How to choose the right wrench for the job

If you’ve ever tried to remove Across wrench a stuck nut with a pair of pliers in a pinch, you know how easy it is to scrape and damage the nut’s outside edges with the wrong tool for the job. Do enough damage, and the fastener will be nearly impossible to budge, even when you break out the right tool. Fortunately, for all sizes of nuts and bolts, there are certain types of wrenches that fit snugly and—by exerting pressure on the wrench handle can safely increase the torque the twisting force necessary to either tighten or loosen the nut. Read on to decipher which types of wrenches would be best suited to your day-to-day projects and which you should stock in your home’s toolbox .

One of the first things you’ll notice when shopping for wrenches is that two different measurement standards are used in stores: metric measurements millimeters and the American standard equivalent inches, named for the Society of Automotive Engineers . The latter are sized in inch increments. With either system, the units are used to measure the nut or bolt that will be twisted.Most wrench handles range from 5 inches to 2 feet long. The longer the handle, the greater the torque force the wrench can apply to the nut or bolt. Long handles can be unwieldy in tight spots, though, so the best wrench length will depend on the task at hand.Often, the best way to purchase wrenches is in sets that include graduated-size openings, so that you have the correct tools on hand for whatever project lands on your to-do list.

And, if you will be using the wrenches frequently, it’s a good idea to invest in quality strong, specialty tools manufactured from an alloy significantly stronger than sheet metal. Since a set of precision wrenches matching this description can retail for more than $300, you can rest easy knowing that nearly every size wrench, both SAE and metric, is also available individually. If you’re not ready to invest in a large set, or if your set doesn’t contain the specific size you need, you can purchase a single wrench for the next immediate project.For tasks in which you have full access to the top of a nut, a box wrench offers more control over the torque process than its open-end counterpart.

That’s because once the wrench head is securely positioned over the nut, it’s less likely to slip off. Whether you purchase a single or double-box wrench which pairs two different size wrench heads, the box ends resemble rings with interior shapes featuring either six or 12 sides. The openings fit snugly over hex-head six-sided nuts and bolts. Box-end wrenches with 12-sided rings fit hex-head nuts in the same manner, but offer greater flexibility in handle positioning when fitting the wrench head over the nut or bolt extremely helpful if you have limited space to maneuver. Some box wrenches on the market even come with offset handles, reducing the risk of scraping knuckles when tightening nuts on flat surfaces.