Ratchet wrenches, socket wrenches and torque wrenches are common bolt removal and tightening tools in everyday life. In industrial production, these three wrenches are one of necessary tools.

So, do you know what is the difference between these three types of wrenches?

Now, TorcStark will give a detailed introduction.

Ratchet Wrench

What is a ratchet wrench?

Ratchet wrench is a manual screw tightening tool, single-head, double-head multi-specification movable handle ratchet torx wrench (fixed hole). It is connected by the main plum blossom sleeve and the slave plum blossom sleeve of different specifications and sizes through the engagement of the female key and the male key of the hinge key. Since a plum blossom sleeve has two specifications of plum blossom through holes, it can be used for the tightening of two specifications of screws, thereby expanding the scope of use and saving raw materials and labor costs. The adjustable trigger can easily adjust the angle of use of the wrench. The wrench is used for tightening the screw and has the characteristics of strong applicability, convenient use and low cost.

The principle of the ratchet wrench

A ratchet wrench is rotatably connected to the end of the lever. The ratchet wrench comprises a weight connected with an operating rod. The weight can slide along the length direction of the operating rod, and a front weight-bearing part is provided on the operating rod at the front of the weight to block the impact of the weight. Alternatively, there is a rear weight-bearing portion on the operating lever at the rear of the weight that blocks the impact of the weight. Also, the operating lever may have both a front weight-bearing portion and a rear weight-bearing portion.

Socket Wrench

What is a socket wrench?

The socket wrench is composed of multiple sockets with hexagonal holes or twelve-pointed holes and equipped with various accessories such as handles and posts. It is especially suitable for screwing bolts and nuts in very narrow places or screwing bolts and nuts in deep places.

The principle of socket wrench

A socket wrench is generally called a socket: it is composed of multiple sockets with hexagonal or twelve-sided holes and is equipped with various accessories such as handles and posts. It is especially suitable for screwing bolts and nuts in very narrow places or screwing bolts and nuts that are deeply placed. There are metric and imperial sleeves. Although the inner concave shape of the sleeve is the same, the outer diameter, length, etc. are designed according to the shape and size of the corresponding equipment. There is no unified national regulation, so the design of the sleeve is relatively flexible and meets the needs of the users. Socket wrenches generally come with a set of socket heads of various specifications, as well as swing handles, posts, universal joints, screw joints, elbow handles, etc., which are used to insert hexagon nuts. The socket head of a socket wrench is a concave hexagonal cylinder. The wrench is usually made of carbon structural steel or alloy structural steel. The head of the wrench has a specified hardness, and the middle and handle parts are elastic.

Torque wrench

What is a torque wrench?

Torque wrench, also known as a torque adjustable wrench, is a kind of wrench. The main feature of the torque wrench is that the torque can be set and the torque can be adjusted. According to the power source, it can be divided into electric torque wrench, pneumatic torque wrench, hydraulic torque wrench, and manual torque wrench. Manual torque wrenches can be divided into: preset type, fixed value type, dial type, digital display type, slip type, bending type, and kilogram wrench. When screw and bolt tightness is critical, using a torque wrench allows the operator to apply a specific torque value.

Principle of torque wrench

By setting the torque value, precise torque output can be performed. Generally, the tightening of high-strength bolts requires initial tightening and then final tightening, and strict torque requirements are required for each step. A constant torque wrench must be used for the initial and final tightening of the large hexagonal high-strength bolts. Therefore, torque wrenches are often used in applications with strict bolt tightening requirements.

Summarize

The main difference between a torque wrench and a ratchet wrench, a socket wrench is simply that a fixed torque value can be set on the torque wrench. Ratchet wrenches can be used to tighten bolts quickly and with less effort. Socket wrenches are mainly used to tighten bolts and nuts in very narrow places or bolts or nuts in deep places. These three types of wrenches have their own professional application fields. Choosing different wrenches for different conditions will help you tighten bolts or nuts faster and better.