Do you have large hands or small hands? Relation of the size of your hands to mechanical work

[Slow Car Sport Mode]

Been thinking about this awhile. Perhaps aimed at the DIYer, or those that do DIFY work.. I sometimes hear mentioned in the YouTube videos we watch, if looking at vids of mechanical repairs or whatnot, "Oh my big hands could never get down in there" - or maybe a mention of one having small hands. I would imagine one having larger hands could affect their ability to get into tight places, if having to go somewhere in an engine bay with not much room...

General question here, but I thought perhaps might have some share and their experiences. Do you have large hands? Do you have small hands? Even if somewhere in between.. How does it affect, or perhaps sometimes affect, your ability to do work on cars?

Is it advantageous?
Does it pose a disadvantage or unique challenge?

 

[BISCUT]

I gotz meat claws for hands. XXL glove size and then some. Great for sports for sure and chicks dig it . Not so much for wrenching!

Most modern vehicle engine bags are rough to work on due to hand size. Lots of places I just can't get into. Prime example is my 17 3.6 Outback. I changed 5 of the 6 plugs without raising the engine (many do that; I don't like that myself) but not a chance in hades to get the driver-side rearmost. My mechanic's worker has tiny hands and he got in there to change it a-ok.

 

[zrxkawboy]

I would say mine are pretty average. I buy a size L mechanic-type glove and they fit nicely. Yes, there are certainly times working on a vehicle when I can barely get my hand into a space, and I think that someone with larger hands would have a lot of trouble getting the job done.

 

[Jetronic]

Been thinking about this awhile. Perhaps aimed at the DIYer, or those that do DIFY work.. I sometimes hear mentioned in the YouTube videos we watch, if looking at vids of mechanical repairs or whatnot, "Oh my big hands could never get down in there" - or maybe a mention of one having small hands. I would imagine one having larger hands could affect their ability to get into tight places, if having to go somewhere in an engine bay with not much room...

General question here, but I thought perhaps might have some share and their experiences. Do you have large hands? Do you have small hands? Even if somewhere in between.. How does it affect, or perhaps sometimes affect, your ability to do work on cars?

Is it advantageous?
Does it pose a disadvantage or unique challenge?

Large hand but short fingers, the worst possible combination as a mech

 

[Jetronic]

I would say mine are pretty average. I buy a size L mechanic-type glove and they fit nicely. Yes, there are certainly times working on a vehicle when I can barely get my hand into a space, and I think that someone with larger hands would have a lot of trouble getting the job done.

L sized fits my fingers perfectly (lenght wise) but is too tight around the palm They're very tight around the fingers too but that's a plus.

What I really needed as a mech was an extra elbow and wrist on each arm.

 

[Astro14]

Large v. Small is too simple. I wear a XL glove, a 10 for width, but the fingers in that size are often too short.

So, not big/wide meat hook hands, but large with long fingers. I can get my hands into most places.

What matters, however, is grip strength. If you can’t grab the screwdriver, or wrench, with sufficient force, getting your hands into places doesn’t really help.

For access, a good selection of tools; swivel sockets, extensions, various needle nose, etc. are the key, vs. just being able to get your hands into places.

 

[Kruse]

I have large hands, but I don't think it's a disadvantage when it comes to turning wrenches. I'm just glad I never became a dentist.

 

[LostInTransit]

I would say small hands, but I'm still not able to access the head light socket to replace the low beam bulbs.. ideally it's not an issue of large or small hands, its how flexible they are or how much strength one has during that flex.

 

[KrisZ]

Medium sized hands, most L gloves fit me pretty well. I use wife and kids for hard to reach stuff.

 

[wpod]

Small hands ,small things large hands, large things. Women have told me I have good sized hands. How you can manipulate your hands is important when you do serious work.

 

[Chris142]

I have small hands but large arms. My arms are my limiting factor as they won't fit in small spaces.

 

[dumkid]

i have average sized hands, and there are definitely some places where they don't fit. also most small spaces aren't round, so you can get your hand in one way but then you twist it and you get stuck. people with double jointed fingers would have more luck fitting a big hand in a small space

 

[Delta]

I have smaller hands (medium gloves) and it comes in handy sometimes. Gonna stop there before it gets odd

 

[SC Maintenance]

I think I have about average hands. I find the older I get the harder it gets but my hands are the same size. I think its a lot about manual dexterity also. Maybe people with really large hands also have poor dexterity or fine motor skills?

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I will say had a hard time replacing front light bulbs on my wife's subaru. Meaty palms, sausage fingers - not for Guitar or piano work - maybe a baritone ukulele ?

NO problem wrenching. Fine electrical gets a bit trickier. Dang little nuts.

I can't really say what long, skinny fingers would do for you in bolting and wrenching.

Unless you are wrenching on pocket watches

 

[IndyIan]

Just regular Large or XL glove size hands, but I have pretty good dexterity, and back in high school a buddy and I took a small engines course and he was calling me fiddly fingers, he just had trouble starting nuts or bolts in tight spots, or electrical connections.... I have done the rear drums on my Foci a few times which I think is a good test for an amatuer mechanic.
Youtube or car forums sure makes jobs easier though, if you know what should be happening, I find I can do most jobs in tight spots.

 

[Pablo]

Medium. But seems like (most Chinese) glove sizes are over the place, so I see that frustration. Sometimes small gloves fit fine, other times large is perfect. I have some good gloves, but I tear through them so fast I get cheaper ones..........and on that note, inflation rocked glove prices big time.

I cannot imagine having huge meat paws as there are some areas I can barely get my hand in. On the other HAND there are some grips where alien fingers are needed.

 

[jeepman3071]

I'd say average, but wobble extensions, magnets, and extended reach pliers have always been my friends when working on stuff. I also wear latex gloves, since I'm always scratching and cutting my hands in tight spaces.

 

[cjcride]

Medium hands and not big muscular arms. Gets me into tight places yet as Astro pointed out if you can't get the tightening power on the tool it's often insufficient

 

[barryh]

I think large hands are the result of a lifetime of manual labour making them fit for purpose. The farmers I know have large hands. My hands are large, not XL size but I still have trouble getting large enough motorcycle gloves. My right hand is getting knackered from over work. I had trigger finger on my forefinger which it never fully recovered from. That's tendon damage where the finger locks in the trigger position and you have to use the other hand to straighten it out. Doesn't stop me working on cars and bikes.

Hands are complex and tough but look after them and don't overdo it.