Wrenches

Wrenches — Quick Reference

Wrenches covers the hex key, adjustable, ratcheting, torque and pneumatic side of AIMS Industrial's fastening tool range — the tools Australian trades most often call "wrenches" rather than "spanners." Real range: Bondhus, Stahlwille, Wiha, Trax, Ko-Ken, Maxigear and Champion. For open-end, ring and combination spanners, see our companion Spanners & Wrenches collection. If you're weighing up which one to choose, our Types of Spanners Guide: Types, Sizes & Selection is a good place to start.

Wrenches for Australian Trade and Industrial Use

"Wrench" and "spanner" mean the same thing to most Australian tradies, but in practice the word "wrench" gets used most for a specific cluster of tools: hex keys and Allen wrenches, adjustable wrenches (shifters), ratcheting combination wrenches, torque wrenches, and — in a workshop with a compressor — air impact and air ratchet wrenches. That's exactly what this range is built around. AIMS Industrial stocks this range from Bondhus, Stahlwille, Wiha, Trax, Ko-Ken, Maxigear and Champion, covering the sizes and styles trade, maintenance and manufacturing teams reach for daily.

Hex keys and Allen wrenches

The largest part of this range. Bondhus is the standout here — L-wrenches (standard and ball-end, for driving at an angle up to around 25° off centre), T-handles with and without a bench stand, stubby sets for tight clearances, "Gorilla Grip" fold-up sets, and Torx and tamper-resistant Torx keys, all in the ProGuard and ColourGuard finishes Bondhus uses to protect against corrosion and speed up size identification. Stahlwille, Wiha, Ko-Ken and Champion add further hex key sets in ball-end and standard profiles, metric and imperial, with Trax covering broader multi-piece metric/SAE and long-arm ball-end sets.

Ball-end hex screwdrivers

Bondhus, Wiha and Ko-Ken ball-end hex screwdrivers — a fixed T-handle or straight-shaft driver rather than an L-wrench, useful where repeated one-handed driving or a firmer grip is needed. Wiha's SoftFinish and PicoFinish ranges add ergonomic and precision small-diameter options.

Ratcheting combination wrenches

Maxigear supplies metric and imperial reversible ratcheting wrenches plus flex-head ratcheting models that angle the head for clearance around obstructions; Ko-Ken adds a reversible ratcheting ring wrench. The internal ratchet mechanism drives the fastener without lifting and re-engaging on every stroke — a genuine time-saver on repetitive assembly or service work.

Combination and double ring wrenches

Trax covers combination wrench sets (12-point, metric, imperial/SAE and Whitworth), double ring (ring-and-ring) wrench sets in standard and offset patterns, and BSW Whitworth socket spanner sets for older British-thread equipment. These sit alongside the broader open-end, ring and combination spanner range in our Spanners & Wrenches collection.

Adjustable wrenches (shifters)

Trax adjustable wrenches in a range of jaw openings and profiles — standard, wide-jaw, thin-jaw and offset-head — for the one-tool-many-sizes jobs every trade van carries. See the full range, including other brands, in Adjustable Wrenches.

Torque wrenches

Stahlwille torque wrenches with tool carrier case, for tightening fasteners to a specified value rather than "by feel" — engine, chassis and structural work where a fastener spec calls for it. See Torque Wrenches for the full AIMS torque wrench range.

Pin and hook spanners

Trax pin spanner sets and hook spanner wrenches for round nuts, bearing locknuts and retaining collars that a standard jaw can't grip. Broader pin, hook and specialty spanner ranges are in Spanners & Wrenches.

Air impact and air ratchet wrenches

Trax's pneumatic side of the range — air impact wrenches from compact 1/4" drive through to heavy 3/4" and 1" drive models, plus air ratchet wrenches in standard and mini formats — for workshops running off a compressed-air line and wanting high-volume fastening without the fatigue of a hand tool. These are power tools rather than hand wrenches, so if you're speccing a whole pneumatic setup, our Impact Wrenches and Pneumatic Tools collections cover the complete range including other brands.

Choosing the Right Wrench

• Everyday workshop fastening — a combination wrench set (metric or imperial) covers the daily-used range.
• Repetitive fastening in tight swing space — a ratcheting combination wrench saves real time over a plain ring end.
• Unknown or odd sizes on the road — an adjustable wrench in the van covers what a fixed set can't.
• Fasteners with a specified torque value — a torque wrench, not a "feel" tightened combination wrench.
• Socket-head cap and grub screws — a hex key or Allen wrench matched precisely to the screw size; wrong size rounds the socket.
• High-volume assembly off an air line — an air impact or air ratchet wrench, sized to the fastener torque and drive needed.
• Round nuts and bearing locknuts — a pin or hook spanner rather than forcing a standard jaw onto a non-hex profile.

Sizing — Metric, Imperial and Torx

Match the wrench to the fastener, not the other way around:

• Metric hex keys — commonly 1.5mm through 10mm in a set, with larger singles available for bigger cap screws.
• Imperial (AF) hex keys — commonly 0.050" through 3/8" in a set, for US-spec equipment and imperial-thread machinery.
• Torx — T6 through T60 covers most enclosure, electronics and automotive trim screws; tamper-resistant Torx (with a centre pin hole) needs a matching tamper-resistant key.
• Wrench and spanner jaw sizes — metric 6mm through 32mm and imperial 1/4" through 1-1/4" cover most general trade work, with Whitworth (BSW) sizes for older British-spec equipment.

Most modern Australian workshops are metric-first, but imperial and Whitworth sets stay essential for US-origin vehicles, older equipment and imported machinery — most trade kits carry both.

What Separates Quality Wrenches From Cheap Ones

• Steel and heat treatment — Bondhus's Protanium steel and Stahlwille's chrome-vanadium tooling are heat-treated for torque capacity that survives daily trade use; cheap hex keys twist or round off under load.
• Dimensional tolerance — Stahlwille manufactures to DIN and ISO tolerances; a wrench that fits the fastener exactly transmits torque without rounding it off.
• Finish and corrosion resistance — Bondhus's ProGuard and ColourGuard finishes and Stahlwille's chrome plating resist workshop corrosion; unfinished or poorly plated tools rust and seize within months.
• Ergonomics — Wiha's SoftFinish handles and Ko-Ken's drop-forged bodies reduce fatigue and slip on repetitive work.

For tools used daily, the price gap between a quality wrench and a budget one pays for itself many times over in service life alone.

Brands in This Range

• Bondhus — American hex key specialist, known for Protanium high-torque steel and ball-end keys that engage off-angle for tight-clearance work. The deepest single-brand hex key range AIMS stocks.
• Stahlwille — German precision tool manufacturer, hex keys and torque wrenches to DIN and ISO tolerances for engineering and automotive work.
• Wiha — German precision hand tools; ergonomic SoftFinish and fine PicoFinish hex key and screwdriver ranges.
• Trax — broad workshop range covering combination and adjustable wrenches, ratchet spanner sets, pin and hook spanners, and the pneumatic air impact and air ratchet wrenches in this collection.
• Ko-Ken — Japanese-manufactured T-handle hex keys and ratcheting ring wrenches.
• Maxigear — reversible and flex-head ratcheting combination wrenches, metric and imperial.
• Champion — hex key sets in metric and imperial, ball-end and standard.

Set or Singles?

Most workshops run one base hex key set (metric and imperial) covering the daily range, plus singles or a stubby/long-arm set for specialty clearance work. For wrenches proper, a combination set covers the 8mm–22mm daily range, with an adjustable wrench in the van for anything outside it and a torque wrench kept aside for spec'd work rather than everyday tightening.

Companion Collections at AIMS

Wrenches sits alongside the rest of our fastening and hand tool range:

• Spanners & Wrenches — our full combined spanner and wrench range, including open-end, ring, combination and specialty spanners from Bahco, Gedore, Irega and more.
• Hex Keys & Allen Wrenches — the complete hex key range across all brands.
• Adjustable Wrenches, Torque Wrenches, Ratcheting Spanners, Combination Wrenches and Ring Spanners — each wrench type in full.
• Impact Wrenches and Pneumatic Tools — the full compressed-air tool range.
• Sockets and Screwdrivers & Nut Drivers — for drive tools and fixed-handle drivers alongside your wrenches.
• Hand Tools — our full general hand tool range.

Order from AIMS

Need help matching a wrench to a fastener spec, sizing a set for your workshop, or pricing a bulk trade order? Call us on (02) 9773 0122, get in touch via Contact Us, or send the details through on our Request a Quote page and we'll get back to you with pricing and availability.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between a wrench and a spanner?

In Australian English they're generally the same tool, but usage splits by type: "wrench" is used most for hex keys/Allen wrenches, adjustable wrenches, torque wrenches, ratcheting wrenches and pneumatic impact/ratchet wrenches — the tools in this collection. "Spanner" is used most for open-end, ring and combination spanners, which sit in our Spanners & Wrenches collection alongside further wrench types.

What size hex key do I need?

Match the hex key to the socket size machined into the screw head, not the screw's outer diameter or thread size. Common metric cap screw sizes run from M3 (2.5mm hex) through M12 (10mm hex); if you're unsure, a multi-piece set covering 1.5mm–10mm will have the right size on hand. Torx screws are sized T6 through T60 — tamper-resistant Torx heads (with a centre pin) need a matching tamper-resistant key.

Bondhus, Stahlwille or Wiha hex keys — what's the difference?

All three are quality brands rather than budget options. Bondhus is the deepest range and best known for Protanium steel and ball-end keys that engage at an angle; Stahlwille manufactures to DIN/ISO tolerances and is a common choice in engineering and automotive workshops; Wiha's SoftFinish and PicoFinish ranges focus on ergonomics and fine precision work. For most trade use, any of the three will outlast a budget hex key considerably.

What's a ratcheting combination wrench and is it worth it?

A ratcheting combination wrench has an internal ratchet mechanism in the ring end, so it drives the fastener with a back-and-forth swing rather than needing to be lifted and re-seated after every turn. It's genuinely faster on repetitive fastening or in confined swing space — a worthwhile upgrade for anyone doing regular assembly or service work.

Do you supply air/pneumatic impact wrenches?

Yes — Trax air impact wrenches and air ratchet wrenches are stocked in this collection, in drive sizes from 1/4" up to 1" for light to heavy-duty use off a compressed-air line. For the complete pneumatic tool range, including compressors and air line fittings, see Pneumatic Tools.

Can I get trade pricing on a bulk wrench order?

Yes — send us the sizes, brands and quantities through Request a Quote, or call (02) 9773 0122 to talk it through directly, and we'll come back with pricing and lead times.