Aluminum adjustable wrench?

[Can I try?]

Is there such a beast?

I'm thinking in the style of an aluminum pipe wrench - steel jaws on an aluminum handle for weight savings in the larger sizes (15", 18", 24"). I'm ruling out full-aluminum (such as the style made for AN fittings) because the jaws would not hold up to use on steel fasteners.

Has anyone here ever made one? Maybe fitted an aluminum handle to a standard head, or ground the jaws smooth on an aluminum pipe wrench?

I'm looking to trim weight in my tool bag. I always carry a 15" wrench, among other tools. I'm trying to think creatively.

 

[PureLeaf]

I don't know the answer on whether that exists.

However, my 12 inch Knipex pliers wrench is lighter than my 15" adjustable, wider capacity too.

 

[rlitman]

I don't see how that could work in an adjustable wrench, and it's not just because of the softness of the jaws. Aluminum is not as strong as steel, and the amount of metal you would need behind the jaws to keep the wrench from springing (and no longer having parallel faces) would make it pretty clunky. Perhaps you could fit a steel adjustable head onto an aluminum handle, but I don't see a great deal of weight savings. Drilling "speed holes" into a forged steel adjustable wrench might save you just as much weight.

In pliers, I can see something along these lines being made workable if a steel pivot is used. There are aluminum pliers made for fisherman. Felco pruners use this principle to great effect.

I don't think groove joint pliers would work in aluminum. There's just too much force concentrated in too small an area.

 

[JonnyMac]

Just got one at work. Very light... im going to say rigid or stanley but i cant be sure of the brand until i get back next week... but they definately exist

 

[unslow1]

I'm pretty sure they were in the Lowe's clearance thread last year.

Actually still on clearance. #464643 - 24 inch Kobalt. 10 inch also on clearance.

This is for the pipe wrenches. You still have to modify the jaws.

 

[shockwave]

If you don't care about price they do make a few titanium adjustable wrenches out there that are lighter and much stronger than aluminum but upwards in the 300-400 dollar range though

 

[balrog]

I've seen them from Rothenberger and Rigid, although I'm not sure they are still in production.

 

[gdocktor3]

Hope you're ready to pony up.

https://www.zoro.com/ampco-adjustab...c-bzKADXlDT0TERcfV1F2xoCX5Hw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
https://www.ohiopowertool.com/p-742...VM_j3o-DblcmBiROWkI_aUCvEnYm1iZOr0BoCKXnw_wcB

 

[jallyn]

Hope you're ready to pony up.

https://www.zoro.com/ampco-adjustab...c-bzKADXlDT0TERcfV1F2xoCX5Hw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
https://www.ohiopowertool.com/p-742...VM_j3o-DblcmBiROWkI_aUCvEnYm1iZOr0BoCKXnw_wcB

Interesting aluminum bronze adjustables. Those are made specifically for non-sparking applications. However, aluminum bronze is 95% as dense as steel so there will not be any noticeable weight savings.

As for what the OP is asking about I would go with Lobster as they have removed lots of weight in their design. Like this... http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/121524606537?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true

 

[HotFry]

If you're talking about a pipe wrench then yes they do make them in aluminum, the jaws are steel and yes the wrenches are expensive.

I have an 18" offset jaw, a 24"and a 36" straight jaw and beleive me if you use them as much as I did you'd pony up for the aluminum.

If it's something to have in your toolbox for a "just in case" situation go with a cast steel not aluminum for the cost difference. Depending on what you're doing the offset jaw style are extremely useful because in certain situations you'll get more turn, tightening or loosening, the pipe.

I like to use my 18" offset the most but before I'd break it out of the truck I'd see if I could do the job with a pair of channel locks first.

Hope this helps.

 

[rlitman]

Interesting aluminum bronze adjustables. Those are made specifically for non-sparking applications. However, aluminum bronze is 95% as dense as steel so there will not be any noticeable weight savings.

As for what the OP is asking about I would go with Lobster as they have removed lots of weight in their design. Like this... http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/121524606537?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true

LOL. Yeah, not only is aluminum bronze just as heavy as steel, it's also MUCH softer.

I saw the Lobster adjustable wrenched on Amazon. The reason I didn't recommend it was that the reviews said it wasn't all that much lighter than an ordinary adjustable. That was why I mentioned "speed holes".

I was able to find some mega bucks titanium adjustables, but nothing with steel jaws, and I would expect the jaws to wear out quickly if used on steel parts. An aluminum AN adjustable will probably be permanently damaged on the first use on a steel nut, while the titanium will not, but I still wouldn't expect a lifetime of use from one, so again, no recommendation.

Ridgid does make smooth jaw pipe wrenches (they call them hex wrenches):
https://www.ridgid.com/us/en/hex-wrenches
but not in aluminum. Sorry.

Looking at their design points something out to me. You cannot simply grind the jaws smooth on a pipe wrench and expect it to turn nuts (there's too much slop in the jaw, by design). By only contacting two flats, it is doomed to failure (monkey wrenches remove this slop, but I don't see these in aluminum either). The Ridgid design has a hooked jaw that contacts two flats on its own to avoid the problem. It looks like it might be possible to put one of these jaws into a Ridgid 45 degree aluminum pipe wrench, and grind the handle jaw smooth to make a lightweight version of this. Though it would be expensive, and I don't have any idea how well it would work.
If you go this route, I think a slight cylinder bias on the handle jaw grind would help with off-edge engagement.

The recommendation by PureLeaf to go with a Knipex Plierswrench may be the best one for you. I'll see if I can get pictures of my 12" PW next to a 15" adjustable. The only thing you lose is 2" or so of handle length for extra leverage (you don't get much leverage from the last inch of an adjustable where the end is rounded off), BUT the PW grips the fastener much more, so is less likely to round thing off when really torquing stuff.

 

[morrillm06]

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Aluminum-Adjustable-AN-Wrench,5412.html

they use them so they don't mar AN style fittings on racecars

 

[Can I try?]

Thank you all for the well-reasoned feedback.

A Titanium wrench? That's interesting, a bit cost-prohibitive, though. I'd be willing to spend a couple hundred for a good wrench, but a thousand is a bit steep. Something like this made with steel jaw inserts would probably be perfect.

Maybe I'll give the Plierswrench a try. I never considered it because I wasn't sure they could handle the amount of leverage I would need.

My bag is heavy enough just with basic hand tools. Once I add any special tools or supplies needed for a job, it becomes an anchor. My job also requires a lot of walking. My back notices when I trim weight. It was very happy when I switched my pipe wrench from iron to aluminum, and when I switched my pump pliers to Knipex for their lightweight, forged design. I'm just looking for other tool designs that would help me trim weight.

 

[jallyn]

How about a 6" or 8" ChannelLock WideAzz adjustable (6WCB or 8WCB) and a thin-wall pipe as a cheater bar to get you up to 15" OAL?

 

[rlitman]

...Maybe I'll give the Plierswrench a try. I never considered it because I wasn't sure they could handle the amount of leverage I would need...

Compared to an adjustable? Oh heck yeah. For high torque use, I even prefer my PW over my SnapOn open ended wrenches (ok, maybe not the flarenut ones I have that have thicker jaws).

The shorter handle (only shorter, because the jaws open wider than you would expect) does reduce your leverage a little, but when turned in the correct direction, the jaws self close (like channellocks, or a pipe wrench). This gives the PW two advantages:

1) You really only need to push on the outer handle. Squeezing the inner handle is kind of optional once you start to push.
2) You can safely apply much more torque to a fastener with a PW than you can with an adjustable, because the jaws get tighter with more torque, instead of looser

Because of #2, and their fantastic construction, I'd feel safe putting my foot on the handle for leverage, or even resorting to a SHORT piece of PVC pipe to extend the outer handle the width of my palm (I'm not talking about a 2' cheater) to get the handle length to match the length of an adjustable with a comparable jaw opening (because the PW has a huge jaw opening for its size). Though I've never needed this, and you sound like a guy who has tough palms and won't need to do so either.

 

[the gypsy]

What size wrench are you talking about? I know that pipe wrenches are available in aluminium handle and steel Jaws. Look at Ridgid plumbing tools or Mastercraft, I guess there are others but these are the ones I know for sure.

 

[djjsr]

Stay away from the cheap ones. I don't know if an adjustable would be any different but the first time I had to put some heady duty pull on this aluminum pipe wrench, it didn't like it.

But it does fit in the toolbox easier.

 

[rsanter]

Drill holes in the handle webbing of the exsisting adjustable wrench you have.
Done carefully it will have little effect on the strength and you will have lighter weight

Bob

 

[sberry]

Stay away from the cheap ones. I don't know if an adjustable would be any different but the first time I had to put some heady duty pull on this aluminum pipe wrench, it didn't like it.

But it does fit in the toolbox easier.

I need the bottom jaw,,, yes I bet that happens on occasion

 

[pancho400cid]

But it does fit in the toolbox easier

Lookin' on the BRIGHT SIDE!!!

 

[PureLeaf]

Here's Knipex's video on the topic incase it helps illustrate them a bit more.

 

[48548]

Stay away from the cheap ones. I don't know if an adjustable would be any different but the first time I had to put some heady duty pull on this aluminum pipe wrench, it didn't like it.

But it does fit in the toolbox easier.

Who made that? It looks like the williams I bought and it feels cheap. I went out after getting that from cripe and bought a used rigid aluminum.

 

[rlitman]

Here's Knipex's video on the topic incase it helps illustrate them a bit more.

BTW, that size range does not include the 5" mini, and the 15" XL PliersWrench models.
I've got the mini in my collection, and it has surprisingly narrow jaws (not cone wrench narrow, but pretty narrow nevertheless) that are handy for places where normal thickness jaws don't fit.

Check out this video at 48 seconds:

The FEA really shows why these things are so awesome. And that's comparing with an open-ended wrench, which is already far superior to an adjustable that it replaces. I'd like to see a comparison with flank-drive-plus, but I suspect the PW still wins the two-flat contact contest.

This guy shows how much compressive force it has, by squeezing two flats onto a framing nail head:

No, it's not going to crush as tightly as my Wilton machinists bullet vise, but I've used their jaws for forming, straightening and crimping things, just because of the crushing force they can deliver.

 

[djjsr]

Who made that? It looks like the williams I bought and it feels cheap.

I have no idea who made it, but it's says "Heavy Duty" right there on the handle. Must be a premium tool, right? I think I may have bought it at HF but I really don't recall. It's the biggest one in a set of three. 24", 18", 12".

 

[48548]

I have no idea who made it, but it's says "Heavy Duty" right there on the handle. Must be a premium tool, right? I think I may have bought it at HF but I really don't recall. It's the biggest one in a set of three. 24", 18", 12".

Looks like this piece of **** I got from Cripe.