KnurledNut
Well-known member
I was recommending the non-ratcheting combos with the anti-slip modified open end.
Torque Test Channel - open-end wrench testing
- Thread starter Squankum
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I saw that one also. It would be a good one to see if the teeth in the open end actually helped. They seemed a bit pricey to me.
jrbpit1
Well-known member
I’d like to see the Mac Knuckle Saver. I have a few of the Knuckle Savers and they seem to be pretty stout. I have a set of long pattern SKs and they are about as long as a regular set of Snappys. I have a set of metric Wrights and they seem to be pretty legit.
AirMech#406
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I second this!
I wish that all tool testing channels would do this to ensure that the tools are getting a truly fair comparison to one another and that a loose/poorly manufactured fastener is not interfering with results.
@Torque Test Channel Can you do the Stanley/Proto/Blackhawk wrench with the Anti Slip Design (ASD) feature? I'm thinking it might fare well.
I hope you can find some China made long pattern fully polished Craftsman wrenches to test. Those were the most expensive type of China made wrenches sold in Sears. And they look very nice as well. It would be interesting to see whether price level makes a difference in old Sears.
Bockscar
Well-known member
In my overall opinion there isn't a wrench better than the Wrights!
rancherbill
Well-known member
What?
Harbor Freight provides low prices by not keeping every individual wrench, socket, repair kit etc. Buy another set or BUY a snapon individual to fill the hole for the price of 2 sets.
Rabid Badger
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Nope.
Open-end wrenches are angled to allow more access angles on obstructed fasteners. There is no official standard for which way to turn the open end of a combination wrench. If you paid attention to the video you would have seen a caption stating this.
I'm very familiar with HF and their business model. FWIW, they sell individual tools via their customer support line, but it seems to be a semi-secret thing. I'm not suggesting they stock the stores with individual sockets/wrenches/etc, just be more obvious/proactive about selling the singles. If they're calling Icon a professional line, they need to do better than "buy another set or BUY a snapon individual to fill the hole for the price of 2 sets." I have a fair bit of Icon tools in my garage and I'm really happy with all of them, but I can completely see how a pro wouldn't love how they've sorta dipped their toe in the water in ways that make it harder for a professional to square out their set the way they want to.
rooster59
Well-known member
*- I wouldn't put that much stress on an open end wrench.
*- China, India? I'm to old to bother with it.
*- China, India? I'm to old to bother with it.
I cant believe people dont know why an open wrench is designed the way it is, especially on a tool forum. Watch this basics 2min video of the way to use an open end wrench correctly. If you dont use it in the right manner, it promotes jumping off the fastener. But whatever...
Sure I get it 'sometimes' due to access you need to fit an open end the wrong way. But as soon as you can you should fit it correctly. The TTC video had NO obstruction therefore no reason to not use the wrench correctly. They simply didnt know.
Rabid Badger
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Random YouTube video vs the agencies that decide tool standards...
Its not my problem you dont know the reasons a wrench is designed the way it is. I aint going ro argue with you about it. Maybe you watched the video and feel stupid I dunno. In the test video at least test them ALL the wrong or right way, not going back and forth like they did. They had NO reason not to use a wrench as it should be used....none.
rlitman
Well-known member
Just watched the video, and just gave it a thumbs down. He's a certifiable *****, and it's sad that you're perpetuating this BS. Did you see a SINGLE wrench in TTC's video slide off of the nut? No? Well then there ends this argument! It's that simple.
Open ended wrenches come in many angled varieties, from straight, to 15 degree to 90 degree. The sole purpose of the 15 degree design is to allow you to flip the wrench and use it to turn a 6 sided fastener half a face, and then flip it back and keep turning, so as to be able to use it in the narrowest possible swing space.
There is a reason this is called a FOUR WAY angle offset wrench:
As for adjustable wrenches, Crescent provides an arrow:
but an adjustable wrench is a far cry from a broached wrench.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
& @CR888
This might not apply to all modified/anti-slip open ends.
Which is irrelevant in TTC's case because all of this style were tested in the assumed direction.
I know SO FD+ and Matco OT are unidirectional, but not sure about WrightGrip or WG2, GW-SDP, Proto ASD and others.
Regarding smooth open end wrenches, @Torque Test Channel could test any future ones all the same way or reverse the wrench after it slips to see if there are any gains. However, i would expect minimal difference.
I keep getting the feeling quite a few people didn't watch the full video, like where this question is addressed and they show it not making a difference. At least for what they are doing. Or where TTC says here they test both ways and shown median on screen. So the argument that it was just never considered is just poor reading or watching comprehension or impatience.
For me, using the wrench one way always felt more natural, but I dont have anything to back up the performance difference.
If y'all do. I look forward to the video showing that. Or ya know, 50 more posts bickering about being certainly right.
For me, using the wrench one way always felt more natural, but I dont have anything to back up the performance difference.
If y'all do. I look forward to the video showing that. Or ya know, 50 more posts bickering about being certainly right.
Buckgnarly
Well-known member
Haha, you guys are a riot. It's pretty simple really, I dun goofed writing up the voice over. Even Test who's in front of the camera a lot of the time sent me a text and was like, uh you know it's not FDX like ur sockets right?
I could swear our Snappy dealer called practically half the truck FDX when dropping off this wrench - but a cursory google would have solved it for me should I have risked the extra 20 seconds to do so
Most my personal wrenches are Matco, Gearwrench and old Craftsman US. My chrome sockets are mostly SO, including some actual FDX which work well but sometimes don't fit.
Darkzero, yes the spline end Matco wrenches are Taiwan. The set we used from earlier in the video are a discontinued Silver Eagle Matco and are sort of middle of the road but were on quite a sale at the time.
M635_Guy, thanks to a viewer commenting to a .pdf of parts numbers and a number to call I've been able to order a single ICON wrench with the fancy jaws, for very cheap actually!
Along with another $500 worth of wrenches from the most requested brands from the comment section. If you think saying FDX was bad, wait 'tilI I have to pronounce all the European names! It'll be a blood bath.
No spoilers, and if you want to see X brand add it to the comments there so our scraping of those keyword results show up.
TTC over and out!
Man, no one has mentioned the misuse of "over and out". Must be a slow day for the GJ nitpickers.
Keep up the good work TTC.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
Some of us know exactly what the video said, even if I do watch them at 1.75x (thank-you for that feature YouTube!).
Last time when Snap On won the contest in flare nut wrenches, I did not see anyone calling him a *****. When Snap On looks bad in open end contest, he suddenly becomes one. Is there a pattern here? After a few more videos, I can see him becoming Project Farm II.
Bockscar
Well-known member
TTC had another video where he showed it didn't matter which way the opened end was positioned
Thinking about it from a vector-force POV I can see a claim that the direction matters. *If* we assume you apply the force perpendicular to the wrench arm then one direction will apply a component of force that tends to cause the jaws to move off the nut. Of course this assumes you apply a perfectly normal force and don't resist the relatively small vector force along the jaw opening axis. This is a lot of technobable to try to justify a difference that wasn't observed in TTC's hands on test.
Realistically, the reason for the offset is to let you turn a nut in a limited access area. You can turn it part way, flip it then finish turning it 60*. This is not the same as an adjustable wrench where the the preferred direction is based on how you load the sliding vs static jaw.
Regardless, I enjoyed the video and it was nice to see how things performed on nuts that simulate softer fasteners.
VolvoRyan
Well-known member
What I love about TTC is that I can get all huffy with their results.... but then I realize the data are data and I can do with them as I choose. that stuff is informative.
I love that they use soft fasteners. Nothing is less informative than a new tool on a crisp, new grade 8 bolt. That's not real life.
Right and wrong way on a wrench? TTC tested that. Non-issue.
-Ryan
I love that they use soft fasteners. Nothing is less informative than a new tool on a crisp, new grade 8 bolt. That's not real life.
Right and wrong way on a wrench? TTC tested that. Non-issue.
-Ryan
TTC, great video, very informative, keep up the good work!
I have never heard there is a correct/incorrect way to use an open end of a combo wrench. Seems like ********, glad your video shows that it's ******** too. Pretty sad that you went out of your way to address this in the video and people are still attacking you about it.
I have never heard there is a correct/incorrect way to use an open end of a combo wrench. Seems like ********, glad your video shows that it's ******** too. Pretty sad that you went out of your way to address this in the video and people are still attacking you about it.
Ton ton
Well-known member
I agree. Get those hands dirty!Try one of these style Urrea wrenches if you would. Curious to see how the relief in the gullet holds up.
Also your hands are WAY to clean, Please rub some dirt and grease on them before filming your next video
Same here, I've never heard of claims on correct/incorrect ways to use an open end wrench. The offset is for accessibility, not strength/directional.
That directional "myth" is for adjustable wrenches because there is a fixed jaw & a dynamic jaw. I do try to use adjustable wrenches like that cause it makes sense to me. But there are people on YT who have shown results that it don't matter much as well as those who's results do say it matters. And still it's YT/the internet. I believe it comes down to the quality of the adjustable wrench. Until you get to a certain size fastener they are still just nut fckrs to me but they have their place.
That directional "myth" is for adjustable wrenches because there is a fixed jaw & a dynamic jaw. I do try to use adjustable wrenches like that cause it makes sense to me. But there are people on YT who have shown results that it don't matter much as well as those who's results do say it matters. And still it's YT/the internet. I believe it comes down to the quality of the adjustable wrench. Until you get to a certain size fastener they are still just nut fckrs to me but they have their place.
rancherbill
Well-known member
Im a diy guy and I used to 'square out my set", I don't anymore.
I know 3 local licensed techs, 2 work for themselves and their family. Their sets don't match, they follow the value principle in their purchases. The other one works for Snapon Dealers family and shareholders, his set is all matching and shiny.
Bubba Fett
Well-known member
Great video.
I'd love to see Proto put to the test. I also wouldn't mind seeing some inexpensive brands (Pittsburg), and maybe some vintage/discontinued brands (Armstrong) tested as well, and then maybe a master score of all of them. I realize it is impossible to conduct a test of all brands, and that it is expensive, so I appreciate TTC's work.
I've seen a lot of other test videos, some of which are good (Project Farm) and some which are not worth watching. The key here is consistency, and that yields better, more accurate results.
Surprised with Craftsman (USA and China). Surprised at SK and Snap-on. Not surprised with Wright. I have long suspected that the v-notch of some brands is a bit of a gimmick, and this confirms that. Maybe some other brands, like Carlyle, that have the same design would solidify the results. Most of those are all made by the same manufacturer anyway, I believe.
I'd love to see Proto put to the test. I also wouldn't mind seeing some inexpensive brands (Pittsburg), and maybe some vintage/discontinued brands (Armstrong) tested as well, and then maybe a master score of all of them. I realize it is impossible to conduct a test of all brands, and that it is expensive, so I appreciate TTC's work.
I've seen a lot of other test videos, some of which are good (Project Farm) and some which are not worth watching. The key here is consistency, and that yields better, more accurate results.
Surprised with Craftsman (USA and China). Surprised at SK and Snap-on. Not surprised with Wright. I have long suspected that the v-notch of some brands is a bit of a gimmick, and this confirms that. Maybe some other brands, like Carlyle, that have the same design would solidify the results. Most of those are all made by the same manufacturer anyway, I believe.
Wakefield
Well-known member
Would be neat to get a representative from Wright or Snap On to comment about the assertion that ordinary combination wrench's open ends are directional
if it's tight and I can get to it easily with the box end that's what's going on
if it's tight and I can get to it easily with the box end that's what's going on
I don't think his point was that the V-notch makes for a bad wrench, just that it in and of itself is not doing anything. Besides maybe seating the hex deeper in the tool initially.
Agreed on Carlyle and the like, that have the v-notch and a specialty biting jaw. That would help tell the story of which is doing the work.
Agreed on Carlyle and the like, that have the v-notch and a specialty biting jaw. That would help tell the story of which is doing the work.
Wakefield
Well-known member
A lot of old fashioned open ends on wrenches seem to have those notched/ V shapes,I think Wright used to,seems they did some testing and found that the V didn't help and making the smoother shape increased the strength against cracking that could have started from the notch.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
@Torque Test Channel
Another request for the next run: Wera Joker
Another request for the next run: Wera Joker
I don't think Chinese made Craftsman is a surprise. Relative to the USA made ones, the quality is fairly close. In the flare nut wrench test, its performance is similar and slightly better than the USA one. Taking some margin of error into consideration, I think they are about the same in general.
My feeling is that when production moved to China initially, they probably made some lousy tools. Once the production stabilize, quality caught up.
Ton ton
Well-known member
I got a suggestion for a wrench to test- King ****. Please and thank you!
rancherbill
Well-known member
The more I thought about this the more it's just YouTube nonsense to generate views.
Using Grade 8 bolts and coupling nuts make it pretty impossible for the not or the bolt to fail. The person is using a pretty big wrench extender and in the real world you would be breaking the bolt or the stripping the nut.
It really does not address the problem of stretch. It is just a silly test to generate views as many YouTube channels do nowadays.
Using Grade 8 bolts and coupling nuts make it pretty impossible for the not or the bolt to fail. The person is using a pretty big wrench extender and in the real world you would be breaking the bolt or the stripping the nut.
It really does not address the problem of stretch. It is just a silly test to generate views as many YouTube channels do nowadays.
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MJK
Well-known member
Hazet 606, Stahlwille 14
I would like to see how SK X frames do in the open end test. Those wrenches have the anti slip end and v notch. Doing the test with grade 5 nuts would be interesting too but the bolt would be maxed out on Wright and other anti-slip grips end. The data might not be as informative but still interesting.