam/Crossforce wrenches, this is the most comfortable wrench my hands have ever had the pleasure to use.

The Snap-On wouldn't stand on its own, so I had to lean it against my top box I'm not going to put down Snap-On, but I honestly cannot stand their knife edges. Great wrenches otherwise, but I'm not going to spend thousands on wrenches that I'm not comfortable using.

Here is a shot of the Wright box end. It was incredibly difficult to get that textured coating to show up from any angle. You can see just to the left of the top tooth though where there was a slight splash of the coating on the broach. This was also the largest splash out of the three that had it. Unless you're super ****, it isn't even an issue.

I would do an open/box end contact pattern comparison, but GJ member Joe Mamma already did a fine job. His thread is here.

So, after all these big pictures and lots of text from me, I hope this helped anyone who was on the fence about Wright. Fan-fricken-tastic tools at incredible prices.

The 958 set, plus the 6mm, cost me only $236.87 with free shipping from JD Industrial Supply. The price of all these wrenches from Snap-On (standard length) comes to $689.55 which is past their free shipping point. The 10-19mm set alone is $320.95 and the 8 singles (7-9mm, 20-24mm) are another $368.60. So for 34% of the price, you get some damn, damn fine USA made wrenches.

And that's all I have to say about that.

 

[MechManiac]

Even the non "wright grip" models are really good. I've even used the open end (non polished wrenches btw) on injector line nuts and I can easily see how they still engage the flats more than the corners.

 

[Rogue1987]

+1 For fantastic wright tools

 

[dieselmike]

that looks like a long pattern snap on wrench

i have a couple satin wright grips, they are great tools!

 

[Obie]

that looks like a long pattern snap on wrench

It is. The standard length Snap-On wrenches are more comparable to the Wrights though. Plus, I cringed adding up all the prices for long pattern and didn't even want to post it.

 

[PowerGenGuy]

I agree Mike I got a satin finish wright grip (just one), I'm liking it, so when I eventually get my metric set it will be satin finish.

 

[larryq]

Nice set of polished Wrights. I have the SAE Wright grip set in satin and they're great stuff. Good for you too, selling the old set to a kid just starting out and good price.

 

[vintagefan]

I love mine too. I got a little worried lurking a couple threads here with some members that had chrome issues, but I have a set of each, SAE and Metric, and they're as close to perfection as any tool I own.

You don't realize just how much nicer they are than other tools, until you get them side by side. The Armstrong chrome looks grey in comparison.

I really couldn't possibly be happier TBH.

 

[Skin]

I took a few shots of the Snap-On, one Armstrong (both wrenches have identical open ends) and the Wright to show the difference in their open end designs. It's tough to see, but the Armstrong uses a notch on each side of their open end as opposed to teeth on the Wright and Snap-On. All three work extremely well, there really isn't too much difference. And check out that b-e-a-utiful Wright chrome

If thats an OEXLM wrench there is a difference now as SO stopped adding the FD+ option to their long wrenches some years ago. The longest wrenches they make now that have FD+ are their ratcheting ones.

The Snap-On wouldn't stand on its own, so I had to lean it against my top box I'm not going to put down Snap-On, but I honestly cannot stand their knife edges. Great wrenches otherwise, but I'm not going to spend thousands on wrenches that I'm not comfortable using.

Honestly they're not bad. Not to start an argument but i'll take leverage (length) over a slightly fatter beam any day. I generally only find myself grabbing for my "mid-length" wrenches if i've misplaced everything else.

 

[vintagefan]

If thats an OEXLM wrench there is a difference now as SO stopped adding the FD+ option to their long wrenches some years ago. The longest wrenches they make now that have FD+ are their ratcheting ones.



Honestly they're not bad. Not to start an argument but i'll take leverage (length) over a slightly fatter beam any day. I generally only find myself grabbing for my "mid-length" wrenches if i've misplaced everything else.

Any time I really have to crank down, I usually stick the rounded box or open end in my palm, and apply force with that.

That being said, the time when the thick rounded beam gives the most comfort is not breaking things free, it's when I'm doing repeated assembly, screwing together with a power driver from one side, and snugging up with the wrench afterwards.

As far as wrenches go, I have to say that SO are towards the thin end of the spectrum.

 

[Skin]

Honestly between air tools and ratcheting wrenches i rarely touch the basic combos anymore. I agree snap-on wrenches are thin but i think people make a bit too much of it. If everyone subscribed to the "this 2 tenths less metal REALLY HURTS" mentality everyone would own a set of those MAXX beam/X-Beam/Crossforce wrenches. Now thats a wrench with comfort in mind.

Lastly, if you're yanking on a 6-10" piece of metal so hard its cutting into your hand and causing pain, there is most likely a better tool for that job.

 

[vintagefan]

Honestly between air tools and ratcheting wrenches i rarely touch the basic combos anymore. I agree snap-on wrenches are thin but i think people make a bit too much of it. If everyone subscribed to the "this 2 tenths less metal REALLY HURTS" mentality everyone would own a set of those MAXX beam/X-Beam/Crossforce wrenches. Now thats a wrench with comfort in mind.

Yeah you can't really debate that about the x-beams. Really though, one of the reasons I was so stuck on the Wrights is that my very favorite wrench set at my old job was the williams made cman pros, which are very similar. Just something to that rounded oval beam that feels right.

I guess it's sad that I'm so old fashioned that I refuse to use air tools half the time, at my own expense.

 

[Obie]

I use my basic combos, Maxx Beam/Crossforces, and ratcheting wrenches quite a bit. I don't have to worry about breaking flag time, so I use wrenches more often. I have a better feel for the job when using them compared to ratchets and sockets. Since I use them so much, comfort is a really big deal. Otherwise I wouldn't even have the twisted beam wrenches. I also do a lot of hydraulics work, and some of those can take a crapload of force to undo.

Air tools are great, but I'll take better feedback in my hands any day.

It would be nice to pay a Wright or Armstrong guy off over time though

 

[Russmobile1]

What a great post!You really did an excellent job of highlighting the strong points of the wrightgrip wrenches and showing them side by side with my favorites.Im not really familiar with armstrong tools other than what they have made for craftsman but those wrenches did look impressive.Its nice to meet another fan of the US made Craftsman professional wrenches,I have all the combination wrenches in metric 6-24 mm and sae 1/4"-1,1/16.I noticed you also have the deep offset craftsman pro wrenches.I think those are some of the most beautiful wrenches Craftsman has made.As far as Snap On goes I think they"re overpriced but they did make some of my most prized and used wrench sets,the long zero offset double box end wrenches they developed to work on F15 fighter planes.Those wrenches are great for geting into tight spots or applying a lot of leverage.Thank you for your efforts,looking foward to being a contributor to GJ.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I would buy WrightGRIP wrenches over Snap-On any day !

 

[1950mercury]

Thanks for the info on jd industrial supply. I will be buying stuff from them. Its nice to be able to support a local small business.

 

[sonvolt]

I have them in Metric and SAE in satin finish and they are the best wrenches for the $$

 

[Zrexxer]

I love Wright tools, and I own a bunch of them, but I wish they wouldn't over-buff the hell out of them and round off everything like they do. I don't why it bugs me so but it does. I guess it's because that's usually a sign that your finishing workers have no skill - most imported wrenches are all rounded off like that. I like the nice, crisp lines of the jaw shown on the right. I know, first world problems.

 

[Strouty]

I am looking at buying some wrightgrips, I was not aware they were so short. To the people that own them, are they at least as long as the raised panel craftsman wrenches? I could not find specs on the wright website.

 

[jetdawg]

^if you check the wright website and click on the individual wrench in the product catalog it will give you full specs

I love Wright tools, and I own a bunch of them, but I wish they wouldn't over-buff the hell out of them and round off everything like they do. I don't why it bugs me so but it does. I guess it's because that's usually a sign that your finishing workers have no skill - most imported wrenches are all rounded off like that. I like the nice, crisp lines of the jaw shown on the right. I know, first world problems.

I love wright but I'm with you, I like the squared off ends.

 

[ss454]

nice wrenches, do you happen to have a part number for the twisted beam armstrongs?

 

[PJNJ]

Since open ends are often used in limited access situations, they probably rounded the edges to help maneuver the wrench onto a bolt or nut.

 

[skylinegtr20]

Only thing turning me off is the length, I hate "standard" length wrenches that are short. Make a set size and go with it, and similar for long and stubby versions.

 

[arz71]

Do they have the Wright 'grip' wrenches in the polished set up to larger metric sizes?

 

[SASORacing]

I love Wright tools, and I own a bunch of them, but I wish they wouldn't over-buff the hell out of them and round off everything like they do. I don't why it bugs me so but it does. I guess it's because that's usually a sign that your finishing workers have no skill - most imported wrenches are all rounded off like that. I like the nice, crisp lines of the jaw shown on the right. I know, first world problems.

The ends being rounded helps guide the wrench into position. When its in use the rounded ends dont come anywhere close to tounching the nut or bolt actually. Check out this video which shows a Wright grip wrench in action. The rounded end doesnt touch the fastener.

Also its amazing how non flank drive wrenches like pittsburg, SK, and Craftsman slip off the bolt so fast, and round the bolt. The wrightgrip breaks the bolt before slipping!

 

[Zrexxer]

When its in use the rounded ends dont come anywhere close to tounching the nut or bolt actually. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phlUppL8mtA

I fully understand how an open end wrench works. I still don't like that style. I just don't.