Strap wrenches

[stickshift]

Are there any decent low-priced strap wrenches?

I was looking at this Lowes pair of strap wrenches. Reviews are mixed - some love it, some say it's junk. Makes me wonder if there is operator error involved.

 

[atwageman]

My wife uses them to remove tight lids off of a jars.

 

[Parrothead]

I am very interested in this as well. I have some HF strap wrenches, some Alltrade, and one I found. They're okay...but I'd like something better. Great for cleaning showerheads, and removing fixtures you don't want scratched.

 

[HairMetal]

http://www.kingtonyamerica.com/prod...d=7&ktkind=3&kind=&id=731&sid=256&formsearch=
I have this style, works well and seems like it will hold up nicely.

 

[dowmace]

I use the large klein every day for something. Great for oil filters, holding driveshafts. It works great but you have to know how to use the damn thing or you'll call it junk

 

[619DioFan]

Have the two different size ones from craftsman. work just fine for all types of jobs.

 

[Pumpman1968]

I've had a Ridgid since the late 80's.......little more money but last forever.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Ridgid-...023?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ce596a59f

 

[dmlehmann]

I bought a set from Lowes. They worked well. However, the rubber straps dry rotted within two years while stored in my garage.. Maybe I should have stored them differently to extend their life.


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[metaldad]

i also have ridgids

 

[Honda 1]

I have the two-piece Craftsman set,the original ones, and they work great. They still sell a set of them, but they are different from the set I have.
When I first bought them, I expected them to be another gimmick tool. However, they came in handy for a variety of situations, which saved my bacon!

 

[metalhead212121]

I have a set from sears. If there was ever a time I was grateful to have them it was when I was torqueing down a camshaft bolt on a Honda. Didn't have the special tool to hold the cam gear... oil filter wrench pliers didn't work for THIS particular cam gear.

 

[Boilerhouse]

I bought a strap wrench a few years ago and it was garbage. The rubber was too hard and it wouldn't grip anything. The next one I got hard had a wider and softer strap and works OK. The best one I have used is a Rigid. The strap is not rubber but a synthetic material of some type. It works great and rarely fails me.

 

[chevelle67]

Ridgid hands down

 

[skruft]

I do not use these often but have various sizes of Ridgids that I found for a few bucks at garage sales, etc. They always work fine.

 

[u118224]

I have the HIT Tools strap wrench, similar to the Ridgid. These have nylon strap so they won't stretch.

I have the Craftsman rubber and plastic strap wrenches and they're a pain to use, plus the rubber strap stretches. In my experience they're only useful for low torque use, which means they're not very useful at all.

 

[GCncsuHD]

Are there any decent low-priced strap wrenches?

I was looking at this Lowes pair of strap wrenches. Reviews are mixed - some love it, some say it's junk. Makes me wonder if there is operator error involved.

Not the exact same ones, but I picked up these:
http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...gId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1
(look to be identical other than the handle color)

So far they seem to do the job, bought them because someone lost the water filter wrench at our church, so I picked them up to change that filter, then used them later that day to change the oil filter on my F250 since they were already out, and I didn't need to dig in my box to find the filter wrench.

Seem pretty sturdy, time will tell if the rubber will hold up, but man those things STINK!!! The rubber was offgassing something terrible.

 

[3baygarage]

The Craftsman are great for lids and things like that.
Just know their limits though. One strap split instantly when I tried to turn a stuck garden hose handle.

 

[Jerryrigged]

I picked one up at Tractor Supply last month for .99 cents and it worked fine. I figured for the price it couldn't be too bad and it wasn't.

 

[PBCampbell]

Remember to use Rosin for grip on the traditional strap wrenches like Ridgid makes, although they do offer straps that have some type of plastic coating on them that grip pretty good.

 

[48RON54]

I use the large klein every day for something. Great for oil filters, holding driveshafts. It works great but you have to know how to use the damn thing or you'll call it junk

X2.... One of my joys in life is watching someone who claims to be a mechanic struggle with this style of wrench lol...

 

[rlitman]

Great for cleaning showerheads, and removing fixtures you don't want scratched.

Actually for anything that small, I much prefer Canon Plug Pliers.

Strap wrenches are good for water filter canisters, and bigger things like oil filters (although there's better stuff for that).

I've got the Craftsman version of this.

Came in real handy when I was doing the timing belt on my car and I had to remove the cam gear to replace the seals. The Subaru manual says you need a special tool to hold the gear. I cut up the old timing belt and made it fit in the strap wrench instead to hold the gear so I could pull the nut holding it on.

 

[bart1]

This one is badass. Doesn't slip or strech. Was $40.

 

[senlow]

This one is badass. Doesn't slip or strech. Was $40.

That's an excellent strap wrench. I have one that's almost identical, except that it is branded Elora rather than Hazet.

 

[mypov]

I use mine all the time - bought one from mac tools which has a fabric strap made out of a thick woven material. It works well, has saved my *** a few times getting old oil/fuel filters off when people haven't greased them before installation. Another one I have is made by CAT, it's works great. Has a wider strap then the mac one, and it's made out of fabric as well, looks exactly like a seat belt - love these wrenches for their applications…

 

[Monte]

this forged one from Gedore works good too:

 

[Alan Douglas]

My grandfather's wrench works for me. It's marked Reed Mfg. Co, Erie PA. It had a cotton strap but that broke so I replaced it with leather. The handle unscrews to change the strap.

 

[bart1]

This one is badass. Doesn't slip or strech. Was $40.
...

And for your entertainment, here is one I made once:

 

[thebeekeeper1]

I've had a Ridgid since the late 80's.......little more money but last forever.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Ridgid-...023?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ce596a59f

I have that one too. Only thing is, it takes me ten minutes to figure out how to hook up, as I use it only infrequently and never can remember the trick.

It works great though!

 

[the gypsy]

I used these strap wrenches all the time , when I was working a summer job. We used them to remove the collars off hydraulic cylinders all the time. They work much better than a pipe wrench because they squeeze the pipe or collar evenly, especially important when the material is on the thin side or flexes easily.

 

[the gypsy]

Oh, I forgot to mention, I think the one with the composite material is superior than the rubber ones, basing myself on personal experience.

 

[itsvegas]

The older style Craftsman are really nice! The newer skinny ones like this ****!
http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-2-piece-16inch-rubber-strap-wrench-set/p-00945570000P?prdNo=1

Harbor Freight also *****:
http://www.harborfreight.com/rubber-strap-wrench-set-2-pc-69373.html

I picked up one of these and really like it!
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Strap-Wrench-UWO0001J/204284841

 

[cgv69]

I have this style...

and maybe I just don't know the "trick" to using it correctly but I've not found it very useful. I know part of the problem is the rubber straps with stretch too much.

The Hazet one looks pretty sweet. Might have to get one of those!