Your Wrench Set Hierarchy?

[BQuicksilver]

So what is the order of importance to you for your various wrench sets? I'm curious as to what others consider their must-have wrench sets. Order from 1 best most important on down. This may help me determine toolbox real estate in the future.

1) Gearwrench Metric Flex-Head Set: Love to ratchet the bolts off rather than placing a wrench back on the head.
2) Craftsman Metric Combo Wrenches: Just the normal craftsman set, works well and covers all the sizes I don't have gearwrenches in from 6-27mm
3) Craftsman Pro Stubby Metric Wrenches: I have a pretty big set though don't use them often. Still, they're great when you do need them.
4) Pittsburg Metric Long 12pt Wrench set: Pretty crummy fitting wrenches (and i'm not an HF hater), but on occasion reach something with their length. Their chrome does feel nice. Still, bigger torques on poor fitting 12pt heads just doesn't inspire confidence.
5) Craftsman Pro Metric Flare Nut Wrench Set: Nice wrenches, and I do use them on brake lines, etc. Still, I'm pretty sure the regular wrenches would get the job done in most cases.

 

[whitetoy]

I always pick up my craftsman reversible ratcheting wrenches in metric or blackhawk in sae. Never had any trouble with them yet. Then would be my craftsman polished wrenches

 

[mrholeshot]

1) Snap-On OEX 1/4-1"
2)Snap-On OEXM 8mm-22mm

The rest just as I need them

 

[crewchief888]

heres my $0.02

1 SO long 12pt sae
2 bluepoint 12 pt sae (backup/2nd set)
3 angle head wrenches from 3/4"- 1 5/8" (mix of 3 truck brands)
4 SO long 12 pt mm
5 CM raised panels sae & mm
6 SO open end crowsfoot 3/8" dr
7 SK 12pt comb sae (backup/2nd set)
8 line wrenches, SO, mac, matco, SK
i work on const eq, lots of hyd hoses, tubelines and fittings.

i have some CM raised panels with my work tools, cuz they are shorter than the SO wrenches, mainly use CM raised panels at home, along with the line wrenches with SK as a 2nd set

 

[Roots]

1) Matco Ergo Rev Metric Ratcheting 12 piece Wrench Set
Part#: SGRRECLM12T

2) Matco Ergo Rev SAE Ratcheting 9 piece Wrench Set
Part#: SGRRECL9T

Whether you go with Matco's Ergonomic line or Gearwrenches X-Beam series, I'm amazed with the comfort of using these!

3) Armstrong SAE Geared Combination 10 piece Wrench Set
Armstrong Product #25-667

4) Allen Brand Combination Wrenches up to 1-1/4

5) Home Depot/Husky Stubby Combination Wrench Sets

6) Backup Box with Craftsman Combination Wrench Sets

 

[millwrightjesse]

1. Snap On SAE and Metric
2. Husky
3. Powerbilt
4. Craftsman

 

[davesnothere]

1. snap-on metric and sae
2. gearwrench metric and sae
3. craftsman big sae 1" +
4. sunex sae and metric line wrenches

 

[stricht8]

Combos:
1. MAC Knucklesavers
2. Stahlwille
3. Facom
4. CMan Pro
5. Husky Pro (USA)

Ratcheting:
1. MAC Edge
2. Facom Stubbies
3. Gearwrench

 

[turrican]

I keep all of my wrenches in the same drawer, but if I had to downsize I'd probably keep mainly the long combination and long double box-ends the most accessible, with the ratcheting box-ends, stubbies, flare, carb, specialty, etc being secondary.

Ratcheting box-ends are awesome, but I use mostly air tools, so wrenches are typically used only for inaccessible stuff or holding bolts while I spin nuts off.

If air were taken out of the equation, it would probably be the long combos and the ratcheting box-ends as main, with everything else secondary.

(the bag-looking things in the drawer are desiccant packets; I throw them in whenever they show up in a parts box - I hate rust)

 

[stock z/28]

I like.

Standard length Snap On combination

Extra long Snap On combination

Stubby Snan On combination

Short (mid-length) Snap On

Flex head Snap On combination

Typically 12 point

 

[Steevo]

1. The first one I grab that fits the bolt/nut I want to tighten/loosen.
2. The next one I pick up after the first one turns out to be too big/small for the job.

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

If I want a ratcheting wrench I always grab for my GearWrench reversible first. If I decide I need a boxed end wrench I grab for my Craftsman raised panels...

 

[GDA]

My list and all listed by order and amount of overall usage:

SO flank drive mm and sae
SO flank drive short mm
Gearwrench flex head combo mm and sae
Hazet 450 open end mm

and for unusual circumstances...

SO deep double box mm
SO combo 6pt mm
SO flare crowfoot mm
SO crowfoot mm and sae
SO combo stubby mm
SO ratcheting double box wrenches mm and sae
SO oxygen sensor wrench

 

[airbatica]

I don't have a huge wrench collection, so this is the usual order. I have metric and SAE for all of them.

1. Craftsman Pro 12pt Combo Long Beams
1a. Craftsman 6pt Combo raised panel (for rusty/crusty)
2. Craftsman Ratcheting combo raised panel (the ones everyone seems to hate)

99999999999. Craftsman Ratcheting Open End wrench (the ones with the funky cut out on the open end). These things are absolutely worthless (except for the box end).

 

[Garage_Mahal]

Gearwrench XL X-beam non-ratcheting
Gearwrench XL X-beam ratcheting
Gearwrench XL X-beam ratcheting flex

 

[DrkMtnDew]

Combinations (1/4''- 3/4'') (6mm- 32mm)
Stubby GW (5/16''- 3/4'') (8mm- 18mm)
Flex Head GW (3/8''- 3/4'') (10mm- 19mm)

 

[Pinhook]

I picked up a 7 piece set of Standard Stubby Flex Ratcheting Wrenches from sears for 49.99 that were on clearance.

Also got the metrics - great wrenches for what I paid - quickly moving up my list.
I like how I can lock the head at any angle or straight.

Now I want to get the Non stubby verison - but they are currently 124.99 at my local Sears.

 

[bsaint]

1. The first one I grab that fits the bolt/nut I want to tighten/loosen.
2. The next one I pick up after the first one turns out to be too big/small for the job.

This x 100.

Usually I go for my OEX's but now that I have a new wrench set from Matco Im going to try to use those more.

 

[Old Donn]

1) Craftsman reversible combos, SAE-MM.
2) Cman Pro or Toptul combos, SAE-MM.
3) Bonney combos, SAE.
4) Cman non-ratcheting double boxes and open ends, SAE-MM.