Do I have a dud? Bahco/Snap-on adjustable wrench

Got this Bahco adjustable based on the thin profile jaws and the wide opening (1.5") in an 8" size. It's the 9031 R US model. Which isn't on Bahco's website... This one is made in Spain.

I have to say I'm a little disappointed. The jaws are off parallel and it has a bit of slop (side to side). Based on the scale on the side, the jaw itself has about .5mm of play.

But it's not all bad, the thumbwheel has light action, it feels nice in the hand. How much can I expect from an adjustable? (Well...my Knipex Plier Wrench is in the mail so I guess I'll find out if that's everything it's hyped to be...)

Does anyone else have this wrench? Snap-on markets them. I got mine online.

Does anyone have the Swedish version of this wrench to compare (ahem @Monte )?

Do I have a lemon? Am I just picky? Something else to note?











Now to clarify: this picture is not with the jaws closed all the way. I've used it a bit and knicked up the edges and it was hard to see on camera but there is a definite taper widening from front to back.



I was hoping for a "flatter" engagement - I can swivel the nut around freely in the rear...the front is the part that is being engaged. I have a few other adjustables that are like this, but their engagement is not as smoothly tapered/consistent. If only they got it flat!



And some side play.

"Damn you're a picky one."

^^^ My first thought...

I really don't see the problem. My Irega-made CL adjustables do me just fine... 13$ clearance at HD. They aren't perfect either, don't worry.

I have a couple of the old ones(swedish made), can´t complain. They are great.

aluminum13 said:

Now to clarify: this picture is not with the jaws closed all the way. I've used it a bit and knicked up the edges and it was hard to see on camera but there is a definite taper widening from front to back. . . I was hoping for a "flatter" engagement - I can swivel the nut around freely in the rear...the front is the part that is being engaged. I have a few other adjustables that are like this, but their engagement is not as smoothly tapered/consistent. If only they got it flat!

Click to expand...

There is supposed to be some taper in an adjustable wrench, to make up for the flex in the movable jaw under stress. Yours appears to be a little more than expected though.

Not sure where everyone gets the new idea that if there is some wiggle or play in the jaws of an adjustabe wrench, it's a sign of poor quality?

Most adjustable I've used and owned have always had some amount of play or wiggle in the jaws. I'm talking good old vinatge tools too. Even modern ones like Irega for Channellock. It might be less wiggle than say a newer Crescent brand, but the wiggle and play still needs to be there. If you get too tight of tolerances in the matting of parts on something that's supposed to move then it won't be too long before that thing seizes up on you and then you'll really have something legitimate to complain about.

Also these wrenches aren't micrometers!

its an adjustable wrench, not a vernier caliper.

An adjustable wrench, by design, is going to have some play in it. I wouldn't call the play in that wrench even noticeable for an adjustable, let alone worrisome.

I have the exact same wrench and about the same amount of play. I have used it frequently and haven't had a problem and the wide jaw is awesome.

Thanks for the replies.

Well, I'm pickier than most, it seems.

I like to think of it as "having an eye for detail."

I've never bought any 'premium' tools before, so I don't have a basis for comparison. I don't really know what to expect. However, I'd note that I have cheap chinese wrenches with flatter engagement than this one. Of course, they are made of inferior metal, are harder to adjust, and have thicker jaws.

Trucky said:

"Damn you're a picky one."

^^^ My first thought...

I really don't see the problem. My Irega-made CL adjustables do me just fine... 13$ clearance at HD. They aren't perfect either, don't worry.

Click to expand...

I think I shoulda checked out the Iregas. The jaw thickness was a big factor in my choice, and I couldn't find specs or even a picture of the jaws on the Irega/CL.

decaf said:

I have a couple of the old ones(swedish made), can´t complain. They are great.

(picture of big nice looking collection)

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Would you say the tolerances on mine are below average or above average based on yours?

rlitman said:

There is supposed to be some taper in an adjustable wrench, to make up for the flex in the movable jaw under stress. Yours appears to be a little more than expected though.

Click to expand...

I was thinking this - especially with thin jaws I wondered if it was an intentional design choice.

How do you know this?


(batch of replies number 2 coming)

osborn.ozzy said:

its an adjustable wrench, not a vernier caliper.

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LOL, that was my exact thought, i was going to mention that the scale on the side wasn't for use as a caliper then i saw your post

HandyManny said:

Not sure where everyone gets the new idea that if there is some wiggle or play in the jaws of an adjustabe wrench, it's a sign of poor quality?

Most adjustable I've used and owned have always had some amount of play or wiggle in the jaws. I'm talking good old vinatge tools too. Even modern ones like Irega for Channellock. It might be less wiggle than say a newer Crescent brand, but the wiggle and play still needs to be there. If you get too tight of tolerances in the matting of parts on something that's supposed to move then it won't be too long before that thing seizes up on you and then you'll really have something legitimate to complain about.

Also these wrenches aren't micrometers!

Click to expand...

Most things that wiggle or don't match up evenly suggest poor quality. It doesn't seem unreasonable to apply this to a wrench. Although the "intentional taper" argument does have some merit, perhaps. Although even the packaging advertises "parallel jaws" as a feature. I always thought that's what you look for.

I recognize that you need wiggle for the wrench to operate.





Both this cheap chinese wrench and this vintage Diamond seem to mate closer to parallel. The chinese has slightly less side to side play. The jaw moves back and forth more however. The Diamond, in keeping in mind that the jaws are smaller so play will be less obvious, is the tightest of all of them. I have no issue with lockup, although I can see with larger bolts with higher torque that could be a problem.

I've found side to side play to be an issue with very low profile bolts/nuts mounted on a face.

I'm not claiming that this Bahco wouldn't work. Or that my life is terrible because I have a wrench with less than desirable tolerances. I'm noting tolerances, and trying to establish a baseline of comparison.

Of course it's not a micrometer.

osborn.ozzy said:

its an adjustable wrench, not a vernier caliper.

Click to expand...

Yep.

BrokewrenchLS1 said:

An adjustable wrench, by design, is going to have some play in it. I wouldn't call the play in that wrench even noticeable for an adjustable, let alone worrisome.

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It was possibly the first thing I noticed, other than the smell of the handle.

vibblueser said:

I have the exact same wrench and about the same amount of play. I have used it frequently and haven't had a problem and the wide jaw is awesome.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your comparison. I got this to mess with lower torque large size fasteners, the wide jaw seems great.

Bill R. said:

LOL, that was my exact thought, i was going to mention that the scale on the side wasn't for use as a caliper then i saw your post

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Wait, you guys aren't being serious are you?! The guy on ebay told me it was a PRECISION MULTI-TOOL. Well ****, I got jipped.

Really, I get it. I recognize the scale isn't accurate and don't really care, I can eyeball most common bolts I work on. I did, however, use the scale to approximate the play back and forth on the jaws.

A few measurements for you, then, Mr. Picky.

far end of "dead" jaw (skinny part, i.e. the tip): .235"
Close end of "dead" jaw, before the flat area the movable jaw rests on: .458"

main "body"(where the measurements are below the movable jaw): tapers from .530" to .460", with the larger figure starting from the adjustment screw and becoming smaller as you reach the moveable jaw.

far end movable jaw: .235"
near end of movable jaw: .440"

It says they open up to 1.5" but they really open up to 1.660". Not too shabby.

Don't forget to put some oil on it, the rust protection on a bahco is no the best in my experience.

Does anybody know if the orange plastic round thing has a function?

aluminum13 said:

Most things that wiggle or don't match up evenly suggest poor quality. It doesn't seem unreasonable to apply this to a wrench. Although the "intentional taper" argument does have some merit, perhaps. Although even the packaging advertises "parallel jaws" as a feature. I always thought that's what you look for.

I recognize that you need wiggle for the wrench to operate.

.

Click to expand...

I don't think it applies all that much to adjustable wrenches, but it all depends on how much slack we are talking here. Some people get pretty neurotic, over picky, over fussy, and plain OCD about the slightest imprefection in a hand tool. To me that's silly. I have some good old vintage Diamond Calks, Crecents, etc that aren't exactly perfect and these wrenches were made at a time that everyone says was when only the best was made. In fact the handle on my old 12 inch Diamond is ever so slightly warped. If you look at it from above the cross section the handle curves to the left, barely detectable, but it's there. It also has some minor raised edges on the cross section where the trimming dies trimmed it from the forge and wasn't completely smoothed down in machining. The bend is barely noticeable, but likely the result of the forge or heat treatment. There is also some play in the jaws too. It's been that way since the day I bought it in the mid 50's. Yet that wrench has beened used for decades without any failure, sometimes under some hard conditions.

Laro13 said:

Don't forget to put some oil on it, the rust protection on a bahco is no the best in my experience.

Does anybody know if the orange plastic round thing has a function?

Click to expand...

Those things don't rust too bad, but it all depnds on the environment you are using them in. They simply develope a nice patina, sometimes the bare steel will slightly oxidize, depends. The dark finish (perhaps phosphate) will wear with time and use.

That orange thing holds the wrench to the package, if I'm not mistaken.

HandyManny said:

That orange thing holds the wrench to the package, if I'm not mistaken.

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Dohh!! of course,

I bought a second hand one and it was still in the hole.
It was the first thing I removed.

Thanks.

Trucky said:

A few measurements for you, then, Mr. Picky.

far end of "dead" jaw (skinny part, i.e. the tip): .235"
Close end of "dead" jaw, before the flat area the movable jaw rests on: .458"

main "body"(where the measurements are below the movable jaw): tapers from .530" to .460", with the larger figure starting from the adjustment screw and becoming smaller as you reach the moveable jaw.

far end movable jaw: .235"
near end of movable jaw: .440"

It says they open up to 1.5" but they really open up to 1.660". Not too shabby.

Click to expand...

Nice. Thanks. Well, I shouldn't have ruled those out. Why don't they post those specs online? Those are nice!

Laro13 said:

Don't forget to put some oil on it, the rust protection on a bahco is no the best in my experience.

Does anybody know if the orange plastic round thing has a function?

Click to expand...

It's an interesting finish, but I like it. I wonder how it'll hold up in my leaky car trunk. It came with factory grease which I spread over it with a towel when I got it.

HandyManny said:

That orange thing holds the wrench to the package, if I'm not mistaken.

Click to expand...

This is correct. While I didn't buy this from a store rack, I do like that you can test it in the package, which in this case was just the card, plug, and wrench. Bahco's colors are black and orange, so maybe it's a thing for collectors, too.

HandyManny said:

I don't think it applies all that much to adjustable wrenches, but it all depends on how much slack we are talking here.

Click to expand...

Yep.

Some people get pretty neurotic, over picky, over fussy, and plain OCD about the slightest imprefection in a hand tool. To me that's silly.
I have some good old vintage Diamond Calks, Crecents, etc that aren't exactly perfect and these wrenches were made at a time that everyone says was when only the best was made. In fact the handle on my old 12 inch Diamond is ever so slightly warped. If you look at it from above the cross section the handle curves to the left, barely detectable, but it's there. It also has some minor raised edges on the cross section where the trimming dies trimmed it from the forge and wasn't completely smoothed down in machining. The bend is barely noticeable, but likely the result of the forge or heat treatment. There is also some play in the jaws too. It's been that way since the day I bought it in the mid 50's. Yet that wrench has beened used for decades without any failure, sometimes under some hard conditions.

Click to expand...

I basically agree with you, maybe we're miscommunicating here. I'm a person who tends to notice small flaws (and it sounds like you are too). I really appreciate something that is made well. I recognize that for something to work it doesn't need to be flawless.

This chunk of metal will last longer than I will and works pretty nice. I don't think it's junk. As I said, I've never bought a 'premium' wrench before, so I don't know what to expect. I had my own internal impressions of what it could be, so now I'm adjusting my expectations to adjust with reality. Apparently this seems about what you would expect. It makes sense, it's not like adjustable wrenches are what you think of when you think "precision".

However, I'm not a machinist, but I feel they could have made this wrench smoother and tighter. I'm not sure how much more that would cost in production and for me (end user), but for something I might buy once and have for the rest of my life, I'd be willing to pay a few extra bucks to have a wrench that seems tighter. I wanted to get myself a gift. Instead of some useless trinket, I got myself a wrench, because at the end of the day I'm a person who likes to get things done and I'll use a wrecking bar and some bailing wire if I need to. But a nice tool is nice to have.

Of course, if you check my posts I just spent the time outfitting my Harbor Freight roto-head with a new handle.

...it works.

aluminum13 said:

I basically agree with you, maybe we're miscommunicating here. I'm a person who tends to notice small flaws (and it sounds like you are too). I really appreciate something that is made well. I recognize that for something to work it doesn't need to be flawless.

This chunk of metal will last longer than I will and works pretty nice. I don't think it's junk. As I said, I've never bought a 'premium' wrench before, so I don't know what to expect. I had my own internal impressions of what it could be, so now I'm adjusting my expectations to adjust with reality. Apparently this seems about what you would expect. It makes sense, it's not like adjustable wrenches are what you think of when you think "precision".

However, I'm not a machinist, but I feel they could have made this wrench smoother and tighter. I'm not sure how much more that would cost in production and for me (end user), but for something I might buy once and have for the rest of my life, I'd be willing to pay a few extra bucks to have a wrench that seems tighter. I wanted to get myself a gift. Instead of some useless trinket, I got myself a wrench, because at the end of the day I'm a person who likes to get things done and I'll use a wrecking bar and some bailing wire if I need to. But a nice tool is nice to have.

Of course, if you check my posts I just spent the time outfitting my Harbor Freight roto-head with a new handle.

...it works.

Click to expand...

If you were to take 20 or even 100 different specimens of that exact same wrench from the exact same lot made the same day I think you'd find minor variation in all aspects of each single wrench. That's just the nature of some manufacturing techniques. Many of these tools still are hand machined and ground in the final finishing and fitting process before being final assembled. Simply put, even some of the best quality handtools I've bought and used in years past had some degree of minor physical flaw to it. Yes I do notice this stuff too, always have had an eye for that kind of stuff. I don't look for this stuff, my brain simply picks it up easier than most, even at my old age. It's almost a curse if you ask me.

i have several Bahco adjustables from spain + sweden, they all have different play/parallelism.

Just wanted to clarify Aluminum13. I wasn't poking fun at you with my comment about people being too pick, too fussy, or OCD. I was just saying in general as a general comment of what I hear a lot here. I surely understand you wanting to ask about this as you say that you aren't too used of owning professional grade tools. For the money these things cost I don't blame you for being a bit concerned or a bit picky. One thing I've noticed in my time is that many pro grade or industrial grade tools tend to be more utilitarian in appearance and often times in overall finish. Then again many of the same type tools are very finely finished. I just look at tools differently. To me tools are what I use to keep everything else running smooth, looking and performing its best. Many of my own adjustabe wrenches have a phosphate (parkerized) finish on them, not shinely chrome or nickle plating. To look at these tools many people may think their subdued matte dark gray appearance is ugly. But to me it's a very utilitarian finish that tends to look even more ugly as the tool gets used and ages.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Spain is where the best adjustable wrenches seem to be coming out of these days. Bahco owns a company there who makes theirs and Snap-Ons, and Irega makes pretty darn good ones for the Channellock brand for sale here.

Monte said:

i have several Bahco adjustables from spain + sweden, they all have different play/parallelism.

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Ah, I guess I was expecting less variation but this seems to be the norm.

I called you out cause I saw your youtube (assuming the same guy...yes?) video on one of yours.

HandyManny said:

If you were to take 20 or even 100 different specimens of that exact same wrench from the exact same lot made the same day I think you'd find minor variation in all aspects of each single wrench. That's just the nature of some manufacturing techniques. Many of these tools still are hand machined and ground in the final finishing and fitting process before being final assembled. Simply put, even some of the best quality handtools I've bought and used in years past had some degree of minor physical flaw to it. Yes I do notice this stuff too, always have had an eye for that kind of stuff. I don't look for this stuff, my brain simply picks it up easier than most, even at my old age. It's almost a curse if you ask me.

Click to expand...

Ah the trick is finding the way to use that eye where it's most useful.

HandyManny said:

Just wanted to clarify Aluminum13. I wasn't poking fun at you with my comment about people being too pick, too fussy, or OCD. I was just saying in general as a general comment of what I hear a lot here. I surely understand you wanting to ask about this as you say that you aren't too used of owning professional grade tools. For the money these things cost I don't blame you for being a bit concerned or a bit picky. One thing I've noticed in my time is that many pro grade or industrial grade tools tend to be more utilitarian in appearance and often times in overall finish. Then again many of the same type tools are very finely finished. I just look at tools differently. To me tools are what I use to keep everything else running smooth, looking and performing its best. Many of my own adjustabe wrenches have a phosphate (parkerized) finish on them, not shinely chrome or nickle plating. To look at these tools many people may think their subdued matte dark gray appearance is ugly. But to me it's a very utilitarian finish that tends to look even more ugly as the tool gets used and ages.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Spain is where the best adjustable wrenches seem to be coming out of these days. Bahco owns a company there who makes theirs and Snap-Ons, and Irega makes pretty darn good ones for the Channellock brand for sale here.

Click to expand...

Oh it's alright, I understand.

Cheers.