The Usual Suspects –WRENCHES & SPANNERS
Terms & Definitions
You might call a spade a spade, but there’s a lot of different terms floating around for wrenches and spanners. We’ve made sure to keep this website on the same page by adopting the following naming convention.
A Socket Ratchet is essentially a handle with a ratcheting male square drive of variable size. Combined with a set of standard sockets, you can tackle many different fastener sizes.
A Torque Wrench is similar to a socket wrench, however is precisely calibrated to apply an adjustable amount of torque.
A Spanner is a tool with fixed capacity, available in single or double ended varieties. The most common are combination spanners, which combine open jaws with a ring. Spanners with two open jaw ends or two ring ends are also available. Slogging spanners are designed to be struck with a hammer to loosen the most stubborn bolts.
An Adjustable Wrench is similar to an open‑ended spanner with jaws that can expand and contract. An essential and indispensible tool.
If a tool is ratcheting, this means it has a mechanism to allow back and forth movement during fastening or loosening. This removes the need to reset the tool in-between turns.
Hats off for how well organised the argument is from start to finish. There's a steadiness to the tone that makes the trickier bits land without any strain. I saved it to my favourites and expect to return to it more than once. Genuinely one of the better reads I've had this month.