Double End Adjustable Wrenches

[Ralph Henicle]

Looking for information on all DBE Adjustable wrenches. I have a small collection but would like more informaton.

 

[dinoperson]

Looking for information on all DBE Adjustable wrenches. I have a small collection but would like more informaton.

I have a couple of double end adjust sables will add pictures later. I think they are crescent.


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[notlob]

The term "DBE adjustable wrench" is something of an oxymoron. I assume you are referring to wrenches like this?

 

[Stuart in MN]

Diamond Calk is another manufacturer that made them.

 

[jeeper46]

Diamond Calk is another manufacturer that made them.

I have one of the Diamond ones. I still can't figure out what these were needed for

 

[cbacres]

One end SAE, one end metric

From what I've read, back in the day it gave farmers in the field a little more versatility with less tools to carry.

 

[22george]

When I was in Japan, I bought an adjustable wrench - just because it was metric

 

[Empty Pockets]

I have seen a few of those double ended adjustable wrenches in my travels, but I never had any interest in them

 

[tombell572]

These seem to go for decent money on Ebay. I had seen them before although I am not a wrench collector and a check of "sold" ones seems like not many go for under $25.00 and many go for quite a bit more. Check out what you've got against Ebay sold items.

Tom B.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The term "DBE adjustable wrench" is something of an oxymoron.

I saw that, notlob, but the mistaken terminology really got the old brain box gears turning so to speak.

What I am picturing looks something like a ratcheting wrench, with a 12-point box end that snaps open and closed, but instead of a fixed jaw and a snap-over jaw, it has a sliding jaw on a screw and a snap-over jaw, so you can get a range of a few opening sizes up and down on both ends.

 

[d42jeep]

All you had to do was mention it. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that I own one. SAE sizes on one side and Metric on the other!
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

In case the nice wrench above isn't what the OP had in mind, I used to have this early Crescent wrench. It sold on eBay for much more than I thought it was worth.
-Don

 

[LB-1911]

Looking for information on all DBE Adjustable wrenches. I have a small collection but would like more informaton.

As previously mentioned - two manufactures of Double-Ended Adjustable Wrenches were - Crescent & Diamond Calk

In 1958 the Diamond Calk Horseshoe Company changed its name to "Diamond Tool and Horseshoe", and tools marked with this name can be assumed to be from 1958 or later.

Scroll down the page you'll find a section titled - Double-Ended Wrenches
http://alloy-artifacts.org/diamond-calk-horseshoe.html#intro

and the same with Crescent
http://alloy-artifacts.org/crescent-tool.html#intro

 

[racinfarmer]

These seem to go for decent money on Ebay. I had seen them before although I am not a wrench collector and a check of "sold" ones seems like not many go for under $25.00 and many go for quite a bit more. Check out what you've got against Ebay sold items.

Tom B.

I saw a Diamond one at a flea market last year without a price on it.

Knowing better, I asked the price anyway and when I heard "Two and a half" I was thrilled!

I started to get my money out and the guy was like "Two and a half is two-hundred and fifty dollars, not what you are going to give me."

I'm pretty sure that guy had almost all the stuff he came with when we left a couple hours later.

 

[woody 73]

I saw a Diamond one at a flea market last year without a price on it.

Knowing better, I asked the price anyway and when I heard "Two and a half" I was thrilled!

I started to get my money out and the guy was like "Two and a half is two-hundred and fifty dollars, not what you are going to give me."

I'm pretty sure that guy had almost all the stuff he came with when we left a couple hours later.

They are expensive (ask me how I know) but they are not rare as some would be led to believe. For some reason people thought they were cool (they are) and they hoarded them by the car load; so now the prices are insane.

 

[racinfarmer]

They are expensive (ask me how I know) but they are not rare as some would be led to believe. For some reason people thought they were cool (they are) and they hoarded them by the car load; so now the prices are insane.

I was very happy to play ball at $2.50.

At $25, I'd play ball if my wife wasn't around and didn't want to leave empty handed.

At $250, that guy to find a half bottle of KY (use your imagination for the rest of that) and I'm going to stop on the way home and get a ripping good hangover off a box of wine.

 

[Jeremy77]

I thought I knew a fair amount about hand tools but I can honestly say that I've never seen (or even imagined) one of these. It looks pretty neat but I cant really see a practical use for one, for me at least.

 

[nh_yota]

I have a Crescent double end adjustable wrench that belonged to my great grandfather.

 

[pendragon1998]

I saw a Diamond one at a flea market last year without a price on it.

Knowing better, I asked the price anyway and when I heard "Two and a half" I was thrilled!

I started to get my money out and the guy was like "Two and a half is two-hundred and fifty dollars, not what you are going to give me."

I'm pretty sure that guy had almost all the stuff he came with when we left a couple hours later.

I hope you laughed loudly in his face and rhen strolled away still chuckling.

 

[crguy]

Here's one you won't see often, and it's a buy at "two and a half". 6" long.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Are the jaw capacities the same on both ends of that Bemis & Call?

 

[crguy]

Are the jaw capacities the same on both ends of that Bemis & Call?

One end is square for bolts/nuts - the other end is angled for pipe.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks. Now that you point that out, I see just the hint of the serrated jaw on that end as well.

 

[Ralph Henicle]

I Have a 4-6,6-8,8-10 and 10-12 Diamond wrench. On the large there is a -- D-- on the wrench. Any one know what this means?

 

[scottybk]

I just missed a DIamond double at an estate sale last week, some geezer was buying it just as I walked in, had I been 1 minute earlier it would've been mine. I think he paid $5 for it. They are rare in the wild, first one I'd ever seen.

 

[Leviton]

I just missed a DIamond double at an estate sale last week, some geezer was buying it just as I walked in, had I been 1 minute earlier it would've been mine. I think he paid $5 for it. They are rare in the wild, first one I'd ever seen.

Don't you hate it when that happens? I'm guessing you will remember it for a while.

I have come across a lot of odd and old wrenches over the years, but I've never seen a for-sale double ender in the wild.

 

[bonneyman]

I found this one in 2019. First one I've seen in the wild. It obviously had a tough life, so I soaked it in Evaporust and worked on cleaning up the jaws some. Unfortunately the high temp silver paint didn't come out quite chromey enough, but I'm glad I can say I have one of these.

 

[scottybk]

Don't you hate it when that happens? I'm guessing you will remember it for a while.

I have come across a lot of odd and old wrenches over the years, but I've never seen a for-sale double ender in the wild.

Yes I hate it. Even worse, that geezer was grinning like the cat that ate the canary. He knew what a steal it was. The estate sale was mostly dolls, Hummel figurines, and women stuff, hence the staff running it knew nothing about tools. The only other "tools" were a 1980s Kmart battery charger and a Harbor Freight hammer from like 2015 lol.

 

[jfleisher]

I have this one, paid .50 for it at a thrift store a while back

 

[humber2]

I have this one, paid .50 for it at a thrift store a while back

With the center channel extending to each thumbscrew it looks to be relatively recent, ie post 1960.

And I suspect the other side reveals it to be the Crestoloy version.

Nice find, are you gasping for air?

 

[joel_400]

I have a few different ones. Last I bought was super nice 6 and 8 for 25 bucks at a tool show...couldn't believe it was that reasonable at a vintage tool show. Picked up another from my local flea market for 5 also. All the tool collectors there got bent out if shape and were offering the original seller way more than I paid...I quickly ran off since I had already paid and didn't want the guy to try and give my money back to get more. Didn't buy from him for a while because he thought I screwed him...he forgot after a while though and I was able to get more deals from him since! He still likes cash! Haha
Joel

 

[3baygarage]

I just missed a DIamond double at an estate sale last week, some geezer was buying it just as I walked in, had I been 1 minute earlier it would've been mine. I think he paid $5 for it. They are rare in the wild, first one I'd ever seen.

That's funny because a similar thing happened to me years ago. I missed a beautiful large double ender by seconds. Mainly because there were 20 or 30 guys lines up piling into the shop. I swear everyone left empty handed except the guy who got the wrench. It was $15 iirc.
On the flip side, I walked into a sale once, several hours after start time, and there was no one in the garage. There was a double ender (Crescent?), and a seldom seen Volume ratchet sitting on the table for cheap waiting to be bought. You just never know.

 

[d42jeep]

I found this one at a sale last August and posted it in the Crescent thread.
-Don
Here is one I flipped a few years ago.

 

[four.cycle]

Looking for information on all DBE Adjustable wrenches. I have a small collection but would like more informaton.

Baxter Wrench Co. (Newark NJ) (this was the original - patent 84605 - was also manufactured by E.C. Stearns and Greene, Tweed & Co.
Bemis & Call (Springfield MA)
Crescent Tool Co. (Jamestown NY)
Diamond (Duluth MN)
G.L. Holt Co. (Hartford CT) "Holt's Adjustable Twin" patent 1123462

* I am still looking for a clean copy of the Holt unit.

 

[Ancalagon]

Glad I found this community I'm new here.

I just picked up this B&C dual end combo adjustable wrench just because I thought it looked neat. Turns out it's super hard to find any info about it! I saw the picture above and agree it's one not often seen. I've only been able to find two obscure sales of this model online.

I did find a single catalogue page online referencing it, seems to have been patented in 1909. I wish I could find out how many of them were made!

 

[crguy]

Glad I found this community I'm new here.

I just picked up this B&C dual end combo adjustable wrench just because I thought it looked neat. Turns out it's super hard to find any info about it! I saw the picture above and agree it's one not often seen. I've only been able to find two obscure sales of this model online.

I did find a single catalogue page online referencing it, seems to have been patented in 1909. I wish I could find out how many of them were made!

Good find! I had one in my collection for years. Just sold it this spring.

 

[Walkers]

It looks pretty neat but I cant really see a practical use for one, for me at least.

Sometimes you need to pound 10 penny nails, sometimes you need to pound finish nails!

 

[d42jeep]

Here is an 8” X 10” Crescent example I found at an estate sale back in June. Obviously there wasn’t enough demand for these for Crescent to continue to produce them. I see them as a collectible novelty.
-Don

 

[crguy]

Sometimes you need to pound 10 penny nails, sometimes you need to pound finish nails!

Maybe you should notice one end is a pipe wrench, and the other end is for bolts & nuts.

 

[Farmer J.]

Maybe you should notice one end is a pipe wrench, and the other end is for bolts & nuts.

Maybe you should remember the saying: "If you don't have anything nice to say then it's better to say nothing at all"!

Before posting this I personally considered the saying: "Don't feed the trolls", but then had a beer and thought "what the heck, all the pleasant friendly people that contribute to GJ can have a laugh".

Please don't reply with abuse towards me, it's just sad when we're trying to innocently discuss a hobby and people start picking arguments instead of being helpful.