Purchase advice for spanners: What you should definitely look for.

How do you find spanners that meet your requirements? How do you know that the tool will deliver what the advertising promises? Which quality features should you look for? Here we answer the most important questions about buying a spanner!

Anyone looking to buy a new spanner, or even a set of spanners, is quickly faced with an overwhelming selection of branded and unbranded products. The good news is: It's not that hard to separate the wheat from the chaff and find tools that you’ll be able to use for a years to come.

Low fatigue, safe work

Be sure to check to the ergonomics of the spanner. It should fit well in your hand and the finish should give you a good grip. This is the only way to ensure that you can work safely when a bit more force is needed. In addition, comfortable handling and a natural gripping position will protect your joints and allow you to work with less fatigue.

Travelling light

The weight of the spanner also plays a part in the ergonomics issue. Of course, forged tools do add quite a bit of weight to the scales. This may not be noticeable with a single spanner. But when it comes to carrying a whole set, you'll be grateful for every gram saved. For this reason, we recommend spanners with a concave shaft which have a reduced weight. Similar to an I-beam, this design provides maximum bending strength and load-bearing capacity with minimal weight.

Consider tight installation spaces

If you frequently work in tight spaces, you should always use thin-walled spanners. They help you get to hard-to-reach places.

Check manufacturing tolerances

The more precisely a spanner is made, the tighter it fits around the screw head. The result is a perfect frictional connection. That is to say: The applied force is optimally transferred to the screw. What’s more: The less play there is between the jaws or ring flanks of the spanner and the screw, the safer and more precisely you can work with it without damaging the screw head.

Identify critical stress zones

When choosing your combination spanner, also pay attention to the transition between the shaft and the jaw or ring. This is where the greatest forces are applied when tightening. This critical stress zone should therefore be slightly more stable, i.e. wider, in order to minimise the risk of breakage and injury.

Last, but not least: Choose a brand name manufacturer from which you can re-order easily and which offers you a wide range of spanners. This way you can add other drives as needed to your tool, such as TORX or Spline-Drive!

Already familiar with our spanners? You can find more information here!

More products