Quality combination spanners maketh the man

Technician. Mechanic. Engineer. Spanner monkey. Shed mechanic. Edward Spannerhands. It doesn’t matter which of these tags you are labelled, the fact is we all should live by the same unwritten rule: never lend anyone your tools. There are plenty of reasons why.

When you’ve shelled out good money for a set of Clarke spanners, sockets, cutters, and more, the last thing you want is somebody asking to borrow them. Because experience says: A) someone, somewhere will lose that cherished tool, B) you will forget who borrowed said tool and never see it again, or C) it’ll probably get used for something it wasn’t designed for. Don’t think this will happen? Trust us when we say there will always be a first time where you’re the victim. For this reason, and here’s the good news, there definitely will never be a second time. To simplify these warnings, think on this: asking to borrow a cherished tool is akin to you being asked if A. N. Other can borrow your credit card and PIN. Don’t do it.

Clarke’s CHT804 25 Piece Combination Spanner Set isn’t new. The set has been around for a few years, and before that the same brand has been available in similar sets. This author knows this because I have a selection of 15-year-old Clarke spanners that are still going strong.

It’s easy to spot the quality of these combination spanners. Polished smooth and the jaws of the open-ended jaws are parallel and reinforced. The technical blurb describes their make-up as drop forged, mirror finished chrome vanadium steel – an alloy well known for its hardness and durability, and corrosion resistance. No wonder, then, that Clarke specify this alloy.

Experience also says the jaws will not flare open under normal conditions. Normal conditions mean using them as a hand tool and not as spanner that will fit inside a piece of steel tube just for extra leverage. At the other end is the “ring spanner.” The 12-point contact sections are shaped to perfection to grip and keep gripping a fastener head. Even worn fasteners, in most cases the result of cheap, overstressed sockets/spanners, can be cajoled into being undone without breaking through the last few microns of bolt/nut faces.

There is another reason why I’m very much a fanboy of these Clarke combi-spanners; they just feel so good to hold and use. Every time I pick up one up or return it to the rubber material lined drawer of the Clarke CTC1300C Mechanics' Tool Chest, it’s done with care. Sad as it may seem, I offer no apology. I like my tools. And just like a motorcycle, if you look after your tools they will look after you.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed the 25-piece combi spanner set doesn’t necessarily have to be kept in a toolbox but can remain stowed and lugged around in the plastic presentation tray. Hang it against a man cave wall, if you like. Depends how precious you are. I am, and I wouldn’t.

The size range is wide. We are talking covering every size between 6mm and 32mm, the exception being 29mm – strange but true, but now that I think about it, I’m 99% sure I’ve yet to come across a 29mm nut or bolt. Do you need all those sizes in your tool armoury? Well, yes. We all know if you have tools they’ll be used to try and fix anything mechanical that needs fixing.

Yes, there are cheap sets of combination spanners to be had. But are they up to the job of working on bikes? No, not when they are in constant use or required to work in extreme, demanding conditions – if you’ve come across a seized nut or bolt and had to use extra muscle/force, then you’ll soon learn that quality counts.

Priced at £64.79, the Clarke CHT804 25 Piece Combination Spanner Set is pitched to attract and satisfy workshop techs and those of us with a smattering of tech know how. There are other Clarke combi-spanner kits available for less money but with a smaller range of sizes. Which ever kit you opt for it’ll be money well spent.

You can check out the Clarke CHT804 25 Piece Combination Spanner Set for yourself on the official website.