Crescent or Craftsman Adjustable Wrench?

[chewy7]

I was wondering if both of these brands were made by the same company? They look very similar to each other. I already have the 6,8,10 inch craftsman ones. I was looking at getting Craftsman's 12,15, and 18 large set.
http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10...le+Wrench+Sets&prdNo=4&blockNo=4&blockType=L4
Those larger sizes would really come in handy at work here on our large dairy operation for working on equipment in the field.
I would like to stick with any good brand that's MADE IN USA but not overpriced like snap on and what not.

 

[reptilezs]

my 12 in craftsman is made by western forge. i have an old 18in crescent brand that i got on ebay

 

[sberry]

About any of them work and if you don't have em you need them. Hard for me to imagine becoming large dairy without such basic tools. Get 2 sets while you are at it.

 

[SMKS]

I'm not really a fan of crescent. They always seem to have loose jaws. The Craftsmans are probably made by Western Forge. I'd probably get the Craftsman.

 

[chewy7]

Well on our family dairy these would be my personal set. Otherwise at work we have a lot of 6''-8''-10'' ones and couple of those 15'' plus china made ones too that are scattered all over the farm. A lot of them are made in china and a few us brands. Those smaller sizes do come in handy once in a while when you are have limited tool storage in the tractor or on the road in the grain trucks. I just want a decent set so when i need them, i know exactly where they are.

 

[chewy7]

or i could wait a couple of months and see if our local tractor dealership who deals with s-k tools ,would have them by western forge.

 

[Jim C.]

I have a Craftsman 10" and 16". Both are well made tools. I also have a Cresent 10". Again, a nice tool. All three made in the USA. The only difference I see between my Craftsman 10" and my Cresent 10" is the size of the head. The Craftsman head is thinner, while the Cresent head is a bit thicker.

I don't necessarily think you need to resort to a higher end tool to get what you're looking for. If you really want to save some money, keep an eye out at flea markets, yard sales, and sometimes ebay. Adjustable wrenches are about as common as can be. I'd stick to the Craftsman and/or Cresent brands.

 

[May Pop]

I like Cresent much more than Craftsman because the jaws are tighter,less slop.
Also the Cresent are made of the finest steel alloy in the wholewide world CRESALLOY.
Which has only one other competitor DIAMALLOY from Diamond tool co that even comes close

 

[air]

The best adjustable wrench I have ever used is my old Proto Click Stop '12. I also have an old Indestro that is great, but that old Proto is the ****.

 

[zer0cell]

I have a 10" Crescent wrench and it's good. It was made in the USA and prices on these are pretty good. I was however also thinking of getting some Irega brand ones (made in spain). They also made the Wide Azz ones for the channellock. They also appear to be high quality.

 

[Kirbot]

I have a (very) old 12" Williams that I really like.
I can't speak for the newer stuff though.

Might be worth checking out though.

 

[Monte]

Channellock !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[shanker]

my neighbor (who was a Crew Chief that worked on helicopters in the Marine Corps) has a drawer full of Snap-On adjustable wrenches that are the best ones I've ever handled

 

[sberry]

I still collect them when the price is right, I have even bought a few 4 pc sets of imports with the idea in mind to leave on tractors etc. They are actually good these days, 20$. I was picking up the other day, thought, there must be a dozen adjustables hung near here,, stopped counting at 20, ha. Have another 20 scattered in service on trucks, tractors, would be at great loss without them.
Sounds like this mans boss is slack when it comes to hand tools, big investment in other large equipment but the support needs to be up[graded, I know the picture. Sometimes even flea mkt for some hammers, pipe wrenches, combo wrenches goes a long ways toward productivity. I would be lost without being able to turn around and find enough basic hand tools to accomplish most tasks at hand within practical reach. Any tools where common used I would buy one and put it there, I only walk over so many times for a screwdriver I can buy for a dollar or 2, same with combination wrenches on a farm, channeloks too.

 

[Hamster]

The ones I really liked were BAHCO's, they were much better made than the current crecents. Mine were bought 10+ years ago and were made in Sweden.

Not sure where the current ones were made.

 

[Damian]

I've got an entire drawer full of crescent wrenches ranging from Taiwan made stuff on up to a few Snap on wrenches. I've never had any of the larger ones fail. You'll notice that the build quality will make a difference in the smaller models due to the teeth/jaws being smaller, but I've got some larger elcheapo crescents that I've never had a problem.

Channellock !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I concur with this statement. My favorite/go-to crescent is a Channel lock model.

 

[Monte]

Not sure where the current ones were made.

Spain now

same as Snap-on
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...group_ID=12942&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

 

[sberry]

I have a snappy 10 inch, fine tool, would trade 2 Proto for it though basically. I have about all of them, very good. Ridgid, Proto, Diamond, Craftsman, Crescent, Williams and a couple other USA, also a few ATD, I believe a set of Pittsburg, they were on sale, just bought for extras but were good enough they worked their way into general circulation. A really crappy adjustable is about useless though as is Channelok type in which case I want the straight original jaw.

 

[sberry]

Crecent, pipe wrench and hammer. Don't leave home without them. I see the SK, forgot about a couple of those.

 

[tooldeloo]

When I was looking for a 12", and later on, a 15" adjustable wrench, I had checked out both Craftsman and Crescent. I wound up getting Craftsman for both--the actions were pleasingly snug. I thought that there was too much play in the Crescent wrenches.
The 15" was made by Western Forge; I'm not sure about the 12"--it has an "L" marking on one side and an "LS" marking on the other.
I have a 6" Spanish Channellock and some 10" and 8" Uticas and Shapleigh KeenKutters as well.

 

[mrholeshot]

I have them from Channellock, Diamond, Craftsman,MAC, Cresent, etc. Most of mine are 10-40 years old. I don't have a preferance on all these USA ones.

 

[DrkMtnDew]

most of my adj. wrenches are 8'', 10'', and 12'' klien. the craftsman's are good tools too, and for the ease of warrenty i'd go with them.

 

[tw33k2514]

I think newer Crescent is getting worse. all the ones I have that I purchased less than a year ago seem to have a lot more play in the jaw than my dad's older models. I will probably try Channellock next.

 

[littletoes]

The best adjustable wrench I have ever used is my old Proto Click Stop '12. I also have an old Indestro that is great, but that old Proto is the ****.

HELL YES!

New Proto adjustable wrenches are JUNK! They look EXACTLY like the Channellock version....must be made at the same place! ****-JUNK-TRASH-ETC.


The jaws are too dang thick to work in soooo many places.
I've even written e-mails and letters to PROTO asking W-T-F???
I have several up to 20", all the older stuff, and I can't bear to think if I break another, will they give me one of those "NEW" P-O-**** one's as a replacement???

The only ones that look like the older PROTO stuff is the Blue-Point versions.
And the jaws seem to open wider than the cheaper versions, like the cinder block channellock versions.

Better steel DOES NOT have to be as thick.

 

[oldjacks]

The Best Adjustable Wrench Ever?

Here is a selection of wrenches I have gathered up over the years:

Left to right
Stanley Vice Grip Adjustable (Got to be the Best)
Williams Button Set Superwrench (Beautiful to look at and a wonderful wrench)
Utica Select-O-Lock Pat'd (Another super wrench of very high quality)
Qual-Kraft quick adjusting wrench (works but not of high quality)
Craftsman ratcheting adjustable (works ok but needs a lot of room to turn)
Radex another ratcheting adjustable (not very high quality)
KeenKutter (Just a run of the mill adjustable)
KD Tools X-Treme (Just the ticket for those tough to reach areas)
Last not pictured is the Proto Click-Stop (another great working adjustable)

Close up of the Utica and Williams Wrenches the Williams with a beautiful gun blue on the jaws.

 

[gmwelder86]

crescent, or allen brand I have had good luck with both. Also klien pin or spud wrenchs are very nice to have as they allow you to easly as a cheater bar to the end if needed.

 

[crewchief888]

ive got adjustables 4" -16" from CM, SO, irega, crescent, matco and diamond.

no preference to any of them, i probably use the 4"matco & 6" SO, than all the others combined. the've never been a go-to tool for me.
the larger ones get used for grabbing heated steel to bend.

 

[Arnie C]

Far and away the best adjustable wrenches I have ever used are the Craftsman beak style adjustables.

 

[vssjim]

The Craftsman branded ones from Western Forge are made and last wery good top of the line.

 

[tunnel rat]

After owning just about everyone listed with exception of the Cmans I have found that the Ace hardeware pro brands are the smoothest and most durable ones I've ever ownwed, seriouslly. Not sure if they are US made though. I was turned on to these by a plumber friend of mine................Just my simple opinion though.

 

[moparmuscle88]

i have an ancient proto los angeles 12" that is tight, and works great

i think the older stuff is much better quality in regards to this type of tool

 

[bigdummy30]

not sure on all the sizes but in the 6" crescent has the biggest opening width of most brands....very nice on compression fittings under sinks and in other tight spots....

 

[Wakefield]

I have heard that adjustables spread or round more than regular open end wrenches(if the open end is the right size) but it would seem to me that a 15" adjustable if used on a nut that only requires that it be opened half way would be very strong.

 

[oldjacks]

I have heard that adjustables spread or round more than regular open end wrenches(if the open end is the right size) but it would seem to me that a 15" adjustable if used on a nut that only requires that it be opened half way would be very strong.

The problem is not in the strength but but in how they are adjusted. If one could lock the position of the jaws, then they wouldn't loosen to the point that they would slip on the fastener. Just working with a normal Crescent wrench promotes loosening the jaws. This is why generally one needs to use a larger adjustable then the fastener would normally require and or to hold if possible the spiral knob while using to prevent loosening.

If one uses the locking jaw type then I think you would fine that these wrenches would work quite well and not be so prone to slip. See my post above for images of locking jaw Crescents that work very well.

 

[trainwreck]

oldjacks, does that KD Tools X-Treme have its jaw on backwards? You mention that it's good for tight spaces, but how does it grasp the fastener at all?

 

[chewy7]

Yesterday I stopped by sears and they had a 15 inch adjustable hanging on display. So i tried working the action at it had a really tight action. I think that one was made by western forge. Maybe at a later date I might order the big Craftsman adjustable 3 wrench 12'',15'', 18'' 3 pack combo.

 

[oldjacks]

oldjacks, does that KD Tools X-Treme have its jaw on backwards? You mention that it's good for tight spaces, but how does it grasp the fastener at all?

I know it doesn't look like it would work but indeed it does just the way it is. I am always buying strange tools this is why I would up with this one. I will try and post an image later today with a fastener in the jaws so you can see how it looks.

 

[sberry]

I like the idea of that combo pack, I say buy and don't look back. They are very versatile tools, worth their weight when you are in that need it when you need it place.

 

[Jeff]

I use Proto and Irega.

 

[Chuckw]

These were "Banned from use" at my old job. If you were caught with one you could be fired. I have a couple Cresent brand in my box at home and believe that they do have a limited use. Best to get the right tool.