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So I have a good set of your standard, run of the mill combination wrenches (one open end, one box end). I'm in need of at least a handful of new wrenches to use for counter holding in scenarios where I can't get a socket onto either side.
I figure if I'm buying new wrenches, I ought to at least see if there's anything you guys have found particularly useful, so long as they still serve for normal counter-hold purposes.
What non-standard wrenches have you found the most useful? Ratcheting? Flex?
Offset for sure. There have been a lot of times when I wished I had ratcheting wrenches. But even since I bought some last month, I've only been able to use them once Generally because if I can't get my socket on it, there isn't enough room for the ratcheting wrench either. But still nice to have them.
Also have used a service wrench set extensively for large (20mm+) hex. I got Pittsburgh Item# 93668 and the quality is honestly pretty poor. When I use a cheater bar over the handle, for example removing a 24mm nut or O2 sensor, the jaws of the wrench sometimes deform and slip off the faces of the fastener.
Hadn't ever actually heard of a service wrench before now, but man, would have killed for a set when I was doing the fuel lines... The late routing through the wheel well would have made the job super easy, but a wrench that would fit into such a small space easily would certainly have helped.
I got a set of Wera Joker ratcheting wrenches from my GF for my birthday this year, they came in handy when i had to pull the head on the engine a month later. Great for the exhaust manifold nuts and various other bolts. Get some ratcheting wrenches for your kit, they are very useful.
Offset for sure. There have been a lot of times when I wished I had ratcheting wrenches. But even since I bought some last month, I've only been able to use them once Generally because if I can't get my socket on it, there isn't enough room for the ratcheting wrench either. But still nice to have them.
Also have used a service wrench set extensively for large (20mm+) hex. I got Pittsburgh Item# 93668 and the quality is honestly pretty poor. When I use a cheater bar over the handle, for example removing a 24mm nut or O2 sensor, the jaws of the wrench sometimes deform and slip off the faces of the fastener.
I have a set similar to that from Harbor Freight - it's not identical to the pics of that item # on their website (mine are not shiny chrome) but very similar, and they're actually pretty good. They do look cheaply made but I have used them for tons of things on the 944 and put massive amounts on force on them with no issues. If they didn't break when I was removing my oil lines, they never will. They are great imo because it's a very cost effective way to get all the odd/large sizes that you'll only use once in a blue moon. I think my set goes up to 36mm.
But I think what I've felt the need for more often than anything is shorter wrenches. Not having room to turn them is the most common problem I run in to. When I was buying ratcheting wrenches I obsessed over which features to go for - flex head, stubby, reversible...it seems you can only have 2 of these 3, at least with what I've seen out there. You *need* reversibility for ratcheting wrenches, so it often comes down to a choice between flex head and stubby sizes. I went with full length flex head, and I kind of regret it. They are extremely frustrating to use. You basically have to keep one hand on the head all the time, or else it will flex and pop right off. Since you can't really put any force on it when the head is flexed, it's really not that useful - you must be able to fit something else on there to break it loose in the first place. There are flex head versions that are lockable, but usually not reversible.
Van, I've seen crow's foot wrenches, but never used them. I've never even thought "what I need to make this job easier is a crow's foot", which probably means I'm doing something the hard way. What do you use them for on our cars?
I got these wrenches a few months ago for a bolt inside the door of my Toyota. I haven't run into anything else I couldn't do without them, but had a few things they made a little easier. http://www.sears.com/craftsman-7-pc-...&blockType=G42
FYI, looks like they're 50% off right now (which is what I paid for them).
My favorites are my Stahlwille stable 20 series deep offset double box wrenches..
IMO Stahlwille make the best utilitarian metric tools period, they are the tools Audi VW Porsche BMW and most German car maers design there cars to be worked on with. I saw a 911 timing bet change specifically call for one of those stable 20 deeps..
My most life saving wrenches are likely my stubby ratchet wrenches non-reversible no offset along with many cutoffs.
Good assortments of extensions are also very valuable, SK gets m vote for there extensions because I like how beefy they are, beautifully chromed, and excellent knurling.. Universal joints are also must haves.
Quality ratchets are also important to me, I don't have one yet but I'm liking the new Armstrong MAXX 80t ratchets..
My syandard 3/8 snap-on ratchet gets most of my use despite having all sorts of flex ratchets and such I find a standard ratchet the best most often.
Something really important here is the need for quality tools, The danger of sh*t quality tools is not so much that the tool may break, its the fact that sh*t quality tools are many times more likely to round off nuts and destroy fasteners turning simple jobs into huge projects..
Like these cheese head bolts on your cams, I bet much less of you would strip out the heads of those if you were using top grade sockets. No way would I even attempt that with some china crap socket, not even craftsman.
Don't buy tools to work on a Porsche at walmart, check out SK, proto, stahlwille, hazet, snap-on, wright etc. for a truly good investment..
Like these cheese head bolts on your cams, I bet much less of you would strip out the heads of those if you were using top grade sockets. No way would I even attempt that with some china crap socket, not even craftsman.
funny you say this, there was talk about this bolt in another thread yesterday...
i've worked on more 944s than i can keep track of, and done/undone this bolt and all the others countless times...with a bit from an $8 set of 4 cheeseheads from autozone. never had one strip or really even round out on me.
cranked on by a 1/2 (or even 3/8) breaker bar from harbor freight.
almost all my sockets are from harbor freight, as well as my allen keys, torx bits, etc...i've never broken a single one.
in fact the only HF tool i've ever broken was a cheap 3/8 ratchet that came in a $4, 40-piece (!) socket set...but what do you expect.
there are situations where certain brands may outshine the others, very high torque situations for example, but for the most part...13mm in stuttgart is still 13mm in taipei.
a tool is a tool, you just have to use it right. that said, tools are like oil brands/weights, everyone has a preference and none are really wrong (unless your wrenches come in 10w30 )
Only HF tool that's physically broken on me was a 3/8" to 1/4" drive adaptor. Most of my hand tools except my socket set (which is Stanley) is HF cause I was a college student until recently and honestly, I only had the expected problems like I referenced earlier in this thread. No regrets.
Well...I bought an electric tire pump there and it broke immediately, but that wasn't a hand tool.
10-20-2015, 01:25 PM
Most useful non-standard wrenches?
Generally because if I can't get my socket on it, there isn't enough room for the ratcheting wrench either. But still nice to have them.
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