Breaker bars are used in conjunction with socket wrench-style sockets to loosen fastenings such as nuts & bolts. Breaker bars, however, are used specifically when a fastening is too tight and cannot be undone by a smaller tool, such as a ratchet, wrench or spanner. Most breaker bars are made from polished chrome steel, which gives them their strength and their polished finish and also makes them easy to maintain.

By having a longer handle and no ratcheting system, these tools are able to deliver more torque under the same amount of force as one would use on a smaller tool, which aids the removal of seized fasteners. Once the nut or bolt is released, it can continue to be loosened by a socket wrench.

At RS, our selection of breaker bars features products from leading brands like Bahco and RS PRO.

What are the benefits of using a breaker bar?

• The benefits of the longer handle of a breaker bar are two-fold. Firstly, they provide a higher torque force with no additional force than you would normally use with a spanner or wrench. Secondly, this also allows harder-to-reach fixings to be loosened, as the longer handle will still provide enough torque force from a distance.
• While less accurate as they have no measurement system, breaker bars provide a quicker alternative to torque wrenches.
• Unlike torque wrenches, breaker bars do not require a more professional hand to be used properly - they simply rely on user force and their longer handles to generate more torque, so they are quite universal tools.
• They improve the usefulness of your socket set by making it possible to use them to loosen seized or highly-tightened nuts and bolts.

Who uses breaker bars?

Breaker bars are used by mechanics, maintenance engineers, and DIY enthusiasts. They are the perfect accessories for removing tight fasteners and as such are most commonly used when removing wheel nuts and other fastenings from vehicles. Wheels are especially exposed to seasonal conditions that cause wheel nuts to seize, and so a breaker bar is an ideal tool to aid the removal of these fastenings. but can also be used for a variety of other mechanical applications, such as oil changes.