2022 test21 productsHand Tools
Which Combination Wrenches Brand Wins?
We compared 21 combination wrenches options head to head. Mac Tools came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
Mac Tools
Price shown in test: $22
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Runner-up
Proto
Price shown in test: $19
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Rusty Fastener Test 370inlb Target | Open End Warmup Test Low Carbon Steel | Box End Round Off Torque Test | Open End Failure Load Test | Box End Failure Load Test Hex Key |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Mac Tools$22 | 408.6 in lb, passed, easily outlasted the target | 504.9 in lb, won this test outright, presenter said the jaw design was clearly onto something | 312 lb, performed very well | 1,204 in lb, well above average, fifth place | 468 lb, near the top of this test |
| 2Proto$19 | 390.1 in lb, passed, easily outlasted the bolt | 424.8 in lb, moved into the lead at that point | 334 lb, close second place in the final ranking | 1,003 in lb, slipped rather than stretching or bending like most other brands | 492 lb, never broke, described as built like a tank, fourth place in final ranking |
| 3GearWrench 12 point$14 | 374.2 in lb, passed | 411.1 in lb | 266 lb, tied with Tekton | 1,333 in lb, won this test outright | 425 lb, performed quite a bit better than average |
| 4Snap-on$40 | 409.6 in lb, passed, bolt broke with no damage to the bolt head | 427.3 in lb peak, second place in the final ranking, but slipped at 384 in lb on a second attempt likely due to prior bolt damage | 279 lb | 1,197 in lb, well above average | 379 lb, refused to snap but experienced a bad bend |
| 5SK Pro$22 | 374.8 in lb, passed, bolt broke | 372.9 in lb | 285 lb | 1,091 in lb, better than average | 577 lb, won this test outright |
| 6SK Tools vintage (bonus comparison wrench) | 242.8 in lb, failed, way too much taper on the box end | 391.8 in lb, a little better than the new SK Pro | 290 lb, outperformed the new SK Pro | just short of 1,000 in lb, 91 in lb less than the new SK Pro | 556 lb, second place in the final ranking, stayed together |
| 7Facom$117 for 12 wrenches, about $12 each | 373.3 in lb, passed, outlasted the bolt; designed to distort gradually under overload rather than break, a stated safety feature | 421.9 in lb, well above average | 324 lb, third place, though the handle did experience a bend | 1,069 in lb | skipped in this test since the handle was already bent |
| 8Sunex$21 | 240.3 in lb, failed, could not get a good grip | 401.1 in lb | 337 lb, won this test outright, took the lead from Proto | 1,072 in lb, better than average | 312 lb, gave up sooner than most other brands, bad bend |
| 9Gedore$19 | 375.3 in lb, passed, bolt broke, minimal taper and good contact | 426.4 in lb, took the lead from Proto at that point | stopped at 163 lb, wrench began bending and twisting, described as too light duty for this test | stopped at 765 in lb, handle began to bend | skipped, already bent from the prior test |
| 10Wright$14 | 369.1 in lb, bolt broke essentially at the target torque | 400.5 in lb | 321 lb, moved into the lead at that point, 44 lb higher than Husky | 1,221 in lb, fourth place | 424 lb, refused to break but experienced a bad bend |
| 11Matco$14 | 378.4 in lb, passed, outlasted the bolt with no problem | not clearly captured in the transcript for this brand, though a later reference confirms it was tested in the first two tests | 240 lb, described as coming up a little short after performing very well in the first two tests | 1,245 in lb, second place at that point | 311 lb, badly bent, presenter joked it would not make a good crowbar |
| 12Williams$12 | 403.8 in lb, passed, bolt broke, described as having virtually no chamfer and no chance of slipping | 381 in lb, about the same as Klein Tools | 256 lb | 1,197 in lb, performed well above average | refused to bend, no failure figure given |
| 13Klein Tools$11 | 321.1 in lb, failed, quite a bit of taper prevented a good grip | 380.7 in lb, quite a bit better than Tekton | 257 lb | 1,297 in lb, second place, took a commanding lead at that point in the test | 458 lb, performed about as well as Husky, pretty bad bend |
| 14Tekton$10 | 378.7 in lb, passed, outlasted the bolt | 338.7 in lb, lost grip | 266 lb, tied with the 12 point GearWrench | 1,162 in lb, performed nearly the same as Crescent | refused to break but developed a new twist in the metal, no final failure figure given |
| 15Crescent$10 | 388.5 in lb, passed, easily outlasted the bolt with less taper than most other brands | 368.1 in lb, slipped | 270 lb, beat Kobalt | 1,077 in lb, took the lead at that point | 489 lb, broke |
| 16Kobalt$10 | 168.3 in lb, failed very early | 373.3 in lb, gave up a bit early | 267 lb, performed better than Craftsman | 682.6 in lb, gave up a little early | broke with major damage, exact failure weight not given, described as going from happy to snappy |
| 17Craftsman$9 | barely reached 370 in lb before slipping, described as having quite a bit of taper | 412.8 in lb, moved into the lead over GearWrench at that point | 225 lb | 719.7 in lb, gave up a little early | 507 lb, third place in the final ranking, presenter joked about testing the warranty and discarded the wrench |
| 18Performance Tool$8 | 251.1 in lb, failed, too much taper | 385.3 in lb, lost grip, about 20 in lb less than GearWrench | 206 lb, the closed (box) end became an open end wrench at this load | 655.8 in lb, the open end broke off in this test after the box end had already broken in the prior test | skipped, already broken |
| 19GearWrench 6 point$7 | 329.5 in lb, failed, too much taper | 406.9 in lb, barely edged out Husky | stopped at 248 lb, the wrench began bending and could not handle more torque | 819.4 in lb, gave up, open end stretched noticeably larger than before the test | skipped, already bent |
| 20Husky$4 | 407.7 in lb, passed, easily surpassed the target | 403.3 in lb, lost grip | 277 lb, outperformed Pittsburgh | skipped due to a testing mistake by the presenter | 464 lb, badly bent |
| 21Pittsburgh$9 for 9 wrenches, about $1 each | 203.7 in lb, failed early, too much taper on the box end | upper jaw broke during this test | 230 lb, rounded out the nut | skipped, wrench already broken | 379 lb, rolled over and gave up, badly bent |
How it was tested
- rusty fastener grip test with a washer reducing contact area, target torque of 370 inch pounds
- open end warm up test on a low carbon steel fastener
- box end torque test to rounding using soft coupling nuts, wrenches extended to equal length
- open end failure load test using a half inch Allen key until the jaws stretch, bend, or slip
- box end failure load test using a hex Allen key until the wrench bends or breaks
- back and forth slop measurement on both the open and box ends using a dial indicator
“The Mac Tools did the best with an overall finish of 3.6. However, the Proto also did very well with an average finish of 4.6.”