Why aren't wrench handles round

[308guru]

Ok, ok, some are, but very few.

Why aren't wrenches a more comfortable round profile on the handle? Most typical box ends have an offset, and it doesn't seem like a perfectly flat wrench is required 95% of the time for the open end. So why not make them more comfortable with a full round handle, or at least large radii on the edges. I'm sure a flat wrench of wider section has more strength than a round profile but do we really need that strength?

 

[dscheidt]

Ok, ok, some are, but very few.

Why aren't wrenches a more comfortable round profile on the handle? Most typical box ends have an offset, and it doesn't seem like a perfectly flat wrench is required 95% of the time for the open end. So why not make them more comfortable with a full round handle, or at least large radii on the edges. I'm sure a flat wrench of wider section has more strength than a round profile but do we really need that strength?

You answered your question -- a flat beam gives better strength in the direction that matters for a given weight of steel. No one wants a tool heavier than it needs to be, and with the exception of cheap wrenches and stamped/cut out special purpose things, I've never been bothered by the edges of wrench when pulling or pushing it.

 

[cvairwerks]

Ever try to keep a greasy, slippery round wrench in a certain orientation?

 

[308guru]

Ever try to keep a greasy, slippery round wrench in a certain orientation?

No, because I don't have any round wrenches.

 

[cvairwerks]

No, because I don't have any round wrenches.

Try keeping an object with a greasy and slippery round body, that is not 100% symmetrically balanced, in a specific orientation at arms length while not visible.

 

[yatg]

A couple of P&Cs for your viewing pleasure

 

[jayemm]

No, because I don't have any round wrenches.

try keeping a 1/2" drive round handled ratchet (all metal handle- no rubber,etc) with long extension and socket from rotating in greasy hand. Gravity had the socket pointing to the ground-- repeatedly. After that I got a flat handle ratchet.

 

[LopezBart]

I find myself often holding tools I cannot directly see when working on vehicles & boats... it's nice to be able to sense orientation from the handle which is hard if it's round. I can generally tell w/ a ratchet + socket because of the imbalance... but a wrench is pretty symmetrical.

 

[username2]

I find myself often holding tools I cannot directly see when working on vehicles & boats... it's nice to be able to sense orientation from the handle which is hard if it's round. I can generally tell w/ a ratchet + socket because of the imbalance... but a wrench is pretty symmetrical.

That's a brilliant reason and I hadn't thought of it.

I imagine that the main reason is cost reduction.

 

[1982fxr]

Check out Wright, most comfortable profile I've ever held.

 

[finn]

I’ve got one or more round shank / handle SnapOn box wrenches somewhere in the inventory.

Don’t recall exactly where it (or they) are, primarily because they aren’t on my list of favorites. The shank is too small diameter to be comfortable.

Don’t recall when or under what circumstances I acquired it/them. Seem to recall using them for brake work, as in bleeder wrenches.

 

[G1GRANDEUR]

most likely cost effective.

more machining, griding, cutting = more money and time.

I never liked snap-on's thin handle.

 

[dnschmidt]

Which is why I like angled socket wrenches.

 

[impactims]

Round..

 

[impactims]

Not round, but very cozy to push against. The box and open ends are 90* offset from each other, so lots of surface area to push into, minimizing discomfort.

 

[mikey03]

Okay so why aren’t ratchets flat?

I think the question is why are they different if one style is better than the other and there used for the same things why aren’t ratchets and wrenches using the same style handle?

 

[scooby074]

Gray still makes them on their larger wrenches. Theyre quite comfortable

 

[impactims]

Okay so why aren’t ratchets flat?

I think the question is why are they different if one style is better than the other and there used for the same things why aren’t ratchets and wrenches using the same style handle?

Manufacturers make and offer to the public whatever sells. The laws of supply and demand are at play here.

 

[tamaraw]

Like others have mentioned, round beams can be slippery and hard to control/orient, especially in smaller sizes.

Besides that, a flat beam provides much better access in many scenarios and has a proportionately larger surface area for better grip.

Round beams are more common on very large industrial sizes where limited access is not a factor and a flat beam simply becomes too wide to grip. You also find them on some older offset DBE patterns for whatever reason

 

[tamaraw]

Round..

Those are spud wrenches, they don't really count. The conical part is designed for aligning holes in bolted seams, it's not just a handle shape.

 

[Beerhippie]

Okay so why aren’t ratchets flat?

I think the question is why are they different if one style is better than the other and there used for the same things why aren’t ratchets and wrenches using the same style handle?

You mean older Craftsman ratchets?

 

[F-22]

Can certainly say these are very comfy to hold.

For classic wrench designs, a thick beam handle with heavily rounded corners works really well. Am I turning into a Facom fanboy? Their 440XL and 441XL series certainly fit very well in the hand, as do their regular ones. And so does my one snap on wrench, as well as Williams supercombos, just maybe slightly less contoured.



Since I got the pipe wrenches I seem to use regular combination wrenches less. They are very comfy and a useful length.

 

[DemoFly]

The two most comfortable wrenches I've ever used are:

They are about as rotund as it gets.

 

[four.cycle]

There have been a number of "round" shank wrenches produced over the years.
Snap-on made some lovely DBEs with round shanks.
Others did as well.
Why didn't they catch on?

 

[john.k]

A lot of early makers used the round section ,doubtless had something to do with forging efficiency ,or steel supply....The round DE rings twist at the ring a lot easier .......ive got big ones that are twisted at the ring end ...like1&1/2 "

 

[F-22]

Got another set of these.

 

[Wakefield]

Check out Wright, most comfortable profile I've ever held.

Big Wrights (over about 1 and 3/8") have rounded crossection

 

[308guru]

Those Facom wrenches look like works of art! The large radius on the edges looks pretty comfy too.

 

[micromind]

Big Wrights (over about 1 and 3/8") have rounded crossection

And their smaller ones are pretty comfortable too.

 

[1982fxr]

Big Wrights (over about 1 and 3/8") have rounded crossection

Yup, but I really just meant the regular sizes with the rounded over edges. So nice to use.

 

[Wakefield]

Somewhere between 1 and 3/16" and 1 and 7/16"

 

[F-22]

Found a cool photo of the cross section of the Facom/USAG/Mac/Sidchrome XL wrenches:




Very good shape to my hand. Easy to index it too, and easy to grip on to it due to the "fuller" shape. These aren't light, but certainly much lighter than if they didn't have that shape. Like in steel construction, it's hard to beat an i-beam in terms of strength.

 

[justintendo]

Why i like stahlwille, their rounded ibeam is very comfortable and light.

 

[30-30remchester]

Here is a yard sale find.

 

[AEAdam]

Okay so why aren’t ratchets flat?

I think the question is why are they different if one style is better than the other and there used for the same things why aren’t ratchets and wrenches using the same style handle?

I think the reason Snap On ratchets don't look like their wrenches is simply because the wrenches are drop forged and the ratchets are machined. All ratchets have to be machined. So the question is, do you drop forge the basic shape, then machine the head in a second operation? Or just do it all at once?

My raised panel Craftsman ratchets were probably made before high speed cnc machining was readily available to a legacy tool maker.

You guys who responded about the section properties of a circle being not as mass/material efficient as a rectangular were dead right. Well done.

 

[Wamsutta]

Wrenches are shaped the way they are so that they can be flipped over in your hand.

That however, doesn't mean they have to be a pure rectangular cross section with sharp corners.

 

[Shoreline_]

Check out Wright, most comfortable profile I've ever held.

Yea and once you know where the chipped chrome is you really can know when you're pulling too hard by how much it digs into your palm.

 

[Grokew]

Try keeping an object with a greasy and slippery round body, that is not 100% symmetrically balanced, in a specific orientation at arms length while not visible.

Tell that to ratchets, especially the stubby, and micro ones. They need to learn that they are supposed to be stable.

 

[AEAdam]

On wrench beams: I often hear people here talk about Snap Ons thin wrench beams cutting into their hands. I imagine them imagining how a wrench feels based on their time with the wrench in a store or…. I grab the extreme end of my wrenches. Maybe only my last 2 fingers grip the beam.

Anyone else? How important is the beam of your combination wrench? Is beam shape a real issue or a made up one?

 

[MarcSeattle]

I like the I-beam style (see Facom or Stahlville). I'm pulling with the end as you say but not all my fingers are on the very end. The I-beam is more comfortable to me than a thin-edge wrench (I have Snap-on too). Engineering tells us that an I-beam design should be just as strong with less metal. Although the Stahlville feels lighter in the hand I weighed them and they are only about 10% lighter than SO. And that shape means I can put my thumb or fingers on the center channel and have better grip. But hey, YMMV, at the end of the day it's all personal preference. The mfg give us lots of choices.