Working on cars is rarely a simple affair, and often there are bolts that can’t be tackled by a spanner or a socket set, which is where these wrenches come into their own.

They go by a variety of names – swan neck, offset, cranked, drop end – but whatever you call them, they are a halfway house between a conventional flat spanner and a socket.

Unlike the latter, they can tackle recessed fasteners even when there is
a long length of thread exposed. Where they have an edge over flat spanners is that they’re easier to use when working hard against panels.