Let's Settle This! What Wrench & Socket Design Will Slip 1st?

Follow up video testing 14 brands on the open end! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzY4jg7NmKw If you're wondering why 12 point and spline are being tested on 6-point fasteners, its because that's how they are used 95% of the time in a shop environment. And how they are sold to us on tool trucks. Combination wrenches are as old as time yet very infrequently used on actual 12-point or spline head bolts now days, they are a way to wrench on 6-point with less arc swing before repositioning, and therefore more access.

The only scientific way to judge when they're going to slip is judging when you have to apply a lot of pressure and your knuckles are in the perfect position to lose the most amount of skin

As a person from the land of rusty cars and mountains of salt, I can confirm that 6point is the way to go when breaking loose stuck fasteners. The 12's are simply for turning them off in tight spaces... but only AFTER you've baptized them with fire, penetrant, and a solid 6point first 👍

There's an important take away here! The way the fastener failed is important. When the 12pt strips, you can probably still get a 6pt in there to save the day. When the spline strips, you have a nice looking circle.

"Assuming we're not incompetent" I'm really impressed that you're keeping all options on the table and being objective with them. I always leave this one on the table as well.

12 point Also known as the lowest RPM lathe.

In the rust belt, 12 pointers are useless in the automotive world on hex head fasteners.

6 Point is important if you're trying to restore something with very specific fasteners on it so you do the least amount of damage to them. Sometimes you just can't find replacement fasteners that match.

As a now retired mechanic, I switched to 6-point sockets and wrenches within a year of starting my wrenching career. (Just 1 or 2 busted knuckles into a searing hot exhaust system get your attention quite quickly.) Snap-Off (and later MAC) were the only spline makers, so I happily kept my paychecks and did just fine with 6-pointers. One note: If you have a thin nut or bolt head, you can get a better grab on it if you grind the heel of the box end down a bit. It eliminates some of the rounded area (which helps you find/engage the bolt head) and lets the 6 flats of the wrench touch the base of the bolt. About half my wrenches were ground and 1/4 of my 1/2" drive sockets were done to get that extra grip. Great tests, guys. I like your vids.

I'd like to see this experiment with 10mm spanners. Not to see the result, just to see that 10mm exist.

Spline is great when you don’t need to remove what you’re installing, or when you plan on throwing away the hardware you’re removing, or you just don’t care what condition your bolt is gonna be in when you’re done torquing it. 12 point is good when your hardware is already kind of loose and you need that extra half swing on a tight spot. It also fits square hardware since 12 is divisible by 4. 6 point is the go-to for breaking stuff loose or applying a final torque. Just be sure your tolerance is close for a nice tight fit and grip. And when all else fails, a Pittsburgh wrench welded to the nut will never slip 😂

I learned many years ago working on the Harrier Jets. when you find a totally rounded bolt, you can pound on a spline that is slightly smaller and Bob's your uncle.

As a mechanic myself I always use 6 point for sockets, and 12 for wrenches. It seems to be the most versatile combination. But I might have to try out some splined wrenches, those look promising. Sometimes it's good to keep an odd inch socket laying around to beat on to a rusted mm head, or vise versa

hi. i absolutely love the graphic in the corner visually displaying the differences between them; a lot of people test this sort of thing and throw a lot of numbers around but unless i really pay attention and write down all those numbers and compare them in my mind, it all kinda turns into number mumbo jumbo.

I would’ve lost a bet on the spline wrench. Still not gonna buy them 😁 but that was a surprise.

I’ve used all the different types. All are good when used as they should be. A little trickI learned on bolts where the rust buildup has made the head larger is to take the 12 point or spline drive of the size up, wiggle it back and forth to knock some scale off then slam a 6 point on it and off she goes.

I did a lot of fastener testing in previous jobs, you will find that using a new nut and bolt each time will produce quite different results even with the same setup, so to say any one spanner gives x amount of torque you'd want to test it 10 to 20 times and then take an average result for sure. The scatter between measurements can be huge, and really you should lubricate the threads to try to make it consistant.

This channel and project farm are by far the most informative and best testing channels I've ever seen. The work you and PF are doing for the world is far more than anyone would think. Thank you for taking the time and effort to make this content. God bless and thank you

This video taught me something….there are real extenders for wrenches 🤗 I’ve been using 2 wrench trick for many years, never even knew there was an actual wrench extender product.

As an engineer I have to say 12 sided sockets are a necesity, it's quite often I have to undo bolts or nuts in positions where I can only make a 1/12 turn before the handle bumps into something else.