Aviation Tools of the Trade, Episode 1

Angle Wrenches

I often receive questions from new A&P’s and apprentices about what kind of tools they should buy. I usually go through my box and give them a quick rundown of some of some of my go-to tools. Tools that they should have from the beginning and some tools that they can pick-up after getting their primary tools purchased. One of my new favorite hand tools is this Angle wrench set. I held off on getting these for a long time. My co-worker has a set and after a couple uses, I “saw the light” and purchased a set.

This set of wrenches is the Snap-On four-way angle head, Part number VS807B. I Now find myself reaching for these wrenches instead of my regular combination wrenches. There are many advantages these wrenches have compared to Snap-On’s standard Flank Drive Plus combination wrenches.

First, is the angle of the heads. Set at 30 and 60 degrees, there are very few positions on a bolt head that I can’t get a turn on with its configuration. Secondly, is the size. They are quite a bit shorter than Flank Drive wrenches. This makes it much easier to reach behind engines and turn the wrench without it getting caught on a hose, wire bundle, etc. Lastly, without the ridges in the jaws that are present in the flank drive wrenches, I find it easier to grab on a bolt or nut without the wrench getting stuck on stubborn aluminum hardware.

The set comes packaged with seven wrenches sized from 3/8 to 3/4. I plan on getting some more of these up to 7/8 and down to 1/4 size. The basic set should cover your needs for 90 percent of your jobs. My only complaint is: They are a little pricey compared to the standard Snap-On wrenches. This is one of the reasons I held off on buying them for so long.

Overall, these wrenches are a great addition to your toolbox and definitely have found a place in my go-to drawer.

I plan on continuing the series “Tools of the Trade”. If you enjoy this and would like to see more, comment below or tell me about some of your go-to tools!

Sammy