Who makes damn good pipe wrench?

[tool whore]

+1 Ridgid.

If you can swing aluminum it is the way to go.

I have an aluminum Kobalt from Lowes that is also very nice. They were clearancing it or I would not have bought it. I'm glad I did.

HF are ok in a pinch but you wouldnt want to use it regularly unless you already cuss like a sailor and those around you dont mind. They slip unless you are awful careful.

Craigslist is a great place to find pipewrenches cheap.

 

[bw77]

+1 Ridgid.

If you can swing aluminum it is the way to go.

I have an aluminum Kobalt from Lowes that is also very nice. They were clearancing it or I would not have bought it. I'm glad I did.

On the Home Depot website Ridgid aluminum pipe wrenches are lower in price than the cast iron ones of the same size.

 

[DrkMtnDew]

the aluminum ridgid wrenches are my favorite. the weight is good and it is very strong.

 

[Honda 1]

I'm a big fan of the Ridgid brand pipe wrenches. They get the job done!
Home Depot has them and they have good prices on them, both the aluminum and the steel wrenches.
Sears is also selling their brand, Craftsman, pipe wrenches once again. They sold them many years ago and at that time I believe they were made for Sears by Ridgid. They are about the same price as the Ridgid.

 

[Bryan Burns]

This 1924 Armstrong Brothers 24" pipe wrench was well made, still usable and I can sell it. I don't ever see me needing such a large one.

View media item 6036

 

[mofo62]

+1 Ridgid.

If you can swing aluminum it is the way to go.

I have an aluminum Kobalt from Lowes that is also very nice. They were clearancing it or I would not have bought it. I'm glad I did.

HF are ok in a pinch but you wouldnt want to use it regularly unless you already cuss like a sailor and those around you dont mind. They slip unless you are awful careful.

Craigslist is a great place to find pipewrenches cheap.

+1



Ridgid its Best!!!

V!

 

[senlow]

I keep hoping someone will find some other brand besides Ridgid that makes great pipe wrenches, just for something different. Alas, my search continues.

Try Reed. They are every bit as good as Ridgid. Yes, that's the same Reed as those great vises.

 

[Hoss356]

Went out and picked up a 24" cast iron Ridgid. For now, I just decided keep it simple.

 

[barney rubble]

Good choice. It should last you a lifetime.

 

[greasemonkey44]

ridgid; reed; fueller

 

[gmwelder86]

Pipefitter here and all I will use or buy is rigid, 14-18 is middle of the road if you want to go crazy get the 48" after all leverage is king.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

 

[PrecisionTools]

I have a plumber friend who swears buy his Rothenberger

http://www.rothenberger.com/en/prod...n-tools/one-handed-aluminium-pipe-wrench.html

 

[vssjim]

Screw Ridgid. They jerked me around on warranty. I am never buying their **** EVER. My aluminum pipe wrench broke. Replaced with HF unit that works fine.

I have sent back two Aluminum Ridgid pipe wrenches to Ridgid this year and they sent back new ones no problem.

 

[Gort the giant robot]

Lots of used Trimo's around. I don't know how good they are, but I see lots of them for sale all the time.

Gort

 

[metaldad]

Another pipefitter here. Ridgid is the weapon of choice. Aluminum, of course. Worked for a man that would only buy the steel ones because no one would steal those.
And why all the warranty aluminum wrenches? I have yet to have one fail. Steel ones, mebbe bent the handle D) , but aluminum?
nice collection of stillson wrenches, Charles.

 

[Fordman7795]

I sent in a broken 48" pipe wrench and they wanted to charge me $102 for repairs. After some complaining they said they would replace the handle for free. That was two weeks ago and i havent received it back yet

 

[metaldad]

how long was the cheater to break the 48?

 

[fireguy]

My pipe tools are, 36", 18", 12", 8" straight aluminum wrenches. Offset 18", 14" that are getting worn out. Not the jaws, but the wrench itself. Time to get a couple more offset. The only pipe tool that is not Ridgid is a Rothenberger tirple leg stand. POS, the legs are wobbly were they fasten to the vise. It was replaced with a Ridgid Tristand. My cutting, threading, and grooving tools are all Ridgid. Even the oil is Ridgid. I do like the look of the Lennox pipe wrenches though.

 

[metaldad]

My pipe tools are, 36", 18", 12", 8" straight aluminum wrenches. Offset 18", 14" that are getting worn out. Not the jaws, but the wrench itself. Time to get a couple more offset. The only pipe tool that is not Ridgid is a Rothenberger tirple leg stand. POS, the legs are wobbly were they fasten to the vise. It was replaced with a Ridgid Tristand. My cutting, threading, and grooving tools are all Ridgid. Even the oil is Ridgid. I do like the look of the Lennox pipe wrenches though.

Now I gotta take pics. this place is addicting.
Jah, Lenox looks cool, but, chinese manufacture

 

[Honda 1]

I have used the Ridgid wrenches for thirty years and they still hold up to whatever task I give them to do. I would highly recommend them !

 

[binkcat16]

ridgid is the pipe wrench of the oilfield it works for us so it will work for you

 

[jeffmoss26]

Ridgid. My uncle is a plumber and taught me a lot of what I know about tools!

 

[Skyline]

I've never used an aluminum pipe wrench, but I'm having a bit of a hard time seeing how they could be strong enough. Last nite I had a problem with my heating system, and needed to remove some rusty pipe that had been in place 40+ years. My biggest pipe wrench is 24", and that could not budge this fitting. With nothing on hand to use as a cheater bar, I hit the end of the handle with a small sledge hammer untill the fitting turned. This left numerous small dings in my iron pipe wrench, but could an aluminum wrench have stood up to this kind of abuse?

 

[oldjacks]

I am surprised no one has mentioned "Chain" pipe wrenches. Expensive to buy but in my case a regular pipe wrench wouldn't work for a job I had under my house. Bought the chain wrench from McMaster-Carr that morning.... it was delivered later on the same day and I was able to complete my job. For hard to reach areas they are the best and would work just as well for any other regular job.

 

[Fordman7795]

how long was the cheater to break the 48?

Not sure, it was my grandfathers that he gave to me.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Snap-On makes a great pipe wrench too but they're pricey. I've used my PW14C extensively and its held up just fine.

 

[danski0224]

I have some Rothenberger stuff, and so far, it is just as good as or better than RIDGID.

 

[HandyManny]

Superior Tool sells some nice ones. Made in Spain (or they were).

Sadly many of Superior Tool's products are being made offshore in Asian countries now, but I do own several of their older USA made plumbing tools. Great tools. No experience with their pipe wrenches though. Probably made in Spain by the same manufacturer who currently makes them for Craftsman.

 

[HandyManny]

Pipefitter here and all I will use or buy is rigid, 14-18 is middle of the road if you want to go crazy get the 48" after all leverage is king.

You must work with some pretty large iron pipes and have plenty of room to turn that 48" wrench

Curious though, how heavy is something like a 48 inch pipe wrench?

 

[Juddy]

Offset aluminium Rigids are my favourite pipe wrench. I have given them 5 years of abuse in a mine site environment without any problems. Ive swung off them with long pipes off the handle and used them as a flogging spanner hitting them daily with my 4 pound hammer. I wouldnt buy anything else.

 

[Steevo]

I have two kinds.
1. Rigid pipe wrenches that have never failed me.
2. All of the others.

I'd give away the others and never miss them.

 

[Thedroid]

Ridgid makes a great pipe wrench and I own numerous models, but don't knock the "Swedish Pattern" until you try one. They are MUCH faster to adjust to different sizes, and bite really hard.

Knipex Cobras turn pipe really well also. Usually the metal will give before the pliers give up their grip.

 

[plumbstupid]

I'm a fuul-time plumbing contractor. Most of my pipe wrenches are Rigid. I have 2 - 24" Lenox PEs. I don't know who makes them but they have held up as well as the Rigids.

 

[skoronesa]

At work most of the guys have ridgid and the ones that dont bought lennox because that's what the supply house carries. Although most of the guys that have the lennox ones say "They don't grip for shiz". I have smaller fuller ones that are antiques made in japan and a 36" ridgid. I am going to get more old fullers for the intermediate sizes. My fullers grip just as well as the ridgids, I plan to replace the replace the teeth with ridgid parts when they are too worn to resharpen.

 

[70Swinger440]

My dad has 42 years of boiler installs under his belt. I've been helping him for 25 of them. Ridgid, and only Ridgid. Up to 48" for steam boilers.

 

[Farmall450]

Ridgid.

 

[MJD1]

What benifit is there with the offset verses the conventional style or the end wrench style?

 

[platform389]

the aluminum ridgid wrenches are my favorite. the weight is good and it is very strong.

Take care using cheater pipes with them however. They are not as strong in that application.

 

[atthebeach]

My two largest pipe wrenches are an 18" aluminum Ridgid and a 14" Super Ego. Stop laughing. Super Ego is a Spanish company along the Ego River in Spain. It has a long history of making high quality tools and is now a member of the Rothenberger Group. I have given both wrenches a real work out over the years maintaining water systems. I can't tell you how many times these wrenches were used to separate a 2" union where I steadied myself with a nearby tree branch as I stood on the top wrench and bounced my 200 lbs to loosen up the union. Both grip very well and are good as new except for some missing paint.