The ones you want are the reversible type and of good quality, like Facom or Blue Point.
mrfxit,
Feb 6, 7:08am
Love those for specific light weight jobs BUT . don't ever hit them with a hammer for a tight bolt/nut
franken1,
Feb 6, 7:12am
These are what you would call low-end for geared spanners.
h.e,
Feb 6, 7:37am
i wouldnt buy that perticular style where the spanner is completely flat. It can make some jobs quite awkward for example a bolt on a flat surface you simply cant get your fingers under the spanner. I have a set of ratcheting spanners with a slight bend and wouldnt be without them
bjmh,
Feb 6, 7:54am
have found if the nut/bolt is real tight.better to break it free first with old school R&OE.but brilliant spanners for modern cars,had a few ratchet spanners break through my being rough.
kazbanz,
Feb 6, 8:02am
Ive got two sets -One set is the origoonal gearwrench the other has offsets on the head for tight spots--wouldnt be without em
unbeatabull,
Feb 6, 8:05am
Gearwrench are great spanners - only thing I've found that betters them are Snap On, but for over double the price, I've got Gearwrench throughout except the sizes I couldn't get which I got Snap On instead.
I personally hate the 'Reversible' type ones. Too many times in a tight spot and it keeps catching on a pipe or wire or bit of chassis and you're going the wrong way again . pain in the ass.
mugenb20b,
Feb 6, 8:10am
I can't say I've ever found that to be annoying, yes, they can flick the other way but you soon notice it.
I never found the need to have flat head type spanners after I bought the reversible ones, but having said that, I will be looking at buying the flexi head ones due to their wide range of angles.
unbeatabull,
Feb 6, 8:32am
I have a Gearwrench flexi head set - most used set other then my extra long ring spanners for cracking tight stuff off.
cuda.340,
Feb 6, 8:51am
i bought 2 sets of Powerbuilt brand ratchet spanners off here for $50. watch the auctions & save some dollars. all the ratchet brands are only good for the loose part of the job. you really need fixed ring or socket for the final tighten & loosening. like anything, abuse it & you'll break it.
unbeatabull,
Feb 6, 8:56am
Except when you're in the trade! Don't have time for that :P I have an extra long set of Bluepoint Ratchet spanners (Around 500mm for the largest 17/19mm) spanner. Crack's just about anything off and does the job for tightening too! Have only broken one, which was replaced on the spot by my Snap On guy . to be fair I had a big pipe over the end of it . Love my Snap On Rep . I broke my spanner can I get it replaced - Sure . I don't want to know how you broke it though! haha.
bigfatmat1,
Feb 6, 9:46am
All comes down to personal preference I have a powerbuilt set of flat reversable and flexi heads. I hardly use the flexi heads the flat ones I use all the time even with large spanners on the end of them for extra swing. The only time I have had one fail is when i dropped it onto a battery and melted the end, good 4 years old used every day
meathead_timaru,
Feb 6, 1:36pm
Stanley is not what it used to be. It's all junk now.
flashgordon_nz,
Feb 6, 6:53pm
big thumbs up here for the gearwrench brand. Tradezone and sulco do them, flat 15deg turn, but double ended ring - ie 12 and 13mm on the same spanner. $125 seems to ring a bell. Dont crack bolts off with them, but awesome bit of gear. Yep, if your in the trade, Flexi head are also handy, as are the angle head reversable.
dunedin_moto,
Feb 6, 8:58pm
No problems here with my set. Used regularly at home and have been shown some abuse without fault for around 3 years. I actually find they have better grip on a nut than my Koken sockets (sockets are 12 pt though). FAR better than the Fuller Pro I have, which are terrible. Just purchased a set of Jonesway ratchet spanners for work.nice wee quality set.except no 12mm! No worries as 12mm is not a common size at all.lol. My Made in Mexico Stanley set was pretty hard to beat value for money wise. Definitely better and worse out there, but I am happy with mine for the money paid.
dunedin_moto,
Feb 6, 9:01pm
Only gripe, is the thickness of the Stanley set. Thinner is better sometimes, but they do feel solid.
itsbutters,
Feb 7, 7:41am
I got this socket set from Stanley - Lifetime warranty on all their tools, and I've never had a problem for light duties like reindexing torsion bars etc. I say go for it.
I had some Fuller's given to me, so that's all I use. Never abused them, and they're good-az. If they break I'll replace them with something better.
We have workshop Powerbuilt flexi heads - a couple must have been abused at some time, and the ratchets became ratshits, so I presented them for replacement. and they did it for free. Didn't expect that!
The only ones I would ever wear out would be the 10 & 12mm Wish someone would make a 6mm
dave653,
Feb 7, 6:13pm
I looked into buying a ratchet set. but they didn't come in imperial, as real cars are imperial! (wait for it!)
lookoutas,
Feb 7, 6:58pm
I'm with you - but only really need a 1/2 & 9/16. Got a big old double ended clunker from 70's vintage, with both sizes.
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