November Reader's Choice Product: SMC/AGS WTF (Won't Trash Flarenuts) 4-in-1 ratcheting flare nut wrench
Using patented technology, SMC and AGS offer the unique design of the WTF (Won't Trash Flarenuts) 4-in-1 ratcheting flare nut wrench which allows one tool to work on all the four most popular sizes of flarenuts (3/8” and 7/16”, 10mm and 11mm). To operate, the tool opens, goes over the brake line, grips on all six faces of the flarenut, and ratchets until the nut is finger loose and can then be simply removed. This wrench will be available in January 2017.
The Q&A
PTEN recently spoke with SMC/AGS to get some additional details about the WTF (Won't Trash Flarenuts) 4-in-1 ratcheting flare nut wrench.
PTEN: What are some important features and characteristics of the product?
SMC/AGS: Using patented technology, the unique design of the WTF wrench allows one tool to work on all four of the most popular sizes of flarenuts: 3/8” and 7/16”, 10mm and 11mm, covering 90 percent of U.S. automobiles. The tool simply opens, goes over the brake line, grips on all six faces of the flarenut, and ratchets until the nut is finger loose. Then it can be simply removed.
PTEN: Why was it developed?
SMC/AGS: SMC has sold hundreds of thousands of the original LineWrenches to the automotive technicians in Europe, but these were all metric sizes. The U.S. market is different, and is split between metric and SAE, so SMC tweaked the geometry and head combination of the wrench to allow it to work on the four most common sizes of brake line flarenuts in the U.S., namely 10mm, 11mm, 3/8" and 7/16". So now, one tool covers all four of these sizes.
PTEN: How does it improve on previous iterations of the company’s products?
SMC/AGS: The LineWrench family offers a number of high-quality tools enjoyed by mechanics in Europe and sold through the premium automotive aftermarket distribution. Many different sizes are available, both in sets and individually, but the WTF wrench was developed to make the choice easy for technicians in the U.S.
PTEN: How does it help automotive technicians save time and do their jobs easier?
SMC/AGS: The WTF wrench grips on all six faces of the nut, and as the force is increased, it grips tighter, resembling how a strap wrench works. It grips on the flat sides of the nut, not on the points, so these can be rounded, and the WTF wrench will still work and loosen that stuck nut. It ratchets until the nut is finger loose, and then the WTF wrench is simply removed from the line. This whole operation can be done with one hand.
PTEN: What sets it apart from other, similar products available today?
SMC/AGS: There are many versions of flarenut wrenches, and some of them are good, and they work some of the time. Deficiencies of existing wrenches include the fact that they don’t grip on all six surfaces, and have a gap, to get the wrench over the line, but these have a tendency to “splay” and can be too rigid, so they don’t adapt to the nut. Some have versions of a ratcheting function, but pretty much all of these get “kacked” up and cease to work after a short while. Some wrenches are just too large to access the flarenuts in restricted places. The WTF wrench does all these jobs and more.
PTEN: Where can they find more information about the WTF 4-in-1 ratcheting flare nut wrench?
SMC / AGS: For technicians, seeing, and using, is believing. Just ask the thousands of visitors who went to SEMA and got the chance to handle the WTF wrench. Video demonstration of the tool in action is available on the websites www.agscompany.com and www.smc-ltd.co.uk. The product is available from the websites and leading suppliers, and we are actively seeking new distribution partners – contact [email protected]
