How to make this differentiation, though? It's no easy matter and, in the end, you have to buy & try. In a lifetime of tool-buying (hundreds of woodworking and various other tools for DIY plumbing, electrics, carpentry, tiling, painting et al) I discovered that there is some value in the aphorism that "you get what you pay for". The only difficulty is then making sure that what you're getting is not just a glamour-label but rather a truly high-functioning and long-lasting thing. Though these aren't cheap, they are very well designed and made, and offer some really useful features that most rivals don't. For that reason – and because of how nice they are to use – I'd say the value was still good, but only if you really want to treat yourself (and your bike). Otherwise, there are very good alternatives you can get for less. Verdict Despite appearances, even I yam just another bog-standard human: flawed to the core. However, even rotters like me can learn through experience, which does unfortunately have to include the "making mistakes" variety.

I know this, they're excellent from what I've seen and read. I'm not averse to a lovely tool, although for my workshop, I've gone down the blue route. There's definitely space in there though for some Wera stuff. Joker Spanners feature a double-hex geometry which affords a perfect fit with the Bolt or Nut. This results in a reliable holding function to effectively avoid dropping the fastener, with the hardened metal plate in the jaw of the spanner biting into the material for a strong grip.This variety of Wera spanners is certainly showing the usual Wera features of inherent quality and innovative, genuinely-useful design functions. However, few bikes have more than one or two sizes of nut or bolt head so you really don't need a full set or even a set of four, especially given the price. Wera is constantly manufacturing innovative and top-of-the-line tools, so don't miss out on the newest developments that this leading brand has to offer. Browse our full range of Wera tools today and choose from bit sets, screwdrivers, ratchets, spanners, and wrenches.

Many poor tools have conned me out of my hard-earned quids. These experiences increase one's sensitivity to spivery. State of the art facilities specialising in both small batch prototyping and large scale manufacture. Again, you could probably get away with just one or two at most for the nuts and bolts found on bicycles. Their great virtues are: their self-setting on nuts of any size within their self-adjusting range: their ability to act as ratcheting spanners with no need to take the spanner off the nut to get it into position for the next turn. It's just that, having read your post in its entirety, what started with the suggestion of having special faculties to discern quality products actually turned (eventually, and disappointingly) into "you have to buy it and try it, and I've been conned too"Another Wera Joker set is probably even more innovative, useful adaptable and versatile: the self-setting (of the jaw-gap) variety: The ratchet mechanism at the ring shaped end of this Joker Combination Spanner features 80 teeth. This fine tooth mechanism, combined with the small return angle, offers flexibility even in confined workspaces. Materials. With a wide range of options that fit any trade, this industry-leading brand understands that there's always room for improvement. It is constantly refining its products to provide only perfected tools that transform the way you work. The Wera Joker 6000 Series Combination Ratchet Spanners have been uniquely engineered to work faster and more efficiently than your average spanner or wrench, whilst offering a stylish, modern aesthetic that makes them easily recognisable to engineers.

Ratchet Spanners in this range are available in open end spanner sizes starting from 8mm up to 19mm. With Wera’s “Take it easy" Tool Finder, each spanner is colour coded according to its size for fast and simple tool selection. Suitable for driving Hex Head Screws , Hexagon Bolts and Hex Nuts , the Joker Combination Ratchet Spanner boasts an integrated limit stop to prevent slipping and allow for higher torque to be safely applied to the fastener. Meanwhile, the 6003 series has an even smaller (15-degree) return angle for use in very tight spaces, but no plate in the jaw, and a slim, angled ring with no ratchet. Wera actually does a bike-specific set of these that includes 8, 9, 10 and 13mm sizes plus a 15mm Joker pedal spanner.Making tools that are both durable and premium-quality is a priority for Wera. With an emphasis on user-friendliness and lightweight design, Wera believes in designing only the most innovative products. Wera tool sets have a variety of meaningful features. The superior calibration services ensure complete precision and adjustment, so your tools always provide the right amount of torque and pressure. Why choose SGS for your Wera tool kits? This ratcheting combination Joker Spanner features a return angle of just 30°, making the need to flip the tool over redundant.

As the installation space becomes increasingly tight during screwdriving, it remains necessary that tools enable users to work successfully. Narrow spaces require additional placement points of the tool, to allow screws to be accessed. A repeated 180° turn of the wrench around the longitudinal axis during screwdriving provides four placement possibilities, and bolts or screw heads can be taken every 15°.By the way, if by "the blue route" you mean Park Tools then .... you've been conned! Cheaply made and barely adequate stuff available for 1/3rd of the price elsewhere for the exact same thing without the blue coating. Of course, if that GCN use them ...... However, some folk learn from experience and others .... don't. My own theory as to why this strange cleft comes about is that some folk remain able to recognise and live in what's left of reality whilst others are now entirely constructed by the mass media so inhabit a pretend world where whatever they read in some glossy brochure is true because of the gloss, no matter how many pieces of gloss-dross they've bought then thrown into the landfill. It's just that pretty much most other contributions from Cugel here regarding products, services or technologies that don't align with their own opinions and experience are run down and described (not without a small degree of pomposity) as some part of a global conspiracy by the advertising industry to fool everyone into parting with cash for stuff they don't need. The similar looking 6000-series Joker has the ratchet inline instead of angled, and it has no switch – you flip the spanner over to reverse direction. High precision, bespoke manufacture of Wera Joker 6000 Combination Ratchet Spanners to customer specification.