New adjustable wrenches

[cody1325]

Some of you guys have a limited view of things. When you're a half a mile from the shop on your tractor and need a wrench, they are handy as hell. I also work on a lot of antique stuff, square bolts, etc. Pretty handy when the infamous 10mm goes missing again...

There's a ten-inch Crescent in the tractor toolbox for that very reason. Until I retired them for the 125mm Pliers Wrench (still kinda like the Craftsman, however), carried a 4-inch Western Forge-made Craftsman adjustable wrench (one of the three tools I bought from Sears as a kid) on me at all times.

Plan to upgrade the tractor's wrench to the 10" version of Klein's Spud wrench, as that aligning spud is great for lining up implements to stick the pins in.

 

[Stelzer]

Not trying to be a ****, but what do people even use adjustable wrenches on?

I have a half dozen (large and small) and almost never use them unless it's an easy fastener, I'm tired or too lazy to choose the proper size/type of wrench/socket.

Just finishing up a coolant pump on a Toyota Highlander. Holy ****, thanks Harbor Freight, for enticing me to buy all those unneeded types of sockets "I might need someday"

I can't think of a single fastener, that an adjustable wrench would appropriate to use on that job, without a fight.

I'm often doing field repairs for pressure washing or roof cleaning and I have to add or remove hoses, swivels & misc. fittings on the fly. Having 2 adjustable wrenches takes the place of 6-8 regular wrenches. Biggest one is basically used as a vice to keep the piece static.
At home in my garage I don't use them, but I do find them invaluable on a job site when we don't have the luxury of packing anything/everything to perform misc. repairs

 

[Sumboodie]

did the Project Farm guy check Irega and Lobtex?

I can only listen to about 3.7 seconds of that guy's voice.

I usually just fast forward to the chart at the end.

 

[AJHD]

did the Project Farm guy check Irega and Lobtex?

I can only listen to about 3.7 seconds of that guy's voice.

I really wish he could present the information in a different way. His videos are hard to watch. I usually skip ahead or just turn it off and watch something else.

 

[Brandon_oma#692]

Not trying to be a ****, but what do people even use adjustable wrenches on?

I have a half dozen (large and small) and almost never use them unless it's an easy fastener, I'm tired or too lazy to choose the proper size/type of wrench/socket.

Just finishing up a coolant pump on a Toyota Highlander. Holy ****, thanks Harbor Freight, for enticing me to buy all those unneeded types of sockets "I might need someday"

I can't think of a single fastener, that an adjustable wrench would appropriate to use on that job, without a fight.

To tighten a nut while I hold the bolt with a pair of pliers..........

Picked up a used suzuki 80cc 4 wheeler for the kids birthday a few weeks ago. Went to help them start it the other night and the foot pegs were loose. Saw they were held on with 2 bolts thru the bracket and the frame with nuts. Should be metric, might not be? looked pretty buggered up. Grabbed 2 6" adjustables from the toolbox about 40 feet away to snug them up and sent him on his way. Better than a pile of wrenches and 4 trips back and forth. I'll have him help replace them with some that fit appropriately, and are the same for all 4 nuts and bolts this weekend.

Sciatic nerve is currently trying to kill me otherwise it would have been the adjustable and pliers I normally carry on me. Feel naked without them and a multi bit screwdriver.

 

[KnurledNut]

Adjustables are sooo handy. I used two the other day to turn off a water meter. One vertically tightened on the valve and the other as a cheater in the ring on the end. Cant plan for everything. Good to have basic options.

 

[Etchase]

I really like the current Proto’s. 67 years and the click-stop is still going.

 

[cody1325]

I really like the current Proto’s. 67 years and the click-stop is still going.

Are Click-Stop still US-made? I know most of them seem to be offshored to Taiwan as of late, but I'm still seeing USA on the Click Stop wrenches. Even Urrea off-shored from Mexico to Taiwan.


My local mine supply still has a couple big Protos marked "USA", and I may end up seeing what else. They're a weird mix between stuff that's 20 years old (got a Klein duckbill last year with a 2004 date code) and current stock. I rarely hand-pick, unless it's something to get over their minimum (else it's like a $20 surcharge) for card sales. Usually I just call, and pick it up.

 

[Etchase]

All Taiwan made. What’s in stock is anybody’s guess. The Taiwan wrenches are top shelf.

 

[bwringer]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one mystified by the fervor around Knipex pliers wrenches, and finds them a pain to use.

So here's another bit o' blasphemy: the "Hart Pro" brand adjustables found at your nearest Wally World at bargain prices are... very damn good. Honestly. Weird looking, yes.

Made in Taiwan, last time I looked, font of many high-quality, high-value tools. This 10" version is just $12.88 currently.

Let's see if this image works...


Adjustable wrenches, by their nature, are janky tools of last resort. But when you need one you need one, or two, and you can do far worse than these Hart Pros.

I have a few Channellock brand, made in Spain by Irega, and they're quite nice. I also have a couple of Made-In-Jamestown real live old-school Crescent brand wrenches I inherited, which are fantastic quality, pretty much unequalled in the modern day.

 

[BrandonV]

Adjustable wrenches, by their nature, are janky tools of last resort. But when you need one you need one, or two, and you can do far worse than these Hart Pros.

Yeah, honestly, as long as the jaws aren't loose and the adjustment screw is smooth, they're fine in my book. They're not high-torque tools or anything.

I've seen Klein wrenches with horribly loose jaws and new RIDGIDs where the adjustment screw binds.

 

[KnurledNut]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one mystified by the fervor around Knipex pliers wrenches, and finds them a pain to use.

So here's another bit o' blasphemy: the "Hart Pro" brand adjustables found at your nearest Wally World at bargain prices are... very damn good. Honestly. Weird looking, yes.

Made in Taiwan, last time I looked, font of many high-quality, high-value tools. This 10" version is just $12.88 currently.

Let's see if this image works...


Adjustable wrenches, by their nature, are janky tools of last resort. But when you need one you need one, or two, and you can do far worse than these Hart Pros.

I have a few Channellock brand, made in Spain by Irega, and they're quite nice. I also have a couple of Made-In-Jamestown real live old-school Crescent brand wrenches I inherited, which are fantastic quality, pretty much unequalled in the modern day.

I have one of those and can't stand it.

 

[Jay H 237]

I work with industrial machinery everyday, which includes adjustments plus many airline or plumbing fittings. I've been happy with the 8" and 12" Husky's from Home Depot, two of both handle most of it for basic tools to carry around plus they have a nice feel to them. I don't like the small 6" as it feels very sloppy compared to the larger ones. Any real teardown got to go get the toolbox anyhow.

 

[roofdweller49]

Any real differences between the current irega and bahco wrenches?

I should probably get one of the giant jaw Fujiya for undersink work