Snap-On Crescent wrench - Best Tool?!

[scot850]

Not trying to say what is best, and you guys are correct that as I grew up in Scotland working on cars, I was told these brake pipe 'spanners' (wrenches) were called crescent wrenches. Boot/Trunk difference in calling stuff by different names but they are the same. Explained why it took me so long to find a suitable tool over here!!

The Irwin tool looks mean, and I have an original 'Vice-Grip' locking pliers, but in both cases due to the jacking point configuration, they are of no use as you could not get in with those types of tools. Only a 'flare' (have to remember that) wrench can get in to the limited room available around the LH AWD jacking point that this brake pipe is attached to. All this would have been a moot point if Volvo didn't do their typical, 'lets find a way we can really screw up Joe Public and find something we can attach this to that will make removing the sub-frame impossible. Oh yes, lets bolt it through a mounting plate rather than notching it so it can be removed without disturbing fragile brake lines'.

It is like the other Volvo plan to use 4 bolts where 3 would do, and always make one in-accessible without huge further dis-assembly.

In the past I have to admit to using 7/16" wrenches when a 11mm wasn't available, a 13mm for a 1/2".

Always good to hear about other options in tools out there. Thanks for the input and enlightenment as always!

Neil.

[j-dawg]

I have mentioned this theory before: I think Volvo designs one model of car to be really good for maintenance, and then every non-standard variation on that car gets totally screwed.

I have a FWD car, and changing the fuel pump was a piece of cake. On AWD cars, a fuel pump failure might be cause for serious thoughts about selling.

It is also a turbo car, and doing just about anything under the hood is like looking for a particular unit of pasta in a bowl full of angel hair. It's a hellish nightmare of hoses and bolts, and all the ones that are inaccessible are so because of something specific to the turbo car.

[abscate]

I think the UK calls what we call a flare nut wrench a crescent wrench, as the head is shaped like a crescent. I don't find volvo too bad for accessibility but I do cut those some slack for packing a big power plant into a small space. I find it incredible how low they got the hood on the P2 while packing in that dreamy smooth 5 cylinder block.

My VW beetle is much worse, and my Eurovan has a detachable swing hinge on the radiator so you can access anything on the motor.

The inline BMW motor is so far away, you have to be Kareem to access anything

[FLXC90]

[ as an sceptical old Mech. Eng]
[All this would have been a moot point if Volvo didn't do their typical, 'lets find a way we can really screw up Joe Public and find something we can attach this to that will make removing the sub-frame impossible. Oh yes, lets bolt it through a mounting plate rather than notching it so it can be removed without disturbing fragile brake lines'.

It is like the other Volvo plan to use 4 bolts where 3 would do, and always make one in-accessible without huge further dis-assembly.]

Call 'em out Neil, as a mechanic on cars and aircraft for 30 years, I always thought maintenance obfuscation was a required part of the Engineer's course of study

[mecheng]

Snap on definitely has some nice tools, I like how light their regular wrenches are. Did you try Gray tools, they have some nice stuff and they have local distributors.. Their quality is on par with snap on but a bit less.

[scot850]

Sorry, never heard of the Gray Tools. I'll look them up for future reference. Thanks for the heads up.

Neil.

[hammertime]

The Crescent tool company was founded in 1907 in my hometown of Jamestown, NY. The term "Crescent wrench" refers to the classic adjustable wrench which they invented. In the 60s and 70s our neighbor worked there and often gave my father perfectly good tools that were rejected during inspection for cosmetic flaws. He gave me a set of metric open end/box end wrenches in 1970 that I still use to this day. The old Jamestown made tools were very high quality. Unfortunately they are no longer manufactured in Jamestown. Company moved production to South Carolina and China.