spanner wrenches

[kaiyen]

Hi guys,
I'm seeking recommendations on spanner wrenches. Several from micro-tools come with multiple blades. Then I saw the one from SK Grimes with only 2 blades (round and slotted), but they're pretty well known. (the Grimes one is at http://www.skgrimes.com/span/). I just don't know what to look for in a spanner wrench...

thanks,
allan

 

[Kim Coxon]

Hi,
A lot will depend on what jobs you want to do. I got a fairly cheap set but rarely use them, only for the BIG jobs. The type I got was similiar to the Micro tools economy set (SP-SET). For most jobs I find a pair of modified pliers are best and much easier to use. I have attached a photo of the way I ground the tips. I found out about this from a pro. He has a set of the very expensive change blade type spanners but only uses them for awkward jobs. Most of the time he uses the pliers. These will cost you a couple of $ from your local hardware store. 😉

Kim

 

[kaiyen]

So you just filed them down? Cool. That's certainly cheaper...thanks.

 

[dmr]

The one that I ended up with, which came from a guy at work, has 2 sets of blades that snap in, and they both snap in 2 ways, so you can have a relatively wide or narrow spacing if you want.

One of them is a sharp point, which works for the rings where there is a little indentation but it can work on some slotted rings too.

The other is kind of like a small flat screwdriver blade. This works very well on the rings where there is a horizontal slot.

I don't know where this one came from. There's no brand or style number or anything. It's 2 parallel bars with clips at the end, 2 smaller bars that interlock and are held by thumb screws. It does work rather well, at least for the QL17 GIII.

 

[Kim Coxon]

A bit hard for a file. I used a mini grinding wheel mounted in an electric drill.

Kim

So you just filed them down? Cool. That's certainly cheaper...thanks.