Most household and car work in Kuwait is done with 8 to 19 mm, and an 8-piece combination spanner set covering 6 to 22 mm is 3.250 KD at Bab Al-Saif. Allen keys run 1.5 to 10 mm and a nine-piece set is 0.750 KD. Socket sets start at 3.000 KD.
If you have ever stood in front of a wall of spanners wondering what the number means, this page is the answer. Every figure below is read from the product record and every price is read live today.
First, what the number on a spanner actually measures
A 10 mm spanner is not for a 10 mm bolt. The number is the distance across the flats of the nut or bolt head - the width the jaws have to span. A nut on an 8 mm thread very often takes a 13 mm spanner, which is why guessing from the bolt diameter does not work.
The practical consequence: you buy sizes, not bolts. The sizes a Kuwait household and car owner reaches for most are 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17 and 19 mm - which is exactly the seven-piece set two of our ratchet spanner sets contain.
Spanner sets: pieces, range and price
| Set | Sizes it covers | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 8-piece combination spanner set | 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 19 mm | 3.000 KD |
| 8-piece combination spanner set | 6 to 22 mm | 3.250 KD |
| 10-piece combination spanner set | 8 to 24 mm | 4.950 KD |
| 12-piece combination spanner set | 8 to 32 mm | 5.350 KD |
| 7-piece ratchet spanner set, fixed head | 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19 mm | 9.000 KD |
| 7-piece ratchet spanner set, flexible head | 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19 mm | 15.000 KD |
| Universal wrench, 2 pieces | 9 to 32 mm in two tools | 1.500 KD |
How to read that table. The jump from 8 pieces to 12 is 2.100 KD and buys you 24 mm, 27 mm, 30 mm and 32 mm - sizes you meet on machine and site work and almost never at home. The jump from a plain 7-piece ratchet set to the flexible-head version is 6.000 KD, and all it buys is a head that pivots, which earns its money when the nut is behind something.
A combination spanner has an open jaw at one end and a ring at the other, both the same size. The ring grips all six faces of the nut and the open end slides onto a nut you cannot drop a ring over. That is why a combination set is the default rather than a set of each.
Adjustable wrenches: buy on jaw length
An adjustable wrench is sized by its overall length in inches, and the length decides both the biggest nut it opens to and how much leverage you get.
| Size | Price |
|---|---|
| 6 inch / 150 mm | 0.750 KD |
| 8 inch / 200 mm | 1.000 KD and 1.150 KD |
| 10 inch / 250 mm | 1.250 KD, 1.500 KD, 1.600 KD and 2.000 KD |
| 12 inch / 300 mm | 1.750 KD, 2.000 KD and 3.000 KD |
Four separate listings cover the adjustable wrench here, which is why one size shows several prices - the 10 inch runs from 1.250 KD to 2.000 KD depending on which listing you buy it from. If you only want one, the 10 inch is the size that handles both plumbing fittings and most car nuts.
For round pipe rather than hexagonal nuts you need a pipe wrench, whose serrated jaws bite on a curved surface: 12 inch at 2.250 KD, 14 inch at 1.750 KD and 2.750 KD, and 18 inch at 2.750 KD. The 14 inch states a maximum clamping diameter of 48 mm, which is the figure to check against your pipe before you buy.
Allen keys: 1.5 to 10 mm, and the long arm is the real choice
An Allen key - also sold as a hex key - turns a screw with a hexagonal socket in its head, which is what almost all flat-pack furniture and a lot of machine work uses. All four sets here cover the same core sizes, so the decision is about shape, not range.
| Set | Sizes | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 9-piece L-shaped set | 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 mm | 0.750 KD |
| 9-piece long-arm set | 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 mm | 1.250 KD |
| 9-piece extra-long-arm set | 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 mm | 1.450 KD |
| 8-piece folding set | 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 mm | 2.000 KD |
- The 0.750 KD set is the one to buy if you are buying one. Nine sizes from 1.5 to 10 mm in chrome-vanadium, which covers furniture assembly and bicycle work.
- A long arm reaches into a recess and gives you more leverage on the short end. The long-arm and extra-long-arm sets list identical size ranges and differ only in arm length, which neither record quantifies - so this is a decision to make with the two sets in your hands at the counter, not from a page.
- The folding set at 2.000 KD is the one that does not get lost. Eight keys on one aluminium-alloy handle. It drops the 10 mm, so check nothing in your job needs it.
- Or buy them as bits. The 26-piece bit set at 3.500 KD includes hex bits in 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5 and 6 mm, which go in a drill or a ratchet handle.
Sockets: the drive size comes before the socket size
A socket set has two numbers that matter. The drive is the square hole in the back of the socket, and it has to match the ratchet: 1/4 inch for small work, 3/8 inch in between, 1/2 inch for anything that needs force. The socket size is the across-flats figure, exactly as on a spanner.
| Set | Drive | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 12-piece socket set | 1/4 inch | 3.000 KD |
| 28-piece socket wrench set | 1/4 inch | 4.350 KD |
| Socket set, 10 to 24 mm | 1/2 inch | 5.250 KD |
| 24-piece socket set | 1/2 inch | 10.250 KD |
| 46-piece socket wrench set | 1/4 inch | 15.750 KD |
| 93-piece socket wrench set | 1/4 and 1/2 inch | 18.500 KD |
| 114-piece socket and wrench set | 1/4 and 1/2 inch | 21.500 KD |
| 172-piece set in a tool box | Mixed | 25.000 KD |
Ratchets on their own, if you already have sockets: a reversible ratchet is 2.000 KD in 1/4 inch, 2.750 KD in 3/8 inch and 3.000 KD in 1/2 inch, with a 72-tooth gear and quick release. A 1/2 inch ratchet wrench is 2.250 KD, also 72 tooth.
What 72 tooth means in practice: 72 teeth is a 5-degree swing before the ratchet catches again. The fewer degrees you need, the better it works in a tight space - which is the whole reason to own a ratchet rather than a spanner.
Screwdriver and bit sizes, since they use a different system again
Screwdriver tips are not measured in millimetres across flats. The 26-piece bit set at 3.500 KD sets out the whole vocabulary in one box:
- SL 4, 5, 6 and 7 mm - slotted, where the number is the blade width.
- PH0, PH1, PH2 and PH3 - Phillips cross-head. PH2 is the one most screws in this shop take.
- PZ0, PZ1, PZ2 and PZ3 - Pozidriv, which looks like Phillips with extra lines at 45 degrees. A Phillips bit in a Pozidriv screw will slip.
- HEX 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5 and 6 mm - the same sizes as an Allen key, in bit form.
- TX T10, T15, T20, T25, T30 and T40 - Torx, the six-pointed star.
The bits are 25 mm with a 60 mm holder and a ratchet handle. For tiny Torx, the precision set at 0.500 KD covers T6, T7, T8 and T9. A plain 6-piece screwdriver set is 2.750 KD with 4, 5 and 6 inch blades at 6.3 mm in both slotted and Phillips, and single drivers start at 0.250 KD. See screwdrivers.
So which should you buy?
- Furniture and the house, under 5.000 KD. The 0.750 KD Allen key set, the 0.750 KD 6-inch adjustable wrench and the 3.000 KD 8-piece spanner set covering 6 to 19 mm. That is 4.500 KD and it assembles almost anything.
- Car work. Sockets, not spanners, because you can get straight down onto most nuts under a bonnet. The 1/2 inch 10 to 24 mm set at 5.250 KD is where that starts; the 93-piece at 18.500 KD covers 1/4 and 1/2 inch drive together.
- Plumbing. A 10 inch adjustable from 1.250 KD plus a 14 inch pipe wrench from 1.750 KD. Check the 48 mm clamping figure against your pipe.
- Site and machine work. The 12-piece 8 to 32 mm set at 5.350 KD, because 27, 30 and 32 mm are where the household sets stop.
Buying from Bab Al-Saif
- Bring the nut. Our showroom is at Shuwaikh Plaza, Khalifa Al-Jassim Street, Shuwaikh Industrial, and holding a spanner against the actual nut settles the size question in one second.
- In Kuwait since 1992, rated 4.7 stars by more than 350 customers on Google.
- Cash on delivery, card, or instalments with Deema, with delivery across Kuwait.
Frequently asked questions
What size spanner do I need for a 10 mm nut?
A 10 mm spanner. The number on a spanner is the distance across the flats of the nut, so a nut described as 10 mm takes a 10 mm spanner - but a bolt with a 10 mm thread usually needs a 17 mm spanner on its head. Measure across the flats, not the thread.
What spanner sizes do I actually need?
8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17 and 19 mm covers most household and car fittings, and that is exactly the seven sizes in both ratchet spanner sets here, at 9.000 KD and 15.000 KD. A cheaper route to the same ground is the 8-piece combination set at 3.000 KD, which gives you 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17 and 19 mm.
What is the difference between a spanner and a socket?
A spanner reaches a nut from the side, which is what you need in a tight corner or on a pipe against a wall. A socket drops onto the nut from above and turns with a ratchet, which is far faster when you can reach straight down - so car work usually starts with sockets. Spanner sets start at 3.000 KD here and socket sets at 3.000 KD.
What sizes come in an Allen key set?
1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 mm in the nine-piece sets, from 0.750 KD. The eight-piece folding set at 2.000 KD covers the same range without the 10 mm.
What does 1/4 inch drive mean on a socket set?
The square hole in the back of each socket is 1/4 inch across, so it fits a 1/4 inch ratchet. 1/4 inch is for small fittings, 1/2 inch is for anything that needs force, and 3/8 inch sits between them. Our 93-piece and 114-piece sets carry both 1/4 and 1/2 inch so you are not locked into one.
How much is a spanner set in Kuwait?
From 3.000 KD for an 8-piece combination set covering 6 to 19 mm. A 10-piece 8 to 24 mm set is 4.950 KD, a 12-piece 8 to 32 mm set is 5.350 KD, and a 7-piece ratchet spanner set is 9.000 KD with a fixed head or 15.000 KD with a flexible one.
How much is an Allen key set in Kuwait?
0.750 KD for nine L-shaped keys from 1.5 to 10 mm. A long-arm set is 1.250 KD, extra-long-arm 1.450 KD, and an eight-key folding set 2.000 KD.
Which adjustable wrench size should I buy?
The 10 inch, from 1.250 KD. It opens wide enough for plumbing fittings and gives enough leverage for car nuts. A 6 inch at 0.750 KD is for small work and a 12 inch from 1.750 KD for heavy work. Four separate listings carry this tool, so the same 10 inch appears between 1.250 KD and 2.000 KD.
See it all in spanners and wrenches, socket sets and ratchets and screwdrivers, or buy the lot in one box from tool sets. For what a first kit should contain, read what a home tool kit should contain, and for the whole range start at hand tools.
