Back in late 2011, there was a Gearwrench sale: 7-piece Gearwrench XL X-Beam ratcheting wrench sets for $24 each. The sale was too good to pass up, so I purchased both inch and metric sets for just under $50.
Features
The X-Beam profile means you are always pressing down on a wide part of the wrench. Gearwrench X-beam wrenches are fantastically comfortable to use, and I have a few non-ratcheting versions that I love using.
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Zero-Offset and Non-Reversible Design
These wrenches feature Gearwrench’s common X-Beam wrench design, with a standard open end and a zero-offset non-reversible ratcheting box end.
The box end ratchets in one direction, which makes it easier to quickly turn fasteners, especially in areas of tight clearance. But there is no reversing switch, so caution should be used when using the ratcheting box ends in areas where you could lock the wrench in place without the ability to remove it.
Gearwrench also offers ratcheting X-Beam wrenches with reversible box ends and flex-head box ends, and I believe those wrenches might have been much better suited for me.
Why Zero-Offset Non-Reversible Box Ends Don’t Quite Work for Me
The zero-offset non-reversible ratcheting box end is the part about these wrenches that doesn’t quite mesh with my preferences and usage habits. As mentioned, I really like the twisted X-Beam handle style of these wrenches, and it’s just the ratcheting design of this specific style of wrench that I don’t favor.
In the nearly 3 years since then, I used the wrenches a couple of times. I would say I got my money’s worth, but there are a few reasons why I don’t use them more often.
First, these are long wrenches. Because of this and the wrenches’ X-Beam shapes, they take up too much space in my wrench drawer and so I keep them in a different box. Out of sight, out of mind. My standard combination, X-Beam combination, reversible ratcheting, and flex-end ratcheting wrenches are still kept in my toolbox.
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The longer lengths also mean that these wrenches are great for higher torque tasks. However, most of the time my standard-length wrenches work just fine. I suppose in a pinch I could also use a breaker bar, crowfoot wrench, and dead blow hammer.
Second, these are never really the best tools for the job. Sometimes I prefer to use a reversible ratcheting wrench, other times I need a standard or X-Beam non-ratcheting box end, and other times I need flex-end ratcheting wrenches. While the X-Beam wrench profile is easier on the hands, this particular style of zero-offset X-Beams aren’t as practical.
In theory, a non-reversible ratcheting wrench could potentially be more robust and capable of working at higher torque levels than one with a reversible ratcheting mechanism, if the non-reversible mechanism is designed with greater tooth engagement between its gear and pawl.
Quality, Fit, Finish
Now that you know why I only used these wrenches a handful of times in the past 3-1/2 years, here are a few words about the wrenches’ quality, fit and finish.
Quality: Pretty decent. I haven’t run into any issues or failures thus far.
Fit: Sizing is accurate and spot-on. I could whip out the calipers, but there’s no need to. A 1/2″ wrench perfectly fits a 1/2″ fastener, and I haven’t noticed any corner rounding or other types of fastener damage with any of the wrenches.
Finish: Decent, but there are a few cosmetic issues. The chrome plating is mostly good, but there’s some discoloration on the 9/16″ wrench’s open end. I haven’t noticed any peeling, chipping, flaking, or any other major issues. The chrome is very bright and shiny, and is easily wiped clean.
Overall
If I could go back in time, I would leave a note to myself to NOT buy these wrenches. They’re well made, work nicely, and are a pleasure to use, but the wrenches’ zero-offset non-reversible ratcheting mechanisms often make the wrenches less useful than other styles of wrenches.
These wrenches don’t satisfy any of my wrenching needs, except for the highest-torque applications. At those times, the twisted wrench geometry makes it so much easier and more comfortable to push down with ungloved hands, and the longer lengths mean less effort is needed than when using shorter wrenches.
If you don’t prefer reversible ratcheting wrenches or are specifically interested in X-Beam ratcheting wrenches with zero offset, then these are still great wrenches to consider. If you’re interested in Gearwrench X-Beam ratcheting wrenches and don’t already have any ratcheting wrenches at all, you should really check out their reversible X-Beam ratcheting wrenches first.
I thought these ratcheting wrenches would complement my others, seeing as how they had the X-Beam wrench geometry I was fond of, and so I ignored my known preference against zero-offset non-reversible wrench styles. The non-reversible zero-offset ratcheting box end is just not as convenient to use as I hoped for when I first purchased these sets and gave the style a good try. These are good wrenches, but they’re wrong wrenches for my needs.
Gearwrench’s 7-piece sets aren’t widely available anymore, but there are 8-piece and higher-count sets available through Amazon and other dealers.
Ultimately, I think Gearwrench did a nice job designing and building these wrenches, but I let great pricing compel me into buying wrenches I didn’t really need and couldn’t really use to full advantage. I am convinced I would have been a lot happier with Gearwrench’s reversible or flex-end X-Beam ratcheting ratchets instead of these zero-offset ones.
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typhoon
I think what makes these wrenches so tempting is that they genuinely do solve a problem in a sensible way. But as your experience shows, that doesn’t necessarily make them useful to most people.
I think we all have tools we bought because they seemed like a better way of doing things, only to find the improvements marginal in real use.
Stuart
I think that’s a great way of putting it.
These wrenches do solve a problem, but it’s a problem I very often have other answers to.
In general, I really do like Gearwrench’s X-Beam wrench geometry for more comfortable higher torque applications. My lack of love for these wrenches are mainly due to the zero-offset non-reversible ratcheting style and NOT the X-Beam shape of the wrench.
fred
I suspect that quite a few tools are purchased based on the speculation that they will solve that particular irksome problem that might crop up at such an inconvenient time as to require them to be in your tool kit rather than in some warehouse or store. Others are probably bought as part of assortments or sets – with the idea that if you need one size you may need others and the set offers a “bargain” unit price. Still others are probably impulse buys – based on marketing hyperbole – event-base sales pitches (e.g. Christmas or Father’s Day) or the lure that they represent an innovation that will help make up for the buyer’s lack of skill or ease the introduction of the buyer into a new hobby or craft. I could probably make a fair list of tools that I’ve bought over the last 50 years that gather dust and that may have been purchased for one or more of these reasons. Even in a commercial setting, I’ve bought tools to try out – lured by claims such as improved productivity – only to find them to be lacking. The good news is that I think that I’ve bought way more than a few new tools that really have been worth it – and I do not subscribe to the notion that everything old is better than the new or vice versa.
Jerry
I find zero offset wrenches to be knuckle grinders, so I don’t tend to use them much. I far prefer reversible ones with a little offset, or flex head in the non reversible, particularly if the flex joint locks. I would really like a set like this in a standard combo wrench set, though. The extra long wrench, and the wide gripping area would sem to be much more comfortable for high torque applications. For extreme torque, though, I’m not sure I trust a ratcheting box end to be as strong as a conventional box.
Jim
This thread reminds me of two shop made gadgets my father has had in his tool box for decades.
The first is a comfort grip. He has two or three 3″-4″ U-shaped metal grips that he puts over the handle of the wrench so it does not ‘dig’ into his hand so much. Being rounded, they do provide some comfort. He uses them primarily with a set of long box wrenches during car restoration disassembly work. He has some kind of foam tape inside so they do not fall off easily.
The second is a small wrench connector for additional leverage. He has a set of very short grade 8 bolts, assembled with just a fender washer and a nut. If he requires additional leverage when using his long box wrenches, he will pick the appropriate size connector into the box-end, with the fender washer keeping it from slipping through, then use a second wrench as an extension. You end up with a 20″+ wrench. No pipes or cheater bars required.
That, and a overnight pre-soaking with Kroil, and he can break just about anything free. Yes, he does have an arsenal of impact tools up to 3/4″ drive, but you cannot always get the correct access. Plus, he doesn’t like all the unnecessary noise. He still uses a handsaw much more than a circular saw.(No cord, plenty of power, no batteries to recharge, great results, and inexpensive)
Toolfreak
The flex head version of these wrenches makes them much more versatile.
Part of why they aren’t the go-to wrench, even when compared to a standard combination wrench, is access. It’s more likely you’ll be looking to get the wrench on a fastener from an odd angle than directly perpendicular to it, and need to avoid obstructions. Being fixed at such a small angle on the box end, with the wide and long handle, makes them the wrong tool for the job if anything is in the ratcheting path.
They’re still good wrenches, and they have their place in the comprehensive mega-toolbox wrench drawer, but for smaller setups, just a set of the metric flex head X-beams, and maybe a set of the non-ratcheting X-beams, is more versatile.
These “cross-style” wrenches ARE great for fasteners where even the shallowest of ratchets and sockets won’t fit, and a regular combination wrench is too short to do the job. Sure, it’s rare to come across such a monster, but it sure beats having to spend extra time fully disassembling something (or cutting a wrench and using a piece of metal tubing on it as a breaker bar) to gain access to that one fastener you could loosen and tighten if you had these.
Essential? No? Good to have? Yes.
John Sullivan
Posts like this one make me wish I lived a lot closer to you… because someday you’re going to have one hell of a garage sale.
Mac
Nice post Stuart, and great comments all. Makes me glad I didn’t buy any. 🙂
harry
these are my favorite lube wrenches. They really are comfortable to use. Need to smack the drain plug loose, heel of the hand does it every time. They wouldn’t be my first choice for everything but, I really like them for fleet work slinging oil.
Lynyrd
I find X Beam or Cross Force type ratchet wrenches to be a contradiction. For the most part, I only find the need for this X design is when I really need to pull a wrench, which when such force is needed, it puts too much strain on the ratcheting mechanism.