Im wanting some combination wrench sets don't really feel like buying snap on or matco or mac. So i was just wondering what everyone thinks what brand have you have the best luck and is the best value for a reasonable price.
Wrench Proto vs. Wright vs. SK Advice
- Thread starter schmoldty
- Start date
pauls_workshop
Well-known member
Start reading the threads! There are at least 500 on this topic, but all you listed are at the top of the pile! - Paul
bobcatdan
Well-known member
Wright grip for the win. I love SK too. Buy the wrights for normal length and SK shorties for best of both worlds. I'm sure the proto are fine, but I don't own any so I can't say.
ClineWrench
Well-known member
If I had to replace my snap-on flank drive plus wrenches and do it on a budget, I'd go with wright grip or williams super combo as a close second.
RedneckWelder
Well-known member
None would be a bad choice, but in my book Wright would be the one to go with.
Now the question is, what finish????
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4034926&postcount=20
marinepride
Banned
Wright stamps snap on wrenches in their factory here in barberton. Just fyi.
woodstockva
Well-known member
I'd go with WrightGRIP wrenches!!
Check out my reviews on them...
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/phlUppL8mtA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Q_L1ztqVAxk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Check out my reviews on them...
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/phlUppL8mtA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Q_L1ztqVAxk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
marinepride
Banned
Ive seen it.HahahaWho told you that?
2ndGearRubber
Well-known member
I just completed my 7-22 (less 20mm) set of Wright Grip wrenches in satin. Amazing tools I would recommend them in a heartbeat.
marinepride
Banned
Call west end hardware in Barberton oh. They will get you 30% off of msrp. Tell em george from Alcoa sent you
pauls_workshop
Well-known member
Those WrightGrip are pretty incredible! However, overtorqueing a bolt way beyond it's spec is also not a good idea in practice. Clearly, the Wright is the best design to avoid rounding. A supplement to this might be just a high torque test with each option. Torque to a reasonable but high spec for the grade of bolt you have and see if some round and some don't. I think many more would meet this test without the rounding and "pass". - Paul
sonvolt
Well-known member
I have Wright/SK/and Proto ASD. The Wrights win all around quality and performance, the SK are good quality and great feel and fit. The Proto ASD have the worst feel and quality, rough edges, etc. I would go Wright then SK
Jawn
Well-known member
My experience has been just the opposite, my SK's are quite slim. Box end is way slimmer than my Armstrongs.
n8n
Well-known member
I like my SKs and they have stood up to a monster amount of abuse, but were I buying new, I'd be tempted to try Williams Supercombos or WrightGrips. Especially so if you work on old stuff and use the open ends a lot. If you primarily use the box ends then any quality brand will likely be fine.
Are you talking the canadian tire wrenches?
Yes the Canadian Tire Mastercraft pro and max series, are now imports from Taiwan, they are rumored to be built by Stanley, in the same factory as Stanley MAC.
I have no idea, if they are the same wrench, (from the same dies and forge hammers) but they are rumored to come from the same factory. Its an open rumor, here in Western Canada, I have no idea how it started, I've heard it a few times.
I don't care for MAC, and own about 6 tools from them, it makes no bearing on my decision, I only buy the Mastercraft Pro and Max series if they go on sale, and use and abuse them. If they go missing, get left behind in a ditch so what, they are cheap. Never had to warranty one, as they appear to at least be decent quality.
As far as "rebranding" goes now. There are about 3 VFD mfg companies in the world. The VFDs are then purchased and then "rebranded".
Tools such as wrenches are the same, some brands hardly mfg anything anymore, and farm out all the actual mfg of the tools.
Gray Canada is one, their "hard line" of Wrenches and Sockets are about the only thing they make here in Canada, the rest is farmed out to USA,China, Taiwan, other mfg.
Klein Tools, is one out of the USA, their "Hard Line" pliers and some screwdrivers, are mfg inhouse, the rest are farmed out. Their whole Data line of tools is Taiwan, ADJ wrenches is IREGA in Spain, Actual Comb/ open end wrenches use to be Wright, now it somebody different every 6 months.
Snap OFF is the same, they have a "hard Line" and then farm everything after that, look at a pair of SNAP OFF red handles pump pliers, they are CHANNELLOCKS they even use the Channellock numbers.
Canadian Tire, doesn't mfg anything at all, they use to use Gray Canada for wrenches and sockets, and have switched it to STANLEY, they are not from the TEXAS Stanley Proto plant, and have been rumored to come from the Taiwanese Stanley Plant, same as MAC.
I'd call and ask them, if your that interested.
Tools such as wrenches are the same, some brands hardly mfg anything anymore, and farm out all the actual mfg of the tools.
Gray Canada is one, their "hard line" of Wrenches and Sockets are about the only thing they make here in Canada, the rest is farmed out to USA,China, Taiwan, other mfg.
Klein Tools, is one out of the USA, their "Hard Line" pliers and some screwdrivers, are mfg inhouse, the rest are farmed out. Their whole Data line of tools is Taiwan, ADJ wrenches is IREGA in Spain, Actual Comb/ open end wrenches use to be Wright, now it somebody different every 6 months.
Snap OFF is the same, they have a "hard Line" and then farm everything after that, look at a pair of SNAP OFF red handles pump pliers, they are CHANNELLOCKS they even use the Channellock numbers.
Canadian Tire, doesn't mfg anything at all, they use to use Gray Canada for wrenches and sockets, and have switched it to STANLEY, they are not from the TEXAS Stanley Proto plant, and have been rumored to come from the Taiwanese Stanley Plant, same as MAC.
I'd call and ask them, if your that interested.
Last edited:
Loscaldazar
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2013
- Messages
- 2,385
So many people on this forum confuse the fact that the wrench morphs into the box end instead of looking like a beam attached to the box end (like most other brands) with the box end being overly bulky. The reality is that the box end is actually extremely small compared to other brands, and the area where the handle morphs into the box end isn't actually as bulky as it looks when compared to other brands. The other part is that SK's beam is usually much thinner than other brands, which only adds to the illusion that the morph from beam to box end looks larger. I've never run into clearance issues with these wrenches, but ironically I have run into issues with the CMAN RP wrenches that everyone claims even have a smaller profile (which isn't exactly true!).
Some comparisons to the Craftsman RP USA made wrenches that we all have had at some time in our life.
I like the way the SK wrench morph, as it allows for a nice comfortable grip on the wrench at the box end.
Attachments
Every tool company farms out some stuff. Snap-On sells multiple models of pump pliers, some made by them, some made by others.
Last edited:
Jawn
Well-known member
Great comparison. Really visible on that 24.
I had some driveline bolts that my Armstrong box ends wouldn't touch, but the SK's fit like a glove.
AV tinker er
Well-known member
There are a lot of subjective things that go into buying tools like "look", "feel", and design. Satin or full polish? Most of these cannot be answered unless you actually hold and use the tools yourself and make your decision based off your observations.
Is one tool actually better than another? Possibly. Newer designs, that offer off corner engagement are superior to older style OE wrenches. However, I remember a thread not long ago about a gentleman saying he didn't want SO's FD+ wrenches since he had a hard time getting the OE over a fitting. I know as a former aviation Tech, I did not like the FD+, the things I worked on typically did not have 5 years worth of rust built up since the last time the bolt was turned.
I haven't seen any mention about a sclerometer test in the previous posts, that is something the numbers cannot lie about. Tools have to be hard enough to be stronger than a nut or bolt yet soft enough to not be brittle. I bet we would find all wrenches are fairly close when it comes to the strength of the steel used.
All that said, my preference is Proto. I like satin wrenches, less likely to slip in my hands when they are oily. It doesn't bother me that said wrenches look used... that's why I bought them in the first place. They fit my hands well and are constructed very similarly to other name brand wrenches (see photos)
Is one tool actually better than another? Possibly. Newer designs, that offer off corner engagement are superior to older style OE wrenches. However, I remember a thread not long ago about a gentleman saying he didn't want SO's FD+ wrenches since he had a hard time getting the OE over a fitting. I know as a former aviation Tech, I did not like the FD+, the things I worked on typically did not have 5 years worth of rust built up since the last time the bolt was turned.
I haven't seen any mention about a sclerometer test in the previous posts, that is something the numbers cannot lie about. Tools have to be hard enough to be stronger than a nut or bolt yet soft enough to not be brittle. I bet we would find all wrenches are fairly close when it comes to the strength of the steel used.
All that said, my preference is Proto. I like satin wrenches, less likely to slip in my hands when they are oily. It doesn't bother me that said wrenches look used... that's why I bought them in the first place. They fit my hands well and are constructed very similarly to other name brand wrenches (see photos)
Attachments
As of right now, this is my plan to replace my CM RPs... Maybe throw in some Armstrong XLs as well.
But I have the attention span of a gnat, so this is liable to change five or six times before finally I get my SAEs and metrics actually in my grubby paws...
Wakefield
Well-known member
I guess a big S*K like #C 54 (1-11/16") are a different breed of cat than their small wrenches. Although Wright is very competitive at making wrenches that big.
stovebolt6
Well-known member
The mastercraft maximum full polish wrenches have been replaced by non-maximum polished ones. The back of the package on those say "made in China."
I love the CT wrenches! I have beat on them and used them like slug wrenches with 3 pound hammers. They have been solid!
You're mistaken. Snap-On wrench production and steel are proprietary. They make all of their metal hardline tools in house. Even their Williams subsidiary uses different steel grades for their wrenches despite both being produced under the Snap-On company.
SK box ends are fine. They're a little wide in the hips but that's it. I also believe them to be one of the very few US tool brands that is forging their box end offset instead of using a separate bending step.
If I needed wrenches tomorrow i'd go for SK. I really am impressed with the company as a whole and their core values of keeping all of their offerings USA made. If you have an issue and call them you don't get a prompt, you go straight to a person. It makes the consumer company relationship personal which is old school and a nice breath of fresh air compared to a faceless corporation.
Last edited: