6pt on sockets, 12pt on wrenches. If it needs more torque than the 12pt wrench can handle, then it's a boxed 6pt crowsfoot, or something else that I can get in there.

As Joe123 said, 6 pt on sockets but not on wrenches. When I was a yacht mechanic, I used six point wrenches often because of the numerous corroded fasteners.

No love for spline sockets? My first choice is spline or 6 point.

quote:

No love for spline sockets?

Not love, exactly. I have a set of box ratchets of this type …



… that are spline drive. They do work equally well on 6-pt., 12 pt. and external Torx, as advertised. Unlike the claims, they do not work on a fastener that has been rounded off even slightly. They also tend to bite in and get stuck, and because this particular type isn't reversible, can be annoying at times. Nevertheless, they are one of my most used tools and I have been unable to break them. So, like a lot, but not love. These are my only spline drive tools.

quote:

Originally posted by amals:
I have both; tend to think of six point as stronger,twelve point as a little more versatile. Why do you ask?

I needed a 1/2 drive deep metric over the weekend but didn't have any so I want to buy a set of either 6 or 12 pt but not both, just trying to decide.

I'm thinking if I can upgrade a ratchet with a smaller arc (more teeth), then I could get away with 6pt most or all of the time. I'm not a pro just a duffer but I do most maintenance on my four vehicles.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

quote:

No love for spline sockets?

Not love, exactly. I have a set of box ratchets of this type …



… that are spline drive. They do work equally well on 6-pt., 12 pt. and external Torx, as advertised. Unlike the claims, they do not work on a fastener that has been rounded off even slightly. They also tend to bite in and get stuck, and because this particular type isn't reversible, can be annoying at times. Nevertheless, they are one of my most used tools and I have been unable to break them. So, like a lot, but not love. These are my only spline drive tools.

I don't understand spline drive. I've heard about it but don't know what that is. Are regular traditional wrenches still the go to for everyday auto nuts ? Or is this spline geometry taking over completely ?

I only use 12pt under two circumstances. One, when I can't get the ratchet situated in a tight spot. Two, when I have an insurmountable desire to round a nut off.

Spline tools can be a socket or wrench. The inside has splines kinda like straight gear teeth instead of flats or radius teeth as in 6 or 12 point. The spline sockets can work on semi rounded off nuts and bolts too. Spline sockets are used alot in the aviation industry. Proto tools has a good write up on spline sockets and the benefits. I'm on a phone so I can't provide a link.

Until recently, spline fasteners and sockets were primarily in the aircraft industry. A few decades later, the sockets & wrenches became more prevalent as they can be used on almost any fastener.

I can find 12 point nuts and bolts at my local Ace Hardware, but they have no spline fasteners (yet).

Bought a full set of spline sockets & wrenches from Snap-on. They grip the fastener on the flank as opposed to the tip. This allows greater torque application before failure. If the fastener is slightly rounded, the splines may allow the extra room for the socket to slide over it.

There is also the added bonus of being able to hammer the snot out of the socket onto a bolt or shaft and being able to get just about any of them to dig in and unscrew.

The original spline size was the number of 32nds of an inch the fastener was designed for. A number 16 spline (16/32) fits a half inch nut for example. Thanks to the miracles of modern advertising and marketing, they have traditional fractions on them now. The metric spline sockets may or may not be true to size depending on the manufacturer.



This is not the same thing as spline drive sockets. Those cost more. Then there is the spline drive spline sockets. $$$ Yikes!

6 pt for most of the rusty stuff here but we are seeing more and more 12 pt fasteners on import vehicles. Plus the 12 pt can be driven over the outer layers of rust enough to knock it off and then be able to drive a 6pt onto the fastener.