"Universal" Spanners

[TheShaggyDA]

Many moons ago, I saw some spanners advertised, that had a different profile so that they would grip on the flat rather than on the edge of the nut/bolt. Beauty of these was that one spanner would fit a range of sizes.

I can't remember for the life of me where I saw them, who makes them, or even what type they are called. Been googling for a few hours but keep drawing up blanks.

I've drawn (rather badly) what I recall the head to look like - probably the second one with a half hex head, rather than the half square of the first.

Any hints/ideas what these are, who makes them or what they are called?
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Current: CB500 Previous: CB100N, CB250RS, XJ900F, GT550, GPZ750R/1000RX, AJS M16, R100RT, Enfield Bullet

[i:6e3bfc7581]But still I fear and still I dare not laugh at the madman...[/i:6e3bfc7581]

[Scooby]

I bet they're made of chocolate as well.
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A big enough hammer fixes anything!

[TheShaggyDA]

As long as it's not that Belgian crap, I don't mind.
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Current: CB500 Previous: CB100N, CB250RS, XJ900F, GT550, GPZ750R/1000RX, AJS M16, R100RT, Enfield Bullet

[i:6e3bfc7581]But still I fear and still I dare not laugh at the madman...[/i:6e3bfc7581]

[TheShaggyDA]

Sod's Law, 48b :-

[ZRX61]

False economy, they don't fit AF or Metric well & are the worst of both worlds...
Never buy cheap tools & especially ones that claim to *fit everything*. Go buy some Britool or Facom spanners, they'l last you a lifetime.
hell, I even have some 25 year old Kamasa sockets that are still holding up well, altho they ain't the first ones I grab when I reach into the toolbox

[G]

You can get other 'wall drive' sockets and spanners that do a similar thing.
I definitely reccomend them, though others are a bit more cynical about their merits.


However I would definitely avoid ones offering to do imperial and metric. To start with, how much imperial stuff do you use? Not many people do touch it these days.

[Kickstart]

Hi

I have one or 2 wall drive sockets, but they are all metric rather than the dodgy "one size fits all" ones.

General use they have no real advantage. They are possibly marginally better on a rounded nut, but then that is just likely to encourage people to reuse nuts and bolts that should be in the bin.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Scooby]

Too true Keith. How can we ever forget the old classic 'half inch spanner on a 12mm nut' scenario
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A big enough hammer fixes anything!

[ZRX61]

[Ade067]

I got a whitworth set of King Dicks...but I aint bragging or anything

Me Grandad give 'em to me when I was just a lad.

I am by trade a truck mechanic and the rest of the guys in our workshop spend truck loads (no pun intended) of cash on tools whereas I just bought cheapy stuff like Draper and other makes and they done just as good as stuff like Snap-on and Mac,ok so I broke a few sockets and that but as they were only cheap who cares?!

[Minky_monkey]

Plus, if you lose a socket it ain`t going to cost you fifteen quid for a new one!

I do a fair amount of roadside stuff, where it's so easy to lose stuff, Halfords professional does it for me - not cheap but not an arm or a leg job either!

[Lone-Wolf]

[Finglonga]

[mr jamez]

Buying good quality tools is an investment, if you are going to be spannering for a long time to come they will pay off in the end.

I *inherited* all my dads old tools, they are 30 years old but the spanners, sockets and ratchets are still going strong even after heavy use, I just bought a 19pc metric spanner set (britool) for £55 with free delivery (reduced from £140) to add to the collection, bargain .

Some brands of tools are hideously over priced though.

[Big Pete]

face drive sockets are excellent. I have metric ones from Sykes Pickavant and they have removed turbo manifold nuts that a normal spanner or 12 point socket would touch.
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Trust me, I`m an engineer
GarageOfPower.co.uk

[Kickstart]

[Minky_monkey]

[Kickstart]

Hi

Getting hold of decent quality WW stuff these days is not easy. Think King Dick are just about the only people who still make it.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[ZRX61]

Snap-On still make Whit wrenches & sockets. I've got a set of their Whit sockets. The Whit wrenches I have are Draper, Britool & KD.
Also got a load of BA for the small stuff, comes in handy working on Spits, Hurricanes & P51's etc

[Kickstart]

[Big Pete]

Good quality (Britool, King Dick) Whitworth stuff is often available for very little at car boot sales, but A/F stuff will fit on Whitworth anyway.
____________________
Trust me, I`m an engineer
GarageOfPower.co.uk

[Demonic69]

Aren't the cheap Universal JML spanners any good? I know they're cheap and nasty but they're supposed to be great at gripping rounded nuts.

These:
Spanners
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Back on a Blade. Just feels so right.

[dibbster]

Get an adjustable!

Bought myself a set of cheap spanners about 3 years ago have snapped 2 so far and replaced them with decent ones as they ar ones I use often.
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Suzuki RF 600 - The two wheeled Testarossa (Deceased)
Suzuki GSXR - Now stops on a sixpence; SBK3's
www.bikepics.com/members/dibbster

[Rollins]

Does anyone remember, or own, a Gator Grip?? That all-round universal one-size-fits-all miracle wrench & sprocket which had 50 odd pins to grip nuts & bolts with? I seem to remember it was a Yank tool (no offence ), advertised on the cheap in an over-the-top ad "for a limited time only".

I bet it was made of Brie, or a similar soft cheese.

[ZRX61]