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Best open ended spanner set for the job you actually have

Updated: 23 October 2026

“Best” is a useless word until you say whether you need 32 mm, a short chrome-vanadium roll, or a head thin enough to enter a gap. The best open ended spanner set in this amazon.co.uk batch is the one whose printed pairs reach 30×32 mm, not the listing with the highest star average. Prices below are shelf figures on 22 October 2026. The [open-ended spanner comparison](/hub/hand-tools/open-ended-spanner) is the full table. Peter F., DIY and tools editor, scored those nine listings from the UK files only. Nothing here is a laboratory test, and a qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

“Best” is a useless word until you say whether you need 32 mm, a short chrome-vanadium roll, or a head thin enough to enter a gap.

Our top picks

YIYEIE YIYEIE 10-piece ultra-thin set

Best overall

YIYEIE YIYEIE 10-piece ultra-thin set
7.1/10about £24.29
View offer
BGS BGS 12-piece double open-end set

Rank 2

BGS BGS 12-piece double open-end set
7.5/10about £19.09
View offer
Hilka Hilka 8-piece open-ended set

Best value

Hilka Hilka 8-piece open-ended set
6.7/10about £11.63
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Best for a full metric open-end roll
  2. 2.Best value under £12
  3. 3.The cheap six-piece, and why it is not the value pick
  4. 4.When the best set is a thin set

Best for a full metric open-end roll

The top pick for a full metric list is the BGS 1233: twelve hot-forged chrome-vanadium double open-ends, from 6×7 mm to 30×32 mm, including 25×28 mm, in a tetron wallet. amazon.co.uk shows £19.09, and 4.6 from 355 reviews. UK texts mention the larger sizes and the roll. One says the finish could be better. The length box says 32 mm, which repeats the largest jaw, and the browse label says combination wrenches. There is no ring. Teng’s 6211 prints DIN 3110 and ISO 3318, which this page does not. The Draper 37532 is one 24 mm open-end at £5.00, not a rival roll. How pairs and pipe nuts are read is on the buying guide.

Best value under £12

The best value under £12 is the Hilka 16600802, at £11.63, chrome vanadium, on a plastic rack. amazon.co.uk shows 4.5 from 103 reviews. Seventeen UK texts are mostly brief and positive. One says the finish looks slightly cheap. They do not cluster on slips. The title says eight pieces. The bullet lists seven sizes, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 17 mm, without pairs. You do not have 19 mm, 24 mm or 32 mm. A Mandouer listing titled 8×10 mm, at £4.79 with 4.8 from eight reviews, is not a best buy. Three UK texts do not agree on the sizes received.
YIYEIE YIYEIE 10-piece ultra-thin set

Testsieger

YIYEIE YIYEIE 10-piece ultra-thin set
7.1/10about £24.29
View offer

The cheap six-piece, and why it is not the value pick

The SOL 321645 is six double-ended spanners from 6×7 mm to 16×17 mm, at £4.79. The material line says metal. amazon.co.uk shows 4.2 from 251 reviews. UK texts split between light-DIY praise and repeated wrong-size and slip complaints. The highlight says combination, which conflicts with the pairs. A low price and a large review count do not make it the best value. If you buy it for a light job, try the fit before you load the nut. Seat and pull are on how to use an open-ended spanner.

When the best set is a thin set

Buy thin when a normal head will not enter, not because the stars are higher. The YIYEIE Y1001 is £24.29, 4.7 from 432 reviews, chrome vanadium, 3 mm stated, and it does not print which ends share a spanner. The Pronese I017-10 prints pairs from 6×7 mm to 24×27 mm, at £25.99, in carbon steel. One UK text reports a missing 10×11 mm. Neither is the top pick for a general metric set. The strength limit is on thin open-ended spanners.

Common questions

Which kept set actually lists 6×7 through 30×32?
The BGS 1233. Twelve double open-ends, hot-forged chrome vanadium, including 25×28 mm, in a tetron wallet, at £19.09 with 4.6 from 355 reviews. Siegen and Teng sell a similar span in UK trade catalogues. They are not listings in this comparison, and Teng’s standards line is not printed on the BGS page. If you need a ring as well as those sizes, this roll still does not provide one.
Is the Hilka set a full workshop set?
No. At £11.63 it is the chrome-vanadium option under £12, with 4.5 from 103 reviews and no slip cluster in seventeen UK texts. The printed sizes are 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 17 mm. The title says eight pieces. You do not get 19 mm and above from that bullet. One UK note says the finish looks slightly cheap. For furniture and similar small nuts it is the best value here. For pipe nuts it is unfinished.
Why is a 4.2-star six-piece set a poor best?
Because the job is fit and coverage, not the star on its own. The SOL has 251 reviews, so the 4.2 is not a fluke of a tiny sample, and the UK texts include repeated wrong-size and slip complaints alongside light-DIY praise. The pairs stop at 16×17 mm, the material is only “metal”, and the highlight says combination. The Hilka is the fairer value buy inside a similar small range. The BGS is the buy when the list has to reach 32 mm.
When is a thin ten-piece set the pick instead?
When the head you already own will not sit beside the nut. Choose the Pronese if you want the pairs printed, and accept carbon steel, a reported missing 10×11 mm, and one report of chrome peeling. Choose the YIYEIE if you can measure the fasteners yourself, because the 20 sizes are not paired on the listing. Both state 3 mm. Neither replaces the BGS roll for ordinary leverage.
What should not be called a test winner?
Any of these sets. There is no laboratory test in the file. In ordinary sentences the full pair list is the top pick, and the Hilka is the best value, because of coverage and the UK review pattern, not because a prize was awarded. A 4.8 from eight reviews is not a ranking. Seller figures for hardness or torque are not measurements we adopt.

Related pages

Open-ended vs combination spanner

Open ended spanner

Open ended spanner set: which jaws cover your job?

How to use an open ended spanner without rounding it

Thin open ended spanner: when a 3 mm head is enough

Sources

Sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026.

  1. HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. ISO 10102:2018, assembly tools for screws and nuts (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. BSI, BS ISO 1711-1:2019 hand-operated wrenches and sockets (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. TED, spanners, citing ISO 3318:2016 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Haynes UK, car maintenance tools (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Faithfull compression fitting spanner, 15 mm and 22 mm (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. Monument 15 mm and 22 mm compression fitting spanners (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. Teng Tools 6211, trade double open-end set (retrieved 22.10.2026)