You need to rotate Transformers, AESU, IDSU, MFSU, MFE, Batbox, Automatic Machines, buffers, translocators, regulators, sorters, scrapboxinators, crafting table...
Greg wanted to get rid of shift-click to implement his new wrenching system which allows you to rotate blocks to directions it was hard before.
Shift-click was limited to backwards only, alt-clicking rotated the machine randomly.
Now you can simply rotate the machine by clicking the side you want it to rotate.
Example : If you want the output face, which is facing you, to be to the left, right click close to the left side and it will rotate to there, simple and no risk of exploding anything due the machine energy outputs, which you would have if you used random rotation.
I understand that the mechanic before was kinda sucky in some situations. But the problem is that the new mechanic isn't very obvious, exspecially for some of the machines that aren't really rotating at all (just the output rotates around).
And still I don't understand why the current mechanic isn't simply moved to shift-clicking the machine. That way you can still interact with the tool in hand. It is good that the new mechanic works the same for all machines, but there is no reason to not use the shift-modifier for clicking, exspecially since it would be a simple config-option. I just want to eliminate the possibility of accidently right-clicking a machine with the wrench in hand to access it, but instead turning or dismantling it. It is the same thing I hate about TE, but in the case of TE the Shift-Clicking is blocked by something so his wrench needs to use normal left-click and shift-click. Which means you can't access machines with the tool in hand. But in Gregs Case the Shift-Click is entirely unused.
What would be even cooler is the complete removal of the dismantling and make all kind of wrenches tools that are effective on breaking machines. Problem is propably that you can enforce this behavior on vanilla-IC2 machines, but this way you can't accidently dismantle a machine. Because it takes a few hits (even with another mouse-button) to break it.
And on the topic of durability... the set of wrenches I have at home are older than any other tool I have and still work like a charm. Wrenchs aren't that problematic in regards to wearing out than a lot of other tools. I would assume that the grinding-head inside a macerator would wear out way faster than even a overused wrench would. The only thing that would wear out a wrench is if you use it russian-style (iE smacking things until they work... no offense :P). And honestly crafting one bronze-wrench after another wouldn't bring anyone in trouble, it is just tedious, since machine-rotation shouldn't be an issue in the first place (since you don't need a wrench to place them, why should you need one to rotate them, they are obviously not fixed on the ground).
The largest problem right now I have with this system is the lack of visual-indication. Since the machines aren't rotating (just the side they output to changes) it is hard to see any changes. Also the GUI could use an option to see what upgrades it has. The buttons on the machines could use some tool-tips. For the wrench even the discription is wrong. It doesn't rotate the machine to the left if you click it on the left side, it sets the the machine to face left, which is a small but important difference, because at first I always wondered why clicking it twice on the left side dismantled it.
All I want is an option to move the complete wrench-interaction from Left-Clicking with the wrench to Shift+Left-Clicking with the wrench, since the Shift-modifier is unused right now anyway. I would take it as a default off-config option because I actually am able to modify my configs (well except for the flint and steel... but mdiyo scared me away from early nether-visits anyway so I build a blastfurnace before going there to have a chainsaw^^).