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Offset ring spanner: 35 degrees, 75 degrees, or flat

Updated: 24 October 2026

The nut is down a recess or hard against a panel, and a straight ring either will not sit or hits your knuckles before it turns. An offset ring spanner bends the head so the handle clears that obstruction. A flat ring does the opposite job. A strut kit that holds the piston rod is a third tool. This page follows one access problem through the angles actually printed on the amazon.co.uk listings in the [ring spanner comparison](/hub/hand-tools/ring-spanner). Peter F. wrote this on 22 October 2026 from those listings. We did not measure the bends. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

The nut is down a recess or hard against a panel, and a straight ring either will not sit or hits your knuckles before it turns. An offset ring spanner bends the head so the handle clears that obstruction.

Our top picks

US PRO US PRO 7-piece 35° swan neck

Best overall

US PRO US PRO 7-piece 35° swan neck
7.4/10about £14.20
View offer
US PRO US PRO 7-piece 75° offset set

Alternative

US PRO US PRO 7-piece 75° offset set
6.1/10about £13.39
View offer
BGS BGS 8-piece extra-flat set

Alternative

BGS BGS 8-piece extra-flat set
6.4/10about £28.02
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What the bend is for
  2. 2.35 degrees, 75 degrees, and deep offset with no number
  3. 3.When flat is the better head
  4. 4.Shock top nuts are a limit

What the bend is for

The bend lifts the handle off the surface so your hand is not in the same plane as the nut. On a drop link, a straight bar stops against the surrounding metal before the ring is loaded. A cranked head lets the ring stay on the hex while the handle stands clear. That is knuckle clearance, not extra strength. The ring still has to be the right size and fully seated. If the ring sits square and the handle already clears, you do not need a larger angle. Seating the ring and pulling it, without a pipe, is on how to use a ring spanner.

35 degrees, 75 degrees, and deep offset with no number

Only three degree figures are printed in this folder, and they are not interchangeable. US PRO 2984 states 35° on seven swan necks from 6×7 mm to 18×19 mm, with a length for each pair from 160 mm to 246 mm, at £14.20 and 4.7 from 336 reviews. US PRO 3528 states 75° on the same size run, at £13.39 and 4.6 from 35 reviews, and it does not print those lengths. A 75° head is not automatically more reach. BGS 1761 is 15°, and it is a slotted open ring at 24×27 mm, not a swan neck. Silverline 673424 and BGS 1214 both say deep offset and print no degree. A GOV.UK tool sheet uses deep offset for a shallow bend of about 0 to 5 degrees, so the same words are not one shape. Some UK reviews call the Hilka eight-piece a swan neck, and the bullets do not. Who should buy which roll is on best ring spanner sets.
US PRO US PRO 7-piece 35° swan neck

Testsieger

US PRO US PRO 7-piece 35° swan neck
7.4/10about £14.20
View offer

When flat is the better head

A flat ring is the better head when the crank itself is the obstruction. If an offset handle hits a bulkhead or a bracket, the bend that helped on a drop link now holds the ring off the nut. BGS 30300 is eight straight extra-flat 12-point rings from 6×7 mm to 20×22 mm, cold forged, at £28.02. A UK review says the flat ring fits where a cranked ring will not. amazon.co.uk shows 4.5 from 145 reviews, and only three saved texts are marked United Kingdom. Keep this set when you can see the offset head fouling the work. Leave it when the nut is down a well. If the ring will not enter, buy a thinner one.

Shock top nuts are a limit

A shock-absorber top nut looks like an offset job and then stops being one. Laser 5715 is a single 21×23 mm ring titled for popular shock top nuts, at £9.60, with 4.8 from 48 reviews. The head-style field says open end while the title says ring. Getting that nut moving is not the same as tightening it to a service figure. A swan neck does not hold the piston rod. If the rod spins, you need a strut kit, and that kit is not in this set. If the ring will not enter, or the rod turns with the nut, stop.

Common questions

What does offset actually change?
Offset changes the angle between the ring and the handle, so your hand clears the surface around the nut. It does not change the size or the torque the fastener should see. If the ring already sits square, a steeper bend adds nothing.
Is 75 degrees better than 35 degrees?
Not as a rule. Here 75° is US PRO 3528, with 35 reviews and no printed lengths, and 35° is US PRO 2984, with 336 reviews and a length for each pair. The steeper head is better only when 35° still fouls the work. Deep offset with no number is a vaguer claim.
When do I want a flat ring instead?
Want a flat ring when the offset head hits a panel and will not sit on the flats. BGS 30300 is the straight extra-flat set here, up to 20×22 mm. Leave it for a nut down a recess, where the handle needs to lift.
Will an offset ring undo a strut top nut?
Sometimes it reaches the nut. Laser 5715 is titled for 21 mm and 23 mm shock top nuts. It will not hold the piston rod, and it will not apply a service torque. If the rod spins, a strut kit or a garage takes over.
What is a swan neck?
A swan neck is a double ring whose heads are cranked, often in an S so each end lifts the handle the same way. US PRO 2984 uses that shape at 35°. The words are not a degree. Trust the printed angle, not a nickname in a review.
Can I use the open-ring 24×27 as an offset spanner?
BGS 1761 is 15° and slotted, at 24 mm and 27 mm. The slot is for a fastener a closed ring cannot pass, such as a pipe nut, not for a recessed hex on a shock. It is the wrong pattern if you wanted a closed swan neck.
When is the strut kit the other purchase?
Buy or borrow the strut kit when the piston rod turns with the nut, or when the top nut has to be tightened while the rod is held. A go-through socket does that. An offset ring does not. If you cannot hold the rod, stop.

Related pages

Ring spanner buying guide

Ring spanner

Best ring spanner set: full list, short roll or flat

How to use a ring spanner without rounding the nut

Ring spanner vs combination spanner for your drawer

Sources

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

  1. ISO 10104:2018 preview (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. HSE, maintenance of work equipment (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Haynes UK, car maintenance tools (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. BGS 1214 double ring spanner set (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. Wonkee Donkee, flare nut spanner (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. GOV.UK tool specification sheet (retrieved 22.10.2026)