- Drive profile size 1: 1/4"
- Drive profile size 2: 5/16"
- Type of drive profile 2: Hexagon
Ratchet spanners for work in tight space
A ratcheting ring spanner combines the grip of a ring spanner with a ratchet mechanism, so you can keep turning without lifting the spanner off and resetting it every stroke. Time saved is the obvious benefit, but the real difference shows in tight space: where a plain ring spanner has no room for half a turn, a short movement back and forth is enough here.
Widths across flats run from 7 mm to 36 mm, with inch sizes such as 1/4 inch and 5/16 inch alongside them. Straight versions are the most common. Adjustable models cover several sizes with one spanner and earn their place in the service van, where weight and space count. Chrome-plated spanners stay clean and stand up better to oil and damp.
Then look at the head and the length. The flatter and narrower the head, the closer you get to a bolt in a recess. The length, from around 115 mm to 360 mm, sets the torque you reach by hand and how much swing room you need. For internal hex a pin key is the logical companion, and the wider keys category sits one level up.
- Drive profile size 1: 8 mm; 10 mm
- Drive profile size 2: 12 mm; 13 mm
- Type of drive profile 2: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 1: 22 mm
- Drive profile size 2: 24 mm
- Type of drive profile 2: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 1: 1/4"
- Drive profile size 2: 5/16"
- Type of drive profile 2: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 1: 16 mm; 17 mm
- Drive profile size 2: 18 mm; 19 mm
- Type of drive profile 2: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 1: 30 mm; 32 mm
- Drive profile size 2: 34 mm; 36 mm
- Type of drive profile 2: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 1: 21 mm; 22 mm
- Drive profile size 2: 24 mm; 27 mm
- Type of drive profile 2: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 1: 3/8"
- Drive profile size 2: 7/16"
- Type of drive profile 2: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 1: 10 mm; 13 mm
- Drive profile size 2: 17 mm; 19 mm
- Type of drive profile 2: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 1: 17 mm
- Drive profile size 2: 19 mm
- Type of drive profile 2: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 1: 10 mm
- Drive profile size 2: 13 mm
- Type of drive profile 2: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 1: 17 mm
- Drive profile size 2: 19 mm
- Type of drive profile 2: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 1: 22 mm
- Drive profile size 2: 24 mm
- Type of drive profile 2: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 1: 30 mm
- Type of drive profile 1: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 2: Not applicable
- Drive profile size 1: 12 mm
- Drive profile size 2: 13 mm
- Type of drive profile 2: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 1: 6 mm
- Drive profile size 2: 7 mm
- Type of drive profile 2: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 1: 8 mm; 9 mm
- Drive profile size 2: 10 mm; 11 mm
- Type of drive profile 2: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 1: 4 mm; 5 mm
- Drive profile size 2: 6 mm; 7 mm
- Type of drive profile 2: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 1: 46 mm
- Type of drive profile 1: Twelve-point
- Drive profile size 2: Not applicable
- Drive profile size 1: 17 mm
- Drive profile size 2: 19 mm
- Type of drive profile 2: Twelve-point